This essay is part of my LinkedIn newsletter series: Wow! How? Health. About two million people in North Carolina experience a mental health or substance use disorder crisis each year. Historically, about half did not receive treatment because of cost, leading to repercussions for families, communities, and individuals. A new Peer Warmline, staffed by counselors […]
Wow! How? Health
Wow! How? Hope for Henry
Imagine being a little kid and facing not only serious illness, but all the uncomfortable, scary treatments associated with hospitalization: blood draws, IV placements, and scans. Then you find out that you can earn prizes for every medical procedure you go through, thanks to an incentive program called Super Rewards for Super Kids. Kids love […]
Wow! How? PEARS
Tal Golesworthy lives with Marfan syndrome, which is characterized by long bones, flexible joints, eye problems, and, most threateningly, weakness at the root of the aorta. Over time, this major blood vessel becomes enlarged and, if left untreated, ruptures. Clinicians told Golesworthy he had few options, none of them attractive: wait and potentially experience a […]
Wow! How? Community as therapy
Social isolation prevents people from getting help. The effect is amplified among people living with serious mental illness. They are the most in need of community support, yet are the least likely to get it in a health care system that is primarily focused on clinical interventions like medication. A recent report by M. Usman, […]
Wow! How? Dr. Reddit
A positive psychedelic experience can make you feel at one with the universe. A bad trip can make you feel psychotic. People who want a relatively safer experience have two choices: 1. Ask a friend to stay sober and be a calming guide (called a “trip sitter”) 2. Have remedies on hand to blunt or […]
Wow! How? Eating disorder recovery
Thirty million people in the U.S. will have a clinically significant eating disorder at some point in their lives. Treatment gaps mean that only a fraction of sufferers will receive the care they need due to the high cost of traditional, in-patient treatment and a scarcity of mental health professionals available for some populations and […]
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