After the Darién
Venezuelan migrant children and the mental health journey they face When Texas sent buses of displaced migrants north to sanctuary cities, it was a political move. But there were real people aboard, including thousands of children who had been through significant trauma. How were cities responding to their mental health needs? Chicago Health, along with […]
A Nation Exhausted
The neuroscience of why Americans are tuning out politics Above photo: Many Americans are choosing not to engage with politics, instead sticking their heads in the sand to protect their mental health. iStock/Getty Images Plus By Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University “I am definitely not following the news anymore,” one patient told me when I […]
The Election Judge and the Bully
Centering mental health and public safety during a contentious voting day As political violence and division flared in recent months in the U.S., our associate editor, Ronit Rose, prepared for her role as an election judge for this year’s presidential election. Ronit served at a precinct in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. While she reiterated that […]
Pets and Health
Pets give companionship, cuddles and joy – and also unavoidable stresses By Emily Hemendinger, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Main image: Pets can bring joy and companionship, as well as financial worries, loss and logistical challenges. Dann Tardif/Stone via Getty Images Owning a pet can be a roller coaster. There are the highs, like […]
Preventing Suicide
How to talk about suicide prevention with a partner, relative, or friend. Content warning: This article focuses on suicide prevention. Coping skills, support, and treatment work for most people who have thought about ending their life. Here are resources if you or someone you care about needs support: • Suicide and Crisis Lifeline —988, which […]
I Took My Daughter to an Amusement Park. Then a Shooting Happened
This story originally ran on Healthline in September. Cathy Cassata is a writer for Chicago Health and Healthline. Going to Six Flags Great America amusement park in Gurnee, Illinois, has been a part of my life since I was a kid. My sister and I had season passes throughout our teen years in the ’90s and now […]
Tough Teen Talks
Connection and communication help prevent adolescent suicides On a rainy day last winter, the principal of a suburban Chicago high school read the morning announcements over the intercom. As she reported that a student died by suicide that morning, her tone of voice didn’t fluctuate. She noted that the school’s psychologists were available to speak […]
The New 988
A national mental health crisis line offers an alternative to 911, alleviating the need for law enforcement response to mental health issues. The United States launched in July a national mental health crisis line: 988. People now have the option to call or text this free, confidential number instead of calling 911 during mental health […]
Moving the Needle on Mental Health
4 organizations offer unexpected, active approaches to mental health therapy in Chicago Sometimes a single experience can change everything, shifting your perspective and opening your mind to possibilities. And many in Chicago are seeking such experiences. From the pandemic to economic uncertainty, climate change to societal unrest, plenty of factors have fueled anxiety, depression, and […]
Ready for Another Pandemic Malady? It’s Called ‘Decision Fatigue’
Most all of us have felt the exhaustion of pandemic-era decision-making. Should I travel to see an elderly relative? Can I see my friends and, if so, is inside OK? Mask or no mask? Test or no test? What day? Which brand? Is it safe to send my child to day care? Questions that once […]
Mental Health Concerns? There’s an App for That
Here’s what you need to know about therapy apps If you’ve tried to book a therapy session lately, you may have noticed that it’s more and more difficult to find one. It’s not a fluke. Demand for mental health has been increasing. First, there’s the issue of availability. Many parts of the country don’t have […]
Confronting Perfectionism: It’s Okay to Be Perfectly Imperfect
Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven, 27, has accomplished many things. She’s a rural health and Medicaid news reporter, spin class enthusiast, amateur cross-stitcher, master’s degree holder, and … a self-proclaimed perfectionist. “Perfectionism makes me procrastinate a lot,” Donnelly-DeRoven says. “I spiral about how I’ll never do something as good as I want it to be, and then I […]
Reckoning with Racial Trauma
Bias, discrimination, and abuse are culminating in a heightened sense of stress Every Sunday afternoon for more than a year, Tiana Coleman has stood near the intersection of Sheridan Road and Wilson Avenue in Uptown, holding up a stark poster bearing a single hand-lettered name. The name changes, but the cause is the same. Sometimes, she’ll […]
A Robust Blend: Coffee and Hope
When patrons at the Sip of Hope Community Coffee Bar order a cup of coffee, they get a signature blend: coffee with a side of mental health resources. The shop, in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, serves lattes and “destigmatizing decaf.” Along one brick wall, a large sign reads, “it’s ok not to be ok.” It’s all […]
Men and Mental Health
More men are seeking help, but roadblocks to treatment remain Through college, graduate school, and into an active and successful professional life in healthcare administration, Earnest Davis had grown accustomed to pushing aside emotional issues that impacted his productivity. From a stressed relationship with his mother to the challenges of fatherhood, Davis shoved unease away, […]
Isolation’s Impacts
Helping kids cope with the pandemic’s emotional and behavioral legacy Before the pandemic, Patrick DeFors brought his children, then ages 2 and 3, to a small in-home daycare three days a week. But when Illinois locked down in March 2020, DeFors and his wife Lisa pulled the children from daycare and kept them at home. […]
The New Normal?
5 mental health lessons from the pandemic 1. Make changes, but go slow “As we move into a new normal, there is an opportunity to consider how to shape your time and space going forward. To do that well, take some time to reflect on what changes you made during the pandemic that worked well […]
Black Minds Matter
What will it take to address the city’s racial disparities in mental health care? Horace Washington Howard rides the bus and the El an hour each way to get to the Heartland Health Center in Uptown, a federally qualified health center where he gets treatment for bipolar disorder. He used to walk the few blocks from […]
Graphic Medicine
Cartoons use their visual power to promote healing and acceptance M.K. Czerwiec, RN, was a brand-new nurse, still in nursing school, as excited and full of anxiety as any of her peers. She was worried about her care plans and forgetting her stethoscope. But she had something else to contend with: grief. Her father had […]
Covid Psychosis
Condition can cause serious, but temporary, psychotic episodes Ben Price, 48, from Morris, Illinois, was a loving husband, father, and a dedicated business owner and farmer. In February 2021, Ben contracted Covid-19. His symptoms landed him in the hospital for five days, during which he received the antiviral medication remdesivir and supplemental oxygen. Two days after […]
Facing Terminal Cancer
Support helps families come to terms with looming loss Last April, Rogers Park resident Aisha Luster got the biggest shock of her life when she learned that her father was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. “He didn’t tell me or my older sister,” says Luster, 37. “We were crushed. We felt left in the dark. It […]
Countering the Stress and Loneliness of Covid-19
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect the Chicago area, our winter weariness is gradually lifting, but the stress and loneliness continue to mount. Stay-at-home orders, quarantining, and other public health measures have forced people indoors, leading to increases in loneliness and mental health issues. In a study of 18- to 35-year-olds in April and May 2020, […]
Why Covid-19 Affects Kids’ Mental Health — and How You Can Help
While adults have been the hardest hit by Covid-19 infections, children of all ages remain vulnerable to the pandemic’s many social consequences. In Illinois, the recent uptick in newly diagnosed cases has families buckling down for a long winter without outdoor activities and traditional holiday gatherings, leaving children particularly at risk to the adverse effects […]
Using Meditation to Achieve Mindfulness
The holiday season can be a paradox. We celebrate miracles that could only have existed because people were guided by their listening, witnessing, sensing, believing, and willingness to come together and be aware. Yet, in our personal here and now, with holidays imminent, we are apt to turn away from community and away from ourselves […]
Coping with the Coronavirus Pandemic for People with Anxiety Disorders
These days, we all have to accept the anxiety inherent in living in the time of the coronavirus pandemic and Covid-19. If there were a way to dispel all anxious feelings, I’d tell you, but there isn’t. The one exception might be someone who could summon such a degree of denial that they carry on […]
Using Nicotine to Puff Away Sadness
Ask a smoker what they get out of cigarettes and they are likely to talk about pleasure, contentment, and an overall good feeling. Nicotine, the active ingredient in cigarettes, is a stimulant. Used in low doses like those delivered by combustible cigarettes, stimulants activate the nervous system, resulting in enhanced arousal and alertness. Nicotine binding […]
Revoking My Corona Pass
Accepting the challenge of the new ‘normal’ What’s the state of your mental health these days? Are you anxious? Depressed? Scared? Angry? Frustrated? Lonely? Or an ever-changing mix of all of the above? Yeah. Me, too. Since mid-March when the coronavirus morphed from a nearly forgettable news headline to an omnipresent malignancy that potentially lurked […]
Covid-19’s Toll on Mental Health
The coronavirus pandemic, with all of its stressors, has triggered anxiety, depression, and other disorders When Covid-19 caused businesses to send employees home to work remotely, Ashima Bhayana was relieved. The 32-year-old customer success specialist at a Chicago health tech company had struggled at times to “be around colleagues, to put on a brave face” […]
Mental Health Hero: Kim Nowak
Rogers Behavioral Health After experiencing postpartum anxiety following the birth of her second child, Kim Nowak pursued a career in counseling. Now, as lead therapist at Rogers Behavioral Health, she has called upon that understanding of anxiety to help others cope with the trauma and uncertainties of Covid-19. Anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and depression have […]
7 Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Anxiety
One-third of Americans will experience prolonged anxiety at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. While treatment once largely focused on medication and therapy, research suggests food and nutrients should play a role too. This is because inflammation is often a root cause or underlying contributor to anxiety. Chronic […]
It’s Not You, It’s All of Us
Should we cancel it? I think we should cancel it.” I agreed with my wife. It was March 11. Our son’s second birthday party was scheduled to happen in three days. But the majority of attendees were grandparents, and Covid-19 was picking up steam. Katie was right to suggest we cancel the birthday party. The […]
Op-Ed: Broken Safety Net Leaves Patients Stranded in Emergency Department
Chicago Health is committed to publishing a diversity of opinions. The opinions expressed in this op-ed article are the author’s own. If you were to recently set foot in our moderate-sized, urban community emergency department (ED), you might notice a pale, awkward, endearingly giggly teenage boy sitting next to the nursing station. He may have […]
How Those with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Cope With Angst of COVID
Before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the United States, Chris Trondsen felt his life was finally under control. As someone who has battled obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health issues since early childhood, it’s been a long journey. “I’ve been doing really, really well,” Trondsen says. “I felt like most of it was pretty […]
Reacting to Unwritten Rules Black People Learn to Navigate Racism
Above photo: In his work with black teenagers, pastor and mental health caseworker Darnell Hill teaches an unofficial guide to what he calls “living while black.” Though many black families have their own sets of rules to navigate others’ racist assumptions, Hill says he hopes that following his “do’s and don’ts” will allow kids to survive […]
5 Tips for Self-Care During the Pandemic and Protests
First came the coronavirus and its strict stay-at-home orders, impacting the mental health of almost half of Americans, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll. Then came the protests, filled with anger and outrage over racism and violence. “People are having a hard time adjusting to this new normal,” says Pavan Prasad, MD, a psychiatrist […]
Living with Eco-Anxiety in Age of the Coronavirus
While most news right now focuses on the worldwide emergency response to COVID-19, climate change remains an escalating threat. The current coronavirus pandemic requires immediate action to save millions of lives, but climate change could have even greater devastating effects in the decades to come, intensifying weather patterns, raising sea levels and decimating wildlife. Stay-at-home […]
Challenges of Keeping Young Adults Safe During Pandemic
Last month, after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered most of the state’s residents to stay home, I found myself under virtual house arrest with an uncomfortably large number of Gen Zers. Somehow I had accumulated four of my children’s friends over the preceding months. I suppose some parents more hard-nosed than I would have sent […]
Moving Your Mind to Combat Anxiety
Physical exercise is a great stress-reliever, and teens these days are under a lot of stress. So when two Evanston Township High School students were looking for healthy ways to deal with their anxiety, they developed a program called Moving Your Mind, movingyourmind.com. Free, monthly classes for local teens combine physical activity — from indoor […]
Healthy Sports Parenting Starts with These Tips
Coach and author Sharkie Zartman remembers coaching at a youth volleyball tournament and observing a match between two very good teams of 10-year-olds when the parents started behaving badly. “It was just a battle, going back and forth,” she says. “After it was over, the parents were still yelling at the coaches, officials and other […]
Dance Therapy Uses Movement to Address Mental Health
We may dance through life, but how many of us dance through therapy? Much of our communication is nonverbal, yet traditional therapy relies heavily on talking as a way to process people’s most vulnerable experiences. As an alternative, more people are looking for ways to get past purely verbal communication to access their emotions. And […]
Pain and Mental Health
When chronic pain strikes, depression and anxiety can follow Chronic pain is more than a physical problem. Those who suffer from long-term pain often experience emotional and psychological aspects as well, particularly depression and anxiety. Add to that potential anger, frustration, hopelessness, fear and jealousy, and the emotional symptoms of chronic pain can quickly become […]
Countering the Stigma of Mental Health in Chicago’s Immigrant Communities
Even under the best of circumstances, it’s challenging for immigrants to adjust to a new life in a new country. And when immigrants have fled countries roiled by violence and war, the upheaval and stress in their lives is even more profound. Among refugees, about 10 to 40 percent may experience post-traumatic stress disorder and […]
Changing the Conversation About Mental Health
Our minds are one of the most powerful things about us. Everything from our physical health to our sense of belonging in the world is connected to our mental wellness. And yet, the conversation around mental health is too often surrounded in a cloak of silence. Talking about mental health is the first step in […]
Facing Fears with Virtual Reality Therapy
You’re on an airplane in the middle of a storm, lightning flashing outside the window, your seat rocking. “I’m scared,” says the passenger next to you. Your own anxiety, already high, rockets — even though you know you aren’t really on an airplane at all, but sitting safely in a therapist’s office in suburban Chicago. […]
Healing the Hurt
Chicago programs help young victims of trauma find their way forward “What happened to you?” Asking troubled children that question instead of, “What’s wrong with you?” is the basic premise of trauma-informed care. Childhood trauma occurs when a youth experiences an event that is emotionally painful or distressful, such as gun violence, sexual abuse, domestic […]
Breaking Down Barriers
Fighting against the stigma of mental illness and advocating for parity Moments after delivering her first child, a baby girl, Kate sensed that something wasn’t right. Not with the baby, but with herself. “I really wanted nothing to do with my daughter after she was born. I didn’t have that motherly touch.” Kate was a […]
Bipolar Disorder
Making sense of the ups and downs Lizzie,* a Chicago-resident, was overwhelmed with several stressful situations in her late 20s. She started experiencing extreme mood swings. She stopped sleeping, eating and drinking water; she was irritable and her mind started racing; at times, she was full of energy, impulsively cleaning her house from top to […]
Teen Depression Rising, Especially Among Girls
The teen years have always been a trying time, but now they are more stressful than ever. And the incidence of depression in teens is rising. The percentage of teens age 12 to 17 experiencing major depression during a 12-month period jumped from 8.7 percent in 2005 to 11.3 percent in 2014, according to a […]
Camp Courage Comforts Children Who Have Lost Loved Ones
Joanna Bodigor was only six years old in the spring of 2000 when her father died of a pulmonary embolism. “It was so sudden and unexpected, and since I was so young, it was difficult for me to understand what was truly happening,” she recalls. “I just remember wondering why everyone was shaking at the […]
Stressed Out
The importance of keeping cool can’t be stressed enough By Kate Silver Stress has been a lifelong problem for Claire.* For years, the 32-year-old has struggled with health problems—irritable bowel syndrome and endometriosis, for starters—plus the memories of abuse from her youth that began coming back to haunt her when she reached adulthood. Despite extensive therapy, she’s struggled […]
