CHICAGO Children who play sports are less likely to experience withdrawn and depressive symptoms compared with their counterparts who do not engage in sports, new research suggests. Investigators at Boston University School of Medicine found kids who participated in one or fewer sports had a higher incidence of withdrawn behavior and depressive symptoms, suggesting playing two or more sports "may be the magic number." "We found a statistically significant difference between children who played two or more sports vs those who played zero or one," study investigator Punit Matta, MS, told Medscape Medical News. Continue reading →

A grassroots effort by licensed professional counselors prodded the Legislature to fast-track a bill to stop rule changes that govern the profession. Continue reading →

File image of San Francisco Mayor London Breed. San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced on Tuesday that she's backing a comprehensive health care plan for homeless people suffering from mental illness that will be placed on the March 2020 ballot. The plan, called UrgentCareSF, is being run by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and seeks to provide immediate treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders for some 4,000 homeless San Franciscans ready to receive treatment Continue reading →

At first glance, its hard to imagine what would bring two San Francisco supervisors and the son of the late Robin Williams onto the same stage on a chilly Wednesday night. ButSupervisor Hillary Ronen, Supervisor Matt Haney, and Zak Williams stopped by Mannys on 16th and Valencia to talk about something that touches many of our lives, and theirs more than most: mental health. It was profound for many people to see someone who devoted his life to entertaining and delivering happiness and laughter and joy take his life, said Williams of his father, who committed suicide in August 2014 in his Marin County home. Continue reading →

Christopher Polk/Variety/Shutterstock Speaking out isn't always easy, especially when you're a celebrity. Brittany Snow knows this firsthand. She recently reflected on the criticism she receivedfor writing acandid essay on mental healthback in 2007. Continue reading →

For Cristi Martin, the question that breaks her heart each day is, why? Why did police shoot and kill her sonLane? Lane Martin and his mom, CristiMartin Courtesy of the Martinfamily Cristi lives in Reno, Nevada, with a husky puppy Continue reading →