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When the deadly Camp Fire swept through Northern California in 2018, it may have damaged more than the landscape.

University of California, San Diego researchers studying survivors' mental functioning in the wake of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state's history have uncovered evidence of "climate trauma."

The November 2018 fire burned 239 square miles, destroyed...

A short but intensive approach to "talk therapy" can help many combat veterans overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new clinical trial has found.

The study tested "compressed" formats of a standard PTSD treatment called prolonged exposure therapy, in which patients learn to grad...

In some parts of the United States, young men face a higher risk of dying from gun violence than if they'd gone to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, a new study reports.

Young men living in certain high-violence ZIP codes in Chicago and Philadelphia run a greater risk of firearm death than military personnel who served in recent U.S. wars, according to findings published online Dec. 22 in

Firearm injuries traumatize children, saddling them with mental health issues that include stress disorders and drug or alcohol use, according to a new study.

In all, 35% of kids injured by firearms receive a new mental health diagnosis in the following year, the

An unprecedented water crisis continues to take a heavy toll on the mental health of adults in Flint, Michigan, a large survey shows.

Five years after the crisis, an estimated one in five -- about 13,600 people -- remained clinically depressed, the survey found. And about one in four -- 15,0...

A service dog can lower the severity of a U.S. military veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder, according to past research.

Hoping to learn more about this therapeutic bond, researchers worked with 82 vets and their trained service dogs. Their study was published July 27 in the journal

Pets have helped people weather both the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics, a survey of long-term HIV/AIDS survivors shows.

"The underlying question in our minds has always been: What role do pets play for people who are so isolated and suffering so much stigma?" said study leader Lynette Hart, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of California, Davis.

She and her coll...

It remains one of the most painful images of the pandemic: Families who were not allowed to be by their loved ones' bedside as they waged a lonely battle against COVID in a hospital ICU, with some forced to say goodbye via a smartphone or tablet held by a compassionate nurse who didn't want a patient to die alone.

Now, new research suggests that many of those relatives went on to dev...

The party drug "ecstasy" might be the key to helping people heal from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), new clinical trial results indicate.

In a small study, PTSD patients treated with a powerful combination of the psychedelic drug, also known as MDMA, and talk therapy were much more likely to...

Sexual assault and workplace sexual harassment may increase women's long-term risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, a new study suggests.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, which is the leading killer of U.S. women, accounting for one in three deaths.

Sexual ...

Telehealth took off during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a new study shows even people with serious mental health conditions can benefit from online appointments.

The findings are good news for rural folks who live miles away from psychiatrists and psychologists.

"This study showed that patients with multiple psychiatric conditions and who also struggle with several chronic physical he...

Parents and children who were separated under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy have shown lasting psychological trauma -- even after being reunited, a new study finds.

Between 2017 and 2018, more than 5,000 children were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border under the policy, which aimed to deter asylum seekers.

The practice was denounc...

Shining a light on the powerful link between the mind and body, a new study suggests that cardiac arrest survivors who learn to focus their thoughts on the here and now during recovery are less likely to become depressed or anxious.

The finding centers on a mental health practice known as "mindfulness," which amounts to a sort of stop-and-smell-the-roses approach to life.

"Mind...

Women's symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may vary with their menstrual cycle, which could have implications for diagnosis and treatment, researchers say.

Their study included 40 women between 18 and 33 years of age who had PTSD after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as sexual violence or a serious injury.

"For women who are naturally cycling, it ma...

Living within a few blocks of a shooting increases the risk that a child will end up visiting the emergency department for mental health-related problems, researchers say.

The new study found significant increases in mental health-related ER visits in the two weeks after a neighborhood shooting, especially among kids who lived closest to it and those exposed to multiple shootings.

"...

As a Marine Corps veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Matthew Ryba understands what life in a combat zone can do to soldiers' minds, leaving many struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Now, new research shows that equine therapy might go a long way in starting the healing process for these veterans. In the program, participants learned about horses, stroking their si...

It can take years for a survivor of a traumatic event to recover from the loss of a loved one, new research shows, but treating the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) early may help prevent what's called complicated grief.

"Grief is a normal response to the loss of someone close, but traumatic losses may severely harm survivors for years," said lead study author Kristin Alv...

Freaked out about trading Zoom meetings and the privacy of working at home for a return to the office?

You've got plenty of company. As more workplaces reopen, stress about health risks and new routines is front and center.

The Center for Workplace Mental Health knows what you're are going through. The center, a program of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Foundation, is of...

Roaring, fast-moving blazes. Choking smoke. Fiery tornados. Thunderstorms and lightning.

The Dixie Fire -- now the single largest wildfire in California history -- continues to spread, having burned through more than 750 square miles of forest land north of Sacramento.

The astonishing spread of smoke from the fire, causing discomfort and illness to people hundreds or thousands of mi...