Mental health

July 25, 2007 -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and State Healthcare Advocate Kevin P. Lembo in a nationwide effort today said a national mental health parity bill could undermine existing state laws that better protect consumers.

The U.S. Senate bill, the Mental Health Parity Act, would expand critical mental health benefits in states that have failed to provide adequate benefits - but would preempt strong existing mental health legislation in Connecticut.    » read more »

Nicholson: A Call for Help Needs Immediate Response

July 2, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – To ensure veterans with mental health crises have immediate access to trained coordinators, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will establish a 24-hour, national suicide prevention hot line.

“This is another significant step to ensure that veterans, particularly the newest generation of combat vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, receive accessible and compassionate care for their mental health concerns,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson.    » read more »

CHICAGO July 2, 2007 -- The United States Supreme Court correctly halted the execution of Scott Panetti and remanded the case for further proceedings at the trial level.

The Court’s decision was grounded in an essential and important acknowledgement of the severity of some mental illnesses.

The ABA, which filed an amicus brief in this case, has called for a ban on the execution of death row prisoners who, for reason of mental disorder or disability, fail to understand the nature and purpose of their punishment, or to appreciate the reason for its imposition.    » read more »

20 June 2007 -- Lawyers for Britney Spears have demanded that a St. Petersburg, Florida radio station remove advertising billboards portraying the singer with a shaven head.

The billboards feature three identical photos of a snarling Spears, next to radio station WFLZ's logo and a photo of morning talk show host Todd Schnitt. Atop the photos are captions reading "Total nut jobs," "Shock Therapy," and "Certifiable."    » read more »

Nicholson: Move Bolsters Strong Mental Health Program

June 14, 2007 -- WASHINGTON -- To strengthen one of the nation’s largest mental health programs and continue providing world-class health care to the nation’s veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced plans to hire suicide prevention counselors at each of its 153 medical centers.    » read more »

MayoClinic.com explores the sometimes blurry line between normal and abnormal mental health

June 13, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- When a student writes dark, violent stories, when a harried adult yells at a store clerk, when a neighbor stops doing household chores -- are these symptoms of mental illness?

MayoClinic.com provides an overview of how health care providers distinguish and diagnose mental health issues and mental illness. Sometimes, it's fairly clear-cut, such as when people with schizophrenia report hearing voices, or when someone suffers from an addiction.    » read more »

June 15, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) made the following statement:

"This is a groundbreaking report on the state of our military mental health system. It's very clear that the Department of Defense currently lacks the resources and personnel to provide our service members with the quality of care they need and deserve.

“But there are some very clear recommendations in this report, many of which can be accomplished without legislative action, and Sen. Lieberman and I are committed to seeing they are done.    » read more »

06 June 2007 -- The World Health Organization says mental health disorders make up more than 12 percent of all diseases, and will likely rise to 15 percent by 2020. Researchers see a link between mental illness and income. They say poverty may increase the risk of mental disorders. Among the areas of the developing world working on establishing better mental health systems is Africa. From Washington, reporter William Eagle describes some of the challenges to improving mental health on the continent, where economic and political instability are common.    » read more »

Colorado Governor Ritter also signs 14 additional bills late Wednesday afternoon

May 30, 2007 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed seven bills into law today that directly assist senior citizens, people with disabilities and those who suffer from mental illness and debilitating cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Later in the day, Gov. Ritter signed an additional 14 bills into law.    » read more »

May 22, 2007 -- Washington, D.C.—A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators led by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Barack Obama (D-IL), and Kit Bond (R-MO) today expressed deep concern to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates about the state of mental health care services for soldiers at Ft. Carson, Colorado.    » read more »

May is National Mental Health Month

9 May 2007 -- ATLANTA…Fear of stigma and discrimination remains one of the biggest factors in preventing people from seeking treatment for mental illnesses. This problem is especially true for older children and young adults struggling with mental health issues who sense additional pressure to "fit in" with their peer group.    » read more »

U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

May 8, 2007 -- "I’m grateful to Senator Reed for chairing this hearing in my absence. He’s been a long-time champion of mental health and the Committee is fortunate to have his expertise as we prepare for this reauthorization effort.    » read more »

May 04, 2007 -- The Department of Defense today released key findings from the latest Mental Health Advisory Team (MHAT-IV) survey, the fourth in a series of studies since 2003 to assess the mental health and well-being of the deployed forces serving in Iraq.    » read more »

April 25, 2007 -- JEFFERSON CITY– Missouri Governor Matt Blunt signed an executive order expanding the membership of the Mental Health Transformation Working Group in an effort to capture a greater perspective in the group's work to improve mental health services.

"We must do everything within our power to ensure the safety and quality of care for individuals receiving mental health services," Blunt said. "The Mental Health Transformation Working Group's work will further enhance our efforts to better serve mental health clients in our state."    » read more »

Senators introduce the Mental Health Care for our Wounded Warriors Act of 2007

April 24, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today introduced The Mental Health Care for our Wounded Warriors Act of 2007, legislation that addresses two significant challenges facing the Department of Defense (DoD): the absence of designated, centralized facilities—or “Centers of Excellence”—to research and coordinate all aspects of military mental health policies and services, and the shortage of mental health professionals to provide care to members of t    » read more »