Mental Health & Trauma

When it comes to addressing disorders of the brain, the medical toolkit is weak. But new mapping projects underway could gradually change our ability to treat many common brain disorders.

Angela Maria Naso wrote this story while participating in the California Health Journalism Fellowship, a program of the Center for Health Journalism at USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism.

A data-driven look at opioid addiction in San Diego found that old assumptions about addiction hotspots were outdated. Reporter Leo Castaneda shares this and other field lessons he learned along the way.

Stress, depression and anxiety have ballooned among undocumented students at the UC Berkeley this election season, reports Univision's Jenny Manrique.

This story was reported as a project for USC Annenberg's Center for Health Journalism National Fellowship.

Not your average public service announcement: A county in Washington state successfully used monthly surveys, data and community engagement to change perceptions and lower alcohol use among teens.

The Los Angeles Department of Health Services will start approving hepatitis C drugs for active IV drug users. Until now, the department had withheld approval for anyone who had not been drug-free for at least six months.

A new analysis of national data reveals for the first time just a slew of disparities between the mental and physical health of children placed in foster care and otherwise similar kids.

California's psychiatric hospitals can be highly dangerous places, both for patients and staff. Lost work days and overtime pay are huge. But reporters looking to track down reliable data on assaults face an uphill climb.

Legislation recently signed into law in California requires doctors to check a state database before prescribing narcotics. A key advocate behind the effort says increasing media attention was crucial in winning the bill's passage.