The phrase “if only” is often used concerning a person’s mental health. If only we'd known they were hurting.

If only they’d been diagnosed sooner. Roughly one in seven children between the ages of 3 to 17 has a diagnosed mental or behavioral health condition. This special looks at how critical early intervention can be in caring for children’s mental health and how they are treated.

We’ll hear from experts about the safety of medicating kids and new advances in therapy. We also explore how school often plays an enormous role in a child’s development and safety.

Join Call to Mind host Kimberly Adams for “Treating the Young Mind,” a one-hour broadcast special.

Technology is ever-present in modern life, from remote work to communities on social media, from dating apps to telemedicine. We live with an ever-expanding array of online options and an ever-growing list of new questions about how healthy it is to spend so much time online with our devices.

This broadcast special explores the influence of technology on our mental health.

We'll hear from experts about how online communities, AI, influencers, and social media compromise one’s mental health. We also meet people whose wellbeing has been improved by new technologies.

Join Call to Mind host Kimberly Adams for “Promise and Peril: Technology and mental health,” a one-hour broadcast special.

Studies show that one in four older adults live with a mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. But many older people don’t get the help they need. And America’s aging population is expected to double by 2050.

This program explores the unique mental health challenges of older adults, and the models in place to care for them. We’ll hear from mental health providers, direct care workers, and older Americans living with mental health issues. The program explores therapeutic solutions and improved treatment systems to help older adults and their wellbeing.

Join Call to Mind host Kimberly Adams for “The Aging Mind,” a one-hour broadcast special.

An estimated 29 million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder in their lifetime. These mental illnesses can be profoundly disruptive to a person’s life and psychological wellbeing. And eating disorders can be deadly. Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric condition. Eating disorders strike a wide range of people, but deep-rooted assumptions about who suffers from these diseases often complicate the road to recovery.

This special looks at eating disorders and the challenges of treatment. We’ll hear firsthand from people who have experienced these illnesses and experts who treat them.

Join Call to Mind host Kimberly Adams for “Beyond the Mirror: The Challenge of Eating Disorders,” a one-hour broadcast special.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with her producers about what happens behind the scenes of her 9 a.m. show.

They’ll tell you all about how they pitch, research and select topics and guests and screen phone calls.

Guests:

• Maja Beckstrom is a producer for MPR News with Angela Davis. She was a reporter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press for over 20 years before joining the 9 a.m. team almost five years ago. She was also a reporter for a newspaper in Southern California and for MPR stations in Rochester and Collegeville.
• Cari Dwyer is the senior producer for MPR News with Angela Davis. Before joining the 9 a.m. team, she helped create exhibits for the Science Museum of Minnesota and was a producer and newscaster at Wisconsin Public Radio.
• Nikhil Kumaran is the associate producer for MPR News with Angela Davis. He has also worked for The Current and was the music director at Radio K, the award-winning student-run radio station of the University of Minnesota. He is also a concert photographer and music videographer.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

MPR News host Angela Davis revisits expert advice from recent Wellness Wednesday shows.

High blood pressure is one of the most common health risks in the U.S. and it is becoming more common among young people. It affects about fourteen percent of children and teens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Angela talks with two cardiologists about the dangers of untreated high blood pressure and the medications and lifestyle changes that can protect your heart.

Plus, a sleep researcher talks about the link between poor sleep and dementia, and two runners share tips on starting a running habit.

Guests:

• Dr. Jamie Lohr is a pediatric cardiologist for M Health Fairview and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
• Dr. Bhavadharini Ramu is an advanced heart failure cardiologist with M Health Fairview and an associate professor in the Cardiovascular Division at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
• Dr. Michael Howell is a professor of neurology and a sleep researcher at the University of Minnesota. For more information about volunteering for one of Dr. Howell’s research studies, go to the Pre-screening Survey or call 763-913-8367.
• Dr. Kenneth Poole is an internal medicine physician and founder and captain of the Twin Cities chapter of Black Men Run.
• Andrea Haus is the community and marketing manager at Mill City Running, a Twin Cities running shop that hosts running events throughout the Twin Cities.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

You’ve probably heard his voice guide you through some of Minnesota’s biggest news stories — steady, thoughtful and unmistakable.

For 20 years, Tom Crann has been a trusted presence on MPR News, hosting All Things Considered on weekday afternoons and connecting with listeners across the state.

Now he’s starting a new chapter, one filled with sonatas, symphonies and a different kind of storytelling.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Tom Crann about the highlights of his career in journalism and why he’s returning to his classical music roots as a host for YourClassical MPR.

Guest:

• Tom Crann is the former host of All Things Considered for MPR News. For nearly 20 years, he has covered Minnesota and national news. He is also known for his weekly “Appetites” segments about Minnesota’s vibrant culinary scene.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's board of directors to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with her guests about how defunding NPR and PBS could affect public radio and TV stations around the country.

Guests:

• Maribel Pérez Wadsworth is the president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation based in Miami, Florida. She is the first woman and the seventh president to lead the Knight foundation, which supports informed and engaged communities through investments in journalism, the arts and research in media and democracy. She is also the former president of Gannett Media and is a former publisher of USA Today.
• Katherine Maher is the president and CEO of National Public Radio. Prior to joining NPR, she was the CEO of Web Summit, an international technology conference. Before that, she was CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, where she was responsible for the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia.