May 2015 – Additional Articles, videos, and information from around the nation
The State Ombudsman’s Office has completed their 2014 annual report – MH report starting on page 5.
8-24-09 historical report “Overview of the State Mental Health Institutes”. You can find the report here.
Philip Morris is Wrong: Cleveland Police Mission Also Applies to those in Mental Health Crisis: Michael Woody (Opinion)
Parity or Disparity: The State of Mental Health in America 2015
A new reportfrom Mental Health America ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia on mental health status and access. The report shows that the US is far from being able to adequately address critical mental health care needs and calls for a greater focus on prevention and early intervention.
NPR: Germanwings Crash Highlights Workplace Approaches To Mental Health
The horrifying crash last week of the Germanwings flight operated by Lufthansa has put a spotlight on what the airline knew — and what it should, or could have done — about its pilot's mental health. Lufthansa could face unlimited liability, after the pilot allegedly brought the plane down deliberately. Here in the U.S., employment experts say monitoring employees' mental health status raises a thicket of complicated issues. (Noguchi, 4/1)
Director’s Blog: Targeting Suicide - Dr. Thomas Insel – Director of the National Institute of Mental Health - Soon, the crash of the Germanwings airliner in France will begin to fade from the headlines and our own consciousness. When will we change our national habit of paying brief attention to suicide when circumstances make it newsworthy and start viewing it as the major public health problem it is: one to be addressed by marshalling—and sustaining—research, as we have for other health issues, with the clear goal of saving lives?
Marketplace: Calls For Action Against Mental Health Discrimination
A new report out today from the National Alliance for Mental Illness says the health insurance industry discriminates against the mentally ill. That’s in spite of a 2008 federal law, requiring insurers to provide the same level of coverage for the mentally ill. And the Affordable Care Act hasn’t helped either. (Herships, 4/1)
The Associated Press: Montana Legislature Passes School Suicide Prevention Training
The Montana Legislature has passed a measure urging school employees to complete suicide awareness and prevention training. The proposal recommends that public school employees partake in two hours of suicide prevention training every five years. (4/1)
Los Angeles Times:Defendants declared mentally incompetent face lengthy delays in jails
The 'wHOLE' Truth Behind Solitary Confinement-ACLU
On any given day in America there are 80,000 people in solitary settings, not counting youth in juvenile facilities and people in jails. With no evidence-based research of its effectiveness, solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment that has been overused and abused. According to the experts, the massive expansion of solitary confinement in America is a failed experiment of the late 20th century. By exploring different strategies and solutions producing better outcomes for prisoners, staff, and the community is possible. Even the highest courts are paying attention to the issue of solitary confinement. In a recent appropriations hearing on Capitol Hill, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said, "Solitary confinement literally drives men mad." More here.
Justice Department Probes Another School-to-Prison Pipeline-Frontline
The Justice Department is investigating how a Texas county punishes kids for missing school, targeting what civil-rights advocates call the school-to-prison pipeline: policies that disproportionately rout certain children - primarily blacks and Latinos - out of class and into the juvenile justice system. In Texas, failure to attend school, or truancy, is a criminal offense punishable by fines up to $500, plus court costs. Judges also have wide discretion in levying additional penalties. They can order children to attend counseling or perform community service, or even wear an ankle monitor or drop out of school entirely. More here.
Time for Justice for Children in New York - Huffington Post
Under New York's juvenile justice system a child as young as 7 can be arrested for a crime, and a 16-year-old is automatically charged as an adult. These laws are shockingly behind the times - bad for children and bad for public safety. New York is one of only four states to create a juvenile jurisdiction for little children who are barely old enough to shed their baby teeth and still believe in the tooth fairy. And they are expected to have the cognitive development necessary to participate in and understand a trial? More here.
Alabama Sheriff: Training Not Enough for Mental Health Care Crisis - "Our weakness is not in our training," Lawrence County Sheriff Gene Mitchell said. "Our weakness is the lack of treatment that's available."
Caught in the Middle of a Broken System
PR Week: Mental Health Groups Demand More Responsible Media Coverage after Germanwings Crash
Kaiser Health News: Research Plan Could Drive ‘Culture Change’ In How Mental Illness Is Diagnosed, Treated
Kaiser Health News:Depression, related ailments take their toll on the workplace, study finds
Huffington Post: No, ‘Suicidal Tendencies’ Are Not an Indicator of Violence
Time: Mental Health Therapy through Social Networking Could Soon Be a Reality
MTV:How Can Texting Help Teens Struggling with Mental Illness?
Disruptive Behavior: Why It’s Often Mis-Diagnosed
Politico Pro: States Step In On Mental Health Parity Enforcement
States are stepping in to enforce a little-known federal law that’s supposed to improve insurance coverage of mental health care for millions of Americans. The parity law has been on the books since 2008, but mental health advocates say the federal government has been slow to make sure it’s been put into practice. (Villacorta, 4/8)
Stateline: Wanting Mental Health Treatment And Not Getting It
More than a half-million adults who said they wanted help with their serious mental conditions last year couldn’t get it because they lacked the resources and weren’t eligible for Medicaid to pay for treatment, a new study finds. Those people — an estimated 568,886 adults ages 18 through 64 diagnosed with a serious mental illness, serious psychological stress or substance use disorder at the start of last year — lived in 24 states that didn’t expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act in 2014, according to a study published this week from the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA). (Ollove, 4/8)
The Oregonian: Solitary Confinement Of Oregon Inmates With Most Severe Mental Illnesses Must Stop, Advocacy Group Says
Prisoners in the Oregon State Penitentiary unit reserved for inmates with the most severe mental illnesses spend months, sometimes years in small cells with no natural light or outdoor access and rarely get to speak with others, according to an investigation by Disability Rights Oregon. (Bernstein, 4/8)
Trauma Informed Judges Take Gentler Approach, Administer Problem Solving Justice to Stop Cycle of Aces
The New York Times: For Mentally Ill Inmates, A Cycle Of Jail And Hospitals
For years, Rikers has been filling with people like Mr. Megginson, who have complicated psychiatric problems that are little understood and do not get resolved elsewhere: the unwashed man passed out in a public stairwell; the 16-year-old runaway; the drug addict; the belligerent panhandler screaming in a full subway car. It is a problem that cuts two ways. At the jail, with its harsh conditions and violent culture, the mentally ill can deteriorate, their symptoms worsening in ways Rikers is unequipped to handle. As they get sicker, they strike out at guards and other correction employees, often provoking more violence. (Winerip and Schwirtz, 4/10)
The Urban Institute: The Processing And Treatment Of Mentally Ill Persons In The Criminal Justice System
An estimated 56 percent of state prisoners, 45 percent of federal prisoners, and 64 percent of jail inmates have a mental health problem. ... Despite the evidence that mental illness in the criminal justice system is a pressing concern, our comprehensive effort to identify cost-effective, evidence-based programs and policies for managing and treating mentally ill persons in the criminal justice system brought to light how limited current knowledge is on this topic. There have been only a few rigorous evaluations of criminal justice programs and policies targeted at mentally ill offenders. This limitation, in and of itself, is a notable finding, as it shows what more needs to be done to better understand how to effectively alleviate the costs and challenges of treating and processing offenders with mental illness. (Kim, Becker-Cohn and Serakos, 4/7)
Nearly All Denver Jail Inmates in High Risk Unit Have Brain Trauma
Senator Demands More Resources for Serious Mental Illness
My Danny Matters
A Nightmare Cycle
In 2 1/2 years, his parents had taken him to a psychiatric hospital eight times on 72-hour hospitalizations, known by police and mental health workers as "5150 holds." After some treatment, the staff would release him. He would refuse to follow up on treatment and deteriorate again. One fateful day, the 19-year-old San Bernardino youth grabbed a baseball bat and a knife. He approached his father who sat reading in bed. Read Abby Sewell's account of a family ripped apart by mental illness.
The Seattle Times: As PTSD Cases Surge, Army Overhauling Mental Health Services
The Army is overhauling mental health services after years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, aiming to end an era of experimentation in which nearly 200 programs were tried on different bases. At Joint Base Lewis-McChord and elsewhere, the Army has pushed counseling teams out of hospitals to embed with troops. It’s also cutting back the use of private psychiatric hospitals while expanding intensive mental health programs at military facilities like Madigan Army Medical Center. (Bernton, 4/11)
Des Moines Register: Branstad's Medicaid Plan Needs Answers
Two months ago, the Branstad administration announced its intent to contract management of Medicaid to private companies. ... Everyone understands there is no free lunch in health care, and the $745 million (earnings plus savings) meal price for Medicaid managed care will come at someone's expense. Will access to care be limited? Will Medicaid provider payments, already well below actual costs, be cut even lower? The state's RFP does not answer these questions, but clearly the profit-based incentives of this kind of plan put limited access and payment cuts on the table, creating a scenario that completely undermines progress made by the Iowa Health and Wellness program. (Kirk Norris, 4/12)
Los Angeles Times: Lawmakers Address California's Deeply Fragmented Mental Health System
Advocates and mental health practitioners say that California's approach to mental health — and particularly to involuntary treatment — is deeply fragmented across its 58 counties. Lawmakers are trying to address the inconsistency of policies and approaches, but activist groups often disagree about the appropriate balance between protecting patients' civil liberties and forcing treatment on people who may be in danger or pose a danger to others because of severe mental illness. (Sewell, 4/13)
Fairfax Jail Inmate in Taser Death was Shackled
The Lasting Effects of Marijuana Use
Clarinda Mental Hospital Patient Dies After Transfer
The Los Angeles Times: The Nightmare Outcome Of A Son’s Mental Illness
It was obvious to Cynthia that her son was a danger. She and Anthony had sought help from California's medical, legal and law enforcement institutions. But they had found only temporary relief, and were frustrated by the piecemeal and often impenetrable nature of the state's mental health system. (Abby Sewell, 4/13)
The Associated Press: Baseball Offering More Mental Health Support To Players
Long gone are the days when mental health was a taboo subject in major league locker rooms, and the days of a lone sports psychologist even appear to be waning. While individual players have sought help with the mental side of the game for years, teams are responding to the changing attitudes by offering more assistance to their players in the area. (Cohen, 4/10)
Bloomberg: How Psychiatrists Are Failing The Patients Who Need Them Most
The profession of psychiatry didn’t have a place for a patient like Derek Ward in the months before he brutally murdered his mother and then killed himself. Voices had crowded the 35-year-old’s head. For months, his mother Pat Ward, a well-respected English professor, had been frantically trying to get him an appointment with a psychiatrist. Yet dozens of doctors said they either didn’t take his insurance or wouldn’t see patients with Derek’s complex condition. (Shannon Pettypiece, 4/10)
Lena Dunham Tackles the Stigma of Mental Health with “A Work-out Selfie”
Suicide At William and Mary, fourth student death this year, triggers concern
Wounds of the Father: An Excerpt into Childhood Trauma and Resiliency
The Washington Post: When Veterans Return, Their Children Also Deal With Invisible Wounds Of War
In households nationwide, hundreds of thousands of wounded parents have come home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their children are struggling to navigate the invisible wounds — traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, which together afflict an estimated 30 percent of the 2.7 million former troops. The everyday toll on children is unprecedented, advocates for veterans’ families say, because their parents have complex injuries that would have ended their lives in wars past, before recent medical advances, and suffer from the psychic scars of multiple deployments. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 4/16)
Des Moines Register: Jochum Worries Private-Run Medicaid Will Be 'Disaster' For Iowans
Iowa Senate President Pam Jochum said Thursday she's worried that vulnerable Iowans face a "disaster" as the state implements a cost-saving plan to hire a private business to manage the Medicaid health insurance program. Jochum, a Dubuque Democrat who has an adult daughter with severe developmental disabilities, said her family has the financial resources to care for her daughter if necessary. But she feels obligated to speak on behalf of other Iowa families who don't have enough money to care for their loved ones if Medicaid services aren't available. (Petroski, 4/16)
Are adult decisions harming kids in juvenile justice? - HuffPostImpact
Something is terribly wrong with how this country manages young people who get into trouble. We lock them up. Children - virtually all children - will make immature decisions during their formative years. They are, after all, children, and therefore, well, immature. We know from neurological science that until about age 25, human brains are not yet fully developed in those areas that contribute to making good decisions: the ability to regulate emotion, control impulses, foresee consequences and balance competing desires. More here.
OP-ED: Bridging Adolescent Brain Research, Reality-- JJIE
One cannot go to any conference or training these days without adolescent brain issues being discussed. It is a topic up there with evidence-based practices and trauma-informed care in terms of popularity as keynote themes. Presentations generally include MRI scans showing that the regions of the brain sensitive to risk-taking and rewards usually develop near the start of puberty, while the regions responsible for decision-making and judgment do not mature until the early to mid-20s. More here.
Virginia tops nation in sending students to cops, courts: Where does your state rank? -
The Center for Public Integrity
Kayleb Moon-Robinson was 11 years old last fall when charges - criminal charges - began piling up at school. Diagnosed as autistic, Kayleb was being scolded for misbehavior one day and kicked a trash can at Linkhorne Middle School in Lynchburg, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. A police officer assigned to the school witnessed the tantrum, and filed a disorderly conduct charge against the sixth grader in juvenile court. More here.
The Big Change Coming to Mental Health
States Look to Religious Leaders to Fill Mental Health Gap
The Mentally Ill Mostly Go to Jail, Not Psych Hospitals
States Are Just Starting to Enforce the 2008 Mental Health Parity Act
Mentally Ill in a High Stakes Job
The Complete Article – Mentally Ill in a High Stakes Job
Lessons Learned at Virginia Tech: Why Risks Remain
Public Safety Chief: 40 People in Longmont Have Committed Suicide in the Last Year
Too Few Psychiatrists for Too Many
The Associated Press: Iowa's Medicaid Privatization Draws Scrutiny
Gov. Terry Branstad's plan to privatize the state's Medicaid program is moving forward, though critics are raising questions about how the shift will impact patients. Earlier this year, the state began an effort to shift Medicaid administration to two or more managed care organizations, to which Iowa will pay a fixed amount per enrollee to provide health coverage. State officials predict cost savings and say patients will still have access to quality health care. But Democratic Senate President Pam Jochum, of Dubuque, said this week that she is not convinced. (Lucey, 4/19)