The Takeaway

Youth who are struggling with self-harm are increasingly forced to visit hospital emergency rooms. The CDC estimated that in 2020, the proportion of emergency room visits by adolescents seeking mental health care increased by 31 percent. Because there are so few spots available in residential psychiatric programs, young patients are left to become “boarders” in emergency departments—kept in small, bare rooms or even in hospital hallways while they wait for an opening. We speak with Dr. Megan Ranney, Academic Dean at the School of Public Health and a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Brown University, about how we got here and what can be done.

In 2016, the American Medical Association declared that gun violence in the U.S. is a public health crisis. Not just the mass shootings which make national headlines, but the daily violence that constitute the overwhelming majority of gun deaths- suicide, intimate partner violence, murder, police killings and even accidental shootings. The ripple effects impacts all of us, even if we are not directly experiencing the violence ourselves.

It's compounding another national crisis, that of adolescent mental health.  The CDC estimated that in 2020, the proportion of emergency room visits by adolescents seeking mental health care increased by 31 percent. But because of a lack of residential program beds, young patients are left to become “boarders” in emergency departments—kept in small, bare rooms or even in hospital hallways.

We speak with Dr. Megan Ranney, Academic Dean at the School of Public Health and a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Brown University, about how we got here and how a public health perspective on gun violence can help us find solutions.

We learn more about Uvalde and the people who live there.

We spoke with Texas state senator Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, about the devastating school shooting that took place at Robb Elementary on Tuesday, May 24. 

On Tuesday, an 18 year old gunman shot and killed at least 21 people, including 19 children and 2 adults, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Uvalde is a majority Latino-town slightly over an hour outside of San Antonio. The shooting is the deadliest to occur at an elementary school since the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012.

We spoke to professor of sociology and psychiatry Jonathan Metzl to discuss the toll that school shootings take on the mental health of children nationwide.

On Tuesday a gunman killed at least 19 children, 1 teacher, and at least 1 other adult in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

These precious children were killed while simply attending school are now among the thousands of young people injured or killed by guns during the past year. In fact, analysis of CDC data recently published by the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that in 2020 firearms became the leading cause of death for young Americans.

In December, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a public health advisory on the youth mental health crisis that has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The rate of death by self-inflicted gunshot wound has risen faster among adolescents and teens than any other group. 

We speak to Dr. Michael Lindsey, Executive Director at the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University, to better understand death by suicide and its connection of the mental health of young people.

A school shooting like this is an enraging act of violence which can lead young people who are already struggling, to feel even more vulnerable, distraught, or hopeless. We spoke to three young people who have faced mental health challenges and have all become advocates for their own well-being and that of their peers, before the mass shooting in Uvalde, and we think that this event makes it even more crucial to keep thinking about the emotional well-being and mental health of young people. 

We heard from Diana Chao, founder and executive director of Letters to Strangers, Juan Acosta, mental health advocate, and Charlie Lucas, co-founder of the notOK app.

A Strange Loop already won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2020 following its off-Broadway run; now, the Broadway show is up for 11 Tony Awards–the most-nominated production of the year.

We speak with playwright and composer Michael R. Jackson about his groundbreaking musical, which poignantly tackles themes of queerness, race, religion and AIDS with humor and heart. The original Broadway cast recording comes out June 10. 

Loneliness and social isolation are growing public health concerns among older Americans. Loneliness is not only detrimental to mental health, but also contributes to physical  health risks including strokes, worsened diabetes and frailty.

We spoke with Dr. Carla Perissinotto about the causes of loneliness for older adults, what we get wrong about it, and what interventions can address the crisis of loneliness. We also hear from Wanda Dobson, a 69-year old woman in New York City and employee with the Brooklyn Public Library's Services for Older Adults program, on her own experience with loss, loneliness and healing.

Social media and dating apps have fundamentally changed the culture of sex, and this impacts how young adults are shaping their personal relationships today. In her new book, The Current Collegiate Hookup Culture, online dating researcher Aditi Paul talks about the “new” culture of sex on college campuses.

The critically acclaimed show Love on the Spectrum premiered on Netflix this month with its first U.S.-based season. The docu-reality series takes us inside the lives of autistic adults as they date and look for love. Director and showrunner Cian O’Clery and show participant Dani join us to talk about making the show and trying to find love in front of the camera.

With the recent leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court suggesting the court may overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion, privacy experts are concerned about digital surveillance and digital privacy in a post-Roe world. Smartphone apps and internet search engines can track data and locations leaving a data footprint if someone is searching for reproductive healthcare or abortion care. We speak with Cynthia Conti-Cook, civil rights attorney and current Technology Fellow on the Ford Foundation’s Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice team, and Yveka Pierre, Senior Litigation Counsel at If/When/How, about our digital privacy.