Episodes Archive - WHYY

Is a college degree worth it? More families are asking that question as tuition skyrockets.

Studio 2 is scrubbing in! 275 years after doors first opened, we’re hosting a special live remote broadcast from the nation’s very first chartered hospital.

America is now in the red for a whopping $40 trillion. How much should we be worried?

The Source episode seven explores a range of stories, including how people with drug addictions can receive holistic help in Philadelphia thanks to the efforts of Project HOME. Plus, learn about why advocates are pushing for more shopping carts for people with disabilities, how a horse fly brought havoc to America 250 years ago, why a program that helps remove lead paint in Delaware is in high demand and how Pennsylvania’s whiskey tradition is growing. Finally, we visit PAWS in the Grays Ferry neighborhood, where the Philadelphia Welfare Society is the city’s largest rescue partner.

WHYY News staffers Meir Rinde, Alan Yu, Susan Phillips, Cris Barrish, Zoe Read and Kimberly Paynter contributed to this episode, which is hosted by Kenny Cooper.

Research psychologist Clay Routledge wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed that the focus on mental health today is unprecedented. There are untold numbers of programs at work and in schools, plus a proliferation of apps and public health campaigns, all aimed at getting us to better understand our emotional lives.

That has had the benefit of reducing the harmful stigma around mental illness. A 2025 study by the American Psychological Association found that an overwhelming majority of Americans – 88% – said having a mental health disorder is nothing to be ashamed of.

Routledge sees a downside to this focus on mental health, which he calls the “pathologizing of ordinary life.” Instead of feeling better about ourselves, normal anxiety, stress, grief, burnout, and sadness are seen as signs that something is wrong with us. A diagnosis becomes, in his words, “a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Clay Routledge explores the reasons for this phenomenon and what it reveals about our culture and ourselves. He is director of the Human Flourishing Lab at the Archbridge Institute.

There’s growing backlash against Flock Safety cameras. Are they an essential crime-fighting tool, or a mass surveillance system ripe for abuse?

Testosterone among men has been on the decline. Should we be concerned about falling testosterone levels?

The Source episode six highlights why sixth graders in Delaware are seeking to protect the wetlands. Additional storytelling includes why postpartum visits in New Jersey are making a difference, how a group of Philadelphia nonprofits are working to reverse funding gaps, the legacy of Philadelphia’s music scene and a $25 million upgrade at the Philadelphia Zoo.

WHYY News staffers Zoe Read, Nicole Leonard, Peter Crimmins, Cory Sharber and Kimberly Paynter contributed to this episode, which is hosted by Kenny Cooper.

Nearly half of 18-30-year-olds are living with their parents, pushed there by tough job market, soaring housing prices and the rising cost of everyday life.

Why are some calling for reforming the psychiatric status quo? And how might the discourse impact the future of depression treatment?