2016
On July 6th, the House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (H.R. 2646). The American Psychiatric Association along with other organizations, worked with the House to ensure this bill would pass through the House advocating for improved mental health services for our country. The bill calls for restructuring of... read more
Senate Passes Addiction Treatment Legislation
July 15, 2016 Yesterday the U.S. Senate passed, by a vote of 92 to 2, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), a significant first step in addressing the nation’s opioid crisis. The Senate’s action on a conference committee report follows that of the House, which voted to adopt the report last week (407 to... read more
The nation is in terrible turmoil following the fatal police shootings in Baton Rouge, La., and St. Paul, Minn., and last week’s deadly attack on police officers in Dallas. I share the intense feelings our patients and our members are experiencing right now. We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims of violence.... read more
Research Traces Link Between Combat Blasts and PTSD
By ALAN SCHWARZ New York Times JUNE 9, 2016 They are among war’s invisible wounds: the emotional and cognitive problems that many troops experience years after combat explosions sent huge shock waves through their brains. Whereas the link between concussions and post-traumatic stress disorder has become clearer in recent years, a specific connection between... read more
by Joshua Stewart June 25, 2016 San Diego County is moving forward with a new program that will provide long-term housing and care to as many as 1,250 mentally ill homeless people in the next two years. “These are the people who have basically lost the struggle with behavioral health issues and are about as... read more
Mentally ill inmates are swamping the state's prisons and jails. Here's one man's story.
by Abby Sewell Los Angeles Times June 19, 2016 Reginald Murray sat next to his mother for the first time in more than a year, under the alternately bored and watchful eyes of the guards in the visitors’ room at Atascadero State Hospital. He teased his mother about her weight; she teased her son about... read more
What if PTSD Is More Physical Than Psychological?
A new study supports what a small group of military researchers has suspected for decades: that modern warfare destroys the brain. By ROBERT F. WORTH New York Times JUNE 10, 2016 In early 2012, a neuropathologist named Daniel Perl was examining a slide of human brain tissue when he saw something odd and unfamiliar... read more
By Kerry Madden LA Times June 5, 2016 “I’ve spilt more than you’ve smoked,” my brother-in-law, let’s call him Marty, bragged to my husband in the throes of his addiction. A measure to legalize recreational marijuana is heading toward the California ballot in November. Marty would have been thrilled — but then, he didn’t... read more
San Diego People: Bipolar disorder Posted: May 15, 2016 12:04 PM PDT Updated: May 28, 2016 5:19 PM PDT San Diego People: Bipolar disorder Click here to listen to the full story and interview SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – May is mental health awareness month and this week on San Diego People, we are taking a... read more
By Kristen Bell May 31, 2016 TIME.com 'There's nothing weak about struggling with mental illness' When I was 18, my mom sat me down and said, “If there ever comes a time where you feel like a dark cloud is following you, you can get help. You can talk to me, talk to a therapist,... read more