Recent News

Mental Health America has release its annual report, "2022 State of Mental Health in America". This report, now in its eighth year, ranks all fifty U.S. states and the District of Columbia based on mental health access and prevalence measures.   The top states in this year's report were Massachusetts (#1), New Jersey (#2), and […]

U.S. Department of Education Releases New Resource on Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health during COVID-19 Era >>>CLICK HERE TO VIEW<<< On October 19th, 2021 the U.S. Department of Education released a new resource: Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health to provide information and resources to enhance the promotion […]

SAMHSA announced it is launching an Office of Recovery, which will have "a dedicated team with a deep understanding of recovery to promote policies, programs, and services to those in or seeking recovery". The new office will include an emphasis on peer support and peer-delivered services.  Find additional details about the new office in the […]

Demand for mental health and substance use treatment began rising in 2020, with nearly an 80% increase in just the past three months. A new poll by Morning Consult, released by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, documents additional trends such as difficulty recruiting employees, long waitlists to receive care, and proposed policy solutions. Read […]

SMI Adviser published a new resource guide, "Improving Behavioral Health Services for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness in Rural and Remote Communities". With close to 20% of the U.S. population living in rural and remote areas, this guide serves as a blueprint on how to overcome barriers to providing mental health services such as availability, […]

People with disabilities appear to be significantly more likely to think about, plan, and/or attempt suicide than people without disabilities, according to a report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Individuals with multiple disabilities were found to be at a particularly heightened risk of suicidal behavior. The researchers categorized the respondents into seven groups based on their reported […]

JAMA Psychiatry published the results of a five-year trial of telepsychiatry. The study found that telepsychiatry in rural, federally qualified health centers was a resounding success for patients who had screened positive for bipolar disorder and/or PTSD. The trial was called The Study to Promote Innovation in Rural Integrated Telepsychiatry (SPIRIT). It was designed to identify the […]

The University of Washington School Mental Health Assessment, Research, and Training Center (SMART Center)  and Chad’s Legacy Project (CLP) have partnered to develop an online inventory of Tier 1 School-Based Mental Health Literacy (MHL) programs for students in grades 8-12. >>>Visit The Tier 1 School-Based Mental Health Literacy (MHL) Library<<< About The Project In partnership with Chad’s Legacy Project, the UW SMART Center […]

The Substance Abuse and Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released an update regarding medications for opioid use disorder (OUD). This updated version of Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 63: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder reviews the use of the three Food and Drug Administration-approved medications used to treat Opioid Use Disorder — methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine — […]

A new guide was published in Summer 2021 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. The guide, known as the "Behavioral Health Implementation Guide for the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care" (or National CLAS Standards), is a collaboration with the Substance […]

  The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and SAMHSA have partnered with lead authors to develop two publications on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) that address the importance of the routine availability of CBTp in the United States: The first is a new guide published in May 2021 by the Substance Abuse […]

Serious mental illness (SMI) is defined as someone over the age of 18 who has (or had within the past year) a diagnosable mental, behavior, or emotional disorder that causes serious functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. This resource page from Serious Mental Illness Adviser (SMI Adviser) includes […]

Racial and ethnic minority groups have experienced disparities in mental health and substance misuse related to access to care, psychosocial stress, and social determinants of health. Combined prevalence estimates of current depression, initiating or increasing substance use, and suicidal thoughts/ideation among U.S. adults aged ≥18 years were 28.6%, 18.2%, and 8.4%, respectively. Hispanic adults reported a […]

A New guide on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp) is now available for download from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website.  The guide, Routine Administration of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis as the Standard of Care for Individuals Seeking Treatment for Psychosis, provides mental health decision-makers such as state/local mental health directors, […]

Announcing the Launch of 'A Mindful State' A unique, people-powered approach to mental and emotional wellness for Washingtonians. Olympia, WA, May 12, 2021 — The Washington State Department of Health, in partnership with Governor Inslee’s Social Supports Community Leaders Group, announces an innovative campaign designed to address the growing mental and emotional health consequences of the […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed structural changes in the public mental health sector, including a shift to telehealth and telesupervision, financial strain for community mental health organizations and clinicians, and risk of burnout among clinicians and staff. This article considers how technical assistance (TA) organizations have supported community mental health providers in adapting to these […]

The Seattle Times published an article on April 4, 2021, Washington students are facing a mental health crisis. Here’s why schools are on the front lines.    Statistics Shared: Seattle Children’s hospital reports 1-2 children admitted each night for attempted suicide and the emergency department sees 170 children and adolescents for psychiatric emergencies – an increase from […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report on "Symptoms of Anxiety or Depressive Disorder and Use of Mental Health Care Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, August 2020–February 2021" on March 26, 2021. The report details that in the period of August 2020–February 2021, the percentage of adults […]

Check out this recently released resource from the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH). Alignment of School Mental Health Quality Frameworks and Tools: Guidance to the Field Schools play a vital role in supporting student social, emotional, and behavioral well-being to promote learning and success. Accordingly, the school mental health field has a robust […]

The UW SMART Center has put together The Case for School Mental Health Brief that highlights key statistics on the benefit of – and need for – comprehensive school mental health services. As you will see, the “Case for School Mental Health” does not just point to a general recommendation for increased availability of school mental […]

A recently published article in Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the Rates of Mental Health Service Utilization by Children and Adolescents in Schools and Other Common Service Settings. Access the full article here.   Abstract: A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the relative rates of youth […]

PUBLISHED: January 18, 2021 SOURCE LINK: HERE TEXT:  Today, the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the oldest national physician association in the country, is taking an important step in addressing racism in psychiatry. The APA is beginning the process of making amends for both the direct and indirect acts of racism in psychiatry. The APA Board of […]

The Northwest School Mental Health Team recently published an article in School Mental Health: A Multidisciplinary Research and Practice Journal detailing how our transition to an all virtual training format due to COVID-19 led to greater reach and impact. Access here. Several highlights include: The transition to online training and technical assistance resulted in a large increase in the […]

CAPT (USPHS) Meena Vythilingam will begin serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use. She brings with her a wealth of clinical, research, policy and programmatic knowledge and experience garnered from years of leadership in the mental health field and her most recent role as the inaugural Director of the HHS […]