Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after someone witnesses or experiences a traumatic event. For example, a veteran who served in a combat zone may experience flashbacks due to their military experience. PTSD also develops after mass disasters, which are situations involving a critical number of victims. In ... Read More
Kristina Robb-Dover
Kristina Robb-Dover
Kristina Robb-Dover is an Atlanta-based writer, editor, and author of two books with publishing houses. She has degrees from Yale College and Princeton Theological Seminary.
No More Shame: Kara W.
Kara W. had her first drink at the age of 14. It was the summer of 2006: My mom had gone out of town, and my dad was home but not very present. We took his beer, my brother and my friends, and I got drunk for the first time. The second time that she got drunk, Kara drank to the point of blacking out and falling in a ... Read More
Social Media and Teen Mental Health: Thoughts from an Expert
In June 2024, the U.S. Surgeon General called on Congress to require health warning labels on social media platforms. Dr. Vivek Murthy said the mental health stakes would be high for teens (ages 13-17) if the government did not act quickly to protect these young consumers. And there was precedent for such warning ... Read More
Help for Complicated Grief, from an Expert
It is a universal human experience. Still, some grief is especially messy, distressing, and hard to move through. “Complicated grief” affects 7–10 percent of bereaved people, according to the National Institutes of Health. Grief can look very different between individuals, so there is no “right” way to grieve. ... Read More
Stress Reduction Made Simpler: A Checklist
Everyone gets stressed out sometimes. It's an unavoidable part of life. But prolonged periods of stress are unhealthy for your physical, mental and emotional well-being. Luckily, stress isn't permanent, and there are actions you can take to lower and control your stress levels. Wondering how to destress? You've come ... Read More
Burnout Among Corrections Officers: An Expert’s Insights
Somewhere during our interview, Sonny Silva paused to paint this frightening scenario: Imagine that a major fight breaks out in the chow hall, and one inmate is stabbing someone on one side of the hall while another set of individuals are stabbing each other on the other side of the mess hall. There are 200 inmates in ... Read More
Fentanyl: The Story of America’s Deadliest Drug
As America's drug problem continues to evolve, more people are dying as a result of overdoses on one of a variety of opioids, both illicit and legally prescribed. The issue is that these drugs are as easy to access as they've ever been, and more dangerous varieties are also hitting unregulated markets by way of a ... Read More
Should You Carry an Opioid Overdose Kit?
The risk of overdose among people living with a substance use disorder is serious. In 2021, preventable deaths reached an all-time high. Fueling that record were more than 98,000 people who died that year from a drug overdose, representing an overdose death rate of 17 percent. Anyone who abuses drugs or alcohol is at ... Read More
