2015

Neighbor worries that neighbor has mental illness

Posted on December 31, 2015

Ask Amy (syndicated column)

NAMI medical director Ken Duckworth is consulted an advises that depending on the severity of a situation, a person can start by simply asking the  neighbor, “Do you have a friend or family member I can call for you?”

U.S. police get little training to handle crises with mentally ill

Posted on December 29, 2015

Reuters

Police are being asked  to fill the gaps that have been created by an inadequate mental health care system.

Still in a Crib, Yet Being Given Antipsychotics

Posted on December 15, 2015

New York Times

Many doctors worry that these drugs are used despite no published research into their effectiveness and potential health risks for children so young

Find the happy medium with a mentally ill family member

Posted on December 15, 2015

Washington Post (syndicated)

Advice columnist Carolyn Hax recommends NAMI Family-to-Family education program

Three years after Sandy Hook, more states cut mental health funding

Posted on December 15, 2015

Washington Post

NAMI Report on State Mental Health Legistion in 2015.

See www.nami.org/statereport for full PDF copy of report (75 pages)

A New Study Raises Old Questions About Antidepressants and Autism

Posted on December 15, 2015

NPR

Taking antidepressants during the second or third trimester of pregnancy may increase the risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder.

Do prenatal antidepressants cause autism?

Posted on December 15, 2015

STAT News

The most the study shows is  association.  Prenatal antidepressants might cause autism or they might not. Maybe a third factor causes both antidepressant use and having an autistic child.

A Game Changer for Mental Health

Posted on November 30, 2015

U.S. News & World Report

Identifying and treating psychosis early on will dramatically better the lives of many young Americans.

Five Studies: Mental Health Courts Are Finding Their Footing

Posted on November 30, 2015

Pacific Standard

Fewer than 400 mental health courts exist, and the variety of their approaches makes it difficult to draw general conclusions. Research is only beginning to examine whether they work, what the drawbacks are, and what practices are most effective.

States To Use Medicaid Money To House Homeless People

Posted on November 30, 2015

Pew Trusts/Stateline

Communities with big homeless populations are increasingly turning to a strategy known as housing first. The approach has been used in cities like Chicago and Cleveland, as well as in several states, such as Massachusetts, Minnesota and Washington, as local nonprofits have worked to provide both housing and health care to homeless people. And it got an important endorsement in June, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) told state Medicaid offices around the country that Medicaid dollars,could be used to help chronically homeless people and others with long-term disabilities to find and maintain permanent housing.