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Mental Health in the Headlines: Week of July 7, 2014
Week of July 7, 2014
Mental Health in the Headlines is a weekly newsletter providing the latest developments at Mental Health America and summaries of news, views and research in the mental health field. Coverage of news items in this publication does not represent Mental Health America’s support for or opposition to the stories summarized or the views they express.
NEWS FROM MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA
Mental Health America 2014 Annual Conference, September 10-12, Atlanta, Georgia—Parity and the Affordable Care Act: Bridging Gaps to Advance Mental Health. Don't miss this unique opportunity to discuss what we have learned in the process of implementing the Affordable Care and Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Acts, and to collaborate to identify next steps and opportunities for action.
The MHA Career Center matches the best employers with the best talent in the mental health field. Find your employment match at http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/mhacareercenter.
NEWS FOR THE FIELD:
askforhelp.org: Peter Rodger, father of Elliot Rodger, has launched a website and blog called askforhelp.org. The site provides links to mental health resources and allows people to share their stories around asking (or not asking) for help. The idea is to start breaking down the stigma of asking for help in our society.
New Report about the Voice of Suicide Attempt Survivors: Suicide attempt survivors are emerging with a collective voice and cohesive framework for shaping the future of suicide prevention. The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s The Way Forward: Pathways to hope, recovery, and wellness with insights from lived experience (The Way Forward) sets the stage for a constructive collaboration in developing new, more effective means for reducing suicide attempts and deaths. It does so by providing recommendations based on evidence-based practices which incorporate personal lived experience of recovery and resilience. Read the press release and report.
20th Annual Zarrow Mental Health Symposium—“All Things Prevention” on September 18 – 19, 2014, Tulsa, OK: Discussion will highlight emerging knowledge, best practice and innovative approaches to preventing and treating mental disorders, addictions, and co-occurring disorders across the lifespan, with respect to cultural diversity, and inclusive of special populations. For more information, go to www.mhaok.org/zarrow.
IN THE NEWS
States Begin Efforts to Expand General, Mental Health Care Coordination: Florida this month became the first state to offer a Medicaid health plan designed exclusively for people with serious mental illnesses. By not having to contract with separate companies for mental health coverage, the new plan will enable better coordination of general and mental health care services among Medicaid beneficiaries. The plan is part of a wave of state experimentation to coordinate general and mental health care for those enrolled in Medicaid. In Arizona, Medicaid enrollees with serious mental illness can receive general and mental health services from providers that share their information. Minnesota has a program that pays providers one fee for all medical and behavioral health services. (Kaiser Health News, 7/7/14)
IN DEPTH
NPR begins a series on stress in America.
The Atlantic looks at “How Solitary Confinement Hurts the Teenage Brain.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports on a program that promotes recovery in the community by assigning peer specialists to those who are being discharged from the county psychiatric hospital.
The Hechinger Report examines school counseling programs in New Orleans.
The Atlantic looks at “How Childhood Trauma Could Be Mistaken for ADHD.”
LATEST RESEARCH
Lead in Kids’ Blood Linked to Behavioral and Emotional Problems: Even a low exposure to lead can result in emotional and behavioral problems in children, new research finds. The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, found that as blood levels increase so do problems. For the study, researchers analyzed blood samples taken from 1,300 Chinese children between the ages of three and five. Behavioral problems were then assessed at age six using standardized questionnaires. While lead exposure in the U.S. usually comes from products that contain lead, such as paint, caulking, and pipe solder, lead exposure in China is more often related to air pollution, according to the research team. They found that increased lead concentration in the blood was linked to an increased risk of behavioral and emotional problems, such as being anxious, depressed, or aggressive. (PsychCentral.com, 7/5/14)
MORE NEWS AND VIEWS
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Mental Health in the Headlines is produced weekly by Mental Health America. Staff: Steve Vetzner, senior director, Media Relations.
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