In 2021, Alex augmented his coronavirus reporting with a series of stories on mental health issues in Kansas and Missouri. These explored climate anxiety, schools coping with student trauma resulting from gun violence and how growing gun ownership among Black Missourians is raising suicide risk. Alex also covered problematic long-term use of anti-anxiety drugs for KCUR and in an essay for Psyche. Some of these stories also featured Alex’s own experiences to help explain how mental health issues affect lives.
