“With more than four billion people now active on social media platforms, our virtual lives are beginning to devour our actual ones.”
mental health
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Mystery Behind the Crime Wave at 312 Riverside Drive
It sounds like a whodunit, but it’s anything but: One man placing multiple 911 calls every day, reporting crimes in progress at a building that doesn’t exist. The question isn’t who, but why — and David Wilson masterfully unpacks the turmoil living inside the man responsible, and the difficulty of helping him find a lasting stability. In […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Coming Into Focus
ADHD diagnoses have spiked among adult women. In a thoughtful personal essay, Carla Ciccone describes what it’s been like to be diagnosed at nearly 40, and how it’s helped her reframe the way she sees herself — and her past. But women aren’t suddenly waking up with a neurological disorder. It’s likely been there all […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
As the World Moves On, Veterans of the Afghanistan Withdrawal Struggle to Join Them
“‘I feel like I’m still there,’ a Marine told me. ‘I feel like everything that happened, happened five minutes ago.’” Reporting for Task & Purpose, Haley Britzky spoke to 15 soldiers, Marines, and airmen who were part of the Afghanistan withdrawal mission in August 2021. It’s a difficult read, but also a raw and visceral account […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Visionary
“Friends call him the ‘consummate vibe curator,’ and with Rage & Release he has created space for a community to coalesce around a common interest in running and using cannabis not to party or to zone out, rather to be present and talk about things like physical and mental health.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Coming Age of Climate Trauma
“What should a mental health response look like in the wake of a climate disaster? How can we better prepare communities for the moment when they are forced to confront climate change?”
Posted inNonfiction
The Cult That Promises to Cure Addiction
For 50 years, Enthusiastic Sobriety programs have offered to help teenagers kick drugs and alcohol. But former followers say ES doesn’t save lives—it destroys them.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Sky Thief
“He was not a pilot; he worked ground crew for Horizon Air. His core duties revolved around loading baggage onto short-haul flights, but he was also trained to tow planes on the tarmac. Silently, and without warning, he’d gone rogue.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Can Tripping on Ketamine Cure PTSD? I Decided to Try.
“While the precise mechanism at play remains unknown, when ketamine is effective, it can be like flipping a switch.”