-
NY State Office of Mental Health Hosts Forums to Address Federal Policy Change
The New York State Office of Mental Health is hosting a series of forums to discuss recent federal actions and plan for potential impacts on New York’s mental health system. These forums – five virtual and one in-person – follow two town hall meetings that were hosted by the agency this...
-
Most Mental Health Crisis Calls Still Go to 911, Not 988
Great Lakes Region Leads with New Training for 911 Dispatchers Handling Suicidal Callers As Suicide Prevention Month continues, the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAEDTM) is reminding everyone of the continuing role of 911 Emergency Dispatchers in suicide prevention and...
-
Recognizing September as Suicide Prevention Month: Supporting Maternal Mental Health
September is recognized nationally as Suicide Prevention Month, an important time to raise awareness, share resources, and take action to save lives. While we all work diligently to prevent this tragic loss of life, it is critical to highlight the urgent issue of maternal mental health, including...
-
Treating Opioid Addiction in Jails Improves Treatment Engagement, Reduces Overdose Deaths and Reincarceration
NIH-funded study demonstrates life-saving potential of providing medications for opioid use disorder in carceral settings. A study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) finds that individuals who received medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) while incarcerated were...
-
Debating SSRIs While Millions with Mental Health Conditions Go Untreated
The FDA recently convened an expert panel which debated whether there should be stronger warnings about potential adverse effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) use during pregnancy. This comes after much previous debate around the current antidepressant black box warning related...
-
Treating Depression in Pregnancy Is Lifesaving—Here’s What the FDA Panel Got Wrong
This week, the FDA held an unbalanced and largely inaccurate panel discussion on SSRI use during pregnancy. Of the 10 presenters on the panel (three from outside the U.S.), only one represented the robust body of research demonstrating the safety and efficacy of taking SSRIs during the perinatal...
-
Lost in the Margins: The Death Sentence of Misdiagnosing Borderline Personality Disorder
The true stigma in mental healthcare today lies not in immorality, as Erving Goffman argued, but rather in the misdiagnosis that condemns countless individuals, perpetuating cycles of ineffective treatment and amplified distress. Twelve million adults are misdiagnosed annually in the United...
-
Trapped by Tradition: The Anxiety of Being a ‘Good’ South Asian Daughter-in-Law
In South Asian societies—including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal—the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship is often portrayed as a cornerstone of family life. While cultural narratives admire harmony and respect within the family system, the reality is often more...
-
Mental Health Care Needs a Team: Why Nurse Practitioners and Physician Associates/Assistants Are Part of That Solution
Every week, more patients are reaching out for help, and too often, they still wait weeks or even months for an initial consultation. The U.S. is in the middle of a growing mental health crisis, but access to care hasn’t kept up. Of the nearly 58 million adults living with a mental illness,...
-
Weapons of Mass Distraction: Why Governor Hochul’s New York Cellphone Ban Rings True for Adults
I’m not one to mix politics and parenting, but something clicked, or maybe buzzed, when Governor Kathy Hochul recently proposed a statewide classroom cell phone ban. The proposed “bell-to-bell” ban would make New York the largest state to restrict classroom phone use. According to the...
