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Leon Sykes has eight children at home, works two jobs, and drives for Uber and Lyft on the side. Yet the 34-year-old father has found time to take classes Monday through Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. to earn his high-school credentials at Academy of Hope, an adult public charter school in Washington, D.C. Sykes is about two years into the program. His wife usually picks up their children, ages 5 to 15, from after-school activities, but he still cant always make it to class. Some days, you just...

A quiet, but alarming, trend is happening in Cambodian "orphanages." Instead of predominantly serving the needs of children whose parents have died, these institutions are increasingly being filled with children from poor families whose living parents are seeking better opportunities for their children's future. It's a phenomenon that my colleagues and I at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health , together with a number of committed partners, are working to correct. There's a long...

Midlander David Gutierrez certainly has a story to tell. He grew up in a gang-infested neighborhood in the greater Los Angeles area, his mother was an alcoholic, his dad wasnt around. His brother was in and out of prison and his sister was a drug addict. He started drinking and doing drugs at age 12, was addicted to meth and marijuana by 14 and arrested by age 15. Now 36, he is three years sober and a substance abuse counselor for troubled teens at Palmer Drug Abuse Program (PDAP). About...

"Although Amy Winehouses voice was indisputably unique, there was really nothing unusual about her addiction," writes the popular TV personality. The Oscar-nominated documentary Amy takes an honest look at an incredible singing talent who was also suffering from a common chronic disease. Although Amy Winehouses voice was indisputably unique, there was really nothing unusual about her addiction. Like so many other addicts living in the glare of celebrity, Amy needed to be treated like...

After being physically and sexually abused from infancy into her teenage years, Mary doesn't want a doctor to touch her unless it's absolutely necessary. So going to appointments, where male nurses or physical exams are often emotional triggers, can be difficult. "It's very rare to come across a health care provider that is informed in trauma at all, or that is aware in how to deal with patients that have gone through trauma," said Mary, a 36-year-old Neenah woman who is using a false name...

When humans experience trauma, they feel as if their life is threatened; there may be an element of horror and shock, helplessness ensues. After the event or circumstance, a victim needs to recover from feeling vulnerable and out of control of the environment. One way we do this is to engage in self-blame: “it was my fault”.

As one who has been advocating for change in addressing childhood trauma for many years now, I have learned that change is extremely difficult for most people. There needs to be a reason for it. When Dr. Felitti was in Juneau last week, his planned testimony before the House Health & Social Services Committee was cancelled. The Legislative leadership mandated no hearings could be held unless they dealt with the state budget deficit. It was odd because what Dr. Felitti has to say is of...

This morning, the Duchess of Cambridge is taking on a new high profile role as a guest editor of Huffington Post UK, transforming one of Kensington Palaces rooms into a makeshift newsroom. We know there is no shame in a young child struggling with their emotions or suffering from a mental illness," the Duchess wrote as she called for the end of the "taboo" surrounding mental illness. Duchess Kate Champions Mental Health in New PSA Duchess Kate Celebrates 34th Birthday Prince William , 33,...

[Photo by Jake Bellucci ] The militarys health program falls significantly short in providing mental health care to active service members, according to a RAND Corp. study published Thursday. The study focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, the two most common mental health conditions experienced in the armed services. It finds some good news: The Military Health Services which is operated by the U.S. Department of Defense and provides care to active soldiers is effective...

The medical student was depressed and nearly 1,500 miles from home. Feeling homesick is a common sentiment for students, but as she settled into her new life at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, the student said, she felt especially alone. She had long suffered from depression, and now, in an unfamiliar terrain, she could feel the familiar symptoms of the condition creeping in. While she attempted to balance the stress and responsibilities of medical school -- what she...

Adolphe Quetelet was born in Belgium in 1796. At age 23 he received the first doctorate in mathematics ever awarded by the University of Ghent. Smart and hungry for recognition, he wanted to make a name for himself like one of his heroes, Sir Isaac Newton. Quetelet marveled at the way Newton uncovered hidden laws governing the operation of the universe, extracting orderly principles out of the chaos of matter and time. Quetelet felt that his best chance for a similar achievement was in...

A painful truth about homelessness in New York City is that our population of homeless children is the same size as the entire city of Trenton, N.J. and growing. In a case where common sense and scientific inquiry neatly overlap, the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness reported last year that when it comes to education, homeless students as a group have the worst outcomes on almost every measure, including performance on standardized tests, absenteeism and school drop-out. The...