Rebecca Ruiz

A major new study found worrisome associations between teen sexting and mental health as well as risky sexual behavior. Youth who sext, compared to those who don't, were more likely to have multiple sexual partners, experience anxiety and…

Empathy is one of those words that, in 2019, can force a person to confront dueling sides of their humanity. On one hand, you might identify as an empathetic person, open to feeling another person's pain. You may worry that we're…

It wasn't long ago that the stigma of talking about one's mental health forced many people to stay silent. Now though, messages encouraging people to share their struggles and seek help are widespread, including on Instagram, in public…

Last month, researchers published a study that found an association between the debut of Netflix's teen drama, 13 Reasons Why, and a subsequent uptick in youth suicides. The show depicted the grisly suicide of its protagonist, which alarmed…

One year ago, on Global Disability Awareness Day, Getty Images launched a compilation of 50 stock photographs that depicted people with disabilities as human beings with full, gratifying lives. Dubbed "The Disability Collection," the…

Being a girl or woman is knowing that you're full of complexities and contradictions that society helped create but discourages you from claiming or criticizing. The doting mother secretly battles depression intensified by the…

When my 4-year-old daughter discovered the documentary series Blue Planet II, thanks to a relative who shares her love of marine life, I was thrilled that she wanted to watch it instead of animated standbys like The Octonauts and Llama…

When the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why debuted in 2017, suicide prevention experts worried that the show's graphic depiction of suicide might make some vulnerable viewers more prone to increased suicidal thinking and behavior. A new…