Articles, Leading Stories
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
DMH receives funding boost for FY2014
By Phyllis Hanlon
In a switch from previous years, Gov. Deval Patrick announced a 3.3 percent increase in the overall budget for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) for FY2014....
Vermont grapples with budgetary priorities
By Janine Weisman
The Vermont Department of Mental Health’s current fiscal year $174 million budget represented a 15 percent increase to enhance community services in the only state which...