Rhitu Chatterjee
Rhitu Chatterjee is a health correspondent with NPR, with a focus on mental health. Chatterjee has a particular interest in mental health problems faced by the most vulnerable in society, especially pregnant women and children, as well as racial and ethnic minorities. She reported on how the pandemic exacerbated an already worsening mental health crisis in the United States, with stories about the mental health of children, family caregivers and healthcare workers. She has covered the intergenerational impacts of COVID-19 deaths by looking specifically at the long term consequences on children of parental death during the pandemic. She has also investigated how health insurers limit access to mental health care despite laws on the books that require them to cover mental health the same way they cover physical health.
Throughout her career, Chatterjee has reported on everything from basic scientific discoveries to issues at the intersection of science, society, and culture. She specializes in trauma-informed reporting and is regularly invited to moderate panels and speak about her work on panels and at conferences. Chatterjee has mentored student fellows by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and taught science writing at the Santa Fe Science Writing Workshop.
Before starting at NPR's health desk in 2018, Chatterjee was an editor for NPR's The Salt, where she edited stories about food, culture, nutrition, and agriculture. Prior to that, Chatterjee reported on current affairs from New Delhi for The World by PRX, and covered science and health news for Science Magazine. Before that, she was based in Boston as a science correspondent with The World.
She did her undergraduate work in Darjeeling, India, and has a Master of Arts in journalism from the University of Missouri.
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The Lindsay Clancy trial ended in mistrial. The case has led to greater public awareness and discussion about maternal mental health, specifically postpartum psychosis.
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The settlement between states and Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, means there will be new safeguards for young people on those platforms. What do psychologists think of the changes?
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A multistate lawsuit against Meta is putting a growing question in the spotlight: How does social media affect young people, and can its use become addictive?
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"Toy Story 5" brought in more than $160 million domestically over its first weekend. The movie, however, raises issues about how much screen time is too much for kids.
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Zocalo Health, a primary care organization, screens all its patients for depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. It documented a marked increase in those conditions since ICE enforcement actions began. -
Suicide rates among teens and young adults declined in the two years after the launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
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Researchers followed more than 400,000 teens until they were adults. It found that those who used marijuana were more likely to develop serious mental illness, as well as depression and anxiety. -
Psychologists say that after the need for food and shelter, humans want to feel valued. But that need usually goes unmet.
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The current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is known as the DSM-5. What will the next version be called? That's one of several open questions as the "Bible of psychiatry" goes online. -
Teen use of AI chatbots is growing, and psychologists worry it's affecting their social development and mental health. Here's what parents should know to help kids use the technology safely.
