Rising rates of addiction to heroin and prescription drugs have been making headlines across the country. Find out what the latest science is telling us about the nature of addiction.

Here’s another reason to consider giving your cellphone a rest: Compulsively checking such devices as a way to cope with uncomfortable situations has been linked to anxiety and depression in college-age students.

We share what you had to say about some of our recent stories when we read viewer feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Last weekend's police-involved shooting has raised questions about whether Chicago officers are equipped to deal with mental health crises. We discuss the crisis intervention training offered to local police officers with two mental health advocates.

A French prosecutor announced Thursday that a Germanwings co-pilot deliberately crashed a jet in the French Alps after locking the pilot out of the cockpit. The prosecutor said there is no indication the crash was related to terrorism. The announcement has sparked questions about mental health evaluations for airline pilots, and why the co-pilot was able to prevent the pilot from gaining access to the cockpit. We have analysis.

Former congressman and mental illness advocate Patrick Kennedy discusses his life's work, his personal struggle with bipolar disorder and addiction, and why this is one of the most crucial civil rights issues today.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart gives Chicago Tonight an exclusive look at the jail's new Mental Health Transition Center.

In the wake of Robin Williams's death, apparently from suicide, we discuss depression with an expert in mental illness.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart joins us to talk jail overcrowding, criminal justice setbacks, and what he calls the criminalization of mental illness in the state of Illinois and across the country. 

For trauma victims, surviving an attack or disease can seem like the whole battle. But author Laurence Gonzales says “ongoing survival requires relentless attention.”

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is suffering from a mood disorder; that's what his office announced on Thursday. We explore what a "mood disorder" is and how it can interfere with personal and professional relationships.