Support groups are typically free, which makes them widely accessible

Support groups offer support, safety, and the relief of common experience

Gathering—virtually or otherwise—with people going through a similar experience or navigating the same disease can make someone feel like they're part of a larger community. Participants can receive and offer support, and potentially learn tips that could improve their quality of life or lead them to other resources.

Support groups can offer insights into current and potential treatments

Beyond connecting with patients with similar experiences, support groups can also become centers for advocacy and for sharing research advances and medical experiences, including potential side effects from novel therapies or clinical trials.

Group therapy is not the same thing as a support group

Group therapy, facilitated by a licensed therapist, is typically covered by insurance or involves a fee. Support groups are often peer-led and usually come with no cost.

Meeting someone with common healthcare challenges can be life-changing

The understanding that comes from meeting others who have similar experiences can provide hope that life can get better, the solace of affirmation, and make navigating a new diagnosis or a rare illness, in particular, much easier.

Private Facebook groups are acting as an entryway to support groups

Many groups are findable via search but only members can see their content. Others are "secret"—meaning an existing member must invite you to become part of it. But they're all free, remote, and potentially accessible 24/7. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Setting up a support group could be as simple as informally gathering in your kitchen

Groups may be as varied as an ad-hoc group that gets together to share information and encouragement or a longer-term group with a stated purpose and a facilitator, or perhaps look like anything in between.

Accountability can be why some people like support groups

Group camaraderie and peer support encourage people to continually connect through a support group and push participants to reflect, share, and find connection as they navigate through their lives.

Danish moms have a built-in support group through the healthcare system

Local Danish health departments put these groups together, assigning mothers into small support groups comprised of mothers in roughly the same area who gave birth around the same time. The purpose of the groups is to create a supportive network of new parents who can benefit from one another's experiences. The group's mothers decide how often to meet and what to discuss.

13 things Medicare gives you for free

Even people on Medicare, the US government health insurance program for people 65 and older, have to pay for their own co-pays and prescription drug costs. But other services, like alcohol counseling and colorectal screenings, may be free for Medicare recipients. To learn about 11 more things that are free with Medicare, scroll through this list.

Learn about a new schizophrenia healthcare model that's making a difference

Schizophrenia used to be considered a progressive disease that was beyond a patient's ability to manage. This article gives an in-depth look at OnTrackNY, a New York-based program that empowers patients to define the goals of their own treatment for psychotic disorders. At the time of this 2022 article, it consisted of 25 affiliate clinics and hospitals in 14 New York counties, with another seven sites then slated to begin offering services in 2023.

Learn how Hollywood tries to get mental health portrayals right

"Entertainment is always the first priority," the director of medical research for "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" explained in this Newsweek article. But, medical consultants and dedicated groups like the University of Southern California's Hollywood, Health, and Society program, can help inform shows' characters, actions, and sensitivities on subjects like mental illness.

Primary care doctors are converting into membership-based concierge practices

Subscription-based practices sometimes don't accept insurance and they also require annual membership fees which can add up to thousands of dollars per year. In return, patients are promised more personalized care and round-the-clock access to medical providers. As doctors transition to concierge care, this retainer-based medicine model is forcing people to choose between searching for new primary care providers or paying hefty fees.

The peer support movement may date back to 18th century France

At the Bicêtre Hospital, an asylum near Paris, Jean-Baptiste Pussin (who had previously been a patient but later led the hospital administration) tried to hire as many staff as possible from among recovered patients. Chief physician Philippe Pinel found these individuals to be kinder than other staff and "averse from active cruelty" which was common at the time. This approach allowed the facility to move away from shackling patients and other violent methods.

Dementia caregiver training programs exist—but they aren't common

Comprehensive dementia care programs go beyond offering support to caregivers. They train people on how to modify their homes, communicate with their loved ones with dementia, and cope with the stress of caregiving, among other skills. Yet despite evidence showing their effectiveness and the economic benefit of avoiding unnecessary emergency room visits, these programs are often poorly funded and difficult to find.

The spread of fraudulent stem cell treatments

All the coverage of research into promising (but often unproven) medical treatments involving stem cells has created conditions allowing some people to engage in activities regulators describe as scams. As this news article explains, attorneys general in at least seven states have taken legal action against businesses that promised (costly) stem cell treatments but allegedly engaged in fraud.

Key tips for helping the depressed—including listening without judgment

Major depressive disorder is a clinical diagnosis and is not a lifestyle choice. Those who struggle with depression can express persistent feelings that are difficult to process and make sense of for friends and family. This guide walks through some counterintuitive perspectives, including resisting the urge to force a depressed person to do the things that would make them feel better.

HSAs are frequently criticized for exacerbating inequality in healthcare access

Health savings accounts offer large tax advantages, but require personal contributions. Some argue that the tax advantages benefit wealthy individuals more than anyone else and that HSAs don't do much to help people who can't afford to regularly contribute to one. As a result, HSAs only decrease costs for those who can comfortably invest in them, and health inequalities between high-income and low-income individuals are exacerbated.

Learn about the US opioid crisis in this free course

Where did the US opioid crisis come from, and how did it spread? Learn this and more in this free, online Harvard University course. Learn about the disease model of addiction treatment and management, and get up-to-date with public health and law enforcement's current harm reduction practices. This free resource gives users a greater understanding of opioid addiction and the epidemic still haunting the US.

Infertility is often not discussed, forcing women and families to grieve privately

Watch this podcast discussion from Weill Cornell Medicine about the emotional journey of infertility for couples and individuals and hear advice about how to navigate the feelings of loss of control, grief, anger, and despair, including suggested tips for supporting individuals struggling with infertility.

Virtually all public libraries in the US offer free internet access

Beyond providing internet access, libraries have also expanded into broad digital hubs for communities. Ninety percent offer basic digital literacy training, 76% help patrons navigate online government services, and 73% assist people with job applications.

Alcoholics Anonymous leads to increased abstinence compared with other treatments

That's according to a 2020 meta-review of 27 studies. This large analysis found that Alcoholics Anonymous had between 22 and 37 percent abstinence numbers as compared to other treatments that had figures of about 15 to 25 percent. AA was founded in 1935, in Ohio, and depends on peer connections and consistent meeting availability. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

View the ecosystem of global services, organizations, and agencies behind the internet

Through an open, transparent, and collaborative model built on open standards development and shared global ownership, the internet is kept freely accessible amid evolving international policies. Key organizations, such as IANA, which allocates IP addresses and fulfills administrative functions for the Domain Name System, function as non-profit organizations.

Common genetic disorders

As research continues, it's clear that disease and genetics go hand in hand. Here's a selection of 50 National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) articles providing basic information on genetic, orphan, and rare diseases caused by mutations in DNA sequences, whether inherited from parents or brought about by outside factors.

Ibogaine, a psychedelic substance, can be used to treat mental illness

Although the substance is banned in the US, it's legal in Mexico. Americans who have traveled there for treatment, including the NFL's Braden Smith, say the drug helps deal with conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Most people breathe fungal spores daily without getting sick

Most people breathe in hundreds of Aspergillus fumigatus spores daily without getting sick—it’s a common microscopic fungus in our environment. But people who are severely ill, including those who have undergone an organ transplant, are at risk of developing infections from these spores.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Doctors differentiate between a phobia and fear by asking patients whether their fear interferes with their day-to-day activities.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

Existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre coined the famous phrase 'Hell is—other people' in his play 'No Exit'

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

Firework or sparkler burns, even if they cover a relatively small area of skin, can significantly affect our range of motion.

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

Astronauts have repaired genetic damage in space using CRISPR—a molecular tool that can make precise changes to DNA and is used in single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

This poison ivy knowledge quiz—accompanied by photos of the plant's varied forms—may help you identify this common rash-inducing growth.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

The Brothers Grimm were lawyers before they were storytellers, and became interested in fairy tales as they began investigating how rules and customs had been passed down through cultures.