Media

The Food and Drug Administration gave a green light Wednesday for the first time to a blood test that doctors can use to help rule out concussions.

The Brain Trauma Indicator, marketed by Banyan Biomarkers Inc., measures the levels of two proteins — called UCH-L1 and GFAP — whose elevated presence suggests a certain type of brain damage normally only visible on a CT scan. The test takes three to four hours, and doctors could use it to determine which patients need a CT scan to confirm the damage and which patients can rest easy.

U.S. lawmakers are scheduled to vote soon on DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Since its inception, DACA has given 800,000 young dreamers a safety net from deportation. Now new research indicates the program may have an impact on the mental health of the next generation.

For 29-year-old Monique, time with her two-year old daughter Talina is precious. Monique lives every day with a nagging fear that her family will someday be torn apart.

The Rev. Talitha Arnold was just 2 years old when her father, a World War II veteran, took his own life.

"You just didn't talk about those things back then. We didn't even talk about suicide when I was in the seminary," says Arnold, who leads the United Church of Santa Fe in New Mexico.

A new report forecasts a substantial shortage of qualified and diverse behavioral health professionals in California within 10 years, leaving minority patients and those outside major metropolitan areas especially underserved.

If nothing is done to fill the void by 2028, many people diagnosed with mental health conditions will struggle to get the medication and counseling they need, especially those who live in the Central Valley and Inland Empire, where the lack of qualified workers is worse, the researchers found.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has taken a step toward creating a new peer support network to better connect local veterans to housing and services.

On Tuesday, the board approved a motion asking the Los Angeles County Health Agency, the L.A. Homeless Services Authority, and other agencies to team up with the VA and veteran-focused nonprofits to create a plan for establishing a "veteran peer access network" in L.A. County.

Seated on a garden bench next to a gurgling fountain in the warm Southern California sunshine, Dr. Greg Serpa leads a mindfulness meditation, encouraging his audience to focus solely on breathing.

"Taking in kindness and compassion, letting it be just for you," he says. "And as you breath out, sending it out to everyone else."

Gov. Jerry Brown has earmarked $117 million in his new state budget to expand the number of treatment beds and mental health programs for more than 800 mentally ill inmates found incompetent to stand trial.

State officials said they have struggled to keep up with the needs of a population that has jumped in size by 33% over the last three years, as judges are increasingly referring defendants to treatment. But one state lawmaker says additional funds are not enough.

SAN FRANCISCO — A group of Silicon Valley technologists who were early employees at Facebook and Google, alarmed over the ill effects of social networks and smartphones, are banding together to challenge the companies they helped build.

The cohort is creating a union of concerned experts called the Center for Humane Technology. Along with the nonprofit media watchdog group Common Sense Media, it also plans an anti-tech addiction lobbying effort and an ad campaign at 55,000 public schools in the United States.