News & Headlines

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Psychology Today | Jun 10, 2025

In honor of PTSD awareness month, let's explore new info and dispel a few myths.

CBS 60 Minutes | Jun 9, 2025

In March 2024, 60 Minutes was invited to join nine veterans who traveled to the west coast of Mexico for a psychedelic journey they hoped would finally help ease their pain.

They came to Mexico from all over the United States, a group of nine veterans — with invisible wounds that are hard to heal.

Brain & Life | Jun 9, 2025

Candace Gantt, 65, struggled to find resources to help her recover from a 2005 brain injury. This inspired the experienced athlete to start the Mind Your Brain Foundation.

The Washington Post (free with account) | Jun 9, 2025

For years, people have flown to clinics in Mexico to take ibogaine, the extract of an ancient African shrub that induces mind-bending hallucinations. Under medical supervision, patients undergo psychedelic trips that can last more than a dozen hours in hopes of alleviating their struggles with addiction or brain trauma. Ibogaine is illegal in the United States, but Texas is on the verge of spending up to $50 million to jumpstart clinical trials.

CBC | Jun 9, 2025

Service dogs serve many purposes, including helping veterans navigate post-traumatic stress disorder. In the small community of Kimberley in B.C.’s East Kootenay, these four-legged life-savers are being recognized through a monument in the city’s downtown. CBC News' Corey Bullock was at the unveiling.

New Scientist (subscription) | Jun 5, 2025

Most 9/11 first responders experienced improvement in PTSD symptoms about 10 years after the traumatic event, but approximately 10 per cent saw symptoms worsen even two decades later.

The Washington Post (subscription) | Jun 5, 2025

Cyberbullying in any form can cause symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and should be considered an “adverse childhood experience” (ACE), a recent analysis finds.

CBS News | 60 Minutes Overtime | May 30, 2025

Dr. Daniel Perl had already made a groundbreaking discovery with profound implications for veterans when Frank Larkin turned to him after his son's 2017 suicide. 

A Navy Seal's invisible wounds - Read more about Navy Seal Ryan Larkin.

CBS News | 60 Minutes | May 30, 2025

A veteran's brain showed no signs of physical injury, until a post-mortem after his suicide found microscopic scars. Now, his father is fighting to protect others in the military.

Colorado Public Radio | May 30, 2025

An increasing number of veterans are looking for solutions to their PTSD outside of federally legal medicines and the VA itself is considering the possibility of psychedelics. 

LA Times | May 30, 2025

When wildfires threaten entire communities, the emotional struggle doesn’t always end when the flames burn out. For many survivors, the stress of evacuations, destruction, and starting over leaves a lingering pain that can resurface weeks, months, or even years later.

KQED (NPR) | May 21, 2025

For the first time in over 50 years, emergency room doctors will have a new framework to assess people with head injuries from car or bike crashes, falls and assaults.

Existing assessment protocols for traumatic brain injury rely on broad, vague measures that filter patients into three categories based on their symptoms: mild, moderate and severe. Doctors hope the new classification system, published Tuesday in The Lancet Neurology, will bring more detail to diagnosis and more nuance to treatment.

The Economist | May 21, 2025

Modifying rules and grouping players by size rather than age can limit the risks

Nature | May 21, 2025

Moving beyond a single threshold could help clinicians intervene earlier and improve patient outcomes after brain injuries.

The New York Times | May 21, 2025

Nearly 100 neurology experts collaborated on the creation of a new method of evaluating patients with traumatic brain injuries.

The Atlantic | May 21, 2025

For decades, Eve Baer remained convinced that her son, unresponsive after a severe brain injury, was still conscious. Science eventually proved her right.

The proposed termination of medical research funded by the V.A. is part of the Trump administration’s broader pressure campaign against the university. | May 21, 2025

The Trump administration’s move to cancel an array of federal contracts at Harvard University has set off an internal clash over the impact on medical research intended to help veterans, including projects involving suicide prevention, toxic particle exposure and prostate cancer screening, according to emails reviewed by The New York Times.

The New York Times | May 14, 2025

His friend and fellow cop killed himself. Then he nearly became a statistic as well. Why do more police officers die by suicide than in the line of duty?

BBC | May 14, 2025

A total of 40% of a group of claimants in a concussion lawsuit against rugby union authorities played in the back row, according to new data seen by the BBC.

The Conversation | May 14, 2025

During Game 1 of the Maple Leafs’ ongoing playoff series against the Florida Panthers, Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was struck in the head by Panthers forward Sam Bennett.

Although Stolarz remained in the game for several minutes following the hit, he eventually skated to the bench, vomited and exited the ice.

While it’s unclear whether he was officially diagnosed with a concussion, the incident has once again reignited concern over brain injuries in hockey.

The New York Times | May 14, 2025

The process for pulling an NHL player from a game due to a potential concussion is complex.

The league introduced concussion spotters during the 2015-16 season as part of its initial concussion protocols, but over time, the way those spotters interact with events on the ice has evolved.

It’s up to those remote officials — and not the in-arena spotters, who are not necessarily athletic trainers or therapists — to determine whether a player needs to be removed immediately for concussion testing or if it’s a discretionary call to be made by the team’s medical staff.

ESPN | May 6, 2025

The Trump administration's 2026 fiscal budget request to Congress eliminates major federal funding for traumatic brain injury (TBI) research and education, potentially undercutting efforts to address head injuries in sports, particularly at the high school and youth levels.

The Conversation | May 2, 2025

Australia has a humanitarian and legal responsibility to support the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers so they can recover and thrive. So, what mental health support is available for refugees when they arrive in Australia?

Billboard | May 2, 2025

In recent years, artists have been doing their part to destigmatize mental health issues by opening up about their own experiences. Here's what they've said.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation | May 2, 2025

Regan Ballantine's 17-year-old son Wes died on a construction site in 2017, sparking a long journey through the courts as she fought for justice, and also in the public arena as she campaigned for improved workplace safety laws.

But her advocacy had a hidden cost.

Privately, Regan was struggling with complex PTSD that refused to budge despite years of costly attempts with various therapies.

That was until she came across the emerging field of MDMA-assisted therapy, which only became possible under tightly-controlled circumstances in 2023 after a landmark TGA decision.

Listen as she describes the compelling story of her treatment, and how she finally feels "unburdened".

"I was carrying something so heavy," she says. "I just feel free."