Mental health issues up since beginning of pandemic, but so are cries for help
Back in April, Contact Helpline, the Columbus-based crisis line manned by volunteers who talk with people throughout the Golden Triangle struggling with suicidal urges and other mental health issues, began to receive a higher number of calls than usual.
MSU bolsters mental health care offerings
When Kim Kavalsky became the coordinator for mental health outreach at Mississippi State University in 2012, she was shocked to learn how many students experienced suicidal thoughts.
Mississippi to cut mental health services, lay off employees
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health plans to eliminate 650 positions, some through layoffs, over the next year because of state budget cuts.
Clinton proposes plan to address mental health treatment
Hillary Clinton rolled out a comprehensive plan to address millions of Americans coping with mental illness, pointing to the need to fully integrate mental health services into the nation’s health care system.
Man held 11 years without trial will go to mental facility
A Mississippi man who has been jailed nearly 11 years without going to trial will be transferred to a state mental health facility, attorneys said Monday.
Bob Usey: Mental health in Mississippi needs immediate attention
Of the 174 members of the Legislature, I wonder just how many of them ever drove just a few miles South of the Capitol at Jackson to actually visit the Whitfield State Hospital for the mentally ill.
Can identifying mental illness stop terror attacks?
A radical Muslim killed a soldier outside Canada’s Parliament. A right-wing extremist opened fire on buildings in Texas’ capital and tried to burn down the Mexican Consulate. An Al-Qaida-inspired assailant hacked an off-duty soldier to death in London.
Hospital killing shows safety gap in mental health
When a man opened fire at a hospital outside Philadelphia, fatally shooting his caseworker and wounding his psychiatrist, the doctor saved his own life and probably the lives of others by pulling out a gun and shooting the patient.
U.S. jails struggle with role as makeshift asylums
Peering through the chain link of a holding pen at the Cook County Jail, a man wrapped in a navy varsity jacket leans toward clinical social worker Elli Petacque Montgomery, his bulging eyes a clue that something’s not right.
“They say I got bipolar, that’s all,” he says.
Lawmakers pass third child protection bill
Beginning July 1, Mississippi mental health care professionals will report if a committed individual has children or has visitation with minors. The information goes the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the agency responsible for child protection issues.
Gunman’s doctor before rampage: ‘No problem there’
The gunman who killed 12 people in last year’s rampage at Washington’s Navy Yard lied so convincingly to Veterans Affairs doctors before the shootings that they concluded he had no mental health issues despite serious problems and encounters with police during the same period, according to a review by The Associated Press of his confidential medical files.
Obama proposes firearm background check changes
The Obama administration on Friday announced a pair of executive actions aimed at strengthening federal background checks for gun purchasers, with a particular focus on limiting firearm access for those with mental health issues.
New rule demands parity for mental health coverage
WASHINGTON — It’s final: Health insurance companies must cover mental illness and substance abuse just as they cover physical diseases. The Obama administration issued new
Miss. Dept. of Mental Health could get budget cut
Several Mississippi House members say they want budget writers to restore more than $6 million that could be cut from the Department of Mental Health for the coming year.
Slimantics: The next Adam Lanza …
Early last January, I got a call from an old high school friend who lives in the suburbs of Memphis.
It was the same day a deeply-disturbed 22-year-old named Jared Loughner opened fire in the parking lot of a Tucson supermarket, killing six people and injuring 12 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Rep. Jackson Jr. resigns, citing mental health
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a once-rising political star who has been on a months-long mysterious medical leave for bipolar disorder while facing separate federal investigations, resigned from Congress Wednesday, citing his health problems.
Mental health facilities, including in north Miss., asked to develop closure plans
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health has asked four facilities to develop contingency closing plans by the end of August in case the Legislature doesn’t provide adequate funding in the next fiscal year.