Priya Iyer

Priya Iyer is Research Editor at Kaleeg, where she leads coverage of population-specific mental health care including perinatal mental health, geriatric care under Medicare, workplace mental health and FMLA, and long-term wellness after treatment. She is also the editor most often responsible for verifying clinical claims, statistical references, and regulatory citations across the Site. Priya works at the intersection of research and consumer health writing. Her interest is the parts of the mental health system where access gaps are widest - older adults under Medicare, new and expecting parents navigating perinatal depression, employees trying to use mental health benefits without jeopardising their jobs - and where the available information online tends to be either dense legalese or vague reassurance. Priya is not a clinician and does not provide medical advice. For corrections or topic suggestions related to Priya's coverage, contact support@kaleeg.online with the subject [Editorial].

Mental Health Care for Every American: Finding the Right Support for Children, Seniors, LGBTQ+ Individuals, and Rural Communities

April 15, 2025 by Priya Iyer

One Size Does Not Fit All The phrase mental health providers near me means something different depending on who is typing it into the search bar. A mother searching for help for her fifteen-year-old daughter needs someone trained in adolescent brain development and family dynamics. A retired veteran in a rural county needs a provider who understands … Read more

Microdosing Psychedelics for Depression: Legal Status, Anecdote vs Evidence, and Safety Concerns

May 9, 2026March 22, 2025 by Priya Iyer

Trevor, a 36-year-old graphic designer in Portland, Oregon, ordered psilocybin mushrooms from a state-licensed service center in early 2026 and began a microdosing protocol his community group called “Stamets stack.” Three days on, four days off, 0.15 grams per dose. He had been on bupropion for two years with partial response. His PHQ-9 hovered at … Read more

Native American Therapist Near Me: Finding Indigenous-Affirming Mental Health Providers

May 9, 2026March 11, 2025 by Priya Iyer

Mariah, a 34-year-old Diné woman living in Albuquerque, spent four years cycling through non-Native therapists who kept asking her to “explain her culture” instead of helping her process the grief she carried. Her grandmother had walked on during the pandemic. The clinic she’d been referred to through a federally qualified health center kept rotating clinicians, … Read more

Cold Exposure Therapy and Mental Health: Wim Hof, Cold Plunges, and the Norepinephrine Effect

May 9, 2026February 21, 2025 by Priya Iyer

Marcus, a 34-year-old software engineer in Boulder, Colorado, started his cold exposure routine on a January morning when his SSRI dose felt like it had stopped working. He read a Reddit thread about Wim Hof, bought a chest freezer off Craigslist, and converted it into a 38-degree plunge tub in his garage. The first immersion … Read more

Sober Companion Services: Recovery Support That Bridges Treatment and Real Life

May 9, 2026February 1, 2025 by Priya Iyer

Marcus, a 47-year-old corporate attorney from Greenwich, Connecticut, completed 30 days at a high-end residential program in Malibu after his second alcohol-related arrest. The clinical team’s discharge plan included intensive outpatient treatment, weekly individual therapy, two AA meetings a day, and—at the urging of his wife and his employment lawyer—a sober companion to live with … Read more

FEHB Mental Health Coverage: Federal Employee Plans for Therapy and Psychiatry

May 9, 2026January 27, 2025 by Priya Iyer

Tanya, a 47-year-old IRS revenue agent in Kansas City, spent three weeks during 2025 Open Season with a yellow legal pad and her plan brochures spread across the dining room table. Her teenage son had been diagnosed with bipolar II in late October, and the psychiatrist who’d done the evaluation didn’t take her current GEHA … Read more

Recovery Community Centers: Peer-Led Support Hubs Outside Clinical Treatment

May 9, 2026January 21, 2025 by Priya Iyer

Tasha Reynolds walked into the storefront on Park Street in Hartford on a Tuesday afternoon because her car had broken down and the bus stop was right outside. She had been out of inpatient treatment for five weeks. Her insurance had paid for twenty-eight days, then run out. Her counselor had handed her a list … Read more

Acute Stress Reaction After Mass Shooting Survival: First 72 Hours and Aftercare

May 9, 2026January 16, 2025 by Priya Iyer

Jasmine, a 29-year-old paralegal from Las Vegas, Nevada, was at a country music festival with her sister when the shooting started. She remembers the first few seconds clearly, the way the popping sound did not fit the night, the way the people around her hit the ground in a wave. After that her memory becomes … Read more

Mental Health Insurance Verification Services: Why 0 Saves Hours and Surprise Bills

May 10, 2026January 12, 2025 by Priya Iyer

Daniel, a 52-year-old construction supervisor in Phoenix, walked into a 30-day partial hospitalization program on a Tuesday in late January thinking his Aetna PPO would cover most of the bill. The intake coordinator’s front-desk assistant verified his ID and insurance card and waved him through. Six weeks later, Daniel opened a $14,200 invoice marked “patient … Read more

Refugee and Immigrant Mental Health Specialists: Trauma-Informed Care for Newly Arrived Populations

May 10, 2026December 20, 2024 by Priya Iyer

Aamina arrived in Buffalo on a January evening with two children, a duffel bag, and three years of memories she had not yet found a language for. The resettlement caseworker handed her a list of phone numbers, a winter coat, and an apartment key. For five months, she did not sleep more than two hours … Read more