Mental Health

Emotional neglect, physical abuse, divorce, a household riven by addiction — science shows that traumas like these in childhood cause poorer health later in life, both mentally and physically.
 

This story was produced as part of a project for the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism, a program of the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.

“Access varies quite dramatically depending on where you are,” said Kim Lewis of the National Health Law Program. “There isn’t a lot being done to ensure accountability in each county.”

A lack of mental health professionals in rural counties is made worse by high rates of substance abuse, financial stress and isolation, which contribute to depression.

Due to lack of funding and stigma, law enforcement is often on the front lines for mental health crises and the aftermath of suicides in California's Mendocino County.

On the heels of the fellowship series "The Children of Central City," the New Orleans City Council recently approved a resolution calling for a citywide approach to childhood trauma.

Folks in underserved New Jersey face adversities that few in America ever even have to think about. How can the state turn the corner in addressing epidemic levels of trauma?

In California's Mendocino County, startling rates of suicide highlight a severe lack of access to mental health care.

In 2017, Mendocino County voters voted for a special sales tax to improve mental health services. Is it making a difference yet?

Exposure to domestic abuse can change how children view relationships, with effects that last a lifetime.