Has Healthcare Let Down the Men and Women Who Served Our Country?
Suzanne Gordon’s new book “Our Veterans” explores the question: have we failed our service members?
988: The New Number For Suicide and Crisis Prevention
The SAMHSA created a suicide and crisis hotline in 2005 to help those struggling. This year, the ten-digit number was changed to just three: 988.
Medical Notes: June 5, 2022
Are tattoos the future of medicine? Teens who have a miscarriage are twice as likely to attempt suicide. Antibiotics may not be the cure to your urinary tract infection. And finally, as the temperature rises, so do emergency room visits.
Why Do Elderly Men Have the Highest Rate of Suicide?
It’s long been the case that men over 70 have the highest rate of suicide. Dr. Carrie Ditzel discusses some possible reasons as to what’s driving elderly men to take their own lives.
Can 911 Respond to Mental Health Crises?
Up to 15% of calls to 911 involve people having a mental health breakdown, yet many call centers, especially in rural areas, have no one with any training on what to do or who to dispatch in those cases.
Hoarding Disorder: More Than Just Too Much Junk
Hoarding disorder affects at least five percent of Americans, and despite TV programs showing its effects, it is still widely misunderstood.
Medical Notes: November 14, 2021
Major surgery such as a heart bypass may increase the risk of dementia. Then, a study finds that gun violence is up by 30% since the start of the pandemic. Also, could the anxiety of being heard by someone else play a role in stuttering? And finally, research says about half of pregnancies in the United States are unintended.
Preventing Military Suicides
Among active duty and veterans of the War on Terror, suicides have claimed four times more lives than combat since 9-11, according to a recent study. The study’s author discusses why the toll is higher than for previous conflicts, and he and another expert in tragedy recovery discuss what the military, VA, and loved ones can do to prevent suicide.
Veterinarian Suicide
A new CDC report shows that suicide among veterinarians is much higher than in the general population. Experts discuss the unique stresses that affect these professionals, including financial, compassion fatigue, euthanasia, and online harassment. They also discuss measures being taken to prevent mental health struggles and suicide.
Exhaustion on the Covid Front Lines
Healthcare workers in ER’s and ICU’s are in their 11th month of fighting Covid-19 and its exhaustion and depression. Two front line doctors describe how they’re managing to stay optimistic amid so much chaos, and how the vaccine has given them a goal keeping them afloat.
Searing Pain in the Face: Trigeminal Neuralgia (2020)
A searing, stabbing pain on one side of the face can be so severe it's sometimes called "the suicide disease," and may evade diagnosis. Trigeminal neuralgia is often caused by a throbbing artery in contact with nerves at the base of the brain. Treatment can be difficult though often ultimately successful. Two experts discuss.
Electroshock Therapy: Not What You See in the Movies
Experts explain the reality—that ECT is a quiet procedure that provokes a short brain seizure, releasing huge amounts of neurotransmitters to reset the brain in what is the quickest and most dependable treatment for severe and often suicidal depression.
