New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced Wednesday a lawsuit targeting five major social media platforms, alleging the companies that host the platforms are responsible for “fueling the nationwide youth mental health crisis.” The lawsuit, filed in California by the City of New York, seeks accountability from the companies behind five major platforms: Meta’s Facebook … Read more
OROVILLE, Calif. — Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging voters to approve a ballot initiative that he says is needed to tackle the state’s homelessness crisis, a change social providers say would threaten programs that keep people from becoming homeless in the first place. In 2004, voters approved legislation that imposed a tax on … Read more
As loneliness and isolation continue to climb across Canada, relationship experts emphasize the crucial role of friendships in bolstering mental and physical well-being. This significance is especially poignant on Tuesday, known as ‘Galentine’s Day’, an unofficial but festive tribute to celebrating and cherishing the bonds of friendship. “I love the idea of Galentine’s Day,” said … Read more
CHICAGO — The weeks after Kaniya Harris found out she was pregnant were among the hardest in her life. Final exams were fast approaching for the college junior. Her doctors told her she had an ovarian cyst, and the risk of ectopic pregnancy was high. The wait times for abortion clinics near her city of … Read more
RICHMOND, Va. — John Clair, the police chief of a small Appalachian town in southwest Virginia, spends his days consumed by a growing problem: the frequency with which his officers are tapped to detain, transport and wait in hospitals with people in the throes of a mental health crisis. Officers from Clair’s 21-member Marion Police … Read more
So many unhealthy relationship dynamics are fueled by poor communication skills. As a Harvard-trained psychologist who has spent 20 years working with couples, I’ve found that the most damaging way to communicate with your partner is with contempt. Contempt is the belief that a person is beneath you, worthless, or deserving of scorn and ridicule. When someone … Read more
NEW YORK — Derry Oliver was in fifth grade when she first talked to her mom about seeing a therapist. She was living in Georgia with her brother while her mom was in New York scoping out jobs and apartments ahead of moving the family. It was a rough year apart. Oliver, now 17, was … Read more
Why higher emotional intelligence boosts happiness Emotional intelligence, which is the capacity to understand and control our emotions, as well as being sensitive to others’ feelings, nurtures our relationships and boosts our empathy. This can lead to stronger social connections. And as we age, our social bonds become even more vital to our well-being. With … Read more
The Minneapolis suburb of Anoka sits where Minnesota’s meandering 150-mile (241-kilometer) Rum River ambles into the mighty Mississippi. Like other communities, it touts itself as an agreeably placid place to live. But last year, a federal investigation found Anoka illegally discriminated against residents with mental health disabilities, saying the city gave landlords weekly reports over … Read more
Hundreds of communities across the U.S. have for several decades tried to reduce crime, fight gangs and tackle noise and other neighborhood problems through the use of “crime-free” or “public nuisance” laws encouraging and allowing landlords to evict renters when police or emergency crews are repeatedly called to the same addresses. Long the subject of … Read more
