Mental Health & Trauma

This story is part of a series on Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack survivors’ recovery and California’s workers’ compensation system. The project was undertaken for the USC Center for Health Journalism’s California Fellowship.

This story is part of a series on Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack survivors’ recovery and California’s workers’ compensation system. The project was undertaken for the USC Center for Health Journalism’s California Fellowship.

Orange County has the second highest number of opioid-related deaths in the state after Los Angeles, and the epidemic is hitting hardest among people in their golden years.

While many students seem unaffected by the violence, medical experts say the mere knowledge of killings can cause them to experience their own trauma and lose their sense of safety.

California spends an estimated $4 to $5 billion a year on mental health services for children and teens. Our goal is to find out whether access to mental health care is equitable across the state, as required by law.

The headlines generated by Angel Secundino's killing faded quickly. But his death links four generations still struggling with the regrets, emotional wreckage and fear that come when loved ones become immersed in the gang lifestyle.

Dulce Castro, an 18-year-old DACA beneficiary, used to sleep eight hours a night, but since Trump announced he was ending the program on Sept. 5, she's been lucky if she gets four hours of uninterrupted rest.

The simple act of putting the emphasis on the person and not on their health problem – be it a drug use disorder or something else – will have an impact on how you view the sources of your stories and how the story connects with your audience.

A new facility will offer medical and dental services  targeting those with mental-health and addiction issues -- the first of its kind in Santa Barbara and the only one between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Drug use, misuse and addiction are so embedded in our popular culture that we have grown accustomed to seeing, hearing or reading about every permutation of the experience.