Mental Health
The fittest cities in America: See how yours compares
City officials have an important role to play in ensuring the well-being of their communities. Here’s how they can address resident health through policy and resources.
At two-year mark, federal funding for 988 is running dry. Enter phone fees.
Only 10 states have identified permanent funding for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in their communities. Experts say a surcharge can help policymakers keep pace with the growing mental health crisis.
A $15M grant program looks to improve maternal mental, behavioral health
Pregnant people are at a heightened risk of developing mental health or substance use disorders, which is why the federal government is investing in a program to improve health care for new parents amid a maternal health crisis.
Amid mental health crisis, new compact allows social workers to practice across state lines
America is facing a shortage of social workers and other mental health providers.
Bans on gender-affirming care have 'chilling effect'
The number of state laws restricting LGBTQ rights is on the rise, experts say. The trend could worsen transgender individuals' access to mental and physical health care and exacerbate discrimination.
City tackles first responders’ opioid compassion fatigue
When physically and emotionally exhausted emergency personnel started saying, “Let them die,” officials in Huntington, West Virginia, knew they had a problem. They also had a solution.
To help address teens’ mental health needs, state to launch Youth Mental Health Corps
Colorado's program will train young adults ages 18 to 24 to connect middle and high school students to needed mental health supports and resources.
Florida’s school safety dashboard helps parents and teachers address root causes of misbehavior
COMMENTARY | School leaders can use the dashboard to identify areas of concern in their own school—such as an increasing pattern of fights—and then develop evidence-based solutions and training to address the issues.
FCC poised to require calls to the 988 suicide hotline be geolocated
Routing calls based on location versus a person’s area code is already standard for calls coming into 911. Elected officials and mental health advocates want 988 calls to be geolocated as well. A new FCC proposal would do that.
Beyond the books: Teens check out mental health resources at libraries
In Hartford, Kentucky, the public library invites teens to weekly sessions to foster positive thinking amid a growing youth mental health crisis.
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In crisis and on hold: How the 988 hotline revamped callers' experience
To avoid people in need hanging up in frustration, the crisis and suicide hotline has changed the voice and the music that callers hear as they wait to be connected to counselors.
988 currently doesn't use geolocation services. Counties want to change that.
Counties are pushing for Congress to pass legislation that will require calls be routed based on location. Wireless carriers are already working with the federal government to start doing that.
If schools won’t ban kids’ cellphones, some lawmakers say, they will
Florida now bans cellphones during class, and lawmakers elsewhere like the idea.
With AI, anyone can be a victim of nonconsensual porn. Can laws keep up?
States around the country are scrambling to respond to the dramatic rise in deepfakes, a result of little regulation and easy-to-use apps.
One state looks to collect multiyear data to address the mental health crisis
Ohio has launched a $20 million research project to study the social and biological factors influencing mental health. Researchers hope the study will continue for two decades and deliver actionable insights for policymakers nationwide.
Policies to expand access to psychedelics could be ‘short-sighted’
While research shows psychedelics’ potential to mitigate the effects of substance use disorders, observers warn states might be better off waiting for federal guidance before legalizing their use and possession.
Cities know that the way police respond to mental crisis calls must change. But how?
Cities are experimenting with new ways to meet the rapidly increasing demand for behavioral health crisis intervention, at a time when incidents of police shooting and killing people in mental health crisis have become painfully familiar.
One state takes on youth mental health by streamlining access to services
For some families, it can take more than a decade to connect children to appropriate mental health resources once they show symptoms. Amid a growing youth mental health crisis, one state is developing an online portal to shave that wait time down.
988-hotline counselors air concerns: more training needed to juggle a mix of calls
Dozens of crisis counselors responded to a survey about their work experiences, painting a picture of uneven training, uncertainty about how long to stay on the line, and different policies on whether to inform a caller when police are on their way.
LA County invests big in free virtual mental health therapy for K-12 students
The teletherapy effort is aimed at helping overburdened schools cope with a surge in demand for mental health services.
