Mental Health

Stresses like poverty, neglect and abuse all manifest differently in the brain and can cause different mental health issues later in life, explains researcher Katie McLaughlin of the University of Washington.

“In my newsroom, reporters are encouraged to have obsessions rather than beats,” Cary Aspinwall told fellows at the 2017 National Fellowship this week. “And my obsession is women in jail.”

Many immigrants are now afraid to leave their homes for work or school for fear of being arrested and deported. This climate of fear has made children in these familes newly vulnerable to what psychologists call "toxic stress."

“When you’re a foster girl, you feel unwanted,” a 21-year-old survivor said. “You’ve been through so much neglect and abuse. And then when you have a man tell you, ‘I love you, I’’ll take care of you, I’ll protect you,’ you want to believe him.”

At each turn, the people responsible for her safety failed her — her birth parents, relatives, foster parents, the Indiana Department of Child Services, school officials, therapists and others.

Arizona tends to try out new approaches and programs, but rarely sticks with such efforts long enough to bring about change.

The Carribean children left behind after parents migrate can suffer from depression, low self-esteem and feelings of abandonment. Such feelings can lead to problems in school and leave kids vulnerable to abuse.

In Indian Country, generational poverty, poor schools and a lack of health care all contribute to chronically high rates of stress during childhood.

The anxiety is so great that some undocumented adults have at times put themselves under a form of house arrest due to fears of being picked up by ICE agents.

From meditation to soccer to art therapy, public schools in California are finding ways to help undocumented students navigate their emotions as they face new immigration policies.