The Workup

Some people rely on Medicaid to access health care. Or they use other federal benefits, like food stamps and housing assistance, to build the foundations of a healthy life. A proposed change to federal regulations, though, is making some immigrants wary of accessing these services.

The Workup is an occasional series of podcasts exploring health issues that concern you.

Women are about twice as likely to suffer from depression as men. Poor and minority women are less likely to get help than affluent or white women. They may face financial barriers, cultural stigma, fear of losing custody of their children, fear of deportation or other hurdles.  So mental health providers are getting creative to reach these women – sometimes in unusual places.

Connecticut author Luanne Rice has had depression, probably going back to her days in elementary school. But now she is managing her illness with a combination of therapy, medication and self-care that includes a lot of time spent in nature.

Women are about twice as likely to suffer from depression as men. It’s

the leading cause of disability worldwide.

This is part one of The Workup’s series on women and depression. Stress can be a pathway to depression for both sexes but is a more potent pathway for women than it is for men. They are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men are and it is the leading cause of disability worldwide.

One in five American children is growing up in poverty. That determines what they eat, where or if they exercise and even whether or not a parent can call 911 in an emergency. Yet most health care providers do not receive in-depth education about how

poverty affects children's health. Joanne Goldblum founder and CEO of the New Haven-based National Diaper Bank Network is out to change that.

Research shows that patients enjoy better health when they have good

communication with their doctors. Here are some simple tips to get

the most out of your visit.

MAT combines traditional counseling or psychotherapy with drugs that can help ease withdrawal and reduce cravings. Studies show relapse rates are lower when medication is used in addiction treatment. That is a huge and potentially life saving benefit.

More than 34 million Americans provide unpaid care to an older adult every year, according to AARP. Managing an aging parent’s health care can be complicated, logistically and emotionally. Experts say that talking about eldercare years before it’s needed is key to making the task easier. Colleen Shaddox has the story.

The Work Up is a production of the Connecticut Health Investigative Team. You can find more information about caring for an elderly parent at our website, c-hit.org. This podcast was produced with the

support of Connecticare. For more information, visit connecticare.com. To learn about ConnectiCare’s health insurance plans, visit chooseconnecticare.com.

Stephanie Almada wanted relief from premenstrual syndrome. Her doctor sent her home with a powerful prescription pain reliever. For Almada, as for many other women in Connecticut and nationwide, that prescription was an avoidable step on what became a challenging journey through opioid addiction.

Women use opioids at higher rates than men and more quickly become seriously ill from abusing them. Deaths from opioid overdose in Connecticut rose 125 percent in a single year, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis.

Connecticut has already legalized medical marijuana, and there are

several bills working through the legislature to legalize it for recreational use. In eight states, including Massachusetts, recreational pot is already legal. Addiction experts say that it’s important for consumers to understand that just because a drug is legal does not mean that it is harmless.