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Americans' collective mental health is near an "all-time low," according to a recent study of U.S. workers. This was surely accelerated by the pandemic. Globally, the prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a whopping 25% in 2020. (Phil McGraw and Dr. John Whyte, 9/5)

Life expectancy in the United States continued to decline in 2021, according to data released by the federal government. Is there a more fundamental barometer of the health of our nation? The stagnation in life expectancy reflects deep societal challenges — not just in our health system but also in our economic and political systems. (Dave A. Chokshi, 9/2)

The convenience of eating out comes at a price to our health. Since the 1970s, we have doubled the  amount of calories we consume eating outside our homes, with a third of adults in the U.S. eating fast food on any given day. (Dr. Hasan Merali, 9/4)

“You would really benefit from hearing aids, but they aren’t covered by Medicare and cost around $4,000.” We’ve each said this phrase countless times to patients with hearing loss and are prepared for the reaction that invariably follows: an expression of bewilderment about why a pair of hearing aids may have to be their third largest material purchase in life, after a house and car. (Nicholas S. Reed and Frank R. Lin, 9/6)

By this time next year, if the medical forecasts are correct, I will probably be dead, another casualty of a fatal illness that most people have never heard of: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). (Richard B. Woodward, 9/5)