Maternal mental health disorders such as suicide and opioid overdose are responsible for nearly one in four maternal deaths in the U.S., research shows. (Prasit photo / Moment RF / Getty Images / File via CNN Newsource)

The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is two- to threefold greater than in other high-income countries, and it has only increased in recent years, according to a new evidence review.

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks to reporters and advocates at a news conference announcing a new unified portal for child behavioral health programs on Jan. 29, 2024. (Capitol News Illinois)
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The Illinois Department of Human Services is partnering with Google to launch a new centralized portal for children’s mental health care, state officials announced Monday.

(WTTW News)

It might be the “winter blues” for some. For others, it’s more severe and can be clinically diagnosed: seasonal affective disorder, which is a form of depression that often occurs in the fall and winter when there’s less sunlight.

Mayor Brandon Johnson picked Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige to lead the Chicago Department of Public Health. (Credit: City of Chicago)
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Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige will now be asked to deliver on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s vision of public health for Chicago — while coping with the continuing pandemic.

(WTTW News)

The CDC said suicide rates increased by 37% for Black people 10 to 24 years old, the highest rise of any category, from 2018 to 2020. A National Institutes of Health study found among children ages 5 to 12, Black children were twice as likely to die by suicide as their White counterparts.

File photo of a hospital hallway. (WTTW News)

Prostate cancer can be a touchy subject for men to talk about, but discussing it with a doctor can be a literal lifesaver.

(WTTW News)
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The measure, introduced by Mayor Brandon Johnson and Health Committee Chair Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, is set for a final vote by the full City Council on Oct. 4.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
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Ten Chicago-based artists will be taking part in a new job training program that has them apprentice at the city’s mental health clinics and become certified community health workers.

(Chris_LeBoutillier / Pixabay)

Governor J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday that chapters of FFA – the group once known as Future Farmers of America – will be eligible for $1,000 grants to fund mental health awareness programs in schools and rural communities.

(Credit: gorodenkoff / iStockphoto / Getty Images)

Researchers found about 40% of the brains studied had developed some of the earliest signs of the disease, which is associated with repeated head trauma. The study also includes what researchers believe to be the first case of an American female athlete diagnosed with the disease.

Dr. Allison Arwady appears on "Chicago Tonight" on Oct. 18, 2022. (WTTW News)
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During his campaign for mayor, Brandon Johnson promised to fire Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady, and Friday night, he did just that — setting off a wave of recriminations and outrage.

(Illustration by ProPublica. Source images: Whitney Curtis for ProPublica and Equip for Equality Report.)

A new report by an advocacy agency details how abuse and neglect at Choate have continued despite calls for and promises of reform.

The department’s about-face on Choate’s top leader follows months of reporting on poor conditions at the facility by Capitol News Illinois, Lee Enterprises Midwest and ProPublica.

(WTTW News)

The new school year is just around the corner. WTTW News asked pediatricians and physicians in the Chicago area to share what they think parents should keep in mind as their children head back to school.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at a news conference in Springfield on Wednesday before signing an order to rename McFarland Mental Health Center after Elizabeth Packard, a woman who was committed into an Illinois asylum against her will in 1860. (Capitol News Illinois)

A state-run mental health center in Springfield is being renamed to honor the woman who publicized its former namesake’s abusive methods.

Zuranolone, a new postpartum depression pill, was found to be safe and effective in a Phase 3 trial. (Feinstein Institutes)

It’s estimated that each year in the U.S., more than 400,000 babies are born to mothers who are depressed. Without any treatment, postpartum depression can last for months or even years, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

(WTTW News)
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A decade-long push to reopen public mental health clinics closed in 2011 and expand efforts to respond to 911 calls for help not with police officers but with social workers and counselors was center stage at City Hall Monday.