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The first day of his first semester at the University of California, Berkeley, Danny Murillo walked into the Cesar Chavez building and saw a white man with tattoos on his arms. Something about the man felt familiar. He could tell from the tattoos that the man was, like him, from Los Angeles, and he was around his own age, mid-thirties, but it was something else that he recognized. He went up to the man and said, “Damn, I feel old around all these youngsters.” The man said, “Yeah, me, too.”...

The painful and stressful social experiences associated with a mental illness diagnosis are a central reason why such people turn to drugs and alcohol. For many years substance use disorders and mental illness were generally construed as issues that were best treated separately. It was common that patients in psychotherapy for mental health issues, upon revealing significant substance use problems, would be referred out for substance use treatment and told to return when their substance use...

This one study explained spots where we’ve gotten stuck, despite the therapy. Despite the pets. Despite the supportive community and the trail of talented therapists my kids and I had accessed for the past many years. This was where my own story begins.

Here's an allegory I love that eloquently addresses the need for proactive endeavor. It's called The Upstream Rescuer . I found it on the Prevention Institute's website and did some editing. While walking along a river, a passerby sees someone drowning. After pulling the person ashore, the rescuer notices another person in the river in need of help. Before long, the river is filled with drowning people, and more rescuers are required to assist the first. Sadly, some people are not saved, and...

It is time for us to integrate and act on... what we currently know about how our young can flourish in our schools. We can begin to create places where children thrive and grow into their potential. We know the growth needs of all humans. 4 Universal Growth Needs- Circle of Courage Model • Belonging- Am I important to somebody here? • Mastery- Am I good at something here? • Independence- Can I influence my world here? • Generosity- How can I share my gifts to help others here? 1.

Every Wednesday, after my husband left for work, Everest and I headed out for a movie date. “Wild” was a favorite, as were “If I Stay” and “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” because those were quiet, character-driven stories. Everest didn’t much care what was on the screen: He was only 3 months old when we started going to the weekly parent movie mornings at our local theater. These were screenings of new releases that catered to parents with babies – the lights in the theater were turned up, the...

One of the fundamental ways scientists measure the well-being of a nation is tracking the rate at which its citizens die and how long they can be expected to live. So the news out of the federal government Thursday is disturbing: The overall U.S. death rate has increased for the first time in a decade, according to an analysis of the latest data. And that led to a drop in overall life expectancy for the first time since 1993, particularly among people younger than 65. "This is a big deal,"...

Over 400,000 women in the U.S. suffer from postpartum depression each year. Yet only an estimated 15 percent of those mothers receive treatment, and countless women who have suffered from PPD report feeling deeply alone in their struggles. But the federal government is offering families a glimmer of hope for the future of maternal mental health in the U.S. On Nov. 30, Rep. Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.) announced that her maternal mental health legislation, the Bringing Postpartum Depression...

The human mind is one of the most complex structures in the universe. Even in early infancy, it is capable of taking in a wide variety of inputs. Still, in our early years, we’ve only unlocked a small portion of its potential. Our brains actually continue to develop into our twenties . Accordingly, the U.S. Government embraces a definition of youth that continues until we turn 25. Nurturing the development of young minds to stay healthy through adulthood is a primary goal of SAMHSA’s Project...

New research has discovered that a damaging chemical imbalance in the brain may contribute to schizophrenia . Using a new kind of MRI measurement, neuroscientists reported higher levels of oxidative stress in patients with schizophrenia, when compared both to healthy individuals and those with bipolar disorder. “Intensive energy demands on brain cells leads to accumulation of highly reactive oxygen species, such as free radicals and hydrogen peroxide,” said the study’s lead investigator, Dr.

The Flatlands Family Residence is a shelter for homeless families that sits near the end of a subway line in Brooklyn next to a truck depot and across the street from an industrial air-conditioning business. Drawings made by the children who live there are are taped on the walls of a hallway that extends past a metal detector manned by security guards. Those children include Diana Duncan’s four kids, who sleep on bunk beds and often do their homework at a small table in the kitchen. The...

Recently, the topic of corporal punishment in schools has come up again. This time, the topic has bubbled up thanks to a letter sent on November 22 by U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. . In his letter, Secretary King urged state officials to end the use of corporal punishment, like spanking, in schools. While King’s letter may be recent, this discussion is not. Almost 15 years ago, our Board of Directors adopted a resolution calling for the banning of corporal punishment in schools.