Brian Hoyle

Seniors who move into and live in long-term care facilities are at increased risk of suicide, according to reporting by the PBS NewsHour and Kaiser Health News. The report focused on the story of Roland K. Tiedemann, a senior who, in his younger days, was an outdoorsman, traveled around the world, and served as a surrogate dad to his granddaughter. When his health deteriorated, he moved to a long-term care facility with his wife, who later was diagnosed with dementia. At age 89, Mr. Tiedemann, who was facing a third move into a facility that would take Medicaid, “locked his door ... and jumped to his death from his fourth floor window,” the report said. The death of Mr. Tiedemann led Julie A. Rickard, PhD, to start asking questions at his facility and working with other centers to identify the signs of depression. A few years earlier, after a “rash of suicides, mostly among young people,” Dr. Rickard had started developing the Suicide Prevention Coalition of North Central Washington. After looking into policies at long-term care facilities, Dr. Rickard began recommending changes that she hoped would prove protective. For example, in some cases, residents are “paired with people who are not adjusting well to those who are.” It is also important for families to ask whether suicide prevention and mental health protocols are in place at long-term care facilities. Ultimately, Dr. Rickard and Jane Davis – Mr. Tiedemann’s daughter – agree that stigma needs to be reduced so that residents feel free to talk their depression and anxiety. PBS NewsHour.

Dundanim/shutterstock.com

Police officers trained in helping people with mental health problems can get positive results, a newspaper report shows. That’s what happened when Logan Elliott called Clive, Iowa, police to report that his fiancé had threatened suicide – and had had a prior attempt, according to the Des Moines Register. Mr. Elliott’s fiancé, Codii Lewis, was in a “depressive state,” was suffering from the loss of his dog, and was troubled by uncertainty regarding the cost of a procedure undertaken to confirm his gender as a transgender man; as a result, Mr. Lewis climbed onto a ledge. He streamed video of his encounter with the police on Facebook Live, and eventually, after kicking one of the officers, he was subdued and taken into custody. The training that Clive officers receive “calls for less aggressive behavior by police,” the article said. “It emphasizes de-escalation, especially when the subject may be suicidal. It doesn’t expect officers to be therapists or handle all mental health situations, but it does ask that they handle mental health situations differently” from the way they might handle other calls. People with mental illness that is untreated are 16 times more likely to be killed by law enforcement than are people without mental illness. Des Moines Register.

An exhibit now running at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., is intended to put a human face on mental illness. The 99 Faces Project: Portraits Without Labels by Boston-area artist Lynda Michaud Cutrell presents photos of people with serious mental illnesses and those who love them, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. Portraits were taken with the help of three photographers nationwide. The long list was trimmed to 99 that mirror the ethnic makeup of the U.S. population. The roster of individuals includes 33 with schizophrenia and 33 with bipolar disorder. The remaining 33 are “chronically normal” according to Ms. Cutrell. The viewer can’t tell the difference between the mentally affected individuals and those who are not; they look like people one encounters every day. And that’s the point. Marianne Barthel, director of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Arts Program, hopes the exhibit leads to conversations that help “normalize mental health in our society, to recognize that the people you’re looking at in these images could be you or your family member,” the article said. Ms. Barthel also hopes that the exhibit, which runs until September, will help reduce the stigma around mental illness by showing that “there are people who are living successful lives with these illnesses.” One of the 99 faces is that of actress Glenn Close, who cofounded the organization Bring Change To Mind in 2010 after her sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and her nephew with schizoaffective disorder. New Hampshire Union Leader.

Deliberation about the use of the death penalty for a prisoner in Kansas has implications for those with mental illness who commit crimes. As the Topeka Capital-Journal reported, James Kahler was convicted of murdering his estranged wife, her grandmother, and his two teenage daughters in 2009. Two years later, he was sentenced to death, and several years later, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld that conviction. His guilt is not in question. What is at issue is his impairment. His lawyers had earlier argued that severe depression had made his grip on reality tenuous and that he could not be executed. Now comes the news that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule whether the decision by the state of Kansas to abolish insanity as a defense was constitutional under the 8th and 14th amendments. The high court’s ruling will have profound implications for people with mental illness. In addition to those in Kansas, under state laws in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Utah, “a traditional insanity defense in which a person must understand the difference between right and wrong before being found guilty of a crime isn’t allowed,” the report said. An accused can cite “mental disease or defect” as a partial defense. However, in such cases, it must be proven that the person had no intention of committing a crime. In their petition to the Supreme Court, his attorneys argued that he knew he was shooting people, but that he was so disturbed at the time that he could not stop himself. “A favorable decision would make it clear that the Constitution requires that a defendant be able to understand the difference between right and wrong before being found guilty, and, in cases like Mr. Kahler’s, put to death,” his defense attorney, Meryle Carver-Allmond, told the Capital-Journal. “We’re hopeful that, in taking Mr. Kahler’s case, the United States Supreme Court has indicated a desire to find that the Constitution requires better of us in our treatment of mentally ill defendants.” The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Seniors who move into and live in long-term care facilities are at increased risk of suicide, according to reporting by the PBS NewsHour and Kaiser Health News. The report focused on the story of Roland K. Tiedemann, a senior who, in his younger days, was an outdoorsman, traveled around the world, and served as a surrogate dad to his granddaughter. When his health deteriorated, he moved to a long-term care facility with his wife, who later was diagnosed with dementia. At age 89, Mr. Tiedemann, who was facing a third move into a facility that would take Medicaid, “locked his door ... and jumped to his death from his fourth floor window,” the report said. The death of Mr. Tiedemann led Julie A. Rickard, PhD, to start asking questions at his facility and working with other centers to identify the signs of depression. A few years earlier, after a “rash of suicides, mostly among young people,” Dr. Rickard had started developing the Suicide Prevention Coalition of North Central Washington. After looking into policies at long-term care facilities, Dr. Rickard began recommending changes that she hoped would prove protective. For example, in some cases, residents are “paired with people who are not adjusting well to those who are.” It is also important for families to ask whether suicide prevention and mental health protocols are in place at long-term care facilities. Ultimately, Dr. Rickard and Jane Davis – Mr. Tiedemann’s daughter – agree that stigma needs to be reduced so that residents feel free to talk their depression and anxiety. PBS NewsHour.

Dundanim/shutterstock.com

Police officers trained in helping people with mental health problems can get positive results, a newspaper report shows. That’s what happened when Logan Elliott called Clive, Iowa, police to report that his fiancé had threatened suicide – and had had a prior attempt, according to the Des Moines Register. Mr. Elliott’s fiancé, Codii Lewis, was in a “depressive state,” was suffering from the loss of his dog, and was troubled by uncertainty regarding the cost of a procedure undertaken to confirm his gender as a transgender man; as a result, Mr. Lewis climbed onto a ledge. He streamed video of his encounter with the police on Facebook Live, and eventually, after kicking one of the officers, he was subdued and taken into custody. The training that Clive officers receive “calls for less aggressive behavior by police,” the article said. “It emphasizes de-escalation, especially when the subject may be suicidal. It doesn’t expect officers to be therapists or handle all mental health situations, but it does ask that they handle mental health situations differently” from the way they might handle other calls. People with mental illness that is untreated are 16 times more likely to be killed by law enforcement than are people without mental illness. Des Moines Register.

An exhibit now running at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., is intended to put a human face on mental illness. The 99 Faces Project: Portraits Without Labels by Boston-area artist Lynda Michaud Cutrell presents photos of people with serious mental illnesses and those who love them, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. Portraits were taken with the help of three photographers nationwide. The long list was trimmed to 99 that mirror the ethnic makeup of the U.S. population. The roster of individuals includes 33 with schizophrenia and 33 with bipolar disorder. The remaining 33 are “chronically normal” according to Ms. Cutrell. The viewer can’t tell the difference between the mentally affected individuals and those who are not; they look like people one encounters every day. And that’s the point. Marianne Barthel, director of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Arts Program, hopes the exhibit leads to conversations that help “normalize mental health in our society, to recognize that the people you’re looking at in these images could be you or your family member,” the article said. Ms. Barthel also hopes that the exhibit, which runs until September, will help reduce the stigma around mental illness by showing that “there are people who are living successful lives with these illnesses.” One of the 99 faces is that of actress Glenn Close, who cofounded the organization Bring Change To Mind in 2010 after her sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and her nephew with schizoaffective disorder. New Hampshire Union Leader.

Deliberation about the use of the death penalty for a prisoner in Kansas has implications for those with mental illness who commit crimes. As the Topeka Capital-Journal reported, James Kahler was convicted of murdering his estranged wife, her grandmother, and his two teenage daughters in 2009. Two years later, he was sentenced to death, and several years later, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld that conviction. His guilt is not in question. What is at issue is his impairment. His lawyers had earlier argued that severe depression had made his grip on reality tenuous and that he could not be executed. Now comes the news that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule whether the decision by the state of Kansas to abolish insanity as a defense was constitutional under the 8th and 14th amendments. The high court’s ruling will have profound implications for people with mental illness. In addition to those in Kansas, under state laws in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Utah, “a traditional insanity defense in which a person must understand the difference between right and wrong before being found guilty of a crime isn’t allowed,” the report said. An accused can cite “mental disease or defect” as a partial defense. However, in such cases, it must be proven that the person had no intention of committing a crime. In their petition to the Supreme Court, his attorneys argued that he knew he was shooting people, but that he was so disturbed at the time that he could not stop himself. “A favorable decision would make it clear that the Constitution requires that a defendant be able to understand the difference between right and wrong before being found guilty, and, in cases like Mr. Kahler’s, put to death,” his defense attorney, Meryle Carver-Allmond, told the Capital-Journal. “We’re hopeful that, in taking Mr. Kahler’s case, the United States Supreme Court has indicated a desire to find that the Constitution requires better of us in our treatment of mentally ill defendants.” The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Seniors who move into and live in long-term care facilities are at increased risk of suicide, according to reporting by the PBS NewsHour and Kaiser Health News. The report focused on the story of Roland K. Tiedemann, a senior who, in his younger days, was an outdoorsman, traveled around the world, and served as a surrogate dad to his granddaughter. When his health deteriorated, he moved to a long-term care facility with his wife, who later was diagnosed with dementia. At age 89, Mr. Tiedemann, who was facing a third move into a facility that would take Medicaid, “locked his door ... and jumped to his death from his fourth floor window,” the report said. The death of Mr. Tiedemann led Julie A. Rickard, PhD, to start asking questions at his facility and working with other centers to identify the signs of depression. A few years earlier, after a “rash of suicides, mostly among young people,” Dr. Rickard had started developing the Suicide Prevention Coalition of North Central Washington. After looking into policies at long-term care facilities, Dr. Rickard began recommending changes that she hoped would prove protective. For example, in some cases, residents are “paired with people who are not adjusting well to those who are.” It is also important for families to ask whether suicide prevention and mental health protocols are in place at long-term care facilities. Ultimately, Dr. Rickard and Jane Davis – Mr. Tiedemann’s daughter – agree that stigma needs to be reduced so that residents feel free to talk their depression and anxiety. PBS NewsHour.

Dundanim/shutterstock.com

Police officers trained in helping people with mental health problems can get positive results, a newspaper report shows. That’s what happened when Logan Elliott called Clive, Iowa, police to report that his fiancé had threatened suicide – and had had a prior attempt, according to the Des Moines Register. Mr. Elliott’s fiancé, Codii Lewis, was in a “depressive state,” was suffering from the loss of his dog, and was troubled by uncertainty regarding the cost of a procedure undertaken to confirm his gender as a transgender man; as a result, Mr. Lewis climbed onto a ledge. He streamed video of his encounter with the police on Facebook Live, and eventually, after kicking one of the officers, he was subdued and taken into custody. The training that Clive officers receive “calls for less aggressive behavior by police,” the article said. “It emphasizes de-escalation, especially when the subject may be suicidal. It doesn’t expect officers to be therapists or handle all mental health situations, but it does ask that they handle mental health situations differently” from the way they might handle other calls. People with mental illness that is untreated are 16 times more likely to be killed by law enforcement than are people without mental illness. Des Moines Register.

An exhibit now running at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., is intended to put a human face on mental illness. The 99 Faces Project: Portraits Without Labels by Boston-area artist Lynda Michaud Cutrell presents photos of people with serious mental illnesses and those who love them, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. Portraits were taken with the help of three photographers nationwide. The long list was trimmed to 99 that mirror the ethnic makeup of the U.S. population. The roster of individuals includes 33 with schizophrenia and 33 with bipolar disorder. The remaining 33 are “chronically normal” according to Ms. Cutrell. The viewer can’t tell the difference between the mentally affected individuals and those who are not; they look like people one encounters every day. And that’s the point. Marianne Barthel, director of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Arts Program, hopes the exhibit leads to conversations that help “normalize mental health in our society, to recognize that the people you’re looking at in these images could be you or your family member,” the article said. Ms. Barthel also hopes that the exhibit, which runs until September, will help reduce the stigma around mental illness by showing that “there are people who are living successful lives with these illnesses.” One of the 99 faces is that of actress Glenn Close, who cofounded the organization Bring Change To Mind in 2010 after her sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and her nephew with schizoaffective disorder. New Hampshire Union Leader.

Deliberation about the use of the death penalty for a prisoner in Kansas has implications for those with mental illness who commit crimes. As the Topeka Capital-Journal reported, James Kahler was convicted of murdering his estranged wife, her grandmother, and his two teenage daughters in 2009. Two years later, he was sentenced to death, and several years later, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld that conviction. His guilt is not in question. What is at issue is his impairment. His lawyers had earlier argued that severe depression had made his grip on reality tenuous and that he could not be executed. Now comes the news that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule whether the decision by the state of Kansas to abolish insanity as a defense was constitutional under the 8th and 14th amendments. The high court’s ruling will have profound implications for people with mental illness. In addition to those in Kansas, under state laws in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Utah, “a traditional insanity defense in which a person must understand the difference between right and wrong before being found guilty of a crime isn’t allowed,” the report said. An accused can cite “mental disease or defect” as a partial defense. However, in such cases, it must be proven that the person had no intention of committing a crime. In their petition to the Supreme Court, his attorneys argued that he knew he was shooting people, but that he was so disturbed at the time that he could not stop himself. “A favorable decision would make it clear that the Constitution requires that a defendant be able to understand the difference between right and wrong before being found guilty, and, in cases like Mr. Kahler’s, put to death,” his defense attorney, Meryle Carver-Allmond, told the Capital-Journal. “We’re hopeful that, in taking Mr. Kahler’s case, the United States Supreme Court has indicated a desire to find that the Constitution requires better of us in our treatment of mentally ill defendants.” The Topeka Capital-Journal.

People coping with the aftermath of mass shootings might find some solace from Sandy and Lonnie Phillips. The couple, whose daughter was gunned down in the 2012 slaughter in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, travels the country to help those whose pain is raw begin processing their grief. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, driven by compassion, hope that sharing their experience will help others. They have started a nonprofit organization called Survivors Empowered to offer advice and kinship in the wake of mass shootings. They also provide practical information, which can include dealing with media attention, figuring out how to get loved ones home for a funeral, and coping with conspiracy theorists who say the tragedies didn’t happen. “Oh, yeah. The five stages of grief, right? And you go through all five of ‘em, and you think, ‘Okay, now I’m done.’ And they don’t tell you, oh, no, you get to start it all again. And they’re out of sequence,” Sandy Phillips said to Anderson Cooper on “60 Minutes.” Mrs. Phillips said she and her husband offer fellow survivors insight about what to expect. “So, it’s an introduction,” Mrs. Phillips said. “Mass shooting grief 101.” Within recent weeks, three deaths by suicide have been reported by people who survived mass shootings. Two of the people apparently lost to suicide were survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting in Parkland, Fla., and one was the father of a Sandy Hook Elementary School second grader who was murdered in Newtown, Conn. “60 Minutes.”

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Algr/Creative Commons License

Emergency department visits can prove disorienting for patients with physical illnesses. But for those with mental illness, such visits can feel not only disorienting but disconcerting – particularly if sedation or restraints are involved. “If you are living with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, that is a really tough way to begin that road to recovery,” said Jack Rozel, MD, president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP), in an interview with CNN. At about 100 locations across the country, psychiatric EDs staffed by psychiatrists and other physicians, nurses, and social workers are triaging and treating patients with mental illness. The goal is treatment and either release or referral to more specialized care within 24 hours. The approach is the brainchild of Scott Zeller, MD, vice president of acute psychiatry at Vituity and a past president of the AAEP. The physician-led organization provides staffing and consulting services to medical centers nationwide. Dr. Zeller hatched the idea of a psychiatric ED while working as chief of psychiatric emergency services at John George Psychiatric Hospital in San Leandro, Calif. “We need to treat people at the emergency level of care,” he said. “The vast majority of psychiatric emergencies can be resolved in less than 24 hours.” Dr. Zeller took the reins in transforming the center from a traditional ward, including the use of restraints, to a setting more like a living room that was supportive rather than institutional. The results included improved patient outcomes and cost savings – in part because of the reduced time spent in the ED. CNN.


In Buffalo, N.Y., a new memorial to be installed in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park will honor veterans who were lost to suicide. Ground was broken recently for the Battle Within Memorial. The 8-feet-tall sculpture will portray one soldier carrying the empty outline of another soldier as a metaphor for help between comrades and the losses that can be tied to the fallout from combat. “It’s a compelling piece of steel,” because it is designed in such a way that allows viewers to see through it, said Paul Marzello, the park’s president and chief executive officer, in an interview with WBFO, a National Public Radio affiliate in Buffalo. “By looking through it you’ll be able to look, as you see through it, someone’s soul.” Among veterans and active duty personnel, an estimated 20 commit suicide each day, according to the military publication Stars and Stripes. One hope of supporters of The Battle Within Foundation, which is leading the project, is that the memorial will inspire those experiencing psychic pain to seek help.“It is our sincerest hope that this monument will in some way help build public awareness of this ongoing tragedy, provide a lifeline for the suffering, and honor our heroes for their service, no matter where they died,” said Mark Donnelly, PhD, president of the Battle Within Foundation. The unveiling is scheduled for May 27, 2019. WBFO.

The field of psychiatry needs to do a better job of helping some patients come off of psychiatric drugs, said Allen Frances, MD, chairperson of DSM-IV task force, in an interview with the New Yorker. This process of removing drugs, called “deprescribing,” “requires a great deal more skill, time, commitment, and knowledge of the patient than prescribing does.” Another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Giovanni A. Fava, MD, said he has struggled to publish research looking at what happens to patients when they stop taking antidepressants. Yet another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Swapnil Gupta, MD, MBBS, said that, for many patients, coming off their medications “is a loss of identity, a different way of living. Suddenly, everything that you are doing is yours – and not necessarily your medication.” The article chronicles the experiences of Laura Delano, a woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed valproic acid (Depakote) while in high school. Over the next several years, Ms. Delano found herself taking numerous medications and with a different diagnosis. Eventually, she removed herself from her many medications, started a blog, and launched a website called The Withdrawal Project. The New Yorker.

The National Council for Behavioral Health and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation have teamed up to develop a Teen Mental Health First Aid pilot program designed to “enhance the mental health of young people,” according to a report on Washington’s WTOP radio. Eight U.S. high schools have been chosen to participate in the program, which will teach students about mental illnesses and addictions. It also will help teenagers respond to friends who might be struggling with a problem with mental health or addiction. The Teen Mental Health First Aid program, a five-step action plan, was adapted from an evidence-based training program from Australia. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, will evaluate the pilot program to assess its effectiveness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has reported than 20% of American adults and the same percentage of U.S. teens are living with mental health challenges. After the pilot study results are analyzed, the training will be made available to the public. WTOP.

People coping with the aftermath of mass shootings might find some solace from Sandy and Lonnie Phillips. The couple, whose daughter was gunned down in the 2012 slaughter in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, travels the country to help those whose pain is raw begin processing their grief. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, driven by compassion, hope that sharing their experience will help others. They have started a nonprofit organization called Survivors Empowered to offer advice and kinship in the wake of mass shootings. They also provide practical information, which can include dealing with media attention, figuring out how to get loved ones home for a funeral, and coping with conspiracy theorists who say the tragedies didn’t happen. “Oh, yeah. The five stages of grief, right? And you go through all five of ‘em, and you think, ‘Okay, now I’m done.’ And they don’t tell you, oh, no, you get to start it all again. And they’re out of sequence,” Sandy Phillips said to Anderson Cooper on “60 Minutes.” Mrs. Phillips said she and her husband offer fellow survivors insight about what to expect. “So, it’s an introduction,” Mrs. Phillips said. “Mass shooting grief 101.” Within recent weeks, three deaths by suicide have been reported by people who survived mass shootings. Two of the people apparently lost to suicide were survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting in Parkland, Fla., and one was the father of a Sandy Hook Elementary School second grader who was murdered in Newtown, Conn. “60 Minutes.”

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Algr/Creative Commons License

Emergency department visits can prove disorienting for patients with physical illnesses. But for those with mental illness, such visits can feel not only disorienting but disconcerting – particularly if sedation or restraints are involved. “If you are living with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, that is a really tough way to begin that road to recovery,” said Jack Rozel, MD, president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP), in an interview with CNN. At about 100 locations across the country, psychiatric EDs staffed by psychiatrists and other physicians, nurses, and social workers are triaging and treating patients with mental illness. The goal is treatment and either release or referral to more specialized care within 24 hours. The approach is the brainchild of Scott Zeller, MD, vice president of acute psychiatry at Vituity and a past president of the AAEP. The physician-led organization provides staffing and consulting services to medical centers nationwide. Dr. Zeller hatched the idea of a psychiatric ED while working as chief of psychiatric emergency services at John George Psychiatric Hospital in San Leandro, Calif. “We need to treat people at the emergency level of care,” he said. “The vast majority of psychiatric emergencies can be resolved in less than 24 hours.” Dr. Zeller took the reins in transforming the center from a traditional ward, including the use of restraints, to a setting more like a living room that was supportive rather than institutional. The results included improved patient outcomes and cost savings – in part because of the reduced time spent in the ED. CNN.


In Buffalo, N.Y., a new memorial to be installed in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park will honor veterans who were lost to suicide. Ground was broken recently for the Battle Within Memorial. The 8-feet-tall sculpture will portray one soldier carrying the empty outline of another soldier as a metaphor for help between comrades and the losses that can be tied to the fallout from combat. “It’s a compelling piece of steel,” because it is designed in such a way that allows viewers to see through it, said Paul Marzello, the park’s president and chief executive officer, in an interview with WBFO, a National Public Radio affiliate in Buffalo. “By looking through it you’ll be able to look, as you see through it, someone’s soul.” Among veterans and active duty personnel, an estimated 20 commit suicide each day, according to the military publication Stars and Stripes. One hope of supporters of The Battle Within Foundation, which is leading the project, is that the memorial will inspire those experiencing psychic pain to seek help.“It is our sincerest hope that this monument will in some way help build public awareness of this ongoing tragedy, provide a lifeline for the suffering, and honor our heroes for their service, no matter where they died,” said Mark Donnelly, PhD, president of the Battle Within Foundation. The unveiling is scheduled for May 27, 2019. WBFO.

The field of psychiatry needs to do a better job of helping some patients come off of psychiatric drugs, said Allen Frances, MD, chairperson of DSM-IV task force, in an interview with the New Yorker. This process of removing drugs, called “deprescribing,” “requires a great deal more skill, time, commitment, and knowledge of the patient than prescribing does.” Another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Giovanni A. Fava, MD, said he has struggled to publish research looking at what happens to patients when they stop taking antidepressants. Yet another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Swapnil Gupta, MD, MBBS, said that, for many patients, coming off their medications “is a loss of identity, a different way of living. Suddenly, everything that you are doing is yours – and not necessarily your medication.” The article chronicles the experiences of Laura Delano, a woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed valproic acid (Depakote) while in high school. Over the next several years, Ms. Delano found herself taking numerous medications and with a different diagnosis. Eventually, she removed herself from her many medications, started a blog, and launched a website called The Withdrawal Project. The New Yorker.

The National Council for Behavioral Health and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation have teamed up to develop a Teen Mental Health First Aid pilot program designed to “enhance the mental health of young people,” according to a report on Washington’s WTOP radio. Eight U.S. high schools have been chosen to participate in the program, which will teach students about mental illnesses and addictions. It also will help teenagers respond to friends who might be struggling with a problem with mental health or addiction. The Teen Mental Health First Aid program, a five-step action plan, was adapted from an evidence-based training program from Australia. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, will evaluate the pilot program to assess its effectiveness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has reported than 20% of American adults and the same percentage of U.S. teens are living with mental health challenges. After the pilot study results are analyzed, the training will be made available to the public. WTOP.

People coping with the aftermath of mass shootings might find some solace from Sandy and Lonnie Phillips. The couple, whose daughter was gunned down in the 2012 slaughter in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, travels the country to help those whose pain is raw begin processing their grief. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, driven by compassion, hope that sharing their experience will help others. They have started a nonprofit organization called Survivors Empowered to offer advice and kinship in the wake of mass shootings. They also provide practical information, which can include dealing with media attention, figuring out how to get loved ones home for a funeral, and coping with conspiracy theorists who say the tragedies didn’t happen. “Oh, yeah. The five stages of grief, right? And you go through all five of ‘em, and you think, ‘Okay, now I’m done.’ And they don’t tell you, oh, no, you get to start it all again. And they’re out of sequence,” Sandy Phillips said to Anderson Cooper on “60 Minutes.” Mrs. Phillips said she and her husband offer fellow survivors insight about what to expect. “So, it’s an introduction,” Mrs. Phillips said. “Mass shooting grief 101.” Within recent weeks, three deaths by suicide have been reported by people who survived mass shootings. Two of the people apparently lost to suicide were survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting in Parkland, Fla., and one was the father of a Sandy Hook Elementary School second grader who was murdered in Newtown, Conn. “60 Minutes.”

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Algr/Creative Commons License

Emergency department visits can prove disorienting for patients with physical illnesses. But for those with mental illness, such visits can feel not only disorienting but disconcerting – particularly if sedation or restraints are involved. “If you are living with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, that is a really tough way to begin that road to recovery,” said Jack Rozel, MD, president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP), in an interview with CNN. At about 100 locations across the country, psychiatric EDs staffed by psychiatrists and other physicians, nurses, and social workers are triaging and treating patients with mental illness. The goal is treatment and either release or referral to more specialized care within 24 hours. The approach is the brainchild of Scott Zeller, MD, vice president of acute psychiatry at Vituity and a past president of the AAEP. The physician-led organization provides staffing and consulting services to medical centers nationwide. Dr. Zeller hatched the idea of a psychiatric ED while working as chief of psychiatric emergency services at John George Psychiatric Hospital in San Leandro, Calif. “We need to treat people at the emergency level of care,” he said. “The vast majority of psychiatric emergencies can be resolved in less than 24 hours.” Dr. Zeller took the reins in transforming the center from a traditional ward, including the use of restraints, to a setting more like a living room that was supportive rather than institutional. The results included improved patient outcomes and cost savings – in part because of the reduced time spent in the ED. CNN.


In Buffalo, N.Y., a new memorial to be installed in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park will honor veterans who were lost to suicide. Ground was broken recently for the Battle Within Memorial. The 8-feet-tall sculpture will portray one soldier carrying the empty outline of another soldier as a metaphor for help between comrades and the losses that can be tied to the fallout from combat. “It’s a compelling piece of steel,” because it is designed in such a way that allows viewers to see through it, said Paul Marzello, the park’s president and chief executive officer, in an interview with WBFO, a National Public Radio affiliate in Buffalo. “By looking through it you’ll be able to look, as you see through it, someone’s soul.” Among veterans and active duty personnel, an estimated 20 commit suicide each day, according to the military publication Stars and Stripes. One hope of supporters of The Battle Within Foundation, which is leading the project, is that the memorial will inspire those experiencing psychic pain to seek help.“It is our sincerest hope that this monument will in some way help build public awareness of this ongoing tragedy, provide a lifeline for the suffering, and honor our heroes for their service, no matter where they died,” said Mark Donnelly, PhD, president of the Battle Within Foundation. The unveiling is scheduled for May 27, 2019. WBFO.

The field of psychiatry needs to do a better job of helping some patients come off of psychiatric drugs, said Allen Frances, MD, chairperson of DSM-IV task force, in an interview with the New Yorker. This process of removing drugs, called “deprescribing,” “requires a great deal more skill, time, commitment, and knowledge of the patient than prescribing does.” Another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Giovanni A. Fava, MD, said he has struggled to publish research looking at what happens to patients when they stop taking antidepressants. Yet another psychiatrist quoted in the article, Swapnil Gupta, MD, MBBS, said that, for many patients, coming off their medications “is a loss of identity, a different way of living. Suddenly, everything that you are doing is yours – and not necessarily your medication.” The article chronicles the experiences of Laura Delano, a woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed valproic acid (Depakote) while in high school. Over the next several years, Ms. Delano found herself taking numerous medications and with a different diagnosis. Eventually, she removed herself from her many medications, started a blog, and launched a website called The Withdrawal Project. The New Yorker.

The National Council for Behavioral Health and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation have teamed up to develop a Teen Mental Health First Aid pilot program designed to “enhance the mental health of young people,” according to a report on Washington’s WTOP radio. Eight U.S. high schools have been chosen to participate in the program, which will teach students about mental illnesses and addictions. It also will help teenagers respond to friends who might be struggling with a problem with mental health or addiction. The Teen Mental Health First Aid program, a five-step action plan, was adapted from an evidence-based training program from Australia. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, will evaluate the pilot program to assess its effectiveness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has reported than 20% of American adults and the same percentage of U.S. teens are living with mental health challenges. After the pilot study results are analyzed, the training will be made available to the public. WTOP.

A study from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Aarhus University in Denmark charts the relationship of payment based on work done and employee mental health. According to phys.org, an aggregator of science, research, and technology news, performance-based pay is in place in 70% of U.S. companies. This means that employee income is based on a combination of bonuses, commission, profit sharing, and individual/team incentives, rather than guaranteed salaries. For some employees, performance-based pay can prove lucrative. But for others, such systems can lead to poor mental health.

The study, published in the Academy of Management Discoveries, charted the use of prescription medications for anxiety and depression by nearly 319,000 employees at about 1,300 companies in Denmark (2019 Feb 26. doi: 10.5465/amd.2018.0007). Those in lower-paid positions and older employees were most vulnerable.

“Basically, older workers seem to be driving all of this effect,” said coauthor Lamar Pierce, PhD, professor of organization and strategy, and associate dean at Washington University. “One, it’s harder for them to move, so they have less labor mobility. And, two, they have less flexibility: Learning new roles, adapting to change, they have more fully formed preferences at this point.”

A gender link also was evident; women were more likely to leave companies that adopted a pay-for-performance system. “Our study expands existing work by showing that the mental health costs of performance-based pay can be severe enough to necessitate pharmaceutical treatment,” the authors wrote.

Once a firm switched to the pay-for-performance system, the number of employees using anxiety and depression medications, which included Xanax and Zoloft, increased by 5.7%. The actual number of affected employees is almost certainly much higher, according to Dr. Pierce. Projecting the data to the United States, Dr. Pierce and his coauthor, Michael S. Dahl, PhD, estimated that 100,000 Americans could be affected.

“These types of mental health problems are incredibly costly to both the individual and firm. If this is reflective of a broader increase in stress and depression in employees, the costs are very high,” added Dr. Pierce. The study highlights the broader health and wellness implications of the companies’ compensation policies, he said. phys.org.

©rasslava/thinkstockphotos.com

More and more people in the United States with severe mental illness and addictions reportedly are homeless, particularly in the Pacific Northwest and on the West Coast. Legislation aimed at addressing that problem is under discussion by Washington state lawmakers and appears to have broad support. The bill, which would authorize creation of a teaching hospital with 150 beds for people with mental illness, garnered unanimous support in the state’s House of Representatives and now has passed a Senate committee.

“The need for mental health care across our state has outgrown our facilities and our supply of trained health care professionals,” said State Sen. Annette Cleveland, chair of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee. “This important facility will address those needs head-on by expanding our physical capacity, enlarging our skilled workforce and increasing access through the use of telehealth services. The establishment of this dedicated behavioral health facility at the University of Washington would be the first of its kind in the nation.”

Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH told KOMO News that the facility would be accredited and modern. “We would have a facility that’s from 2021 that’s state of the art, that’s approved, that’s a safe, welcoming environment where people would take their family members and say ‘this is a place that can give me some hope,’ ” said Dr. Unützer, who chairs the department of psychiatry and behavioral services at the University of Washington, Seattle.

The legislation, H.B. 1593, is part of efforts by Gov. Jay Inslee to tackle mental health issues in the state. The state’s aging mental health infrastructure has been losing federal funding, and patient safety issues have been identified at state-run mental health hospitals. KOMO News.

The New York Police Department recently reported a near-doubling of 911 calls by people the city refers to as “emotionally disturbed persons” over the past decade. Encounters between police and people in need reportedly have resulted in the deaths of 14 people over the last 3 years.

“There is a serious problem in New York City in the manner in which the NYPD interacts with mentally ill people,” said attorney Sanford Rubenstein, who is representing seven families whose family members with mental illness have been shot by police since 2016. “The training of police officers with regard to that interaction is limited and the number of patrol officers who have been trained is small. That is unacceptable.”

The problem was recognized years ago, and a plan was put in place by the city to provide mental health training to every police officer. Flash ahead 4 years and less than one-third of the police force has received any mental health training – just 11,970 of the 36,753 uniformed police officers. What’s more, teams of mental health workers and police that were formed 3 years ago to help intervene in responses to emotionally disturbed people have not been brought into the loop of the 911 system. The result has been 911 responses by officers not trained to deal with such situations and without the support of those who could help. The number of 911 calls related to emotionally disturbed people rose from just over 91,000 in 2009 to nearly 180,000 in 2018, averaging almost 500 every day. The calls are disproportionately from predominantly black and Hispanic precincts.

A 2014 announcement of “diversion centers,” where people with emotional disturbances could be brought by police instead of ferrying them to hospitals or jail, has failed to materialize. “[The problem] is overwhelming in the neighborhoods that I represent,” said Bronx council member Ritchie J. Torres. “Whether it be Tremont or Fordham – you can feel it and see it on the ground. ... You see chemically addicted, mentally ill people, who either are languishing on the street or being cycled in and out of the criminal justice system. And I’m wondering to myself, there has to be a better approach. This is insane.” New York Magazine.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a comprehensive bill that, among other things, aims to make sweeping changes in the state’s mental health system. The new law also requires suicide prevention training for school personnel in the state. “This legislation was pushed over the finish line by individuals and families who knew firsthand the importance of having a robust mental health system,” Gov. Reynolds said. Critics contend that the legislation does not go far enough in several respects, including specifying where funding will come from and ensuring full access to care. Meanwhile, the governor announced plans to sign an executive order “establishing a platform to begin developing a children’s mental health system.” Des Moines Register.

Emergency room staff at AdventHealth hospitals in Orlando and neighboring Kissimmee, Fla., will begin assessing the mental health of patients as part of a pilot project with the University of Central Florida, according to reporting by 90.7 WMFE, a National Public Radio affiliate in central Florida. “How do we start providing that preventive care like we would with a typical chest pain patient? The same type of health care probably doesn’t apply to those patients with that mental health disorder,” said Robert Geissler, director of emergency services at AdventHealth Kissimmee. “And that’s why we’re trying to change the landscape with this particular project.” Similar programs in Michigan and Tennessee have helped curb suicides and lowered costs associated with mental health–related emergency care. As part of the AdventHealth program in Florida, emergency room staff will ask patients about feelings of hopelessness or despair as part of routine assessments. Patients deemed at high risk of suicide will be paired with counselors for the next 3 months, with daily calls and possibly house visits. Other mental health care resources in the community will be enlisted. 90.7 WMFE.
 

A study from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Aarhus University in Denmark charts the relationship of payment based on work done and employee mental health. According to phys.org, an aggregator of science, research, and technology news, performance-based pay is in place in 70% of U.S. companies. This means that employee income is based on a combination of bonuses, commission, profit sharing, and individual/team incentives, rather than guaranteed salaries. For some employees, performance-based pay can prove lucrative. But for others, such systems can lead to poor mental health.

The study, published in the Academy of Management Discoveries, charted the use of prescription medications for anxiety and depression by nearly 319,000 employees at about 1,300 companies in Denmark (2019 Feb 26. doi: 10.5465/amd.2018.0007). Those in lower-paid positions and older employees were most vulnerable.

“Basically, older workers seem to be driving all of this effect,” said coauthor Lamar Pierce, PhD, professor of organization and strategy, and associate dean at Washington University. “One, it’s harder for them to move, so they have less labor mobility. And, two, they have less flexibility: Learning new roles, adapting to change, they have more fully formed preferences at this point.”

A gender link also was evident; women were more likely to leave companies that adopted a pay-for-performance system. “Our study expands existing work by showing that the mental health costs of performance-based pay can be severe enough to necessitate pharmaceutical treatment,” the authors wrote.

Once a firm switched to the pay-for-performance system, the number of employees using anxiety and depression medications, which included Xanax and Zoloft, increased by 5.7%. The actual number of affected employees is almost certainly much higher, according to Dr. Pierce. Projecting the data to the United States, Dr. Pierce and his coauthor, Michael S. Dahl, PhD, estimated that 100,000 Americans could be affected.

“These types of mental health problems are incredibly costly to both the individual and firm. If this is reflective of a broader increase in stress and depression in employees, the costs are very high,” added Dr. Pierce. The study highlights the broader health and wellness implications of the companies’ compensation policies, he said. phys.org.

©rasslava/thinkstockphotos.com

More and more people in the United States with severe mental illness and addictions reportedly are homeless, particularly in the Pacific Northwest and on the West Coast. Legislation aimed at addressing that problem is under discussion by Washington state lawmakers and appears to have broad support. The bill, which would authorize creation of a teaching hospital with 150 beds for people with mental illness, garnered unanimous support in the state’s House of Representatives and now has passed a Senate committee.

“The need for mental health care across our state has outgrown our facilities and our supply of trained health care professionals,” said State Sen. Annette Cleveland, chair of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee. “This important facility will address those needs head-on by expanding our physical capacity, enlarging our skilled workforce and increasing access through the use of telehealth services. The establishment of this dedicated behavioral health facility at the University of Washington would be the first of its kind in the nation.”

Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH told KOMO News that the facility would be accredited and modern. “We would have a facility that’s from 2021 that’s state of the art, that’s approved, that’s a safe, welcoming environment where people would take their family members and say ‘this is a place that can give me some hope,’ ” said Dr. Unützer, who chairs the department of psychiatry and behavioral services at the University of Washington, Seattle.

The legislation, H.B. 1593, is part of efforts by Gov. Jay Inslee to tackle mental health issues in the state. The state’s aging mental health infrastructure has been losing federal funding, and patient safety issues have been identified at state-run mental health hospitals. KOMO News.

The New York Police Department recently reported a near-doubling of 911 calls by people the city refers to as “emotionally disturbed persons” over the past decade. Encounters between police and people in need reportedly have resulted in the deaths of 14 people over the last 3 years.

“There is a serious problem in New York City in the manner in which the NYPD interacts with mentally ill people,” said attorney Sanford Rubenstein, who is representing seven families whose family members with mental illness have been shot by police since 2016. “The training of police officers with regard to that interaction is limited and the number of patrol officers who have been trained is small. That is unacceptable.”

The problem was recognized years ago, and a plan was put in place by the city to provide mental health training to every police officer. Flash ahead 4 years and less than one-third of the police force has received any mental health training – just 11,970 of the 36,753 uniformed police officers. What’s more, teams of mental health workers and police that were formed 3 years ago to help intervene in responses to emotionally disturbed people have not been brought into the loop of the 911 system. The result has been 911 responses by officers not trained to deal with such situations and without the support of those who could help. The number of 911 calls related to emotionally disturbed people rose from just over 91,000 in 2009 to nearly 180,000 in 2018, averaging almost 500 every day. The calls are disproportionately from predominantly black and Hispanic precincts.

A 2014 announcement of “diversion centers,” where people with emotional disturbances could be brought by police instead of ferrying them to hospitals or jail, has failed to materialize. “[The problem] is overwhelming in the neighborhoods that I represent,” said Bronx council member Ritchie J. Torres. “Whether it be Tremont or Fordham – you can feel it and see it on the ground. ... You see chemically addicted, mentally ill people, who either are languishing on the street or being cycled in and out of the criminal justice system. And I’m wondering to myself, there has to be a better approach. This is insane.” New York Magazine.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a comprehensive bill that, among other things, aims to make sweeping changes in the state’s mental health system. The new law also requires suicide prevention training for school personnel in the state. “This legislation was pushed over the finish line by individuals and families who knew firsthand the importance of having a robust mental health system,” Gov. Reynolds said. Critics contend that the legislation does not go far enough in several respects, including specifying where funding will come from and ensuring full access to care. Meanwhile, the governor announced plans to sign an executive order “establishing a platform to begin developing a children’s mental health system.” Des Moines Register.

Emergency room staff at AdventHealth hospitals in Orlando and neighboring Kissimmee, Fla., will begin assessing the mental health of patients as part of a pilot project with the University of Central Florida, according to reporting by 90.7 WMFE, a National Public Radio affiliate in central Florida. “How do we start providing that preventive care like we would with a typical chest pain patient? The same type of health care probably doesn’t apply to those patients with that mental health disorder,” said Robert Geissler, director of emergency services at AdventHealth Kissimmee. “And that’s why we’re trying to change the landscape with this particular project.” Similar programs in Michigan and Tennessee have helped curb suicides and lowered costs associated with mental health–related emergency care. As part of the AdventHealth program in Florida, emergency room staff will ask patients about feelings of hopelessness or despair as part of routine assessments. Patients deemed at high risk of suicide will be paired with counselors for the next 3 months, with daily calls and possibly house visits. Other mental health care resources in the community will be enlisted. 90.7 WMFE.
 

A study from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Aarhus University in Denmark charts the relationship of payment based on work done and employee mental health. According to phys.org, an aggregator of science, research, and technology news, performance-based pay is in place in 70% of U.S. companies. This means that employee income is based on a combination of bonuses, commission, profit sharing, and individual/team incentives, rather than guaranteed salaries. For some employees, performance-based pay can prove lucrative. But for others, such systems can lead to poor mental health.

The study, published in the Academy of Management Discoveries, charted the use of prescription medications for anxiety and depression by nearly 319,000 employees at about 1,300 companies in Denmark (2019 Feb 26. doi: 10.5465/amd.2018.0007). Those in lower-paid positions and older employees were most vulnerable.

“Basically, older workers seem to be driving all of this effect,” said coauthor Lamar Pierce, PhD, professor of organization and strategy, and associate dean at Washington University. “One, it’s harder for them to move, so they have less labor mobility. And, two, they have less flexibility: Learning new roles, adapting to change, they have more fully formed preferences at this point.”

A gender link also was evident; women were more likely to leave companies that adopted a pay-for-performance system. “Our study expands existing work by showing that the mental health costs of performance-based pay can be severe enough to necessitate pharmaceutical treatment,” the authors wrote.

Once a firm switched to the pay-for-performance system, the number of employees using anxiety and depression medications, which included Xanax and Zoloft, increased by 5.7%. The actual number of affected employees is almost certainly much higher, according to Dr. Pierce. Projecting the data to the United States, Dr. Pierce and his coauthor, Michael S. Dahl, PhD, estimated that 100,000 Americans could be affected.

“These types of mental health problems are incredibly costly to both the individual and firm. If this is reflective of a broader increase in stress and depression in employees, the costs are very high,” added Dr. Pierce. The study highlights the broader health and wellness implications of the companies’ compensation policies, he said. phys.org.

©rasslava/thinkstockphotos.com

More and more people in the United States with severe mental illness and addictions reportedly are homeless, particularly in the Pacific Northwest and on the West Coast. Legislation aimed at addressing that problem is under discussion by Washington state lawmakers and appears to have broad support. The bill, which would authorize creation of a teaching hospital with 150 beds for people with mental illness, garnered unanimous support in the state’s House of Representatives and now has passed a Senate committee.

“The need for mental health care across our state has outgrown our facilities and our supply of trained health care professionals,” said State Sen. Annette Cleveland, chair of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee. “This important facility will address those needs head-on by expanding our physical capacity, enlarging our skilled workforce and increasing access through the use of telehealth services. The establishment of this dedicated behavioral health facility at the University of Washington would be the first of its kind in the nation.”

Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH told KOMO News that the facility would be accredited and modern. “We would have a facility that’s from 2021 that’s state of the art, that’s approved, that’s a safe, welcoming environment where people would take their family members and say ‘this is a place that can give me some hope,’ ” said Dr. Unützer, who chairs the department of psychiatry and behavioral services at the University of Washington, Seattle.

The legislation, H.B. 1593, is part of efforts by Gov. Jay Inslee to tackle mental health issues in the state. The state’s aging mental health infrastructure has been losing federal funding, and patient safety issues have been identified at state-run mental health hospitals. KOMO News.

The New York Police Department recently reported a near-doubling of 911 calls by people the city refers to as “emotionally disturbed persons” over the past decade. Encounters between police and people in need reportedly have resulted in the deaths of 14 people over the last 3 years.

“There is a serious problem in New York City in the manner in which the NYPD interacts with mentally ill people,” said attorney Sanford Rubenstein, who is representing seven families whose family members with mental illness have been shot by police since 2016. “The training of police officers with regard to that interaction is limited and the number of patrol officers who have been trained is small. That is unacceptable.”

The problem was recognized years ago, and a plan was put in place by the city to provide mental health training to every police officer. Flash ahead 4 years and less than one-third of the police force has received any mental health training – just 11,970 of the 36,753 uniformed police officers. What’s more, teams of mental health workers and police that were formed 3 years ago to help intervene in responses to emotionally disturbed people have not been brought into the loop of the 911 system. The result has been 911 responses by officers not trained to deal with such situations and without the support of those who could help. The number of 911 calls related to emotionally disturbed people rose from just over 91,000 in 2009 to nearly 180,000 in 2018, averaging almost 500 every day. The calls are disproportionately from predominantly black and Hispanic precincts.

A 2014 announcement of “diversion centers,” where people with emotional disturbances could be brought by police instead of ferrying them to hospitals or jail, has failed to materialize. “[The problem] is overwhelming in the neighborhoods that I represent,” said Bronx council member Ritchie J. Torres. “Whether it be Tremont or Fordham – you can feel it and see it on the ground. ... You see chemically addicted, mentally ill people, who either are languishing on the street or being cycled in and out of the criminal justice system. And I’m wondering to myself, there has to be a better approach. This is insane.” New York Magazine.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a comprehensive bill that, among other things, aims to make sweeping changes in the state’s mental health system. The new law also requires suicide prevention training for school personnel in the state. “This legislation was pushed over the finish line by individuals and families who knew firsthand the importance of having a robust mental health system,” Gov. Reynolds said. Critics contend that the legislation does not go far enough in several respects, including specifying where funding will come from and ensuring full access to care. Meanwhile, the governor announced plans to sign an executive order “establishing a platform to begin developing a children’s mental health system.” Des Moines Register.

Emergency room staff at AdventHealth hospitals in Orlando and neighboring Kissimmee, Fla., will begin assessing the mental health of patients as part of a pilot project with the University of Central Florida, according to reporting by 90.7 WMFE, a National Public Radio affiliate in central Florida. “How do we start providing that preventive care like we would with a typical chest pain patient? The same type of health care probably doesn’t apply to those patients with that mental health disorder,” said Robert Geissler, director of emergency services at AdventHealth Kissimmee. “And that’s why we’re trying to change the landscape with this particular project.” Similar programs in Michigan and Tennessee have helped curb suicides and lowered costs associated with mental health–related emergency care. As part of the AdventHealth program in Florida, emergency room staff will ask patients about feelings of hopelessness or despair as part of routine assessments. Patients deemed at high risk of suicide will be paired with counselors for the next 3 months, with daily calls and possibly house visits. Other mental health care resources in the community will be enlisted. 90.7 WMFE.
 

Depression, suicidal thoughts, and mental distress appear to be on the rise among American teenagers and young adults, and a new study points to their use of social media as a cause. According to the study’s lead author, Jean M. Twenge, PhD, the findings might be evident of a generational shift in mental illness. The study looked at data from more than 200,000 adolescents aged 12-17 and nearly 400,000 young adults aged 18 and over from 2005 to 2017. During that time, reported symptoms consistent with major depression increased by 52% among the teens and 63% among the young adults. Girls were especially at risk, with one in five teenage girls having experienced major depression in 2017. In addition, by 2017, nearly three-quarters of young adults had experienced feelings of hopelessness about their lives. Meanwhile, the rate of suicide rose during that study period. Dr. Twenge said a major factor contributing to those trends is the plugged-in lifestyle of many teens and young adults. “Spending time on social media tends not to be in real time,” said Dr. Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University. “You’re not having a real-time conversation with someone – usually you’re not seeing their face, and you can’t give them a hug; it’s just not as emotionally fulfilling as seeing someone in person,” she said in an interview with National Public Radio. The uncertain times are likely another influence, according to Robert Crosnoe, PhD, a sociologist and adolescent health researcher from the University of Texas at Austin. “I think we are living in a time of great uncertainty, where people are unsure about the future of the country but also their own futures,” he said. “And that is anxiety provoking for anybody, but it’s especially true for young people whose whole future is ahead of them.” NPR.

Peerayot/Thinkstock.com

Alexandra Valoras was a high school student who earned straight As and participated in extracurricular school activities like robotics and pastimes like snowboarding. On the outside, her future looked bright. But inside, Alexandra lived in a world of despair. Her journals revealed profound self-loathing and sadness. She repeatedly expressed a desire to end her own life, reported Jim Axelrod of CBS News. Alexandra is far from alone. The suicide rate for American teens her age is at a 40-year high. One reason is the pressure for perfection, with failure being viewed as catastrophic. “I don’t want this notebook to end, I love it more than myself (?) I need a place where there is no need for me to be perfect,” Alexandra wrote in one entry. “We have a culture that makes kids think that if they’re not perfect, they’re less than good,” said Scott White, a counselor at Alexandra’s high school. Not every person can reach them.” On March 18, 2018, Alexandra wrote her last entry. “What I will miss by dying tonight. The possibility of anything getting better.” She then tidied up her room, walked to an overpass, and jumped. She was 17 years old. Her parents, Dean and Alysia Valoras, shared their daughter’s journals with the hope of helping others. “The hurt, the sadness is evolving,” Mr. Valoras said in the report. “And now there is this thing called living, so that I am a good father, a good husband, a good person.” CBS Sunday Morning.

For college students, accessing mental health services can be a challenge – especially when cost is an issue. In an effort to address that problem Loyola University in New Orleans recently opened a clinic for low-income students in need of psychiatric services. The clinic, opened in February, hopes to serve about 50 patients each week and is open to students and community members. “I’m really stoked about working with this demographic. It’s a population that doesn’t make a lot of money. So you can go to this clinic, pay a small co-pay, and not have to rely on having health insurance,” said Sarah Zoghbi of the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic & Assistance Foundation, one of the organizations providing support to the clinic. The clinic aims to address the gap in mental health services for the underinsured and uninsured in the area. And it’s sorely needed. Louisiana ranks 38th among the states for lower rates of access to care and higher prevalence of mental illness, according to the 2019 Mental Health America report. About 599,000 adults in Louisiana, about 17% of the population, have a mental illness. “It is our sincere hope to fill a gap in the community by providing high-quality services for those in need,” said the clinic’s director John Dewell, PhD. “No one will be turned away for lack of funds.” The Times-Picayune.

More and more video games are “tackling mental health issues,” Laura Parker wrote in the New York Times. “Mental health is becoming a more central narrative in our culture with efforts to normalize mental health challenges,” according to Eve Crevoshay, of Take This, a group that seeks to destigmatize mental illness within the video game industry. “With that trend comes response from creative industries, including games.” One of the games that Ms. Parker mentioned, called Sea of Solitude, is expected to publish this year. Another, called Celeste, examines depression and anxiety through a protagonist who tries to avoid obstacles. And yet another, called Hellblade, focuses on a warrior who deals with psychosis. Raffael Boccamazzo, PsyD, a psychotherapist who works as clinical director for Take This, said video games can be more effective at helping people bounce back “from negative moods than passive forms of media like TV or movies.” Take This provides resources, guidelines, and training about mental health on its website. The New York Times.

General offers of help to families in crisis are fine but might not get acted upon. It is better to offer something specific, and “the more specific, the better,” wrote Andrea Paterson in the Washington Post. “Not ‘Can I bring dinner sometime?’ Instead, something like, ‘I’d like to come over on Thursday and bring turkey chili.’ Ms. Paterson wrote that she came to that conclusion after her husband was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic lung cancer in 2013. His death 4½ years later plunged Ms. Paterson and her sons “into crisis,” she wrote. Her tight network of friends and neighbors helped her cope, she said, and their concrete offers of help kept the family going. Such offers need not be earth shattering or monumental, she said. One of her “all-time favorites” was delightfully simple: “ ‘I’m having a cup of tea, watching Audrey learn to roller skate in the driveway. Come join me.’ Needless to say, I joined her.” Ms. Paterson shared several other specifics that might help families in crisis, such as getting a friend to set up a support network of helpers who can pick up prescriptions, meet repairmen, and so on. “Remember that what you offer doesn’t need to be expensive or extravagant,” Ms. Paterson wrote. “ ‘Tomorrow night we are watching the Super Bowl: Join us for tacos and ice cream.’ After all, no one can be in a crisis 24/7.” The Washington Post.

Depression, suicidal thoughts, and mental distress appear to be on the rise among American teenagers and young adults, and a new study points to their use of social media as a cause. According to the study’s lead author, Jean M. Twenge, PhD, the findings might be evident of a generational shift in mental illness. The study looked at data from more than 200,000 adolescents aged 12-17 and nearly 400,000 young adults aged 18 and over from 2005 to 2017. During that time, reported symptoms consistent with major depression increased by 52% among the teens and 63% among the young adults. Girls were especially at risk, with one in five teenage girls having experienced major depression in 2017. In addition, by 2017, nearly three-quarters of young adults had experienced feelings of hopelessness about their lives. Meanwhile, the rate of suicide rose during that study period. Dr. Twenge said a major factor contributing to those trends is the plugged-in lifestyle of many teens and young adults. “Spending time on social media tends not to be in real time,” said Dr. Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University. “You’re not having a real-time conversation with someone – usually you’re not seeing their face, and you can’t give them a hug; it’s just not as emotionally fulfilling as seeing someone in person,” she said in an interview with National Public Radio. The uncertain times are likely another influence, according to Robert Crosnoe, PhD, a sociologist and adolescent health researcher from the University of Texas at Austin. “I think we are living in a time of great uncertainty, where people are unsure about the future of the country but also their own futures,” he said. “And that is anxiety provoking for anybody, but it’s especially true for young people whose whole future is ahead of them.” NPR.

Peerayot/Thinkstock.com

Alexandra Valoras was a high school student who earned straight As and participated in extracurricular school activities like robotics and pastimes like snowboarding. On the outside, her future looked bright. But inside, Alexandra lived in a world of despair. Her journals revealed profound self-loathing and sadness. She repeatedly expressed a desire to end her own life, reported Jim Axelrod of CBS News. Alexandra is far from alone. The suicide rate for American teens her age is at a 40-year high. One reason is the pressure for perfection, with failure being viewed as catastrophic. “I don’t want this notebook to end, I love it more than myself (?) I need a place where there is no need for me to be perfect,” Alexandra wrote in one entry. “We have a culture that makes kids think that if they’re not perfect, they’re less than good,” said Scott White, a counselor at Alexandra’s high school. Not every person can reach them.” On March 18, 2018, Alexandra wrote her last entry. “What I will miss by dying tonight. The possibility of anything getting better.” She then tidied up her room, walked to an overpass, and jumped. She was 17 years old. Her parents, Dean and Alysia Valoras, shared their daughter’s journals with the hope of helping others. “The hurt, the sadness is evolving,” Mr. Valoras said in the report. “And now there is this thing called living, so that I am a good father, a good husband, a good person.” CBS Sunday Morning.

For college students, accessing mental health services can be a challenge – especially when cost is an issue. In an effort to address that problem Loyola University in New Orleans recently opened a clinic for low-income students in need of psychiatric services. The clinic, opened in February, hopes to serve about 50 patients each week and is open to students and community members. “I’m really stoked about working with this demographic. It’s a population that doesn’t make a lot of money. So you can go to this clinic, pay a small co-pay, and not have to rely on having health insurance,” said Sarah Zoghbi of the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic & Assistance Foundation, one of the organizations providing support to the clinic. The clinic aims to address the gap in mental health services for the underinsured and uninsured in the area. And it’s sorely needed. Louisiana ranks 38th among the states for lower rates of access to care and higher prevalence of mental illness, according to the 2019 Mental Health America report. About 599,000 adults in Louisiana, about 17% of the population, have a mental illness. “It is our sincere hope to fill a gap in the community by providing high-quality services for those in need,” said the clinic’s director John Dewell, PhD. “No one will be turned away for lack of funds.” The Times-Picayune.

More and more video games are “tackling mental health issues,” Laura Parker wrote in the New York Times. “Mental health is becoming a more central narrative in our culture with efforts to normalize mental health challenges,” according to Eve Crevoshay, of Take This, a group that seeks to destigmatize mental illness within the video game industry. “With that trend comes response from creative industries, including games.” One of the games that Ms. Parker mentioned, called Sea of Solitude, is expected to publish this year. Another, called Celeste, examines depression and anxiety through a protagonist who tries to avoid obstacles. And yet another, called Hellblade, focuses on a warrior who deals with psychosis. Raffael Boccamazzo, PsyD, a psychotherapist who works as clinical director for Take This, said video games can be more effective at helping people bounce back “from negative moods than passive forms of media like TV or movies.” Take This provides resources, guidelines, and training about mental health on its website. The New York Times.

General offers of help to families in crisis are fine but might not get acted upon. It is better to offer something specific, and “the more specific, the better,” wrote Andrea Paterson in the Washington Post. “Not ‘Can I bring dinner sometime?’ Instead, something like, ‘I’d like to come over on Thursday and bring turkey chili.’ Ms. Paterson wrote that she came to that conclusion after her husband was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic lung cancer in 2013. His death 4½ years later plunged Ms. Paterson and her sons “into crisis,” she wrote. Her tight network of friends and neighbors helped her cope, she said, and their concrete offers of help kept the family going. Such offers need not be earth shattering or monumental, she said. One of her “all-time favorites” was delightfully simple: “ ‘I’m having a cup of tea, watching Audrey learn to roller skate in the driveway. Come join me.’ Needless to say, I joined her.” Ms. Paterson shared several other specifics that might help families in crisis, such as getting a friend to set up a support network of helpers who can pick up prescriptions, meet repairmen, and so on. “Remember that what you offer doesn’t need to be expensive or extravagant,” Ms. Paterson wrote. “ ‘Tomorrow night we are watching the Super Bowl: Join us for tacos and ice cream.’ After all, no one can be in a crisis 24/7.” The Washington Post.

Depression, suicidal thoughts, and mental distress appear to be on the rise among American teenagers and young adults, and a new study points to their use of social media as a cause. According to the study’s lead author, Jean M. Twenge, PhD, the findings might be evident of a generational shift in mental illness. The study looked at data from more than 200,000 adolescents aged 12-17 and nearly 400,000 young adults aged 18 and over from 2005 to 2017. During that time, reported symptoms consistent with major depression increased by 52% among the teens and 63% among the young adults. Girls were especially at risk, with one in five teenage girls having experienced major depression in 2017. In addition, by 2017, nearly three-quarters of young adults had experienced feelings of hopelessness about their lives. Meanwhile, the rate of suicide rose during that study period. Dr. Twenge said a major factor contributing to those trends is the plugged-in lifestyle of many teens and young adults. “Spending time on social media tends not to be in real time,” said Dr. Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University. “You’re not having a real-time conversation with someone – usually you’re not seeing their face, and you can’t give them a hug; it’s just not as emotionally fulfilling as seeing someone in person,” she said in an interview with National Public Radio. The uncertain times are likely another influence, according to Robert Crosnoe, PhD, a sociologist and adolescent health researcher from the University of Texas at Austin. “I think we are living in a time of great uncertainty, where people are unsure about the future of the country but also their own futures,” he said. “And that is anxiety provoking for anybody, but it’s especially true for young people whose whole future is ahead of them.” NPR.

Peerayot/Thinkstock.com

Alexandra Valoras was a high school student who earned straight As and participated in extracurricular school activities like robotics and pastimes like snowboarding. On the outside, her future looked bright. But inside, Alexandra lived in a world of despair. Her journals revealed profound self-loathing and sadness. She repeatedly expressed a desire to end her own life, reported Jim Axelrod of CBS News. Alexandra is far from alone. The suicide rate for American teens her age is at a 40-year high. One reason is the pressure for perfection, with failure being viewed as catastrophic. “I don’t want this notebook to end, I love it more than myself (?) I need a place where there is no need for me to be perfect,” Alexandra wrote in one entry. “We have a culture that makes kids think that if they’re not perfect, they’re less than good,” said Scott White, a counselor at Alexandra’s high school. Not every person can reach them.” On March 18, 2018, Alexandra wrote her last entry. “What I will miss by dying tonight. The possibility of anything getting better.” She then tidied up her room, walked to an overpass, and jumped. She was 17 years old. Her parents, Dean and Alysia Valoras, shared their daughter’s journals with the hope of helping others. “The hurt, the sadness is evolving,” Mr. Valoras said in the report. “And now there is this thing called living, so that I am a good father, a good husband, a good person.” CBS Sunday Morning.

For college students, accessing mental health services can be a challenge – especially when cost is an issue. In an effort to address that problem Loyola University in New Orleans recently opened a clinic for low-income students in need of psychiatric services. The clinic, opened in February, hopes to serve about 50 patients each week and is open to students and community members. “I’m really stoked about working with this demographic. It’s a population that doesn’t make a lot of money. So you can go to this clinic, pay a small co-pay, and not have to rely on having health insurance,” said Sarah Zoghbi of the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic & Assistance Foundation, one of the organizations providing support to the clinic. The clinic aims to address the gap in mental health services for the underinsured and uninsured in the area. And it’s sorely needed. Louisiana ranks 38th among the states for lower rates of access to care and higher prevalence of mental illness, according to the 2019 Mental Health America report. About 599,000 adults in Louisiana, about 17% of the population, have a mental illness. “It is our sincere hope to fill a gap in the community by providing high-quality services for those in need,” said the clinic’s director John Dewell, PhD. “No one will be turned away for lack of funds.” The Times-Picayune.

More and more video games are “tackling mental health issues,” Laura Parker wrote in the New York Times. “Mental health is becoming a more central narrative in our culture with efforts to normalize mental health challenges,” according to Eve Crevoshay, of Take This, a group that seeks to destigmatize mental illness within the video game industry. “With that trend comes response from creative industries, including games.” One of the games that Ms. Parker mentioned, called Sea of Solitude, is expected to publish this year. Another, called Celeste, examines depression and anxiety through a protagonist who tries to avoid obstacles. And yet another, called Hellblade, focuses on a warrior who deals with psychosis. Raffael Boccamazzo, PsyD, a psychotherapist who works as clinical director for Take This, said video games can be more effective at helping people bounce back “from negative moods than passive forms of media like TV or movies.” Take This provides resources, guidelines, and training about mental health on its website. The New York Times.

General offers of help to families in crisis are fine but might not get acted upon. It is better to offer something specific, and “the more specific, the better,” wrote Andrea Paterson in the Washington Post. “Not ‘Can I bring dinner sometime?’ Instead, something like, ‘I’d like to come over on Thursday and bring turkey chili.’ Ms. Paterson wrote that she came to that conclusion after her husband was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic lung cancer in 2013. His death 4½ years later plunged Ms. Paterson and her sons “into crisis,” she wrote. Her tight network of friends and neighbors helped her cope, she said, and their concrete offers of help kept the family going. Such offers need not be earth shattering or monumental, she said. One of her “all-time favorites” was delightfully simple: “ ‘I’m having a cup of tea, watching Audrey learn to roller skate in the driveway. Come join me.’ Needless to say, I joined her.” Ms. Paterson shared several other specifics that might help families in crisis, such as getting a friend to set up a support network of helpers who can pick up prescriptions, meet repairmen, and so on. “Remember that what you offer doesn’t need to be expensive or extravagant,” Ms. Paterson wrote. “ ‘Tomorrow night we are watching the Super Bowl: Join us for tacos and ice cream.’ After all, no one can be in a crisis 24/7.” The Washington Post.

Wavebreakmedia/iStock/Getty Images

The stigma tied to mental illness can be particularly difficult to overcome for people of Latin American descent, writes Concepción de León in El Espace, a column in the New York Times focused on news and culture relevant to Latinx communities. Sometimes those seeking help run into familiar mantras. “Let me know if any of these sound familiar: 'Boys don’t cry. We don’t air family business. You have to be strong. Turn to God.' These refrains (all of which I’ve heard at least once...) are just some of the responses that people dealing with mental health challenges in Latino communities have come to know well,” Ms. de León wrote. The unequal access to mental health services and health insurance that is a reality for some Latinos compounds the problem. The result is that mental illness can go untreated. Indeed, according to Ms. de León, Latinos, who are just as likely to suffer from a mental illness as non-Hispanic whites, are half as likely to seek treatment. Adriana Alejandre, a Latina who is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles, is seeking to change that statistic. Through her podcast, Latinx Therapy, she seeks to spread the word that seeking therapy for mental illness is a positive step. There’s a long way to go, partly because Latino communities tend to value the group over the individual. “The downfall is that people suffer in silence,” said Ms. Alejandre. Therapy is important for some Latinos, according to Ms. Alejandre, because of intergenerational trauma that “allows the cycle to continue – whether it’s trauma, whether it’s depression, anxiety, domestic violence.” Ms. de León said one strategy she used for more than 1 year while she was in therapy was to set boundaries by not sharing what she was doing with family members. “It is tough when family sees you as ungrateful for healthy behaviors like boundary setting,” Ms. Alejandre said. “But the system will not change if someone does not initiate the change.” The New York Times.

Some state governments are seeking to make mental health services more available. The proposed budget of democratic Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin aims to allocate $22 million in mental health funding to school districts in the state to pay for social workers, psychologists, counselors, and nurses. The money would come on top of the $3 million designated by his predecessor and continues the efforts in Wisconsin to give children with mental health problems more access to needed help. The proposed budget also would add $7 million to a state program that works with local health agencies with the goal of providing mental health services for students and would allocate about $2.5 million annually for school staff training. The news is welcome to school districts across Wisconsin. “Schools are struggling to meet all of those [mental health] needs. I think there is an understanding that this is really something we need to be addressing,” said Joanne Juhnke, policy director at Wisconsin Family Ties, which helps families with children who have mental health challenges. Post Crescent, part of the USA Today network.

In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court is set to rule on whether those who provide mental health treatment to people addicted to illicit drugs can be free from prosecution. Right now, they are not. As reported in the Legal Intelligence, the case concerns two physicians at a drug addiction treatment facility who treated a man with an opioid addiction. In July 2018, a three-judge Superior Court panel upheld that physicians should not have liability protections under the Mental Health Procedures Act (MHPA). The ruling reversed a lower court decision. The Superior Court judges sympathized with the view that treatment of mental illness in drug treatment facilities be given more legal leeway. Whether that leeway remains in place depends on the Supreme Court. If judges decide no, physicians who recognize signs of mental illness in patients being treated for drug addiction would treat the illness at the risk of subsequent liability. The case has again raised the issue of whether alcoholism and drug dependency should be considered mental illnesses. “We don’t believe it was the intended purpose of the MPHA to include drug addiction. Our concern is we don’t want hospitals or rehab facilities just having patients be seen by psychiatrists in order to invoke the MHPA,” said Patrick Mintzer, the lawyer who will argue the cases before the court. A counter view came from Jack Panella, one of the three Superior Court judges. In his decision, he wrote: “In light of current scientific research, as well as the recent addition of ‘addiction disorders’ to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual–5, we suggest that the Department of Human Services revise this definition.” The Legal Intelligence.

An op-ed in the Des Moines Register applauds republican Gov. Kim Reynolds for introducing two bills that are aimed at expanding mental health services to children and family in Iowa. “After decades of discussion and growing public support, these two bills take a huge step toward establishing a children’s mental health system,” wrote guest columnists Erin Drinnin of the United Way of Central Iowa and Kim Scorza of Seasons Center for Behavioral Health. The two also serve as cochairs of the Coalition to Advance Mental Health in Iowa for Kids (CAMHI4Kids), which includes more than 50 organizations. “Just like building a house requires a sturdy foundation, these bills are an important first step toward creating a structure for children’s mental well-being. In particular, CAMHI4Kids appreciates that these bills establish a voice and a seat for children and families at a regional level, using a system that is already in place,” wrote Ms. Drinnin and Ms. Scorza. The legislation would spell out the core services that would be available regardless of location in Iowa. The services would be geared toward children, rather than adults, reflecting the different mental health needs of children. “These important steps would finally sew together a patchwork of care that families currently must navigate with little direction. If a child is hurt on the playground, a caregiver knows to follow a clear path of care to help that child recover. But for a caregiver who is concerned about a child’s mental health, they often don’t know where to turn for help and must seek out services that might not exist in their community,” wrote Ms. Drinnin and Ms. Scorza. In Iowa, 80,000 children have a diagnosed serious emotional disturbance. About half of children aged 14 years and older with mental illness drop out of high school, and 70% of youth in Iowa’s juvenile justice system have a mental illness. “We are proud that Iowa is working together in a bipartisan way to ensure that our kids have the best start for future success,” wrote Ms. Drinnin and Ms. Scorza. Des Moines Register.

Bill Reilly is the peer support program manager for Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Douglas County, Kan. His mental health troubles began in childhood and led to stints in alcohol rehabilitation and mental hospitals, and he tried to end his life several times. But Mr. Reilly now offers his experience to those in trouble. “Those [experiences] can be viewed as a negative until you turn that conversation around and ask, ‘How can this be helpful to another person?’ And to me, that’s where the urgency comes into the work that we’re doing because a clinical relationship is one thing, but a peer support relationship is something different.” He was speaking in support of an initiative that seeks to train and place peer support people in hospital emergency departments in Kansas. The initiative is being spearheaded by Bob Tryanski, Douglas County director of behavioral health projects. “In addition to giving folks the opportunity to have the work experience in an environment where we need peer support, we would wrap around those peers with training, professional development, with coaching and support in an ongoing way,” Mr. Tryanski said, “so that they could become real, robust, huge resources, not just to the emergency department but in our community.” If approved, hiring and training of peers would begin in April, with the goal of having six people in place in emergency rooms by the summer and hiring an additional six people by year end. LJWorld.com.

Wavebreakmedia/iStock/Getty Images

The stigma tied to mental illness can be particularly difficult to overcome for people of Latin American descent, writes Concepción de León in El Espace, a column in the New York Times focused on news and culture relevant to Latinx communities. Sometimes those seeking help run into familiar mantras. “Let me know if any of these sound familiar: 'Boys don’t cry. We don’t air family business. You have to be strong. Turn to God.' These refrains (all of which I’ve heard at least once...) are just some of the responses that people dealing with mental health challenges in Latino communities have come to know well,” Ms. de León wrote. The unequal access to mental health services and health insurance that is a reality for some Latinos compounds the problem. The result is that mental illness can go untreated. Indeed, according to Ms. de León, Latinos, who are just as likely to suffer from a mental illness as non-Hispanic whites, are half as likely to seek treatment. Adriana Alejandre, a Latina who is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles, is seeking to change that statistic. Through her podcast, Latinx Therapy, she seeks to spread the word that seeking therapy for mental illness is a positive step. There’s a long way to go, partly because Latino communities tend to value the group over the individual. “The downfall is that people suffer in silence,” said Ms. Alejandre. Therapy is important for some Latinos, according to Ms. Alejandre, because of intergenerational trauma that “allows the cycle to continue – whether it’s trauma, whether it’s depression, anxiety, domestic violence.” Ms. de León said one strategy she used for more than 1 year while she was in therapy was to set boundaries by not sharing what she was doing with family members. “It is tough when family sees you as ungrateful for healthy behaviors like boundary setting,” Ms. Alejandre said. “But the system will not change if someone does not initiate the change.” The New York Times.

Some state governments are seeking to make mental health services more available. The proposed budget of democratic Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin aims to allocate $22 million in mental health funding to school districts in the state to pay for social workers, psychologists, counselors, and nurses. The money would come on top of the $3 million designated by his predecessor and continues the efforts in Wisconsin to give children with mental health problems more access to needed help. The proposed budget also would add $7 million to a state program that works with local health agencies with the goal of providing mental health services for students and would allocate about $2.5 million annually for school staff training. The news is welcome to school districts across Wisconsin. “Schools are struggling to meet all of those [mental health] needs. I think there is an understanding that this is really something we need to be addressing,” said Joanne Juhnke, policy director at Wisconsin Family Ties, which helps families with children who have mental health challenges. Post Crescent, part of the USA Today network.

In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court is set to rule on whether those who provide mental health treatment to people addicted to illicit drugs can be free from prosecution. Right now, they are not. As reported in the Legal Intelligence, the case concerns two physicians at a drug addiction treatment facility who treated a man with an opioid addiction. In July 2018, a three-judge Superior Court panel upheld that physicians should not have liability protections under the Mental Health Procedures Act (MHPA). The ruling reversed a lower court decision. The Superior Court judges sympathized with the view that treatment of mental illness in drug treatment facilities be given more legal leeway. Whether that leeway remains in place depends on the Supreme Court. If judges decide no, physicians who recognize signs of mental illness in patients being treated for drug addiction would treat the illness at the risk of subsequent liability. The case has again raised the issue of whether alcoholism and drug dependency should be considered mental illnesses. “We don’t believe it was the intended purpose of the MPHA to include drug addiction. Our concern is we don’t want hospitals or rehab facilities just having patients be seen by psychiatrists in order to invoke the MHPA,” said Patrick Mintzer, the lawyer who will argue the cases before the court. A counter view came from Jack Panella, one of the three Superior Court judges. In his decision, he wrote: “In light of current scientific research, as well as the recent addition of ‘addiction disorders’ to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual–5, we suggest that the Department of Human Services revise this definition.” The Legal Intelligence.

An op-ed in the Des Moines Register applauds republican Gov. Kim Reynolds for introducing two bills that are aimed at expanding mental health services to children and family in Iowa. “After decades of discussion and growing public support, these two bills take a huge step toward establishing a children’s mental health system,” wrote guest columnists Erin Drinnin of the United Way of Central Iowa and Kim Scorza of Seasons Center for Behavioral Health. The two also serve as cochairs of the Coalition to Advance Mental Health in Iowa for Kids (CAMHI4Kids), which includes more than 50 organizations. “Just like building a house requires a sturdy foundation, these bills are an important first step toward creating a structure for children’s mental well-being. In particular, CAMHI4Kids appreciates that these bills establish a voice and a seat for children and families at a regional level, using a system that is already in place,” wrote Ms. Drinnin and Ms. Scorza. The legislation would spell out the core services that would be available regardless of location in Iowa. The services would be geared toward children, rather than adults, reflecting the different mental health needs of children. “These important steps would finally sew together a patchwork of care that families currently must navigate with little direction. If a child is hurt on the playground, a caregiver knows to follow a clear path of care to help that child recover. But for a caregiver who is concerned about a child’s mental health, they often don’t know where to turn for help and must seek out services that might not exist in their community,” wrote Ms. Drinnin and Ms. Scorza. In Iowa, 80,000 children have a diagnosed serious emotional disturbance. About half of children aged 14 years and older with mental illness drop out of high school, and 70% of youth in Iowa’s juvenile justice system have a mental illness. “We are proud that Iowa is working together in a bipartisan way to ensure that our kids have the best start for future success,” wrote Ms. Drinnin and Ms. Scorza. Des Moines Register.

Bill Reilly is the peer support program manager for Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Douglas County, Kan. His mental health troubles began in childhood and led to stints in alcohol rehabilitation and mental hospitals, and he tried to end his life several times. But Mr. Reilly now offers his experience to those in trouble. “Those [experiences] can be viewed as a negative until you turn that conversation around and ask, ‘How can this be helpful to another person?’ And to me, that’s where the urgency comes into the work that we’re doing because a clinical relationship is one thing, but a peer support relationship is something different.” He was speaking in support of an initiative that seeks to train and place peer support people in hospital emergency departments in Kansas. The initiative is being spearheaded by Bob Tryanski, Douglas County director of behavioral health projects. “In addition to giving folks the opportunity to have the work experience in an environment where we need peer support, we would wrap around those peers with training, professional development, with coaching and support in an ongoing way,” Mr. Tryanski said, “so that they could become real, robust, huge resources, not just to the emergency department but in our community.” If approved, hiring and training of peers would begin in April, with the goal of having six people in place in emergency rooms by the summer and hiring an additional six people by year end. LJWorld.com.

Wavebreakmedia/iStock/Getty Images

The stigma tied to mental illness can be particularly difficult to overcome for people of Latin American descent, writes Concepción de León in El Espace, a column in the New York Times focused on news and culture relevant to Latinx communities. Sometimes those seeking help run into familiar mantras. “Let me know if any of these sound familiar: 'Boys don’t cry. We don’t air family business. You have to be strong. Turn to God.' These refrains (all of which I’ve heard at least once...) are just some of the responses that people dealing with mental health challenges in Latino communities have come to know well,” Ms. de León wrote. The unequal access to mental health services and health insurance that is a reality for some Latinos compounds the problem. The result is that mental illness can go untreated. Indeed, according to Ms. de León, Latinos, who are just as likely to suffer from a mental illness as non-Hispanic whites, are half as likely to seek treatment. Adriana Alejandre, a Latina who is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles, is seeking to change that statistic. Through her podcast, Latinx Therapy, she seeks to spread the word that seeking therapy for mental illness is a positive step. There’s a long way to go, partly because Latino communities tend to value the group over the individual. “The downfall is that people suffer in silence,” said Ms. Alejandre. Therapy is important for some Latinos, according to Ms. Alejandre, because of intergenerational trauma that “allows the cycle to continue – whether it’s trauma, whether it’s depression, anxiety, domestic violence.” Ms. de León said one strategy she used for more than 1 year while she was in therapy was to set boundaries by not sharing what she was doing with family members. “It is tough when family sees you as ungrateful for healthy behaviors like boundary setting,” Ms. Alejandre said. “But the system will not change if someone does not initiate the change.” The New York Times.

Some state governments are seeking to make mental health services more available. The proposed budget of democratic Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin aims to allocate $22 million in mental health funding to school districts in the state to pay for social workers, psychologists, counselors, and nurses. The money would come on top of the $3 million designated by his predecessor and continues the efforts in Wisconsin to give children with mental health problems more access to needed help. The proposed budget also would add $7 million to a state program that works with local health agencies with the goal of providing mental health services for students and would allocate about $2.5 million annually for school staff training. The news is welcome to school districts across Wisconsin. “Schools are struggling to meet all of those [mental health] needs. I think there is an understanding that this is really something we need to be addressing,” said Joanne Juhnke, policy director at Wisconsin Family Ties, which helps families with children who have mental health challenges. Post Crescent, part of the USA Today network.

In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court is set to rule on whether those who provide mental health treatment to people addicted to illicit drugs can be free from prosecution. Right now, they are not. As reported in the Legal Intelligence, the case concerns two physicians at a drug addiction treatment facility who treated a man with an opioid addiction. In July 2018, a three-judge Superior Court panel upheld that physicians should not have liability protections under the Mental Health Procedures Act (MHPA). The ruling reversed a lower court decision. The Superior Court judges sympathized with the view that treatment of mental illness in drug treatment facilities be given more legal leeway. Whether that leeway remains in place depends on the Supreme Court. If judges decide no, physicians who recognize signs of mental illness in patients being treated for drug addiction would treat the illness at the risk of subsequent liability. The case has again raised the issue of whether alcoholism and drug dependency should be considered mental illnesses. “We don’t believe it was the intended purpose of the MPHA to include drug addiction. Our concern is we don’t want hospitals or rehab facilities just having patients be seen by psychiatrists in order to invoke the MHPA,” said Patrick Mintzer, the lawyer who will argue the cases before the court. A counter view came from Jack Panella, one of the three Superior Court judges. In his decision, he wrote: “In light of current scientific research, as well as the recent addition of ‘addiction disorders’ to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual–5, we suggest that the Department of Human Services revise this definition.” The Legal Intelligence.

An op-ed in the Des Moines Register applauds republican Gov. Kim Reynolds for introducing two bills that are aimed at expanding mental health services to children and family in Iowa. “After decades of discussion and growing public support, these two bills take a huge step toward establishing a children’s mental health system,” wrote guest columnists Erin Drinnin of the United Way of Central Iowa and Kim Scorza of Seasons Center for Behavioral Health. The two also serve as cochairs of the Coalition to Advance Mental Health in Iowa for Kids (CAMHI4Kids), which includes more than 50 organizations. “Just like building a house requires a sturdy foundation, these bills are an important first step toward creating a structure for children’s mental well-being. In particular, CAMHI4Kids appreciates that these bills establish a voice and a seat for children and families at a regional level, using a system that is already in place,” wrote Ms. Drinnin and Ms. Scorza. The legislation would spell out the core services that would be available regardless of location in Iowa. The services would be geared toward children, rather than adults, reflecting the different mental health needs of children. “These important steps would finally sew together a patchwork of care that families currently must navigate with little direction. If a child is hurt on the playground, a caregiver knows to follow a clear path of care to help that child recover. But for a caregiver who is concerned about a child’s mental health, they often don’t know where to turn for help and must seek out services that might not exist in their community,” wrote Ms. Drinnin and Ms. Scorza. In Iowa, 80,000 children have a diagnosed serious emotional disturbance. About half of children aged 14 years and older with mental illness drop out of high school, and 70% of youth in Iowa’s juvenile justice system have a mental illness. “We are proud that Iowa is working together in a bipartisan way to ensure that our kids have the best start for future success,” wrote Ms. Drinnin and Ms. Scorza. Des Moines Register.

Bill Reilly is the peer support program manager for Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Douglas County, Kan. His mental health troubles began in childhood and led to stints in alcohol rehabilitation and mental hospitals, and he tried to end his life several times. But Mr. Reilly now offers his experience to those in trouble. “Those [experiences] can be viewed as a negative until you turn that conversation around and ask, ‘How can this be helpful to another person?’ And to me, that’s where the urgency comes into the work that we’re doing because a clinical relationship is one thing, but a peer support relationship is something different.” He was speaking in support of an initiative that seeks to train and place peer support people in hospital emergency departments in Kansas. The initiative is being spearheaded by Bob Tryanski, Douglas County director of behavioral health projects. “In addition to giving folks the opportunity to have the work experience in an environment where we need peer support, we would wrap around those peers with training, professional development, with coaching and support in an ongoing way,” Mr. Tryanski said, “so that they could become real, robust, huge resources, not just to the emergency department but in our community.” If approved, hiring and training of peers would begin in April, with the goal of having six people in place in emergency rooms by the summer and hiring an additional six people by year end. LJWorld.com.

Police officers often are criticized for the way they respond to people with serious mental illness. What happens when officers find themselves struggling with mental disorders? A police department in Florida is addressing this issue by hiring a licensed clinical psychologist and making her available to officers on a 24/7 basis, an ABC-TV affiliate reported. “The goal is they come in, they work on what they need to; we get them right, we get them good so that they can go back out and do what they need to do – and then they check in as needed,” Brandy Benson, PsyD, said in the report. The meetings take place in her office and not the police station, which allows officers to maintain confidentiality. Each officer is allotted a set number of free sessions for each issue that is fueling their distress. Issues can range from depression to anxiety to marital problems. The aim is prevention – not reaction to whatever has happened. Getting at the root cause can prevent spillover on the job, which in turn, can prove disastrous for officers, the people they serve, and their families. “It’s okay to go through those emotions, but you don’t want to tie those emotions up because sooner or later it’s going to pop and we want to make sure we address that issue before it goes ‘pop,’ ” said St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway. WFTS-TV, Tampa Bay, Fla.

Antonprado/iStock.com

Two women have embarked on their self-described “joy tour” to raise awareness about suicide prevention. Shontice McKenzie and Cedrica Mitchell are on the road with the intention of visiting every state, according to an article on thefix.com, a website that focuses on addiction and recovery. The tour is the brainchild of Ms. McKenzie and is funded by her nonprofit H.U.M.A.N.I.T.Y. 360. During their month-long extended stops in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and a just-completed stay in Alabama, the women are speaking and providing positive outlets to those in turmoil and contemplating suicide, thefix reported, based on a post on al.com. The choice of Alabama as one of the first stops on the planned nationwide tour was deliberate. The suicide rate in the state has been higher than the national average for nearly 3 decades – 16.2/100,000, compared with 13.9/100,000 nationally. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death of those aged 10-14 years in Alabama. Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Mitchell want to see the stigma surrounding mental illness removed. “We have met so many families who are still in denial about a family member who completed the act of suicide because they don’t want the backlash from the public,” Ms. McKenzie said. “They should have received more support around the topic. Then we can prevent suicides. That’s what the Joy Tour is about.” The end of each state visit includes what the two call a “joy jam” – a free event where people can eat, get information on mental health resources in their area, and learn how to incorporate mental health care into their everyday lives. The tour is slated to wrap up in 2023 in Hawaii. Thefix.com.

An editorial in the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal has backed a recently introduced bill in the state legislature that would open the door for mental health screenings for public school students. “This legislation is a worthwhile step in tackling the problem of school shootings as well as other problems that can arise among our children. It should work well in conjunction with other efforts, such as increased school security and gun-law reform,” the paper’s editorial board wrote. The bill would trigger a study by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to come up with a screening system that would identify school children at risk of harming themselves or others. The idea is that all students would be screened initially. “We have nothing that determines if a child has a mental health concern ... to the point they could be contemplating harming themselves or others,” said state Rep. John Torbett, the bill’s main sponsor. “This bill would bring smart people together for determining the appropriate criteria.” One of the bill’s cosponsors, Rep. Debra Forsyth, said school counselors tell her that most of their time is spent dealing with students with emotional and mental issues. “When we were studying the impact of [math and reading standards] a few years back, many parents complained about emotional stress in very young children, so issues can obviously arise at an early age,” Ms. Forsyth said in the article. “Our children are facing pressures from all sides – increased testing, peer pressure, and economic difficulties. They’re not receiving the best resources we could provide. It’s about time they received a helping hand.” Winston-Salem Journal.

A mental health facility has opened in southeast Fresno, Calif., that seeks to provide a bridge for people experiencing a mental health crisis and need a place to live, according to a report by ABC affiliate KFSN. The $5 million, 12,000-square-foot, 16-bed facility is an alternative to hospitalization, said Gerardo Puga-Cervantes, an administrator at the facility. “A facility like this creates a stepping-stone that’s closer to the ones before and after, so when a person is making that pathway toward recovery, it’s not a Grand Canyon they have to leap to get that recovery. It’s really a clear pathway,” said Fresno County Behavioral Health Director Dawan Utecht. The facility, called the Fresno Crisis Residential Treatment Center, will provide psychiatric support to residents and will aim to serve hundreds of people each year. To get into the center, patients must be referred by the county’s behavioral health department. Next, the department hopes to provide residential housing for those who leave the facility. ABC30 Action News/KFSN-TV.

val_shep/Thinkstock

A former dairy farm reincarnated as a school called Green Chimneys in Putnam County, N.Y., is helping children with special needs find solace, the New York Times reported. Aside from usual pigs and goats, the farm’s denizens include more exotic critters, such as camels, an emu, peacocks, miniature horses and donkeys, owls, falcons, and a condor. “Green Chimneys’ approach focuses on an awareness of how trauma impacts human and animal lives, that a healing setting can benefit both, and that there is a broader parallel between human, animal, environmental, and societal well-being,” according to the school’s website. The article describes the experience of 8-year-old Xander DeLeon, who was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, and experienced rages and absences while attending a charter school in Manhattan. Now he is pulling down As and Bs. “The school staff tell him that he won’t be able to work on the farm if he doesn’t continue to do well in school,” said Leslie DeLeon, Xander’s mother. The philosophy is that caring for animals can be a means to confidence and social skills for emotionally challenged children. The day and residential facility now has two campuses in Brewster and Carmel, N.Y., more than 240 students, and about the same number of animals. “There has been a lot of research on pets at home and how healthy it is in the past 10 years,” said Steven Klee, PhD, director of clinical and medical services at Green Chimneys. Yet, as he first became aware of the use of animal intervention for special-needs children, even he was skeptical. “When you have traditional training as a psychologist, you never think about doing anything outside of the office,” Dr. Klee said. But Dr. Klee was converted. “Animals in a sense are purer, more consistent, more accepting. You are kind to the animals; they show their appreciation.” New York Times.

Police officers often are criticized for the way they respond to people with serious mental illness. What happens when officers find themselves struggling with mental disorders? A police department in Florida is addressing this issue by hiring a licensed clinical psychologist and making her available to officers on a 24/7 basis, an ABC-TV affiliate reported. “The goal is they come in, they work on what they need to; we get them right, we get them good so that they can go back out and do what they need to do – and then they check in as needed,” Brandy Benson, PsyD, said in the report. The meetings take place in her office and not the police station, which allows officers to maintain confidentiality. Each officer is allotted a set number of free sessions for each issue that is fueling their distress. Issues can range from depression to anxiety to marital problems. The aim is prevention – not reaction to whatever has happened. Getting at the root cause can prevent spillover on the job, which in turn, can prove disastrous for officers, the people they serve, and their families. “It’s okay to go through those emotions, but you don’t want to tie those emotions up because sooner or later it’s going to pop and we want to make sure we address that issue before it goes ‘pop,’ ” said St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway. WFTS-TV, Tampa Bay, Fla.

Antonprado/iStock.com

Two women have embarked on their self-described “joy tour” to raise awareness about suicide prevention. Shontice McKenzie and Cedrica Mitchell are on the road with the intention of visiting every state, according to an article on thefix.com, a website that focuses on addiction and recovery. The tour is the brainchild of Ms. McKenzie and is funded by her nonprofit H.U.M.A.N.I.T.Y. 360. During their month-long extended stops in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and a just-completed stay in Alabama, the women are speaking and providing positive outlets to those in turmoil and contemplating suicide, thefix reported, based on a post on al.com. The choice of Alabama as one of the first stops on the planned nationwide tour was deliberate. The suicide rate in the state has been higher than the national average for nearly 3 decades – 16.2/100,000, compared with 13.9/100,000 nationally. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death of those aged 10-14 years in Alabama. Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Mitchell want to see the stigma surrounding mental illness removed. “We have met so many families who are still in denial about a family member who completed the act of suicide because they don’t want the backlash from the public,” Ms. McKenzie said. “They should have received more support around the topic. Then we can prevent suicides. That’s what the Joy Tour is about.” The end of each state visit includes what the two call a “joy jam” – a free event where people can eat, get information on mental health resources in their area, and learn how to incorporate mental health care into their everyday lives. The tour is slated to wrap up in 2023 in Hawaii. Thefix.com.

An editorial in the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal has backed a recently introduced bill in the state legislature that would open the door for mental health screenings for public school students. “This legislation is a worthwhile step in tackling the problem of school shootings as well as other problems that can arise among our children. It should work well in conjunction with other efforts, such as increased school security and gun-law reform,” the paper’s editorial board wrote. The bill would trigger a study by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to come up with a screening system that would identify school children at risk of harming themselves or others. The idea is that all students would be screened initially. “We have nothing that determines if a child has a mental health concern ... to the point they could be contemplating harming themselves or others,” said state Rep. John Torbett, the bill’s main sponsor. “This bill would bring smart people together for determining the appropriate criteria.” One of the bill’s cosponsors, Rep. Debra Forsyth, said school counselors tell her that most of their time is spent dealing with students with emotional and mental issues. “When we were studying the impact of [math and reading standards] a few years back, many parents complained about emotional stress in very young children, so issues can obviously arise at an early age,” Ms. Forsyth said in the article. “Our children are facing pressures from all sides – increased testing, peer pressure, and economic difficulties. They’re not receiving the best resources we could provide. It’s about time they received a helping hand.” Winston-Salem Journal.

A mental health facility has opened in southeast Fresno, Calif., that seeks to provide a bridge for people experiencing a mental health crisis and need a place to live, according to a report by ABC affiliate KFSN. The $5 million, 12,000-square-foot, 16-bed facility is an alternative to hospitalization, said Gerardo Puga-Cervantes, an administrator at the facility. “A facility like this creates a stepping-stone that’s closer to the ones before and after, so when a person is making that pathway toward recovery, it’s not a Grand Canyon they have to leap to get that recovery. It’s really a clear pathway,” said Fresno County Behavioral Health Director Dawan Utecht. The facility, called the Fresno Crisis Residential Treatment Center, will provide psychiatric support to residents and will aim to serve hundreds of people each year. To get into the center, patients must be referred by the county’s behavioral health department. Next, the department hopes to provide residential housing for those who leave the facility. ABC30 Action News/KFSN-TV.

val_shep/Thinkstock

A former dairy farm reincarnated as a school called Green Chimneys in Putnam County, N.Y., is helping children with special needs find solace, the New York Times reported. Aside from usual pigs and goats, the farm’s denizens include more exotic critters, such as camels, an emu, peacocks, miniature horses and donkeys, owls, falcons, and a condor. “Green Chimneys’ approach focuses on an awareness of how trauma impacts human and animal lives, that a healing setting can benefit both, and that there is a broader parallel between human, animal, environmental, and societal well-being,” according to the school’s website. The article describes the experience of 8-year-old Xander DeLeon, who was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, and experienced rages and absences while attending a charter school in Manhattan. Now he is pulling down As and Bs. “The school staff tell him that he won’t be able to work on the farm if he doesn’t continue to do well in school,” said Leslie DeLeon, Xander’s mother. The philosophy is that caring for animals can be a means to confidence and social skills for emotionally challenged children. The day and residential facility now has two campuses in Brewster and Carmel, N.Y., more than 240 students, and about the same number of animals. “There has been a lot of research on pets at home and how healthy it is in the past 10 years,” said Steven Klee, PhD, director of clinical and medical services at Green Chimneys. Yet, as he first became aware of the use of animal intervention for special-needs children, even he was skeptical. “When you have traditional training as a psychologist, you never think about doing anything outside of the office,” Dr. Klee said. But Dr. Klee was converted. “Animals in a sense are purer, more consistent, more accepting. You are kind to the animals; they show their appreciation.” New York Times.

Police officers often are criticized for the way they respond to people with serious mental illness. What happens when officers find themselves struggling with mental disorders? A police department in Florida is addressing this issue by hiring a licensed clinical psychologist and making her available to officers on a 24/7 basis, an ABC-TV affiliate reported. “The goal is they come in, they work on what they need to; we get them right, we get them good so that they can go back out and do what they need to do – and then they check in as needed,” Brandy Benson, PsyD, said in the report. The meetings take place in her office and not the police station, which allows officers to maintain confidentiality. Each officer is allotted a set number of free sessions for each issue that is fueling their distress. Issues can range from depression to anxiety to marital problems. The aim is prevention – not reaction to whatever has happened. Getting at the root cause can prevent spillover on the job, which in turn, can prove disastrous for officers, the people they serve, and their families. “It’s okay to go through those emotions, but you don’t want to tie those emotions up because sooner or later it’s going to pop and we want to make sure we address that issue before it goes ‘pop,’ ” said St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway. WFTS-TV, Tampa Bay, Fla.

Antonprado/iStock.com

Two women have embarked on their self-described “joy tour” to raise awareness about suicide prevention. Shontice McKenzie and Cedrica Mitchell are on the road with the intention of visiting every state, according to an article on thefix.com, a website that focuses on addiction and recovery. The tour is the brainchild of Ms. McKenzie and is funded by her nonprofit H.U.M.A.N.I.T.Y. 360. During their month-long extended stops in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and a just-completed stay in Alabama, the women are speaking and providing positive outlets to those in turmoil and contemplating suicide, thefix reported, based on a post on al.com. The choice of Alabama as one of the first stops on the planned nationwide tour was deliberate. The suicide rate in the state has been higher than the national average for nearly 3 decades – 16.2/100,000, compared with 13.9/100,000 nationally. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death of those aged 10-14 years in Alabama. Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Mitchell want to see the stigma surrounding mental illness removed. “We have met so many families who are still in denial about a family member who completed the act of suicide because they don’t want the backlash from the public,” Ms. McKenzie said. “They should have received more support around the topic. Then we can prevent suicides. That’s what the Joy Tour is about.” The end of each state visit includes what the two call a “joy jam” – a free event where people can eat, get information on mental health resources in their area, and learn how to incorporate mental health care into their everyday lives. The tour is slated to wrap up in 2023 in Hawaii. Thefix.com.

An editorial in the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal has backed a recently introduced bill in the state legislature that would open the door for mental health screenings for public school students. “This legislation is a worthwhile step in tackling the problem of school shootings as well as other problems that can arise among our children. It should work well in conjunction with other efforts, such as increased school security and gun-law reform,” the paper’s editorial board wrote. The bill would trigger a study by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to come up with a screening system that would identify school children at risk of harming themselves or others. The idea is that all students would be screened initially. “We have nothing that determines if a child has a mental health concern ... to the point they could be contemplating harming themselves or others,” said state Rep. John Torbett, the bill’s main sponsor. “This bill would bring smart people together for determining the appropriate criteria.” One of the bill’s cosponsors, Rep. Debra Forsyth, said school counselors tell her that most of their time is spent dealing with students with emotional and mental issues. “When we were studying the impact of [math and reading standards] a few years back, many parents complained about emotional stress in very young children, so issues can obviously arise at an early age,” Ms. Forsyth said in the article. “Our children are facing pressures from all sides – increased testing, peer pressure, and economic difficulties. They’re not receiving the best resources we could provide. It’s about time they received a helping hand.” Winston-Salem Journal.

A mental health facility has opened in southeast Fresno, Calif., that seeks to provide a bridge for people experiencing a mental health crisis and need a place to live, according to a report by ABC affiliate KFSN. The $5 million, 12,000-square-foot, 16-bed facility is an alternative to hospitalization, said Gerardo Puga-Cervantes, an administrator at the facility. “A facility like this creates a stepping-stone that’s closer to the ones before and after, so when a person is making that pathway toward recovery, it’s not a Grand Canyon they have to leap to get that recovery. It’s really a clear pathway,” said Fresno County Behavioral Health Director Dawan Utecht. The facility, called the Fresno Crisis Residential Treatment Center, will provide psychiatric support to residents and will aim to serve hundreds of people each year. To get into the center, patients must be referred by the county’s behavioral health department. Next, the department hopes to provide residential housing for those who leave the facility. ABC30 Action News/KFSN-TV.

val_shep/Thinkstock

A former dairy farm reincarnated as a school called Green Chimneys in Putnam County, N.Y., is helping children with special needs find solace, the New York Times reported. Aside from usual pigs and goats, the farm’s denizens include more exotic critters, such as camels, an emu, peacocks, miniature horses and donkeys, owls, falcons, and a condor. “Green Chimneys’ approach focuses on an awareness of how trauma impacts human and animal lives, that a healing setting can benefit both, and that there is a broader parallel between human, animal, environmental, and societal well-being,” according to the school’s website. The article describes the experience of 8-year-old Xander DeLeon, who was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, and experienced rages and absences while attending a charter school in Manhattan. Now he is pulling down As and Bs. “The school staff tell him that he won’t be able to work on the farm if he doesn’t continue to do well in school,” said Leslie DeLeon, Xander’s mother. The philosophy is that caring for animals can be a means to confidence and social skills for emotionally challenged children. The day and residential facility now has two campuses in Brewster and Carmel, N.Y., more than 240 students, and about the same number of animals. “There has been a lot of research on pets at home and how healthy it is in the past 10 years,” said Steven Klee, PhD, director of clinical and medical services at Green Chimneys. Yet, as he first became aware of the use of animal intervention for special-needs children, even he was skeptical. “When you have traditional training as a psychologist, you never think about doing anything outside of the office,” Dr. Klee said. But Dr. Klee was converted. “Animals in a sense are purer, more consistent, more accepting. You are kind to the animals; they show their appreciation.” New York Times.

The experience of recovering from addiction can look different in different people, according to a Washington Post article. Some patients hit “rock bottom” and are able to climb back after connecting with a therapist. Others maintain sobriety by working with sponsors through 12-step programs. Still others are able to attain sobriety and maintain it by carefully vetting social invitations and bypassing situations in which drugs or lots of alcohol are involved. Medications that manage cravings are another intervention used by some of the 22 million Americans reportedly in recovery from drugs and alcohol. A major milestone for those seeking recovery is reaching the 3- to 5-year mark, said Robert D. Ashford, MSW, of the Substance Use Disorders Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. “That benchmark can signal a reduced risk of returning to substance use because the person with addiction has had the time to develop effective coping skills, social connections, and a renewed sense of self.” The Washington Post.

University life can be rewarding, but stress is a reality – and for some, that stress can either exacerbate or trigger mental health challenges. More universities have recognized the mental toll that campus life can exact and have put supports in place. At the University of California, Los Angeles, Internet-based screenings and online mental health treatment are offered with one-on-one personal contact with “resilience peers.” The latter are not licensed counselors, but they are trained to listen and provide an outlet for stressed students. The online help teaches skills that are useful in combating anxiety and depression. The goal is to help as many students as fast as possible. “This program fundamentally changed who I am and how I approach my life,” said UCLA student Nivi Ahlawat. “I may not remember the structures of all the intermediates of the glycolysis pathway I learned in biochemistry class. But I’ll remember what I’ve learned about active listening, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness intervention for the rest of my life.” Meanwhile, Kent (Ohio) State University has provided mental health training to more than 700 students, faculty, and staff. And at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, N.Y., mental health help includes a “wraparound” model that provides aid to economically disadvantaged students whose stress includes putting food on the table for their children. The New York Times.

Sen. Richard Briggs, MD, has proposed a resolution that seeks to loosen the purses of insurance companies in Tennessee, with the aim of better coverage for those with mental health or substance use issues who are seeking treatment. In introducing the resolution, Dr. Briggs noted that, despite the opioid crisis in his state, there is an “undeniable difference in coverage for mental health and substance abuse services for Tennesseans suffering from substance use disorder or opioid use disorder,” compared with the way other traditional diseases are covered and insured. “Mental illness is an illness just like any other medical illness, and should be treated and reimbursed to physicians in the same manner,” said Dr. Briggs, a heart and lung surgeon who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. NewsChannel 5 in Nashville.

“When I tell you I moved down to Miami for the weather, I really mean I moved to South Florida to escape my depression,” wrote Minhae Shim Roth. But for some, other factors get in the way. “The problem is that the heat and humidity can be so oppressive that people are forced indoors, negating the positive benefits of the sunshine,” said Daniel E. Jimenez, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Miami. Last year, more than 560,000 Floridians – or 3.5% of the state’s adults – reportedly contemplated suicide, statistics show. Those stats are comparable with those of New York state. One difference, however, is that people in Miami are less willing to talk about mental health challenges, Ms. Roth suggested. “It’s easy to believe living in the Magic City is like a booze-, drug-, and fun-filled party that never stops. This pervasive hedonistic reputation makes it unpopular and shameful to admit you’re depressed. Everyone’s having fun, so why aren’t you?” Ms. Roth wrote. Those who seek help face an understaffed and underfunded system where an appointment with a psychiatrist can take months to secure. Help needs to come in other forms, according to Ms. Roth, and include “compassion and empathy, public initiatives aimed at combating the stigma of mental illness, greater accessibility to mental health services, and readily available intervention tools.” Miami New Times.

Seven in 10 U.S. teens see anxiety and depression as major problems among their peers. The concerns cut across gender, racial and socioeconomic lines, according to a survey of 920 teens aged 13-17 years. The major reason for the anxiety and depression is school, with 61% of the respondents feeling pressure to excel academically. Girls were far more likely than boys to say they planned to attend a 4-year college (68% vs. 51%). About half of the teens surveyed viewed drug addiction and alcohol consumption as major problems among people their age. Pew Research Center.

The experience of recovering from addiction can look different in different people, according to a Washington Post article. Some patients hit “rock bottom” and are able to climb back after connecting with a therapist. Others maintain sobriety by working with sponsors through 12-step programs. Still others are able to attain sobriety and maintain it by carefully vetting social invitations and bypassing situations in which drugs or lots of alcohol are involved. Medications that manage cravings are another intervention used by some of the 22 million Americans reportedly in recovery from drugs and alcohol. A major milestone for those seeking recovery is reaching the 3- to 5-year mark, said Robert D. Ashford, MSW, of the Substance Use Disorders Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. “That benchmark can signal a reduced risk of returning to substance use because the person with addiction has had the time to develop effective coping skills, social connections, and a renewed sense of self.” The Washington Post.

University life can be rewarding, but stress is a reality – and for some, that stress can either exacerbate or trigger mental health challenges. More universities have recognized the mental toll that campus life can exact and have put supports in place. At the University of California, Los Angeles, Internet-based screenings and online mental health treatment are offered with one-on-one personal contact with “resilience peers.” The latter are not licensed counselors, but they are trained to listen and provide an outlet for stressed students. The online help teaches skills that are useful in combating anxiety and depression. The goal is to help as many students as fast as possible. “This program fundamentally changed who I am and how I approach my life,” said UCLA student Nivi Ahlawat. “I may not remember the structures of all the intermediates of the glycolysis pathway I learned in biochemistry class. But I’ll remember what I’ve learned about active listening, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness intervention for the rest of my life.” Meanwhile, Kent (Ohio) State University has provided mental health training to more than 700 students, faculty, and staff. And at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, N.Y., mental health help includes a “wraparound” model that provides aid to economically disadvantaged students whose stress includes putting food on the table for their children. The New York Times.

Sen. Richard Briggs, MD, has proposed a resolution that seeks to loosen the purses of insurance companies in Tennessee, with the aim of better coverage for those with mental health or substance use issues who are seeking treatment. In introducing the resolution, Dr. Briggs noted that, despite the opioid crisis in his state, there is an “undeniable difference in coverage for mental health and substance abuse services for Tennesseans suffering from substance use disorder or opioid use disorder,” compared with the way other traditional diseases are covered and insured. “Mental illness is an illness just like any other medical illness, and should be treated and reimbursed to physicians in the same manner,” said Dr. Briggs, a heart and lung surgeon who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. NewsChannel 5 in Nashville.

“When I tell you I moved down to Miami for the weather, I really mean I moved to South Florida to escape my depression,” wrote Minhae Shim Roth. But for some, other factors get in the way. “The problem is that the heat and humidity can be so oppressive that people are forced indoors, negating the positive benefits of the sunshine,” said Daniel E. Jimenez, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Miami. Last year, more than 560,000 Floridians – or 3.5% of the state’s adults – reportedly contemplated suicide, statistics show. Those stats are comparable with those of New York state. One difference, however, is that people in Miami are less willing to talk about mental health challenges, Ms. Roth suggested. “It’s easy to believe living in the Magic City is like a booze-, drug-, and fun-filled party that never stops. This pervasive hedonistic reputation makes it unpopular and shameful to admit you’re depressed. Everyone’s having fun, so why aren’t you?” Ms. Roth wrote. Those who seek help face an understaffed and underfunded system where an appointment with a psychiatrist can take months to secure. Help needs to come in other forms, according to Ms. Roth, and include “compassion and empathy, public initiatives aimed at combating the stigma of mental illness, greater accessibility to mental health services, and readily available intervention tools.” Miami New Times.

Seven in 10 U.S. teens see anxiety and depression as major problems among their peers. The concerns cut across gender, racial and socioeconomic lines, according to a survey of 920 teens aged 13-17 years. The major reason for the anxiety and depression is school, with 61% of the respondents feeling pressure to excel academically. Girls were far more likely than boys to say they planned to attend a 4-year college (68% vs. 51%). About half of the teens surveyed viewed drug addiction and alcohol consumption as major problems among people their age. Pew Research Center.

The experience of recovering from addiction can look different in different people, according to a Washington Post article. Some patients hit “rock bottom” and are able to climb back after connecting with a therapist. Others maintain sobriety by working with sponsors through 12-step programs. Still others are able to attain sobriety and maintain it by carefully vetting social invitations and bypassing situations in which drugs or lots of alcohol are involved. Medications that manage cravings are another intervention used by some of the 22 million Americans reportedly in recovery from drugs and alcohol. A major milestone for those seeking recovery is reaching the 3- to 5-year mark, said Robert D. Ashford, MSW, of the Substance Use Disorders Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. “That benchmark can signal a reduced risk of returning to substance use because the person with addiction has had the time to develop effective coping skills, social connections, and a renewed sense of self.” The Washington Post.

University life can be rewarding, but stress is a reality – and for some, that stress can either exacerbate or trigger mental health challenges. More universities have recognized the mental toll that campus life can exact and have put supports in place. At the University of California, Los Angeles, Internet-based screenings and online mental health treatment are offered with one-on-one personal contact with “resilience peers.” The latter are not licensed counselors, but they are trained to listen and provide an outlet for stressed students. The online help teaches skills that are useful in combating anxiety and depression. The goal is to help as many students as fast as possible. “This program fundamentally changed who I am and how I approach my life,” said UCLA student Nivi Ahlawat. “I may not remember the structures of all the intermediates of the glycolysis pathway I learned in biochemistry class. But I’ll remember what I’ve learned about active listening, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness intervention for the rest of my life.” Meanwhile, Kent (Ohio) State University has provided mental health training to more than 700 students, faculty, and staff. And at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, N.Y., mental health help includes a “wraparound” model that provides aid to economically disadvantaged students whose stress includes putting food on the table for their children. The New York Times.

Sen. Richard Briggs, MD, has proposed a resolution that seeks to loosen the purses of insurance companies in Tennessee, with the aim of better coverage for those with mental health or substance use issues who are seeking treatment. In introducing the resolution, Dr. Briggs noted that, despite the opioid crisis in his state, there is an “undeniable difference in coverage for mental health and substance abuse services for Tennesseans suffering from substance use disorder or opioid use disorder,” compared with the way other traditional diseases are covered and insured. “Mental illness is an illness just like any other medical illness, and should be treated and reimbursed to physicians in the same manner,” said Dr. Briggs, a heart and lung surgeon who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. NewsChannel 5 in Nashville.

“When I tell you I moved down to Miami for the weather, I really mean I moved to South Florida to escape my depression,” wrote Minhae Shim Roth. But for some, other factors get in the way. “The problem is that the heat and humidity can be so oppressive that people are forced indoors, negating the positive benefits of the sunshine,” said Daniel E. Jimenez, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Miami. Last year, more than 560,000 Floridians – or 3.5% of the state’s adults – reportedly contemplated suicide, statistics show. Those stats are comparable with those of New York state. One difference, however, is that people in Miami are less willing to talk about mental health challenges, Ms. Roth suggested. “It’s easy to believe living in the Magic City is like a booze-, drug-, and fun-filled party that never stops. This pervasive hedonistic reputation makes it unpopular and shameful to admit you’re depressed. Everyone’s having fun, so why aren’t you?” Ms. Roth wrote. Those who seek help face an understaffed and underfunded system where an appointment with a psychiatrist can take months to secure. Help needs to come in other forms, according to Ms. Roth, and include “compassion and empathy, public initiatives aimed at combating the stigma of mental illness, greater accessibility to mental health services, and readily available intervention tools.” Miami New Times.

Seven in 10 U.S. teens see anxiety and depression as major problems among their peers. The concerns cut across gender, racial and socioeconomic lines, according to a survey of 920 teens aged 13-17 years. The major reason for the anxiety and depression is school, with 61% of the respondents feeling pressure to excel academically. Girls were far more likely than boys to say they planned to attend a 4-year college (68% vs. 51%). About half of the teens surveyed viewed drug addiction and alcohol consumption as major problems among people their age. Pew Research Center.

Help for people with mental health and substance use issues has become more accessible now that the Georgia Crisis & Access Line launched a mobile app. The aim of the My GCAL app is to guide people to free and confidential access, and the targets are those who would rather send a text message than speak to someone over the phone. In Georgia and elsewhere, this tends to be younger people. “We are trying to be proactive,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. “We need kids to know that it’s okay to text if you need help. We have to remove that stigma.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

maewjpho/Thinkstock

Ninth-grade students at the Uplift Hampton Preparatory school in Dallas have been taking part in classroom sessions where role-playing activities are helping them spot the signs of depression in themselves and others. “It’s kind of like ‘Mental Health 101,’ ” said Tony Walker, senior director of student support services at Uplift Education, in an Associated Press article published in the National Post. “So they talk about depression and anxiety and just common mental health issues, and then I think the most important thing is they talk about what to do if you feel that way.” The Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) program, administered by Madhukar H. Trivedi, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is offered to all 9th-graders in the 20-school Uplift Education network in the Dallas area. The program, consisting of five 45-minute sessions, originally was developed at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and Columbia University in New York. A similar initiative offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) teaches students the warning signs of mental health problems. Since the NAMI program launched in 2014, it has reached almost 450,000 youth in 41 states. National Post.

Identifying the source of students’ frustration and anger can prevent them from lashing out, according to a National Public Radio report. But responses rooted in compassion can help diffuse potentially tragic outcomes. The report describes the story of a young man whose struggles started in middle school. An encounter with bullies left him with severe damage in his right eye, and he spent his high school years getting into fights. After school officials stepped in, acknowledged that he had reasons to be angry, and connected him with a mentor who was able to talk and reason with him, the young man graduated on time. He’s now 25 and works full time for a security firm. “Moving kids from despair to hope. That’s the bumper sticker for what we do,” said school psychologist John Van Dreal. The approach “really works,” he added. NPR.

An exhibition now running at the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines is helping patrons explore the reality of mental illness. The Mental Health: Mind Matters exhibition is intended to show the real lives of people with mental illness, with the hope of inspiring better appreciation and empathy. It features audio renderings of what the world can sound like to someone with psychosis, walk-through rooms that take patrons inside the homes of people with depression, and exercises that inspire worry or fear, as well as photography. The aim is to take the patron inside the heads of those with mental illnesses. “A possibility now exists to utilize a constellation of exhibits like Mind Matters to revolutionize understanding, prevention, and wellness nationally, all while unlocking economic benefits and advancing human dignity,” wrote Paul Piwko, the author of an article describing the exhibit. Des Moines Register.

Students are creating a dialogue about suicide awareness and prevention at Gardner (Kansas) Edgerton High School. At a recent basketball game with Shawnee Mission West High School, Gardner Edgerton team members, students, cheerleaders, and fans donned T-shirts emblazoned with “#ZeroReasonsWhy.” The student-led campaign is aimed at encouraging students to seek help rather than consider suicide. At the game, T-shirts and bracelets also were handed out to Shawnee Mission West players in an effort to spread the message. The Kansas City Star.

Help for people with mental health and substance use issues has become more accessible now that the Georgia Crisis & Access Line launched a mobile app. The aim of the My GCAL app is to guide people to free and confidential access, and the targets are those who would rather send a text message than speak to someone over the phone. In Georgia and elsewhere, this tends to be younger people. “We are trying to be proactive,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. “We need kids to know that it’s okay to text if you need help. We have to remove that stigma.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

maewjpho/Thinkstock

Ninth-grade students at the Uplift Hampton Preparatory school in Dallas have been taking part in classroom sessions where role-playing activities are helping them spot the signs of depression in themselves and others. “It’s kind of like ‘Mental Health 101,’ ” said Tony Walker, senior director of student support services at Uplift Education, in an Associated Press article published in the National Post. “So they talk about depression and anxiety and just common mental health issues, and then I think the most important thing is they talk about what to do if you feel that way.” The Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) program, administered by Madhukar H. Trivedi, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is offered to all 9th-graders in the 20-school Uplift Education network in the Dallas area. The program, consisting of five 45-minute sessions, originally was developed at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and Columbia University in New York. A similar initiative offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) teaches students the warning signs of mental health problems. Since the NAMI program launched in 2014, it has reached almost 450,000 youth in 41 states. National Post.

Identifying the source of students’ frustration and anger can prevent them from lashing out, according to a National Public Radio report. But responses rooted in compassion can help diffuse potentially tragic outcomes. The report describes the story of a young man whose struggles started in middle school. An encounter with bullies left him with severe damage in his right eye, and he spent his high school years getting into fights. After school officials stepped in, acknowledged that he had reasons to be angry, and connected him with a mentor who was able to talk and reason with him, the young man graduated on time. He’s now 25 and works full time for a security firm. “Moving kids from despair to hope. That’s the bumper sticker for what we do,” said school psychologist John Van Dreal. The approach “really works,” he added. NPR.

An exhibition now running at the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines is helping patrons explore the reality of mental illness. The Mental Health: Mind Matters exhibition is intended to show the real lives of people with mental illness, with the hope of inspiring better appreciation and empathy. It features audio renderings of what the world can sound like to someone with psychosis, walk-through rooms that take patrons inside the homes of people with depression, and exercises that inspire worry or fear, as well as photography. The aim is to take the patron inside the heads of those with mental illnesses. “A possibility now exists to utilize a constellation of exhibits like Mind Matters to revolutionize understanding, prevention, and wellness nationally, all while unlocking economic benefits and advancing human dignity,” wrote Paul Piwko, the author of an article describing the exhibit. Des Moines Register.

Students are creating a dialogue about suicide awareness and prevention at Gardner (Kansas) Edgerton High School. At a recent basketball game with Shawnee Mission West High School, Gardner Edgerton team members, students, cheerleaders, and fans donned T-shirts emblazoned with “#ZeroReasonsWhy.” The student-led campaign is aimed at encouraging students to seek help rather than consider suicide. At the game, T-shirts and bracelets also were handed out to Shawnee Mission West players in an effort to spread the message. The Kansas City Star.

Help for people with mental health and substance use issues has become more accessible now that the Georgia Crisis & Access Line launched a mobile app. The aim of the My GCAL app is to guide people to free and confidential access, and the targets are those who would rather send a text message than speak to someone over the phone. In Georgia and elsewhere, this tends to be younger people. “We are trying to be proactive,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. “We need kids to know that it’s okay to text if you need help. We have to remove that stigma.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

maewjpho/Thinkstock

Ninth-grade students at the Uplift Hampton Preparatory school in Dallas have been taking part in classroom sessions where role-playing activities are helping them spot the signs of depression in themselves and others. “It’s kind of like ‘Mental Health 101,’ ” said Tony Walker, senior director of student support services at Uplift Education, in an Associated Press article published in the National Post. “So they talk about depression and anxiety and just common mental health issues, and then I think the most important thing is they talk about what to do if you feel that way.” The Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) program, administered by Madhukar H. Trivedi, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is offered to all 9th-graders in the 20-school Uplift Education network in the Dallas area. The program, consisting of five 45-minute sessions, originally was developed at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and Columbia University in New York. A similar initiative offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) teaches students the warning signs of mental health problems. Since the NAMI program launched in 2014, it has reached almost 450,000 youth in 41 states. National Post.

Identifying the source of students’ frustration and anger can prevent them from lashing out, according to a National Public Radio report. But responses rooted in compassion can help diffuse potentially tragic outcomes. The report describes the story of a young man whose struggles started in middle school. An encounter with bullies left him with severe damage in his right eye, and he spent his high school years getting into fights. After school officials stepped in, acknowledged that he had reasons to be angry, and connected him with a mentor who was able to talk and reason with him, the young man graduated on time. He’s now 25 and works full time for a security firm. “Moving kids from despair to hope. That’s the bumper sticker for what we do,” said school psychologist John Van Dreal. The approach “really works,” he added. NPR.

An exhibition now running at the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines is helping patrons explore the reality of mental illness. The Mental Health: Mind Matters exhibition is intended to show the real lives of people with mental illness, with the hope of inspiring better appreciation and empathy. It features audio renderings of what the world can sound like to someone with psychosis, walk-through rooms that take patrons inside the homes of people with depression, and exercises that inspire worry or fear, as well as photography. The aim is to take the patron inside the heads of those with mental illnesses. “A possibility now exists to utilize a constellation of exhibits like Mind Matters to revolutionize understanding, prevention, and wellness nationally, all while unlocking economic benefits and advancing human dignity,” wrote Paul Piwko, the author of an article describing the exhibit. Des Moines Register.

Students are creating a dialogue about suicide awareness and prevention at Gardner (Kansas) Edgerton High School. At a recent basketball game with Shawnee Mission West High School, Gardner Edgerton team members, students, cheerleaders, and fans donned T-shirts emblazoned with “#ZeroReasonsWhy.” The student-led campaign is aimed at encouraging students to seek help rather than consider suicide. At the game, T-shirts and bracelets also were handed out to Shawnee Mission West players in an effort to spread the message. The Kansas City Star.

The people of Fayette County, Ky., reportedly have experienced five suicides by children in the last year. The latest suicide occurred several weeks ago and involved a 12-year-old girl. This followed the suicides of children aged 10, 11, 13, and 14 years.

TatyanaGl/Getty Images

The deaths are not related, and there seems to be no connection to race or gender. All involved hanging, and one child might have been bullied.

The cases reflect a disturbing trend in Kentucky and across the country. In 2015, 25% of suicides of children under 17 years in Kentucky involved those aged 10-14, a 14% increase from 4 years earlier. The percentage of 6th-grade students who have thought about or planned their suicide also has climbed in recent years. Nationally, suicides involving children aged 10-14 years doubled from 2007 to 2014, according to 2016 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fayette County Coroner Gary W. Ginn said the deaths in Kentucky provide another example of how events in life that might be less traumatic to adults can cause mental anguish for children, anguish which can lead some to take their own lives.

“We should be very worried to have this many cases, but we should not be hopeless,“ said Susan H. Pollack, MD, a pediatrician at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital, Lexington, in an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader. She added that resources and programs are available but that stronger support systems focusing on youth are needed.

“Our families have limited options when their child needs a higher level of care. ... Local agencies often have a wait list,” Fayette County Public Schools spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall said in the article. “We have made referrals and seen it take weeks for children to get the help they need. Where do families turn when their child is in crisis? Who provides care when school is not in session?”

Rural Arizona facing crisis

Living in rural areas can prove isolating, and gaining access to health care, including mental health care, can be challenging. A segment presented on KOLD News 13 in Tucson provided yet another examples of the mental health crisis in rural America.

Cochise County is an area of about 6,200 square miles in the southeast corner of Arizona. The area, which is about eight times bigger than New York City, is home to about 125,000 people. For those with mental health issues, it’s a bleak place to live, with only two psychiatrists available and no mental health facility.

“It’s as if we got a fire going that we can’t put out,” said James P. Reed, DO, in an interview. He is one of the two psychiatrists practicing in the county. In the last 2 months alone, 64 new people have sought his help, and he has had to turn many away.

Dr. Reed has been practicing in the country for 35 years, which gives him a longer-term perspective. “It’s so much worse now. I don’t know what it is, if it’s a consequence of our society and the direction it’s going. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

The main reason behind the paucity of mental health professionals comes down to economics. Burdened with student loan debts after graduation from medical school, the low salaries of rural positions cripple the recruitment of psychiatrists and other medical professionals.

In Cochise County, as elsewhere, the main refuge for people with mental illness is jail. “We have people in there [who] really shouldn’t be in there,” said Cochise County Sheriff Mark J. Dannels. “These people need special help that I can’t provide to them. It’s almost a misjustice to have them in our jail. Unfortunately, there’s no other place to put them.”

Perils of involuntary mental health holds

South Dakota is one of five states where jailing people with mental illness is part of a deliberate strategy, and the state’s new governor wants to change the practice.

“They’re not criminals,” Gov. Kristi Noem said in an article published in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. “They’re having a crisis at a point in time when they need to be observed, but unfortunately, in a lot of communities, that’s the only option that folks have.”

The article cited the case of Nick Johnson, a 14-year-old whose mental health struggles include the loss of control that can include aggressiveness. Although not charged with any offense, the response had been stints in the Minnehaha County Juvenile Detention Center. “It feels like I’m in prison,” Nick said. “Why would a kid have to go through that?”

National advocacy groups have criticized the practice of imprisoning people with mental illness, and local jail officials have complained that their facilities have not been designed to deliver mental health treatment. “If you look at it from a strictly medical perspective, being in a jail setting is almost guaranteed to make somebody’s mental health crisis worse, not better,” said Lisa Dailey, legislative and policy counsel for the Treatment Advocacy Center, a national nonprofit that surveys and ranks states for their mental health policies. “It’s the worst possible thing you could do.” The report said the other states that take this approach toward people with mental illness are Texas, Wyoming, New Mexico, and North Dakota.
 

Cutbacks may hit recovery centers

Idaho’s nine crisis centers are in peril in the first year of the administration of Gov. Brad Little. The centers, located in nine of the state’s cities, collectively had requested about $890,000 from the Idaho Millennium Fund that would enable them to stabilize precarious financing and improve outreach efforts in surrounding rural communities.

However, as the Idaho Statesman reported, the funding request did not make it to the governor’s budget recommendation for 2020. Instead, the governor intends to use the Millennium Fund funds to expand Medicaid coverage. The consequence of the lack of state financial support could be the shuttering of all nine centers. If that happens, it would be much harder for those in the throes of or recovering from addiction or mental health issues to find the support they need.

“[The centers’] continued survival has been something of a miracle already,” said Norma Jaeger, executive director of Recovery Idaho. The organization had submitted the funding request on behalf of the nine centers. “Hopefully, a better funding solution is on the horizon,” said Ms. Jaeger.

Some in government disagree with that view, contending that the ongoing use of the Millennium Fund was never in the plans and that the centers were expected to seek other nongovernmental sources of funding. This tact is contrary to the traditional state funding of mental health and substance abuse programs. The legality of the move is being considered by the state Supreme Court.

Mental health and religious faith

A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer related the downsides and upsides of religious belief in the struggle against depression. The article discussed Yashi Brown, who at age 20, dealt with a bout of depression that led to manic episodes and contemplation of suicide. To her dismay, Ms. Brown found that her Jehovah’s Witness faith community was of little help.

Twenty years later, Ms. Brown, who now works as a mental health advocate in Los Angeles, better understands why relying on the faith’s teachings did not work. “I was in the throes of a manic episode,” she said. “I didn’t even have the tools to say a prayer.”

Ms. Brown’s experience highlights the burden faced by some religious traditions in helping church members with mental health issues. Instead of receiving tangible care from mental health professionals, those who are suffering can be told to rely on faith alone. The fallout is especially profound for African Americans like Ms. Brown, research shows. African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious psychological distress than their white counterparts but are less likely to seek help – even if they can financially afford it.

The racial/ethnic disparities in health care that affect African Americans partly explains this reticence to seek treatment. Another factor is the multigenerational acceptance among some African Americans of mental trauma as a normal part of life, according to Meagan McLeod, a pastor and spiritual care director for Friends Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in northeast Philadelphia. “The idea is, if prayer worked for our ancestors when we were in slavery, then prayer has to be able to work now,” said Ms. McLeod.

Meanwhile, the article said, mental health professionals and clergy think that faith and mental health treatment “can – and should – work together. Research suggests higher levels of religiosity or spirituality are associated with lower rates of depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, and suicidal thoughts. Prayer can have the same calming effects as meditation,” such as both lowering blood pressure and respiratory rates. Incorporating religious approaches into the mental health treatment of African American patients might be particularly helpful, the article said.

The people of Fayette County, Ky., reportedly have experienced five suicides by children in the last year. The latest suicide occurred several weeks ago and involved a 12-year-old girl. This followed the suicides of children aged 10, 11, 13, and 14 years.

TatyanaGl/Getty Images

The deaths are not related, and there seems to be no connection to race or gender. All involved hanging, and one child might have been bullied.

The cases reflect a disturbing trend in Kentucky and across the country. In 2015, 25% of suicides of children under 17 years in Kentucky involved those aged 10-14, a 14% increase from 4 years earlier. The percentage of 6th-grade students who have thought about or planned their suicide also has climbed in recent years. Nationally, suicides involving children aged 10-14 years doubled from 2007 to 2014, according to 2016 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fayette County Coroner Gary W. Ginn said the deaths in Kentucky provide another example of how events in life that might be less traumatic to adults can cause mental anguish for children, anguish which can lead some to take their own lives.

“We should be very worried to have this many cases, but we should not be hopeless,“ said Susan H. Pollack, MD, a pediatrician at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital, Lexington, in an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader. She added that resources and programs are available but that stronger support systems focusing on youth are needed.

“Our families have limited options when their child needs a higher level of care. ... Local agencies often have a wait list,” Fayette County Public Schools spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall said in the article. “We have made referrals and seen it take weeks for children to get the help they need. Where do families turn when their child is in crisis? Who provides care when school is not in session?”

Rural Arizona facing crisis

Living in rural areas can prove isolating, and gaining access to health care, including mental health care, can be challenging. A segment presented on KOLD News 13 in Tucson provided yet another examples of the mental health crisis in rural America.

Cochise County is an area of about 6,200 square miles in the southeast corner of Arizona. The area, which is about eight times bigger than New York City, is home to about 125,000 people. For those with mental health issues, it’s a bleak place to live, with only two psychiatrists available and no mental health facility.

“It’s as if we got a fire going that we can’t put out,” said James P. Reed, DO, in an interview. He is one of the two psychiatrists practicing in the county. In the last 2 months alone, 64 new people have sought his help, and he has had to turn many away.

Dr. Reed has been practicing in the country for 35 years, which gives him a longer-term perspective. “It’s so much worse now. I don’t know what it is, if it’s a consequence of our society and the direction it’s going. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

The main reason behind the paucity of mental health professionals comes down to economics. Burdened with student loan debts after graduation from medical school, the low salaries of rural positions cripple the recruitment of psychiatrists and other medical professionals.

In Cochise County, as elsewhere, the main refuge for people with mental illness is jail. “We have people in there [who] really shouldn’t be in there,” said Cochise County Sheriff Mark J. Dannels. “These people need special help that I can’t provide to them. It’s almost a misjustice to have them in our jail. Unfortunately, there’s no other place to put them.”

Perils of involuntary mental health holds

South Dakota is one of five states where jailing people with mental illness is part of a deliberate strategy, and the state’s new governor wants to change the practice.

“They’re not criminals,” Gov. Kristi Noem said in an article published in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. “They’re having a crisis at a point in time when they need to be observed, but unfortunately, in a lot of communities, that’s the only option that folks have.”

The article cited the case of Nick Johnson, a 14-year-old whose mental health struggles include the loss of control that can include aggressiveness. Although not charged with any offense, the response had been stints in the Minnehaha County Juvenile Detention Center. “It feels like I’m in prison,” Nick said. “Why would a kid have to go through that?”

National advocacy groups have criticized the practice of imprisoning people with mental illness, and local jail officials have complained that their facilities have not been designed to deliver mental health treatment. “If you look at it from a strictly medical perspective, being in a jail setting is almost guaranteed to make somebody’s mental health crisis worse, not better,” said Lisa Dailey, legislative and policy counsel for the Treatment Advocacy Center, a national nonprofit that surveys and ranks states for their mental health policies. “It’s the worst possible thing you could do.” The report said the other states that take this approach toward people with mental illness are Texas, Wyoming, New Mexico, and North Dakota.
 

Cutbacks may hit recovery centers

Idaho’s nine crisis centers are in peril in the first year of the administration of Gov. Brad Little. The centers, located in nine of the state’s cities, collectively had requested about $890,000 from the Idaho Millennium Fund that would enable them to stabilize precarious financing and improve outreach efforts in surrounding rural communities.

However, as the Idaho Statesman reported, the funding request did not make it to the governor’s budget recommendation for 2020. Instead, the governor intends to use the Millennium Fund funds to expand Medicaid coverage. The consequence of the lack of state financial support could be the shuttering of all nine centers. If that happens, it would be much harder for those in the throes of or recovering from addiction or mental health issues to find the support they need.

“[The centers’] continued survival has been something of a miracle already,” said Norma Jaeger, executive director of Recovery Idaho. The organization had submitted the funding request on behalf of the nine centers. “Hopefully, a better funding solution is on the horizon,” said Ms. Jaeger.

Some in government disagree with that view, contending that the ongoing use of the Millennium Fund was never in the plans and that the centers were expected to seek other nongovernmental sources of funding. This tact is contrary to the traditional state funding of mental health and substance abuse programs. The legality of the move is being considered by the state Supreme Court.

Mental health and religious faith

A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer related the downsides and upsides of religious belief in the struggle against depression. The article discussed Yashi Brown, who at age 20, dealt with a bout of depression that led to manic episodes and contemplation of suicide. To her dismay, Ms. Brown found that her Jehovah’s Witness faith community was of little help.

Twenty years later, Ms. Brown, who now works as a mental health advocate in Los Angeles, better understands why relying on the faith’s teachings did not work. “I was in the throes of a manic episode,” she said. “I didn’t even have the tools to say a prayer.”

Ms. Brown’s experience highlights the burden faced by some religious traditions in helping church members with mental health issues. Instead of receiving tangible care from mental health professionals, those who are suffering can be told to rely on faith alone. The fallout is especially profound for African Americans like Ms. Brown, research shows. African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious psychological distress than their white counterparts but are less likely to seek help – even if they can financially afford it.

The racial/ethnic disparities in health care that affect African Americans partly explains this reticence to seek treatment. Another factor is the multigenerational acceptance among some African Americans of mental trauma as a normal part of life, according to Meagan McLeod, a pastor and spiritual care director for Friends Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in northeast Philadelphia. “The idea is, if prayer worked for our ancestors when we were in slavery, then prayer has to be able to work now,” said Ms. McLeod.

Meanwhile, the article said, mental health professionals and clergy think that faith and mental health treatment “can – and should – work together. Research suggests higher levels of religiosity or spirituality are associated with lower rates of depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, and suicidal thoughts. Prayer can have the same calming effects as meditation,” such as both lowering blood pressure and respiratory rates. Incorporating religious approaches into the mental health treatment of African American patients might be particularly helpful, the article said.

The people of Fayette County, Ky., reportedly have experienced five suicides by children in the last year. The latest suicide occurred several weeks ago and involved a 12-year-old girl. This followed the suicides of children aged 10, 11, 13, and 14 years.

TatyanaGl/Getty Images

The deaths are not related, and there seems to be no connection to race or gender. All involved hanging, and one child might have been bullied.

The cases reflect a disturbing trend in Kentucky and across the country. In 2015, 25% of suicides of children under 17 years in Kentucky involved those aged 10-14, a 14% increase from 4 years earlier. The percentage of 6th-grade students who have thought about or planned their suicide also has climbed in recent years. Nationally, suicides involving children aged 10-14 years doubled from 2007 to 2014, according to 2016 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fayette County Coroner Gary W. Ginn said the deaths in Kentucky provide another example of how events in life that might be less traumatic to adults can cause mental anguish for children, anguish which can lead some to take their own lives.

“We should be very worried to have this many cases, but we should not be hopeless,“ said Susan H. Pollack, MD, a pediatrician at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital, Lexington, in an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader. She added that resources and programs are available but that stronger support systems focusing on youth are needed.

“Our families have limited options when their child needs a higher level of care. ... Local agencies often have a wait list,” Fayette County Public Schools spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall said in the article. “We have made referrals and seen it take weeks for children to get the help they need. Where do families turn when their child is in crisis? Who provides care when school is not in session?”

Rural Arizona facing crisis

Living in rural areas can prove isolating, and gaining access to health care, including mental health care, can be challenging. A segment presented on KOLD News 13 in Tucson provided yet another examples of the mental health crisis in rural America.

Cochise County is an area of about 6,200 square miles in the southeast corner of Arizona. The area, which is about eight times bigger than New York City, is home to about 125,000 people. For those with mental health issues, it’s a bleak place to live, with only two psychiatrists available and no mental health facility.

“It’s as if we got a fire going that we can’t put out,” said James P. Reed, DO, in an interview. He is one of the two psychiatrists practicing in the county. In the last 2 months alone, 64 new people have sought his help, and he has had to turn many away.

Dr. Reed has been practicing in the country for 35 years, which gives him a longer-term perspective. “It’s so much worse now. I don’t know what it is, if it’s a consequence of our society and the direction it’s going. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

The main reason behind the paucity of mental health professionals comes down to economics. Burdened with student loan debts after graduation from medical school, the low salaries of rural positions cripple the recruitment of psychiatrists and other medical professionals.

In Cochise County, as elsewhere, the main refuge for people with mental illness is jail. “We have people in there [who] really shouldn’t be in there,” said Cochise County Sheriff Mark J. Dannels. “These people need special help that I can’t provide to them. It’s almost a misjustice to have them in our jail. Unfortunately, there’s no other place to put them.”

Perils of involuntary mental health holds

South Dakota is one of five states where jailing people with mental illness is part of a deliberate strategy, and the state’s new governor wants to change the practice.

“They’re not criminals,” Gov. Kristi Noem said in an article published in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. “They’re having a crisis at a point in time when they need to be observed, but unfortunately, in a lot of communities, that’s the only option that folks have.”

The article cited the case of Nick Johnson, a 14-year-old whose mental health struggles include the loss of control that can include aggressiveness. Although not charged with any offense, the response had been stints in the Minnehaha County Juvenile Detention Center. “It feels like I’m in prison,” Nick said. “Why would a kid have to go through that?”

National advocacy groups have criticized the practice of imprisoning people with mental illness, and local jail officials have complained that their facilities have not been designed to deliver mental health treatment. “If you look at it from a strictly medical perspective, being in a jail setting is almost guaranteed to make somebody’s mental health crisis worse, not better,” said Lisa Dailey, legislative and policy counsel for the Treatment Advocacy Center, a national nonprofit that surveys and ranks states for their mental health policies. “It’s the worst possible thing you could do.” The report said the other states that take this approach toward people with mental illness are Texas, Wyoming, New Mexico, and North Dakota.
 

Cutbacks may hit recovery centers

Idaho’s nine crisis centers are in peril in the first year of the administration of Gov. Brad Little. The centers, located in nine of the state’s cities, collectively had requested about $890,000 from the Idaho Millennium Fund that would enable them to stabilize precarious financing and improve outreach efforts in surrounding rural communities.

However, as the Idaho Statesman reported, the funding request did not make it to the governor’s budget recommendation for 2020. Instead, the governor intends to use the Millennium Fund funds to expand Medicaid coverage. The consequence of the lack of state financial support could be the shuttering of all nine centers. If that happens, it would be much harder for those in the throes of or recovering from addiction or mental health issues to find the support they need.

“[The centers’] continued survival has been something of a miracle already,” said Norma Jaeger, executive director of Recovery Idaho. The organization had submitted the funding request on behalf of the nine centers. “Hopefully, a better funding solution is on the horizon,” said Ms. Jaeger.

Some in government disagree with that view, contending that the ongoing use of the Millennium Fund was never in the plans and that the centers were expected to seek other nongovernmental sources of funding. This tact is contrary to the traditional state funding of mental health and substance abuse programs. The legality of the move is being considered by the state Supreme Court.

Mental health and religious faith

A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer related the downsides and upsides of religious belief in the struggle against depression. The article discussed Yashi Brown, who at age 20, dealt with a bout of depression that led to manic episodes and contemplation of suicide. To her dismay, Ms. Brown found that her Jehovah’s Witness faith community was of little help.

Twenty years later, Ms. Brown, who now works as a mental health advocate in Los Angeles, better understands why relying on the faith’s teachings did not work. “I was in the throes of a manic episode,” she said. “I didn’t even have the tools to say a prayer.”

Ms. Brown’s experience highlights the burden faced by some religious traditions in helping church members with mental health issues. Instead of receiving tangible care from mental health professionals, those who are suffering can be told to rely on faith alone. The fallout is especially profound for African Americans like Ms. Brown, research shows. African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious psychological distress than their white counterparts but are less likely to seek help – even if they can financially afford it.

The racial/ethnic disparities in health care that affect African Americans partly explains this reticence to seek treatment. Another factor is the multigenerational acceptance among some African Americans of mental trauma as a normal part of life, according to Meagan McLeod, a pastor and spiritual care director for Friends Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in northeast Philadelphia. “The idea is, if prayer worked for our ancestors when we were in slavery, then prayer has to be able to work now,” said Ms. McLeod.

Meanwhile, the article said, mental health professionals and clergy think that faith and mental health treatment “can – and should – work together. Research suggests higher levels of religiosity or spirituality are associated with lower rates of depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, and suicidal thoughts. Prayer can have the same calming effects as meditation,” such as both lowering blood pressure and respiratory rates. Incorporating religious approaches into the mental health treatment of African American patients might be particularly helpful, the article said.

Evidence that American football can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), continues to grow. As a result, some parents are opting to sign their sons up for other sports.

©james boulette/Thinkstock

In the 2017-2018 school year, 6.6% fewer high school athletes participated in tackle football than did 8 years before according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. As the movement away from football continues, a pronounced shift is occurring in the prevalence of young black men in the game.

Many black parents encourage their sons to play football as a way to protect them gang activity. In addition, the sport can be their sole option for securing a college education for their children, an article in the Atlantic said. A recent survey of 50,000 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students found that tackle football is predominantly the domain of black youth.

“This divergence paints a troubling picture of how economic opportunity – or a lack thereof – governs which boys are incentivized to put their body and brain at risk to play. Depending on where families live, and what other options are available to them, they see either a game that is too violent to consider or one that is necessary and important, if risky. Millions of Americans still watch football; NFL ratings were up this season,” Alana Semuels wrote in the article. “That a distinct portion of families won’t let their children play creates a disturbing future for the country’s most popular game.”

“Without a reversal in economic fortunes for poor communities across the country, football could one day become a sport played almost exclusively by black athletes, while still enjoyed by everyone. Black athletes – who already make up the majority of players in the most dangerous on-field positions – would continue to suffer from long-term brain damage, their life cut short by dementia and the scourge of CTE,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, numerous outlets reported that Super Bowl LIII garnered the lowest ratings since 2008.
 

Psychiatric hospital set to close

In both Kansas and Missouri, a shortage in mental health care has become evident, according to an article in the Kansas City Star. And now the Two Rivers Behavioral Health System, a private psychiatric hospital in southeast Kansas City, Mo., is closing its doors. The result will be a loss of 129 jobs and 105 fewer mental health beds in the city.

Patients currently in the facility will be relocated, and their care will continue. But for those who come after, care will now be tougher to find.

Two Rivers, owned by Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services, treats children and adults. It had 2,347 discharges in 2017 and almost $28 million in revenue but had a net loss of about $3.4 million. The facility has been under scrutiny in the past two decades over its treatment of patients, with accusations about the bolstering of false memories concerning involvements in satanic cults and the treatment of a convicted sex offender who assaulted another patient. The most recent state inspection showed that Two Rivers had failed to provide a safe environment for six patients who were considered suicide risks. The patients had unsupervised access to the nurses’ station, as well as access to pens that could have been used for stabbing and a charging cord that could have been used for strangulation.

In an interview with the Star, Mark Stringer, director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, said private psychiatric hospitals like Two Rivers are finding it harder to keep functioning, partly because of nursing shortages. Private facilities are not subsidized like state mental hospitals and are unable to secure staff from other facilities.

“There is a general worry about the availability of psychiatric services for people in crisis; there’s just no doubt about that,” Mr. Stringer said. “The loss of beds certainly hurts.”
 

New center offers ‘kind patient care’

In Nashville, Tenn., a new mental illness crisis treatment center is open. The center offers a 24/7 option for those with mental health issues who have run afoul of the law. Instead of incarceration, they can receive treatment, the Tennessean reported.

Estimates are that more than 1 million residents of Tennessee aged 18 years and older have a mental health or substance use disorder. About 25% of those residents having a serious mental health illness.

The new facility includes a crisis walk-in center and a unit where those in the throes of a mental health crisis can seek care. A goal is to get people suffering from an urgent mental illness crisis connected to help faster, especially when they come into contact with police.

“It’s very important to come to a place that’s going to get you help,” Bonnie Kelly said in the article. Ms. Kelly, who reportedly has bipolar disorder, has been arrested several times for disorderly conduct tied to her condition. “It means everything. It is good, kind patient care, rather than just getting you out of the way.”

Aside from benefiting those in need of mental health care, the center will ease the strain on Nashville police, who currently spend more than 5,000 hours each year responding to mental health–related calls. The officers must remain with the person until transfer to a jail or mental health facility is done.

“As a city, we are recognizing that there is a need, and we are investing in that,” East Precinct Commander David Imhof said in the article. “We are helping a population that has had no voice in the past.” Right now, fewer than 60% of patients discharged from state mental health facilities receive any sort of coverage. The result can be cycles of release, arrest, and incarceration.
 

Agency aims to protect patients

The Oregon Health Authority has stepped in to prevent numerous state-funded mental health facilities run by the same contractor from booting out patients with severe mental health problems.

The contractor is Kepro, a Pennsylvania-based company. Since December, the health authority has reversed decisions to release 17 patients, according to an article in the Oregonian. The harder line follows revelations by the newspaper of serious harm to patients who had been released before they were capable of caring for themselves.

Kepro was hired by the health authority and paid $27 million to evaluate the medical needs of mental health patients in Oregon. As part of the evaluation, 215 of 250 patients were deemed unqualified to remain in care.

One was Ruane Oliverio, who has schizophrenia, who was kicked out of a locked facility in Portland last June. Clinicians had warned against her release, insisting that her mental state remained too vulnerable. After being hospitalized multiple times, she was sent to the Oregon State Hospital, the highest and most expensive level of care. She was one of those targeted for release. This decision was reversed, and she continues to receive care.
 

Coalition seeks mental health care for refugees

A new coalition called Matters Involving Neuro-Disorders, or MIND, is trying to help refugees with mental health conditions. The effort is a response to several mental health-related deaths of refugees during 2014-2016, a video produced by the San Diego Union-Tribune said.

“Refugees are brought to this country to help them rebuild their lives,” said Justin Mudekereza, executive director of New Neighbor Relief, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping refugees adjust to their new lives in the United States. “They have gone through a lot in their countries, then from there, they went to refugee camps, where they spend 15-20 years or more before they got a chance to come to this country.”

Sheila S. Mitra-Sarkar, PhD, of the Institute of Public Urban Affairs at San Diego State University, described the need for a “comprehensive solution” to help refugees adapt to their new society, learn English, find housing and employment, and thrive.

“When I see a patient or someone who seems to have a psychological issue ... I look at everything that goes around them,” said John C. Kuek, PhD, of La Maestra Community Health Centers in San Diego. “I’m looking at the housing issue, the employment issue, and translational issue – meaning they have some family back home and they have a live family here to care for.”

Evidence that American football can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), continues to grow. As a result, some parents are opting to sign their sons up for other sports.

©james boulette/Thinkstock

In the 2017-2018 school year, 6.6% fewer high school athletes participated in tackle football than did 8 years before according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. As the movement away from football continues, a pronounced shift is occurring in the prevalence of young black men in the game.

Many black parents encourage their sons to play football as a way to protect them gang activity. In addition, the sport can be their sole option for securing a college education for their children, an article in the Atlantic said. A recent survey of 50,000 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students found that tackle football is predominantly the domain of black youth.

“This divergence paints a troubling picture of how economic opportunity – or a lack thereof – governs which boys are incentivized to put their body and brain at risk to play. Depending on where families live, and what other options are available to them, they see either a game that is too violent to consider or one that is necessary and important, if risky. Millions of Americans still watch football; NFL ratings were up this season,” Alana Semuels wrote in the article. “That a distinct portion of families won’t let their children play creates a disturbing future for the country’s most popular game.”

“Without a reversal in economic fortunes for poor communities across the country, football could one day become a sport played almost exclusively by black athletes, while still enjoyed by everyone. Black athletes – who already make up the majority of players in the most dangerous on-field positions – would continue to suffer from long-term brain damage, their life cut short by dementia and the scourge of CTE,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, numerous outlets reported that Super Bowl LIII garnered the lowest ratings since 2008.
 

Psychiatric hospital set to close

In both Kansas and Missouri, a shortage in mental health care has become evident, according to an article in the Kansas City Star. And now the Two Rivers Behavioral Health System, a private psychiatric hospital in southeast Kansas City, Mo., is closing its doors. The result will be a loss of 129 jobs and 105 fewer mental health beds in the city.

Patients currently in the facility will be relocated, and their care will continue. But for those who come after, care will now be tougher to find.

Two Rivers, owned by Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services, treats children and adults. It had 2,347 discharges in 2017 and almost $28 million in revenue but had a net loss of about $3.4 million. The facility has been under scrutiny in the past two decades over its treatment of patients, with accusations about the bolstering of false memories concerning involvements in satanic cults and the treatment of a convicted sex offender who assaulted another patient. The most recent state inspection showed that Two Rivers had failed to provide a safe environment for six patients who were considered suicide risks. The patients had unsupervised access to the nurses’ station, as well as access to pens that could have been used for stabbing and a charging cord that could have been used for strangulation.

In an interview with the Star, Mark Stringer, director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, said private psychiatric hospitals like Two Rivers are finding it harder to keep functioning, partly because of nursing shortages. Private facilities are not subsidized like state mental hospitals and are unable to secure staff from other facilities.

“There is a general worry about the availability of psychiatric services for people in crisis; there’s just no doubt about that,” Mr. Stringer said. “The loss of beds certainly hurts.”
 

New center offers ‘kind patient care’

In Nashville, Tenn., a new mental illness crisis treatment center is open. The center offers a 24/7 option for those with mental health issues who have run afoul of the law. Instead of incarceration, they can receive treatment, the Tennessean reported.

Estimates are that more than 1 million residents of Tennessee aged 18 years and older have a mental health or substance use disorder. About 25% of those residents having a serious mental health illness.

The new facility includes a crisis walk-in center and a unit where those in the throes of a mental health crisis can seek care. A goal is to get people suffering from an urgent mental illness crisis connected to help faster, especially when they come into contact with police.

“It’s very important to come to a place that’s going to get you help,” Bonnie Kelly said in the article. Ms. Kelly, who reportedly has bipolar disorder, has been arrested several times for disorderly conduct tied to her condition. “It means everything. It is good, kind patient care, rather than just getting you out of the way.”

Aside from benefiting those in need of mental health care, the center will ease the strain on Nashville police, who currently spend more than 5,000 hours each year responding to mental health–related calls. The officers must remain with the person until transfer to a jail or mental health facility is done.

“As a city, we are recognizing that there is a need, and we are investing in that,” East Precinct Commander David Imhof said in the article. “We are helping a population that has had no voice in the past.” Right now, fewer than 60% of patients discharged from state mental health facilities receive any sort of coverage. The result can be cycles of release, arrest, and incarceration.
 

Agency aims to protect patients

The Oregon Health Authority has stepped in to prevent numerous state-funded mental health facilities run by the same contractor from booting out patients with severe mental health problems.

The contractor is Kepro, a Pennsylvania-based company. Since December, the health authority has reversed decisions to release 17 patients, according to an article in the Oregonian. The harder line follows revelations by the newspaper of serious harm to patients who had been released before they were capable of caring for themselves.

Kepro was hired by the health authority and paid $27 million to evaluate the medical needs of mental health patients in Oregon. As part of the evaluation, 215 of 250 patients were deemed unqualified to remain in care.

One was Ruane Oliverio, who has schizophrenia, who was kicked out of a locked facility in Portland last June. Clinicians had warned against her release, insisting that her mental state remained too vulnerable. After being hospitalized multiple times, she was sent to the Oregon State Hospital, the highest and most expensive level of care. She was one of those targeted for release. This decision was reversed, and she continues to receive care.
 

Coalition seeks mental health care for refugees

A new coalition called Matters Involving Neuro-Disorders, or MIND, is trying to help refugees with mental health conditions. The effort is a response to several mental health-related deaths of refugees during 2014-2016, a video produced by the San Diego Union-Tribune said.

“Refugees are brought to this country to help them rebuild their lives,” said Justin Mudekereza, executive director of New Neighbor Relief, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping refugees adjust to their new lives in the United States. “They have gone through a lot in their countries, then from there, they went to refugee camps, where they spend 15-20 years or more before they got a chance to come to this country.”

Sheila S. Mitra-Sarkar, PhD, of the Institute of Public Urban Affairs at San Diego State University, described the need for a “comprehensive solution” to help refugees adapt to their new society, learn English, find housing and employment, and thrive.

“When I see a patient or someone who seems to have a psychological issue ... I look at everything that goes around them,” said John C. Kuek, PhD, of La Maestra Community Health Centers in San Diego. “I’m looking at the housing issue, the employment issue, and translational issue – meaning they have some family back home and they have a live family here to care for.”

Evidence that American football can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), continues to grow. As a result, some parents are opting to sign their sons up for other sports.

©james boulette/Thinkstock

In the 2017-2018 school year, 6.6% fewer high school athletes participated in tackle football than did 8 years before according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. As the movement away from football continues, a pronounced shift is occurring in the prevalence of young black men in the game.

Many black parents encourage their sons to play football as a way to protect them gang activity. In addition, the sport can be their sole option for securing a college education for their children, an article in the Atlantic said. A recent survey of 50,000 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students found that tackle football is predominantly the domain of black youth.

“This divergence paints a troubling picture of how economic opportunity – or a lack thereof – governs which boys are incentivized to put their body and brain at risk to play. Depending on where families live, and what other options are available to them, they see either a game that is too violent to consider or one that is necessary and important, if risky. Millions of Americans still watch football; NFL ratings were up this season,” Alana Semuels wrote in the article. “That a distinct portion of families won’t let their children play creates a disturbing future for the country’s most popular game.”

“Without a reversal in economic fortunes for poor communities across the country, football could one day become a sport played almost exclusively by black athletes, while still enjoyed by everyone. Black athletes – who already make up the majority of players in the most dangerous on-field positions – would continue to suffer from long-term brain damage, their life cut short by dementia and the scourge of CTE,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, numerous outlets reported that Super Bowl LIII garnered the lowest ratings since 2008.
 

Psychiatric hospital set to close

In both Kansas and Missouri, a shortage in mental health care has become evident, according to an article in the Kansas City Star. And now the Two Rivers Behavioral Health System, a private psychiatric hospital in southeast Kansas City, Mo., is closing its doors. The result will be a loss of 129 jobs and 105 fewer mental health beds in the city.

Patients currently in the facility will be relocated, and their care will continue. But for those who come after, care will now be tougher to find.

Two Rivers, owned by Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services, treats children and adults. It had 2,347 discharges in 2017 and almost $28 million in revenue but had a net loss of about $3.4 million. The facility has been under scrutiny in the past two decades over its treatment of patients, with accusations about the bolstering of false memories concerning involvements in satanic cults and the treatment of a convicted sex offender who assaulted another patient. The most recent state inspection showed that Two Rivers had failed to provide a safe environment for six patients who were considered suicide risks. The patients had unsupervised access to the nurses’ station, as well as access to pens that could have been used for stabbing and a charging cord that could have been used for strangulation.

In an interview with the Star, Mark Stringer, director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, said private psychiatric hospitals like Two Rivers are finding it harder to keep functioning, partly because of nursing shortages. Private facilities are not subsidized like state mental hospitals and are unable to secure staff from other facilities.

“There is a general worry about the availability of psychiatric services for people in crisis; there’s just no doubt about that,” Mr. Stringer said. “The loss of beds certainly hurts.”
 

New center offers ‘kind patient care’

In Nashville, Tenn., a new mental illness crisis treatment center is open. The center offers a 24/7 option for those with mental health issues who have run afoul of the law. Instead of incarceration, they can receive treatment, the Tennessean reported.

Estimates are that more than 1 million residents of Tennessee aged 18 years and older have a mental health or substance use disorder. About 25% of those residents having a serious mental health illness.

The new facility includes a crisis walk-in center and a unit where those in the throes of a mental health crisis can seek care. A goal is to get people suffering from an urgent mental illness crisis connected to help faster, especially when they come into contact with police.

“It’s very important to come to a place that’s going to get you help,” Bonnie Kelly said in the article. Ms. Kelly, who reportedly has bipolar disorder, has been arrested several times for disorderly conduct tied to her condition. “It means everything. It is good, kind patient care, rather than just getting you out of the way.”

Aside from benefiting those in need of mental health care, the center will ease the strain on Nashville police, who currently spend more than 5,000 hours each year responding to mental health–related calls. The officers must remain with the person until transfer to a jail or mental health facility is done.

“As a city, we are recognizing that there is a need, and we are investing in that,” East Precinct Commander David Imhof said in the article. “We are helping a population that has had no voice in the past.” Right now, fewer than 60% of patients discharged from state mental health facilities receive any sort of coverage. The result can be cycles of release, arrest, and incarceration.
 

Agency aims to protect patients

The Oregon Health Authority has stepped in to prevent numerous state-funded mental health facilities run by the same contractor from booting out patients with severe mental health problems.

The contractor is Kepro, a Pennsylvania-based company. Since December, the health authority has reversed decisions to release 17 patients, according to an article in the Oregonian. The harder line follows revelations by the newspaper of serious harm to patients who had been released before they were capable of caring for themselves.

Kepro was hired by the health authority and paid $27 million to evaluate the medical needs of mental health patients in Oregon. As part of the evaluation, 215 of 250 patients were deemed unqualified to remain in care.

One was Ruane Oliverio, who has schizophrenia, who was kicked out of a locked facility in Portland last June. Clinicians had warned against her release, insisting that her mental state remained too vulnerable. After being hospitalized multiple times, she was sent to the Oregon State Hospital, the highest and most expensive level of care. She was one of those targeted for release. This decision was reversed, and she continues to receive care.
 

Coalition seeks mental health care for refugees

A new coalition called Matters Involving Neuro-Disorders, or MIND, is trying to help refugees with mental health conditions. The effort is a response to several mental health-related deaths of refugees during 2014-2016, a video produced by the San Diego Union-Tribune said.

“Refugees are brought to this country to help them rebuild their lives,” said Justin Mudekereza, executive director of New Neighbor Relief, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping refugees adjust to their new lives in the United States. “They have gone through a lot in their countries, then from there, they went to refugee camps, where they spend 15-20 years or more before they got a chance to come to this country.”

Sheila S. Mitra-Sarkar, PhD, of the Institute of Public Urban Affairs at San Diego State University, described the need for a “comprehensive solution” to help refugees adapt to their new society, learn English, find housing and employment, and thrive.

“When I see a patient or someone who seems to have a psychological issue ... I look at everything that goes around them,” said John C. Kuek, PhD, of La Maestra Community Health Centers in San Diego. “I’m looking at the housing issue, the employment issue, and translational issue – meaning they have some family back home and they have a live family here to care for.”