MENTAL HEALTH

Holidays can be a stressful time of the year, but wellness coach Dr. Shana D. Lewis has tips on minimizing holiday stress.

Department leaders say they recognize that post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues are among the biggest dangers of the job.

The region that includes Amarillo, a Panhandle city of more than 200,000 people, and surrounding towns has long been a mental health care desert. Officials hope a new $159 million hospital can help reduce a massive spike in suicide attempts.

I think it’s safe to say that we’re all a little bit anxious these days.

Tyler Langdon made a big yawn as the judge spoke during his first court appearance.

Family violence incidents are being reported at an alarming rate in the Houston area.

After the release of her most recent song, Cobra, one Houston native has found herself trending again after she shed a unique light on what it means to use your public platform to share awareness about mental health.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo discussed top agenda items and took questions during the commissioners’ court lunch break.

Miranda Michel, 26, couldn’t leave the state for an abortion. But she also couldn’t bear the idea of carrying a nonviable pregnancy to term.

Mental Health is fast becoming one of the greatest public health challenges of our time, especially for young people. The city of Houston is taking a unique approach to make sure young people have support and resources when they need help.

Like many regions in Texas, the county jails and hospitals have been at capacity with people needing mental health help. Local leaders hope a new 200-bed facility will alleviate pressure.

Your child may not recognize they’re struggling with mental health and they may not feel comfortable turning to an adult to figure it out.

Khambrel Marshall discusses President Joe Biden’s impeachment inquiry.

Panetti murdered his in-laws in 1992. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2007 set new court precedent with his case, raising the bar on the constitutional restriction against executing the insane.

Megan Thee Stallion is encouraging her fans to check in on their mental health.

Our students have so much more access to technology, to social media. It’s led to feelings of loneliness and hopelessness on a level we’ve never seen before.

The county’s top elected official will be discharged from a mental health facility this weekend and plans to return to work on Oct. 2 after two weeks of outpatient therapy.

Harris County Judge Hidalgo will transition from residential care to outpatient care on Saturday, according to a news release from her team.

Did you know that about one in four women and nearly one in 10 men have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime?

A Dallas-based organization is turning their pain into purpose by advocating for prevention on a topic that hits close to home for them.

Students are well-informed about school safety and they probably have more opinions than you may know.

Historically, anti-drug messaging in schools has failed to acknowledge the mental health reasons that youth self-medicate. Without that key lesson, advocates worry House Bill 3908 will be another D.A.R.E. campaign.

A retired lawmaker offered words of support for Judge Lina Hidalgo during Tuesday’s Harris County commissioner’s court meeting. This was the first meeting since Hidalgo announced she was taking a leave of absence to seek treatment for clinical depression.

Hidalgo said she was diagnosed with the condition last month and aims to return to her post in September. More people across the country have been diagnosed with the condition since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Monday that she is temporarily stepping away from her elected position and has checked herself into an inpatient facility where she is receiving treatment for clinical depression.

From unrealistic academic expectations to the pressure of portraying the perfect life on social media, teens today are overloaded with stress and in many cases, it’s leading to significant and serious mental health issues.

Galveston County is set to open a new mental health crisis center in 2024.

The thought of death can trigger anxiety for most people. However, at one nonprofit, life and death are embraced.

Dr. Lindsay Sillas with The Woman’s Hospital of Texas said it’s common for women’s mental health to be impacted after childbirth.

The mother of the inmate who died over the weekend said her son had mental issues that the jail knew about, and he was being bullied after being placed in general population.

Austin-based VA Claims Insider says it has helped hundreds of thousands of clients. It has also touched off complaints and investigations.

Neighborhood apps make it easy to be plugged into your community by sending notifications on what is happening in your neighborhood or alert you to an issue.

Pregnant moms on Medicaid will get health care coverage for a year, patients will get more detailed billing and nurses will get help with school loans. But efforts failed to gain steam for legalizing fentanyl test strips, increasing the pool of mental health professionals who accept Medicaid and expanding Medicaid benefits to more Texans.

Over the last decade of diagnosing countless young patients with new psychotic disorders, one striking result has stuck out for a psychiatrist.

Opponents fear the bill is a “Trojan horse” for evangelizing kids and will worsen the state’s mental health crisis through disproven counseling approaches.

Wednesday marks exactly a year since a mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. The community continues to grapple with the trauma and pain, and for those who lost someone that day, they’re determined to keep the memories of their loved ones alive.

Federal pandemic aid helped build public school mental health services in Texas. School officials now brace for the expiration of those funds next year. They’re urging lawmakers to create a dedicated funding stream for mental health assistance in schools.

Texas still lags nationally when it comes to mental health services and there have been seven mass shootings since Abbott took office in 2015.

The US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared on Tuesday that loneliness is now an epidemic in America. He says the country is experiencing a crisis of disconnection, and it has costly consequences. Murthy released an advisory

Texas wants to expand mental health services, but many mental health providers do not accept Medicaid because of its lower payment rate.

Texas public schools can allow corporal punishment, which includes hitting, spanking, paddling or deliberately inflicting physical pain to discipline students.

A report from the Migration Policy Institute and the American Academy of Pediatrics details the barriers undocumented children face in the United States.

During a Texas Tribune event marking one year since the shooting at Robb Elementary School, parents, mental health experts and faith leaders talked about how the path to recovery isn’t the same for everybody.

The House gave initial approval to the bill Tuesday. The legislation is a priority for Speaker Dade Phelan.

The proposal would offer hospitals and nonprofits grant funding to expand child and family mental health services.

Since 2017, according to UH administrators, three students have jumped to their deaths at Agnes Arnold Hall. Two of those incidents happened this year.

The chamber has repeatedly passed legislation in recent sessions eliminating the death penalty in cases of severe mental illness, but this year the measure faced increased pushback from conservative lawmakers.

When tragedies like the school shooting in Nashville happen, the conversation shifts to mental health struggles.

It’s all about breaking the cycle and keeping people out of jail and cutting down on homelessness — and saving taxpayers money at the same time.

Author of Change Your Brain Every Day talks simple changes to make in your daily routine to improve brain health.

Tragedy has struck the University of Houston again. For the second time this semester, a student has died on campus in the same building.

Mental health apps Betterhelp and Cerebral are facing big penalties after private information was given to companies like Tiktok, Facebook (Meta) and Snapchat.

The state has added more beds for jail inmates who need psychiatric treatment to be considered competent to face trial. But at least a third remain empty because the state can’t hire enough people to staff them.

Brown’s appeals ran out after almost 30 years on death row. Defense attorneys claim Harris County prosecutors hid evidence pointing to another suspect in the 1992 shooting deaths of four people in a Houston drug house.

According to the American Psychological Association, 90% of Gen Z — which the U.S. Census classifies as people born from 1997 to 2013 — in 2022 had experienced psychological or physical symptoms as a result of stress within a time period of one year.

The stigma surrounding mental health is prevalent in many communities across Houston.

For many of us, we call first responders on our worst days. These days, they’re facing daunting tasks while dealing with staffing issues and high call volumes.

Tornadoes never cease to amaze how destructive they can be to one home while leaving others untouched. We see that happening now in areas hit by Tuesday’s tornadoes.

January is a great time to reevaluate our goals and make positive changes. Former baseball player and veteran Wylie McGraw talks about peak performance and mental health.

Shades of Blue was created by a woman who experienced a traumatic birth.

A mental wellness service expansion is happening at Ibn Sina Foundation, thanks to $1.6 million in community project funding under Omnibus Appropriation Bill for the 2023 fiscal year, according to a news release.

More than $4 million is headed to the Houston area to help combat mental health challenges for domestic violence survivors.

If you find yourself having a hard time keeping those goals for the New Year – you are not alone! Dr. Shana D. Lewis, a licensed professional counselor, shares some real solutions to help you stay on track in 2023.

IN THIS EPISODE:

Mental and physical health support tops the list of Houston Independent School District student and parent needs, according to a new survey from Rice University Kinder Institute’s Houston Education Research Consortium.

History is all around you in the Third Ward.

Top tips for making friends as an adult

After a mother allegedly stabbed her 5-year-old daughter to death at a park, KPRC 2 Health Reporter Haley Hernandez is taking a deeper look at the mother’s mental health.

Researchers from around the world met Friday to discuss treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with a brain surgery called deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Firefighters help their community. They respond to emergencies, but what if there’s an emergency in their personal life?

October 10 is the first day of National School Lunch week

Treatment options and clinical trials available for major depressive disorders

How celebrating failure can remove the fear of taking risks

Houston’s Megan Thee Stallion has recently launched a website where fans have access to multiple resources for mental health.

September is suicide prevention month and the issue has never been more forefront than now.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo along with Congressional delegates held a news conference on Thursday introducing a $14.3 million initiative aimed at combating the growing mental health crisis, especially among our adolescent and youth population.

Former Houston Texans President Jamey Rootes has died after a battle with mental health issues, his wife, Melissa Rootes, confirmed on social media Monday evening.

As Houston ISD returns to school, Sharpstown International School has started a new class to help support students emotionally.

Back-to-school nerves and anxiety can be worse than just a one-day ordeal. Some kids may show behavioral problems or signs of anxiety.

Galena Park ISD is working to provide additional emotional support for students as they return to class for the new school year.

Houston Newsmakers: Political extremes lead to 3rd party effort in Texas, and more

An avid paddleboarder, Mike Shoreman was told he could never paddleboard again. But he didn’t pay attention to that edict and now is trying to make history.

The National Suicide Prevention Line’s new number 9-8-8 will launch on July 16.

Houston Newsmakers: Focus on mental health support and gun control amid legislation

June is Men’s Health Month, and one local nonprofit is hoping to encourage men to seek emotional wellness counseling and therapy services to address their mental health needs.

The mental health version of 911 is set to launch nationwide next month with hopes it will be a game changer for suicide prevention and other emergencies, but some mental health professionals worry they will not be ready to handle the anticipated flood of calls.

The shooter in Uvalde had no known reported mental health history, but whenever something like this happens, it’s a question people find natural to ask.

Naomi Judd died at the age of 76, a day before she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame with her duo partner and daughter Wynonna Judd.

Mayor Sylvester Turner and the city council passed three ordinances on Wednesday that will allocate the city of Houston American Rescue Act Plan (ARPA) funding into behavioral health programs that are intended to assist the Houston Police Department when handling mental health crisis calls.

5 things to know about neurodiversity and why it's becoming a hot topic.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, many people have realized the importance of acquiring tools to work on their mental health.

They’re often called to the frontlines during times of crisis. Faith leaders’ words offer hope for healing and consoling families through times of tragedy.

The new facility accommodates multiple patient populations and levels of treatment with access to medication management, group, and individual therapy, educational and life skills training and much more.

Mental health conditions have long been a challenge for many Americans, even prior to contributing factors like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has created a mental health crisis. There’s been a surge in the need for therapy sessions. And now that more people are facing a diagnosis for the first time, it’s sparking a feeling of defeat that psychologists are noticing among specific groups who catch COVID.

We might not be able to claim that 2021 was *the* wildest year in recent history (2020 will likely get that credit for quite some time), but it might be a close second.

The holiday season typically goes hand in hand with parties and celebrations. For many people, those are just some of the elements that make Christmas time so fun. But this is also a critically important time to prioritize and manage your mental health, said Andrea Taylor, a PhD and psychologist with UT Physicians.

Another holiday. Another time to gather. And another warning not to spread COVID.