Mental Health

The holidays are expected to be a season of joy, but annual traditions can highlight the absence of a loved one. This hour, we talk about grief.

We hear from Connecticut residents about how they approach the holidays after losing a family member, and we hear from a grief counselor, too. How should you respond to the people around you who are grieving?

The holidays are traditionally a time of celebration and good cheer. But for many, this season of joy compounds feelings of sadness, stress, and loneliness. Many places of worship respond to those who are hurting during the holidays with what’s called a “Blue Christmas” worship service.

For some kids, the playground is a place of fun and friendship. For others, it is a source of anxiety and fear. The fear of being left out.

Why do some kids struggle to make friends while others do not? And what can grown ups do to help?

We take an in-depth look with Why Will No One Play With Me? author Caroline Maguire. We also talk about the realities of adult friendships with NPR's Julia Furlan. 

For nearly six months, pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets of Hong Kong. Some demonstrations have turned violent, as protesters clash with the police. 

This hour, we talk about the roots of this protest movement and learn more about the history of the territory's relationship with mainland China. We also hear from a reporter who sat down with a Hong Kong father and son, two men on opposite sides of the police-community divide.

Forty-seven people have died in recent months from vaping-related illnesses, and there’s rising concern around the country about addiction levels among young people.

There are more than 800 miles of Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails in Connecticut. Today we're doing our show from one of them. 

A class-action lawsuit involving veterans who say they’ve been wrongfully denied discharge upgrades will move forward. The suit -- which is being supported by Yale Law School’s Veterans Legal Services Clinic -- was filed against the Navy in 2018.

Experts in Connecticut say racial profiling can result in poor health outcomes and even post-traumatic stress disorder.

For some kids, the playground is a place of fun and friendship. For others, it is a source of anxiety and fear. The fear of being left out.

Why do some kids struggle to make friends while others do not? And what can grown ups do to help?

We take an in-depth look with Why Will No One Play With Me? author Caroline Maguire. We also talk about the realities of adult friendships with NPR's Julia Furlan. 

Over the 21 years Sen. Cathy Osten worked for the Department of Correction, mental illness was so pervasive among Connecticut’s inmates that it was not unusual for her to hear from families who were grateful their loved ones were incarcerated because they were better off behind bars than on the street.

Women in America die more frequently from complications of childbirth than in any other industrialized nation in the world. In addition, women of color are three to four times more likely to die than white women. And over the last 25 years that the maternal mortality was rising in America, other countries were decreasing their rate. 

This week, we've started our second decade on the air.

Over the first ten years, we did some number north of 2,000 shows. And every one of those shows was intended, more or less, to be about some... thing. Towels or Trump or toast or television or whatever.

This hour we do the opposite thing: a show not about a specific something -- tapirs.

Of the 224 patients held at Whiting Forensic Hospital on June 28, a little more than half were hospitalized after being found not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity.

The remaining patients at the state’s maximum security psychiatric hospital faced no criminal charges and were civilly committed, or were there to be restored to competency so their criminal cases could be resolved. 

Ryan Leigh Dostie is an Iraq War veteran. She joined the U.S. Army to serve her country. But before she was deployed, she experienced violence from one of her own when she was raped by a fellow soldier. 

This hour, we sit down with Dostie. She is a Connecticut resident and author of the new book: Formation: A Woman’s Memoir of Stepping Out of Line.

Recent statistics show sexual assaults in the military have surged in recent years. We talk with a retired colonel about this disturbing trend.

And we want to hear from you. Are you a veteran? How do you think the U.S. military should confront this epidemic of violence in its ranks?

Women in America die more frequently from complications of childbirth than in any other industrialized nation in the world. In addition, women of color are three to four times more likely to die than white women. And over the last 25 years that the maternal mortality was rising in America, other countries were decreasing their rate. 

There are a group of Connecticut parents who feel they must relinquish custody of  their “high needs” children in order to get them into residential treatment programs when in-home services are inadequate to meet their needs. 

As a senior in high school at Loomis Chaffee, J. Collins couldn’t keep a secret from her mother any longer: although J. had lived her whole life in a girl’s body, she’d come to realize that inside, she truly identified as male. “I basically said, ‘Hey Mom, I have something to tell you. I think I’m transgender,’” said Collins, who now uses male pronouns and the name Donald rather than J.

The concept of the early 20th century side show evokes images of bearded ladies, sword swallowers and exotic  'others' exhibited as 'freaks' before audiences both lured and repelled by what they saw.

Bulimia. Anorexia. Binge-eating. You have likely heard of these eating disorders before. But what are they, really? And who do they affect?

This hour, we talk with advocates and experts in the field, and we also hear from you. Have you or has someone close to you suffered from an eating disorder? Where did you turn for help? 

There are a group of Connecticut parents who feel they must relinquish custody of  their “high needs” children in order to get them into residential treatment programs when in-home services are inadequate to meet their needs. 

The father of a victim of the 2012 Newtown school shooting was found dead this morning from an apparent suicide. According to police, Jeremy Richman was found this morning inside a building in Newtown where he has an office. Richman was 49 years old.