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AI/Agentic AI Behavioral Health Systems Ready for New Privacy Regulations
For years, many behavioral health leaders treated privacy rule 42 CFR Part 2 as a policy and training issue. In 2026, that is no longer enough. What has changed is the environment around the rule. Substance use disorder (SUD) records now move across EHRs, referral networks, analytics...
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The Future of CCBHCs: From Program Expansion to System Transformation
As policymakers search for solutions to the nation's mental health and substance use crisis, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) represent one of the most promising opportunities for meaningful system change. CCBHCs were established through the Protecting Access to Medicare Act...
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Shifting the Weight: Addressing Substance Use Disorder in Nursing
Substance use disorder (SUD) impacts both the individual experiencing it and everyone in their life. SUD does not discriminate and affects people from all walks of life, regardless of age, occupation, economic circumstances, ethnic background, or gender. Healthcare professionals are not immune, but...
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The Search Before the Session: How People Actually Look for Behavioral Health Care Online and Where They Get Stuck
For a growing number of Americans, the path to behavioral health care does not begin in a doctor's office or with a referral from a friend. It begins with a search box. Before anyone fills out an intake form or sits in a waiting room, they type a question into a search engine, and what generates in...
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The Kitchen Problem No One Talks About in Behavioral Health: How Residential Treatment Programs Are Rethinking Food Service and What It Means for the People in Their Care
Someone enters residential treatment. They have made one of the hardest decisions of their life. They give up their phone, their schedule, their routine. For the next 28 to 90 days, almost every aspect of their day is structured for them. When they wake up. When they go to therapy. When they...
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Suffering in Silence: A Police Officer’s Mental Health Journey After a Critical Incident
Editor's Note: This article contains first-person descriptions of self-harm, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and other difficult experiences. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for support. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by call or text at...
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Elevated Use of Cannabis, Nicotine Among U.S. Adults Continues Into 2025
National Survey Finds Alcohol, Cigarette, Other Substance Use at Low Levels In 2025, adults in the United States reported using cannabis at or near record-high levels, continuing a long-term trend of increasing use. Nicotine vaping also remained high among young adults. These findings are based...
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Polysubstance Use Is Rewriting the Rules of Addiction Medicine
Key Takeaways: Fentanyl increasingly contains sedative adulterants like xylazine and medetomidine, plus stimulants, which is complicating standard opioid use disorder treatment protocols. Xylazine's own withdrawal syndrome and its masking of opioid withdrawal signs are pushing providers...
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Governor Hochul Announces $21 Million to Expand Emergency Programs for Individuals Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis
Comprehensive psychiatric emergency programs provide 24/7 emergency services, extended observation, and crisis outreach. Funding to establish new programs at hospitals in New York City, the Hudson Valley, and northern New York regions; help improve four others. On August 10, 2026, Governor...
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New Screening Approach Detects Childhood Mental Health Risks Traditional Methods Miss
At a Glance Screening for home and family stresses may help identify children at risk for depression and sleep disorders that traditional adversity screening misses. This type of screening could be used to identify and intervene with children at risk of mental health...
