Measles Cases at 15-Year High

This CNN Article entitled "Measles Cases at a 15-Year High in U.S." discusses the rapidly increasing rates of individuals in the US who are getting measles. Most of these individuals had not received the vaccination or were too young to receive it. What do you think has contributed to the lower rates of vaccinations in this country? What can physicians and parents do to prevent the spread of measles?

Declining African American Enrollment in STEM

This AP article entitled "Declining Numbers of Blacks Seen in Math, Science" discusses the fact that fewer African American men and women are enrolling and completing degrees in the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). The article discusses barriers, including self-defeating beliefs, lack of role models and mentors, pressure to earn money quickly, and discouraging academic environments. What are some of the ways to overcome these barriers? How can colleges facilitate higher enrollment and success of African American students in STEM courses?

Many Hide Depression from Physician

This Chicago Tribune article entitled "Many Don't Want to Tell Doctors About Depression" reveals that the stigma of telling a physician about depression is less likely related to stigma of depression itself, but most often a fear of being placed on an antidepressant medication. Other reasons were a concern about an employer seeing a depression diagnosis on their paperwork. How can physicians and mental health professionals work together to facilitate an open environment for talking about and treating depression and other mental illnesses? What other factors might these researchers not have attributed for in this study?

Online Therapy a Click Away

NY Times article entitled "When Your Therapist is Only a Click Away" explores the advantages and challenges of providing psychotherapy across the internet/online. The article discusses how convenient online therapy can be for some individuals, as well as the use of this for individuals who are home-bound. Yet there are ethical and legal questions exist, particularly when a therapist is practicing across state lines. What do you think? Would you see a therapist online? How could you ensure your information was kept secure? What concerns would you have?

Hearing Bilingual

NY Times article entitled "Hearing Bilingual: How Babies Sort Out Language." This article reviews some intriguing research on how newborns hear the phonemes in different languages, and how the brain re-wires itself to recognize those different languages. It also explains that infants can learn different languages from people who are speaking the language to them in person, but not from a TV or computer screen. What advantage do you think having a brain wired to understand multiple languages would be? Should parents use daycares that utilize bilingual individuals and instruction rather than waiting until their child is older to expose her to another language?

Coverage for Residential Treatment in Eating Disorders

This article entitled "Eating Disorders a New Front In Insurance Fight" describes the challenges that individuals with eating disorders face when trying to get coverage for residential treatment for those disorders. Even though mental health parity exists for physical and mental disorders, insurers are still finding ways to deny payment for mental health treatment. In what ways have insurance companies made it easier or harder for individuals with mental health problems to receive care? Should insurance companies be mandated to cover more "aggressive" treatment models even when they have little research on them?