mental health

The percentage of middle school students in Kentucky using electronic cigarettes and other vaping products has doubled since 2017. 

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted last spring shows the rate of vaping increased from 15.1% in 2017, to 31.4% in 2019.  High school students saw a nine percent jump in the same time period. 

"The Department for Public Health is really working to provide resources to schools and communities to do what we can to prevent students from using these products and to get them to quit using them," said Stephanie Bungee, a school health consultant with the Kentucky Department of Education.

Dr. Darla Hinshaw walks up to the podium in the Indiana Senate chamber. She's there to tell lawmakers about the children she treats as a psychiatrist and the issue standing between kids and effective treatment.  

Federal law mandates insurers treat mental health services like they would physical health care. But the sponsors of a new bill in the Ohio Legislature say that’s not happening. 

A new study finds that a program based in Louisville, Kentucky is having a positive impact on military veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

The results published in the Journal of Veterans Studies show that veterans with PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury report an improved psychological outlook after participating in ‘Dancing Well: The Soldier Project.’ 

Dance educator Deborah Denenfeld offered the first version of the program in 2010 at the suggestion of a psychiatrist at Fort Knox, who thought it might help improve memory in veterans with these combat-related issues.

In 2014 Denenfeld launched the 10-week version Dancing Well in Louisville. It's essentially a community barn dance, slowed down and adapted to the physical and emotional comfort levels of this particular group of veterans.

Could it happen here? It's a question a lot of people ask in the wake of a traumatic event.

Even if you're not directly connected to the events in El Paso, Gilroy or Dayton, chances are you've felt the weight of them.

Dayton officials and some Miami Valley health organizations are encouraging anyone struggling with depression or trauma after last Sunday’s mass shooting to seek help. 

They urge anyone struggling with difficult feelings to take care of their own health needs, saying this would also aid in the larger community's healing process.

Just two days after the Oregon District shooting, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and City Commissioner Chris Shaw stepped in front of cameras to address mental health as a part of the city’s recovery from its most recent tragedy.

The Senate budget passed unanimously this week does not include $36 million that mental health and suicide prevention advocates were hoping would be restored.  That money would been split between treatment and prevention for kids and anti-stigma multi-media campaigns.

Across the United States, parents of children with severe mental health issues can face an excruciating decision: If they can't afford costly healthcare, they may have to sign over custody to the state. That way, the government will pay for the child's care. Now those parents are fighting for change, and a chunk of Ohio's budget.