Rise in Suicide Attempts in Texas Prisons Alarms Advocates
Posted on April 12, 2019
Associated Press
Reports that suicides in Texas prisons hit a 10-year high of 40 in 2018, and a steady rise in suicide attempts in these state-run facilities alarms prisoner rights advocates. The number of suicide attempts among Texas inmates logged by authorities has nearly tripled in the last decade, climbing from less than 700 in 2009 to nearly 2,000 in 2018 even as the number of people imprisoned in the state has fallen by 10,000, according to documents The Associated Press obtained from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice last month through a public records request.
READ MORESuicide Risk Grew After Missouri Medicaid Kids Shifted To Managed Care, Hospitals Say
Posted on April 1, 2019
Kaiser Health News
Reports that after children diagnosed with mental illness were shifted from traditional Medicaid into three for-profit managed-care companies, the state’s hospitals noticed an alarming trend: the number of children who had thoughts of suicide or attempted suicide doubled. Additionally, the average length of stay for these children in psychiatric hospitals dropped from 10 days to seven following the Medicaid change, according to a study released by the Missouri Hospital Association.
READ MOREIn The Shadow Of Suicides, Senate Panel Makes Rare Move To Consider Gun Control
Posted on March 26, 2019
NPR
Reports on the Senate Judiciary Committee on ERPO. These laws allow law enforcement, and in some states, relatives and other concerned parties, to petition judges to temporarily restrict access to firearms from people who may be a harm to themselves or others.
READ MOREHow Housing Helps: Supporting Recovery for People with Mental Illness
Posted on March 21, 2019
USA Today (MediaPlanet)
Looks at the need for more community-based support for people with mental illness. When people have safe and affordable housing, they are much more likely to engage in mental health treatment and get on a path towards recovery.
READ MOREVeteran mental health in spotlight as Trump administration works on ‘roadmap’
Posted on March 21, 2019
Gray DC
Looks at the importance of helping veterans transition home and reducing suicide numbers through better access to care and more innovative research.
READ MORESocial Media Linked to Increase in Depression Among Teens, Young Adults
Posted on March 19, 2019
Healthline
Reports on a study that found a significant rise in the incidence of major depression among 12 to 25-year-olds in the U.S. The researchers say the trend started about seven years ago and they raised the possibility of a connection to the burgeoning number of people who own a smartphone.
READ MORENew legislation seeks to provide staff, funding, research to help prevent veteran suicides
Posted on March 14, 2019
Stars & Stripes
Reports on the Commander John Scott Hannon VA Mental Health Improvement Act of 2019 introduced in the Senate which aims to tackle the veteran suicide epidemic by boosting funding, mental health staff, alternative therapies and research at the VA. The bill, introduced by Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), was supported by NAMI and we lobbied for key components to be included and provided guidance by drafting sections of the legislation.
READ MOREIn scathing ruling, judge rips insurer for putting ‘bottom line’ over patients’ health
Posted on March 6, 2019
CNN
Federal judge blasted a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, the nation's largest insurance company, for focusing on the "bottom line as much or more" than patients' health, saying the insurer illegally denied treatment to thousands of people. The judge also slammed the company's medical directors for being "deceptive" under oath.
READ MOREOnTrackNY helping direct people with schizophrenia to jobs, college
Posted on February 23, 2019
Newsday
Looks at a New York state program that starts treating young people with schizophrenia and related disorders less than two years after symptoms begin and how it's helping participants stay or transition into the workplace and college, data show.
READ MOREMedicaid billing rules crimp mental care; Arkansas patients falling between cracks, providers assert
Posted on February 17, 2019
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Reports that Arkansans who rely on Medicaid are struggling to get mental health care because of changes that state officials made to billing which has forced some providers to turn away patients and offer fewer services. The Department of Human Services is enforcing a litany of Medicaid-billing changes, causing long waits to get service, frequent changes in therapists and difficulties in scheduling appointments to get care.
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