Free Republic

On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would allow transgender individuals who meet all other physical, educational, and mental health standards to serve in the U.S. military. The amendment passed 242-187, with 10 Republicans voting with Democrats in support of transgender military service. The amendment, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), is modeled after former President Harry Truman’s 1948 order that racially integrated the military. It incorporated much of the language from Truman’s order — including that “there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in...

No two people are exactly alike. Therefore, attempting to classify each unique individual’s mental health issues into neat categories just doesn’t work. That’s the claim coming out of the United Kingdom that is sure to ruffle some psychologists’ feathers. More people are being diagnosed with mental illnesses than ever before. Multiple factors can be attributed to this rise; many people blame the popularity of social media and increased screen time, but it is also worth considering that in today’s day and age more people may be willing to admit they are having mental health issues in the first place. Whatever...

In a study using brain tissue from deceased human donors, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they found new evidence that schizophrenia can be marked by the buildup of abnormal proteins similar to those found in the brains of people with such neurodegenerative disorders as Alzheimer's or Huntington's diseases. Rather than rely on categorizing by symptoms, researchers have long sought to better classify types of schizophrenia -- such as those in which abnormal proteins appear to accumulate -- as a potential way to improve and tailor therapies as precision medicine. The researchers aren't sure how common this variation of the disorder...

In American culture, we believe that men can never be entirely trusted in the realm of the physical. We collectively suspect that, given the opportunity, men will collapse into the sexual at a moment’s notice. That men don’t know how to physically connect otherwise. That men can’t control themselves. That men are dogs. There is no corresponding narrative about women. And where does this leave men? Physically and emotionally isolated. Cut off from the deeply human physical contact that is proven to reduce stress, encourage self esteem and create community. Instead, we walk in the vast crowds of our cities...

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A bizarre scene was caught on camera in the East Village. A man allegedly tried to attack an MTA bus and its driver.

House Democrats plan to hold an event intended to highlight what they say is President Trump’s deteriorating mental health. House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) said he and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) will host Dr. Bandy Lee, a Yale School of Medicine psychiatrist who edited the bestselling book “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President.” “We are planning to do something where she can make a presentation to other members, so that they'll be aware of what she's been working on,” Yarmuth told The Hill in a brief interview

Dan Zadra once wrote, “worry is a misuse of the imagination.” In January of this year, after coming across a particularly worrying piece in the Atlantic, I misused my imagination. Sorry, Mr. Zadra. Titled “Young Trans Children Know Who They Are,” the piece focused on transgender children — those of whom identify as a different gender from the one they were assigned at birth. Ed Yang, the author of the piece, argues that, from an early age, children already have a strong sense of identity. He contends that some children as young as three already have a strong sense of...

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, unveiled the "Back to Nature" garden she helped design at the RHS [Royal Hospital] Chelsea Flower show this weekend. The duchess' garden was created with a particular purpose -- to encourage children to play outside -- tying into the focus of her work on how important the early years of life are in childhood development and in setting the stage for a child's future. "I believe that spending time outdoors when we are young can play a role in laying the foundations for children to become happy, healthy adults,” she said, speaking ahead of the...

No one is happy all the time. That’s the message Burger King is trying to communicate with a lineup of burger meals focused on “real” moods to help raise awareness about mental health. Timed to Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the “Real Meals” include the Blue Meal, Salty Meal, Yaaas Meal and DGAF (Don’t Give a F---) Meal. They include a Whopper, french fries and a drink. “Burger King restaurants understands that no one is happy all the time. That’s why they’re asking guests to order a Whopper meal based on however they might be feeling,” an online release...

<p>A 5-year-old boy who fell almost 40 feet after being thrown over a third-floor railing at the Mall of America on Friday remained hospitalized Saturday, police said.</p> <p>At a noon news conference, Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts said the family of the boy, who remains hospitalized at Children's Hospital Minneapolis, has requested privacy.</p>

She Was Dancing On The Roof And Talking Gibberish. A Special Kind Of ER Helped Her. With mental health beds in short supply, emergency rooms increasingly have become the care of first and last resort for people in the grips of a psychiatric episode. Now, hospitals around the country are opening emergency units that calmly cater to patients with mental health needs. By Anna Gorman Photos by Heidi de Marco MARCH 25, 2019

Licensed therapists in New Jersey have been prohibited since 2013 from engaging in conversion therapy, an attempt to change a child’s gender identity or their sexual orientation from gay to straight. But encouraged by a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year, Liberty Counsel, a national religious legal organization, just asked the nation’s highest court for a chance to prove New Jersey’s law violates the free speech rights of counselors who believe the treatment works. The ruling in June struck down portions of a California law that required crisis pregnancy centers to tell pregnant women about the availability of publicly-funded family-planning...

"""Where has $850m gone? Bill de Blasio's wife can't account for staggering amount of taxpayer money that the NY Mayor gave her for mental health project""" Chirlane McCray was assigned a $850million budget for her ThriveNYC program But records show scheme has failed to keep track of what it spent the money on The small amount of data that was collected shows it fell far short of targets Despite that, organizers have expanded the budget to $1billion over five years

Children who grow up in greener surroundings have a greatly reduced risk of developing mental illnesses later in life, research suggests.

On February 9th, 2019, Australian police officers swarmed a man walking along a busy, coastal, pedestrian walkway in Brighton, Australia. Police took down the man because of reports that he was armed with a rifle. In a video from 7 News Adelaide, you can see the toy gun next to a female officer's boot.  Use the tiles/bricks the officer is standing on for scale. Video link on facebook.com: The toy appears to be about a foot long, less than one/third scale. No reasonable person could mistake it for an actual, functioning rifle.Brighton is an upscale, urban, coastal suburb of...

The American Psychological Association has, in its words, issued “its first-ever guidelines for practice with men and boys.” These guidelines “draw on more than 40 years of research showing that traditional masculinity is psychologically harmful and that socializing boys to suppress their emotions causes damage.” Three observations: 1) The last thing American males need today is less masculinity. If you need proof, ask women who are looking for a husband whether the men they date exhibit too much masculinity, too little masculinity, or just the right amount. I have talked to hundreds of women on my radio show (every week...

Hundreds of vets have tried out an experimental new treatment that could change how the world addresses mental disorders. Tony didn’t know what to expect when he walked into the Brain Treatment Center in San Diego, California, last spring. The former Navy SEAL only knew that he needed help. His service in Iraq and Afghanistan was taking a heavy toll on his mental and physical wellbeing. He had trouble concentrating, remembering, and was given to explosive bursts of anger. “If somebody cut me off driving, I was ready to kill ’em at the drop of a hat,” he said. And...

Link only.

The Duke of Cambridge has spoken of his shock at being called out to his first suicide as an air ambulance pilot in a joint interview with his brother, Prince Harry, on tackling masculinity and mental health issues. Prince William said the “tipping point” for him in understanding how men struggle to deal with mental health problems came with his work with the East Anglian air ambulance. “My first callout was to a male suicide and I was told there were five suicides or attempted suicides every day in East Anglia alone. When I looked into it I was shocked...

Too often our churches give the impression that the Son of Man came to seek and save good people, not the lost. Too quickly our churches create a list of sins that are more tolerated and excusable (these tend to be the ones we struggle with) than others (which, conveniently, tend to be those others struggle with). Real people live in our neighborhoods, sit in our church buildings, and talk with us after our services, and they have real struggles. In this article, I want to look at the Bible’s challenge to church communities who want to be the people...