- Mississippi Free Press

News

Medical Cannabis Advocates Urge Easier Access For Mississippi Patients

Medical-cannabis patient Becky Henderson suffered a spinal-cord injury in a car wreck when she was 21 years old, leaving the lower half of her body paralyzed. The Gulfport, Miss., resident gets around in a motorized wheelchair and can only leave her house a couple of times a month. During a meeting of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee on Dec. 20, 2023, Henderson proposed a series of changes to the state’s marijuana program.

Heather Harrison January 11, 2024

Shanina Carmichael with two other women, standing outside of a building n Nambia

MFP Voices

Opinion | An American Girl’s Season of Rest: Time of Faith, Affirmation and Mental Work

Shanina Carmichael shares her adventure of living in Namibia, a country in South Africa, during their season of rest—a transformational experience that helped her think about creating her own season of rest as an American city girl.

Shanina Carmichael November 29, 2023

MFP Voices

Mass Shootings Leave Behind Collective Despair, Anguish And Trauma At Many Societal Levels

“The deadly shooting of at least 19 children and two adults in Texas on May 24, 2022, is the latest in an ever-growing list of national tragedies, leaving families and friends of the victims gripped with grief, anguish and despair,” Dr. Arash Javanbakht writes. “I am a trauma and anxiety researcher and clinician, and I know that the effects of such violence reach millions. While the immediate survivors are most affected, the rest of society suffers, too.”

Arash Javanbakht May 31, 2022

A man and a woman walk a dog on a leash down a neighborhood roadway

News

‘Isolation’s Mark’: Pandemic’s Long-standing Effects on Mississippians’ Mental Health

Ridgeland-based life coach and counselor Karen Bonner said the pandemic negatively affected many people’s mental health in part because it exposed that modern society has at least a degree of fragility.

Julie Whitehead May 27, 2022

News

Medical-Marijuana Plan Offered Mental-Health Relief, But Not for South Mississippi Man

Medical cannabis is legal in some form throughout much of the United States, but only a handful of states allow its use for the specific mental-related conditions of Alzheimer’s disease, PTSD and anorexia (this, specifically because it stimulates the appetite).

Julie Whitehead March 23, 2022

BWC Voices

My Self-Care Plan to Manage Holiday Stress: Shift Gears, Reduce Resistance

Shanina Carmichael encourages us all to take time to honestly assess our stress levels during this holiday season, acquire a unique self-care plan and adjust our gears effectively to reduce resistance as needed.

Shanina Carmichael December 23, 2021

Illustration of a woman sitting on a mountain

BWC Voices

This Is Not the End: Overcoming Depression During the COVID-19 Pandemic

I believe that I am on this earth to do all the work I can to help people. No matter how flawed I am and no matter how many times I mess up, I know that I can make a difference for those around me. This pandemic helped me to realize more of who I am as a person mentally, spiritually and physically. I can’t continue to live life being a timid little girl who doesn’t know how to speak up for herself.

Tiara Jackson October 12, 2021

MFP Voices

Students Are Returning to School With Anxiety, Grief and Gaps in Social Skills

As many kids resume instruction this fall, schools can serve as critical access points for mental health services. But the intensity of challenges students face coupled with school mental health workforce shortages is a serious concern.

Sandra M. Chafouleas and Amy Briesch August 23, 2021