Mental health problems are on the rise, and it is a rare day that a new study isn’t released which points to increasing social isolation, depression, anxiety and even confusion. But new perspective comes from a surprising source: Commander Scott Kelly, retired NASA astronaut, who spent 340 days in space. I interviewed Commander Kelly for this story—and found his experience inspired some key insights about what we’re all going through now.

The AMA is tipping its hat to California’s new mental health reform law, Senate Bill 855, which will require all health insurers and behavioral health management organizations to rely on evidence-based treatment guidelines—and not financial considerations. 

Here’s something good. When a tight-knit Tustin community heard that their favorite ice cream man, Jose Ortega, had had a heart attack, they started a GoFundMe page to help cover his medical bills.

Here’s something good. In response to the financial hardship many people are experiencing as a result of the global pandemic, donors and philanthropists all over the country are giving more and giving faster than they typically do.

Here’s something good. People want to help each other, even when it costs them something, and even when the motivations to help don’t always align, a new study suggests.