Over the past decade, police in America have shot and killed 1,939 people who were in the middle of a mental health crisis. That’s 20% of all police killings in that time. Those deaths helped fuel a movement. Instead of armed police, more than half of the country’s largest cities now send specially trained social workers and EMTs. This new generation of first responders handle 911 calls involving mental illness, substance use disorders or suicidal thoughts.

Call to Mind: The Fifth Branch is a special program made in partnership with the Tradeoffs podcast. This episode takes listeners to Durham, North Carolina, to meet people who have reimagined the city’s crisis-response system.

Immigration in the United States has reached historic numbers. More than 50 million people born in other countries now call the United States home.

Migrating to a new country can bring unique mental health challenges, like coping with the traumas that may have caused a person to leave home, and the pressure of fitting into a new community.

Meanwhile, global conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, changes to U.S. immigration policy, and America’s recent deportation crackdown have all amplified the challenges of making a new home in the United States.

This special program explores the unique mental health challenges for immigrants in America.

We spend about one-third of our lives sleeping. And not because we’re lazy. Every living creature sleeps, from cats to dolphins, and even fruit flies — it’s an essential need for good health and survival. So, if sleep is a basic health need, why do so many people have trouble doing it?

Nearly a third of Americans say they sleep poorly or not enough. Our 24/7 culture makes it tough to get a good night’s sleep; we prize long work hours, fast-paced productivity, staying up late to socialize, and simply striving for more. While lack of sleep can leave a person groggy, it can also signal a mental illness, make an existing problem worse and increase the risk of mental health issues.

This episode explores the fundamental relationship between sleep and mental health.

Every day we hear concerning news about the human costs of climate change. Severe storms and wildfires can lead to housing instability. Air pollution and dirty water have been tied to respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular diseases. And a growing area of psychological research reveals that climate change is both harming our mental health and triggering new disorders.

This Call to Mind special looks at the mental health consequences of climate change. We’ll hear from experts who say climate-related anxiety, depression, and grief are urgent mental health issues.  And we’ll hear real-world stories of people coping with a rapidly changing environment.

Americans are stressed. And what many people are concerned about seems to have escalated and changed. There are the usual personal stressors like money, caretaking, and jobs, but pressing social challenges like political division and the uncertain economy, are shaping life’s challenges for many people. Health experts warn that living with chronic stress doesn’t just make us feel bad in the moment. Stress can shape the brain’s neural networks. It puts many people at higher risk for mental illnesses like depression, anxiety disorders, and substance-use problems.

This Call to Mind special examines stress. We’ll hear firsthand about issues that can overwhelm us, how it impacts our mental health, and from experts about ways to manage the strain.