April 2016

How do you help someone who is at risk of suicide? That's a question that haunts the people of Greenland, the country with the highest known rate of suicide in the world and the subject of a special NPR report this week. The rate is about 80 per 100,000, and the group at highest risk is young Inuit men. But it's a question that anyone, anywhere, might ask. Every year, about 1 million people kill themselves worldwide; preventing suicides is an issue every culture deals with. MORE ON...

In the '80s and '90s, America's suicide trend was headed in the right direction: down. "It had been decreasing almost steadily since 1986, and then what happened is there was a turnaround," says Sally Curtin , a statistician with the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The suicide rate has risen by a quarter, to 13 per 100,000 people in 2014 from 10.5 in 1999, according to an analysis by Curtin and her colleagues that was released...

[Photo by Derek Keats ] What is true for humans is also true for baboons: The tougher the childhood, the higher the risks of premature death later in life. Numerous studies have shown that childhood trauma can have far-reaching effects on adult health and survival; new research finds the same is true for wild baboons. People who experience childhood abuse, neglect and other hallmarks of a rough childhood are more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes and other health problems later in...

Studies have documented the connection between childhood trauma, and chronic disease and mental illness later in life. Some public schools in Maine are paying more attention to the impacts these experiences can have on student success. These schools are helping students identify — and cope with — the stressors that are effecting their lives. Waterville High School teacher Sherry Brown sees her students differently than she did several years ago. That's when she first learned about "adverse...

My youngest daughter has been having trouble getting to sleep in the last couple of weeks. The bedtime gratitude bodyscan I wrote really helps. It allows her to interrupt her now-habitual thoughts and place her attention on something more soothing and calming — her body and a feeling of gratitude. It captures her imagination and provides almost instant relief and release. Many parents have told me it is providing transformative relief for their children, too. Tonight I started to describe a...

It’s well-established that a prison sentence doesn’t just impact the individual sent behind bars; it affects the family too. Now, a new study hints at yet another path through which harsh criminal justice laws, including policies that send many to prison, hurt families and kids. Children living in states that have “extensive and punitive criminal justice systems” are more likely to be placed in foster care, the study finds. Children living in states that have “broad and generous welfare...

A survey of college and university presidents conducted earlier this year suggests that campus activists are making a difference. The American Council on Education asked 567 presidents about their experience with and response to activists on campus organized around racial diversity and justice. Almost half (47 percent) of presidents at four-year institutions said that such activism was occurring on their campuses and that the dialogue about such matters had increased (41 percent). The...

The federal Department of Education said recently that it would offer to write off $7.7 billion of student debt owed by disabled individuals, taking a big step to streamline a loan forgiveness program long plagued by bureaucratic delay and inefficiency. Starting April 18, loan forgiveness letters started going out to approximately 387,000 borrowers who have been identified as totally and permanently disabled by the Social Security Administration, allowing them to sign and file a simplified...

A campaign to end solitary confinement for juveniles launched today, with supporters pledging to build on the momentum of leading-edge jurisdictions that have banned the practice. The Stop Solitary for Kids campaign will offer technical assistance, training, public education, and model policy and legislation at the local, state and federal levels, all aimed at ending the use of solitary confinement for juveniles. “We want to reach a tipping point where there is so much momentum that it...

Tonier Cain was arrested 83 times and convicted of 66 crimes. She was homeless, a drug addict, a prostitute. "She is so impactful. She is somebody who has been through (trauma) herself and has made so many changes because somebody took the time to listen to her," said Tracy Geenen, executive director of the United Way of Manitowoc County. "Her story is breathtaking." Cain will give a public presentation at 6 p.m. April 20 at the Capitol Civic Centre in downtown Manitowoc. There is no...

The first death was on the night of Jan. 9. It was a Saturday. Pele Kristiansen spent the morning at home, drinking beers and hanging out with his older brother, which wasn't so unusual. There wasn't a lot of work in town. A lot of people drank. In the afternoon, they heard someone banging on their door, yelling. "Polar bear! It's a polar bear!" On the frozen fiord a couple of miles away, they could see the bear. Hunting in the Arctic — bears and reindeer and seals and birds — is at the core...

One of the best reports I have seen about the trauma-informed movement to date appeared last night on the PBS News Hour. When you to watch the 8:50 minute video (do it!), think about how it can be used to expose policymakers to the power of this information. Combine this video about community solutions with the new James Redford 5-minute video explaining the ACE study research and you've got a good start on ACEs awareness and education. The PBS News Hour story (in partnership with Kaiser...