Articles, Leading Stories

April 1st, 2013

GIC awards mental health contract to Beacon

By Catherine Robertson Souter

In a move that has drawn criticism from some local psychologists, the Group Insurance Commission (GIC), the Massachusetts agency that oversees insurance for state employees and...

April 1st, 2013

Study: parity provides relief for most vulnerable

By Howard Newman

We’re well aware of what “parity” – as it applies to mental health insurance coverage – is supposed to do. In a perfect world, parity mandates that insurance...

April 1st, 2013

Report: Mental health care for children lacking

By Greg Hitchcock

According to a government report, requested by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), children’s mental health...

April 1st, 2013

Substance Use Disorder change gets mixed response

By Pamela Berard

One DSM-5 change that has divided mental health experts is the new category of Substance Use Disorder, which combines the DSM-IV Substance Abuse and Substance Dependence...

April 1st, 2013

DSM-5 to include binge eating disorder

By Phyllis Hanlon

When the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth version (DSM-5) is released this May, binge eating disorder (BED) will have its own diagnostic code....

April 1st, 2013

Bill proposes funding for mental health ‘first aid’ training

By Jo Kadlecek

Kate Roberts, Ph.D., a certified school psychologist who has practices in two Massachusetts towns, has spent more than 25 years in schools and with families helping them...

April 1st, 2013

Task force member discusses health care reform efforts

By Catherine Robertson Souter

Issues with the health care system are coming to a head in this country. As health care delivery evolves in response to calls and mandates for far-reaching reform, concerns of...

March 1st, 2013

Involuntary outpatient commitment: Supporters and critics weigh in

By Phyllis Hanlon

Tragic events like the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and at the theatre in Aurora, Colorado, tend to shine a spotlight on mental illness and...

March 1st, 2013

Reimbursement delays, denials prompt outcry

By Catherine Robertson Souter

For many mental health practitioners, January was a stressful month because of delays and denials of reimbursements from some insurance providers. The American Psychological...

March 1st, 2013

Finding a balance between inpatient and community-based services

By Phyllis Hanlon

The trend toward community-based services versus inpatient treatment continues to prompt state hospital closures/mergers across the country. In New England, the situation...