General Mental Health Articles
- A costly new national certification exam for psychologists has convinced the profession’s licensing authority in Texas to consider crafting a cheaper alternative to help alleviate a persistent mental health provider shortage here. The Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists moved to begin researching the cost of a cheaper state exam instead of requiring applicants to take a new $450 “skills” test offered by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, known also as ASPPB. Applicants already take a required $800 knowledge exam from the national board. Read more here.
- A psychiatric hospital providing mental health and addiction services to people across 23,000 square miles in western Colorado could shut down within weeks if it can’t find the funding it needs to stay open. The closure of the hospital would mean the loss of its emergency psychiatric department, a vital resource for law enforcement officers who bring people in crisis there to help keep them out of jails and prisons, the hospital’s online announcement says. Read more here.
- As of 2021, the American Psychological Association reported that approximately 80% of the psychology workforce in the United States was white, compared to 85% in 2011. In Texas, more than 40% of the state’s more than 30 million residents are Hispanic, but its mental health provider population is more than 80% white, according to 2023 data. People of color and white people have similar rates of mental health disorders; however, people of color are less likely to receive treatment for their mental health issues. Read more here.
Youth Mental Health
- When it comes to youth, suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death. It's so serious that the California Department of Public Health has launched a new campaign to fight it. Shailen Dawkins knows suicide is a huge problem, so when he heard about the Never A Bother campaign, he was all in on its mission. Matt Cervantes is with the Sierra Health Foundation, one of the organizations involved. He said the campaign will be pushed out via traditional advertising, social media, and community outreach strategies to reach young Californians. Read more here.
- Boys aren’t the only people who develop attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It also affects girls and young women and adults of both genders. Yet, females with ADHD are chronically underdiagnosed and undertreated. Individuals with this condition die about 10 years earlier than those without it. They are also up to three times more likely to experience a variety of nonfatal negative life events, such as serious car accidents, unintended teen pregnancy, episodes of anxiety and depression, and suicide attempts. The use of medication can reduce the risks of many of these non-fatal events. Read more here.
- Today, kids live in a fully digital ecosystem. Few adults stop to think about the fact that the internet and social media platforms were never designed with kids in mind. I’ve been seeing more and more children with anxiety, depression, social isolation, insomnia, and other mental health challenges that were rare among youngsters when I began my career. While these cannot be wholly attributed to social media, it’s hard to ignore the impact these platforms have had on kids and teens. Read more here.
- It can be hard to predict what St. Paul Central High School principal Cherise Ayers will encounter when she walks through the doors each day. Principals like Ayers have an outsized impact on their schools. Research shows effective school leaders have a big impact on student achievement, teacher retention, and other outcomes important for kids. Many, though, are overwhelmed. A newly released University of Minnesota report on Minnesota K-12 school principals found school leaders struggling for traction on instructional leadership and community engagement as they deal with their single greatest challenge, student mental health. Read more here.
Gun Safety
- In wellness visits, primary care doctors have a few minutes with patients to check in about various issues related to their health, including smoking, drinking, medications, and exercise. Some physicians have added gun safety to the list. The move stems from the perspective, shared by the Minnesota Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other groups, that gun violence is a public health crisis. Read more here.
- Gun injuries and mortality among young people are increasing in the U.S. Firearms are now the leading cause of death for children and teenagers, whether that's from gun-related assault, suicide, or "unintentional" deaths (accidents). Research also indicates that nonfatal firearm injuries among minors are increasing as well. As devastating as the deaths are, it's estimated that 2-4 times as many U.S. children survive a gunshot injury. Read more here.
The Opioid Crisis and Addiction Issues
- China is fueling the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. by directly subsidizing the manufacturing of materials that are used by traffickers to make the drug outside the country, according to a report released by a special House committee focused on countering the Chinese government. Read more here.
- State and local governments are receiving billions of dollars in opioid settlements to address the drug crisis that has ravaged America for decades. However, instead of spending the money on new addiction treatment and prevention services they couldn’t afford before, some jurisdictions are using it to replace existing funding and stretch tight budgets. Scott County, Indiana, for example, has spent more than $250,000 of opioid settlement dollars on salaries for its health director and emergency medical services staff. Read more here.
- Contingency management uses positive reinforcement as a behavioral treatment for stimulant addiction. People are rewarded with small-value gift cards or vouchers for submitting urine drug tests negative for stimulants. Decades of research show that it is the most effective treatment for stimulant addiction, but it has not been widely implemented due to policy barriers and stigma. Read more here.
- Middle-aged women experienced "stark" increases in alcohol-related health complications during the pandemic, according to research led by a University of Pittsburgh physician-scientist. The research published in JAMA Health Forum sounds the alarm about the need for public health and clinical interventions to reverse the trend, scientists said. "Even though alcohol-related deaths are higher among men than women, the rate of change has increased faster among women compared to men over the last decade," lead author Dr. Bryant Shuey, assistant professor of medicine and internal medicine physician at UPMC, said in a news release. Read more here.
- Deadly, addictive fentanyl has certainly earned the spotlight when it comes to overdose deaths — but carnage from stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine is rising at a much faster clip. Over the span of a single year, heroin deaths dropped almost 34% nationwide, while deaths from natural and semi-synthetic drugs (morphine, codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone) dropped nearly 13%. Methadone deaths dropped 1.1%, according to federal data presented at the recent American Society of Addiction Medicine conference in Dallas. Read more here.
988 Hotline
- The 988 Suicide and Crisis hotline was launched in 2022 to provide people in a mental health crisis with another hotline to call other than 911. Starting this summer, staff from the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay will work in Tampa's police dispatch center to further refine 911 calls that don't need police involvement. Police Deputy Chief Calvin Johnson says when officers have to respond to mental health crisis calls, it can be very difficult for them. Read more here.
Gender-Affirming Care and LGBTQ Issues
- Forced to hide her true self, Joe Horras’ transgender daughter struggled with depression and anxiety until three years ago, when she began to take medication to block the onset of puberty. The gender-affirming treatment helped the now-16-year-old find happiness again, her father said. A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court late Monday allowing Idaho to enforce its ban on such care for minors could jeopardize her wellbeing once again. Horras is scrambling to figure out the next steps and is considering leaving Idaho, where he’s lived his whole life, to move to another state. Read more here.
- Getting a new doctor. Holding hands. Walking into a bar. Using a public bathroom. These everyday situations have become fear-inducing for over 60 percent of transgender Americans, according to new polling from the left-leaning firm Data for Progress. Amid a growing effort by far-right politicians and conservative policy groups to curb LGBTQ+ rights — a movement built on targeting transgender people with hostile legislation and rhetoric — this hostility is taking its toll on trans Americans’ sense of safety. However, the Human Rights Campaign and several state advocacy groups believe the tide is turning against anti-LGBTQ+ bills. Read more here.
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