Mental Health & Trauma

One consistent memory I have from reporting on California’s mental health system for low-income children is repeatedly asking myself, “Why is this so hard?”

“The best policy we can pursue is try to reduce access to firearms among people who are suicidal," one researcher says.

While Caribbean "barrel children" typically receive money and goods, they often lack the emotional support they need. Reporter Melissa Noel shares lessons from the field.

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.