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Supporters say the new guidelines will make it easier to address drug or alcohol problems before they become serious. But others worry that one of the tools to evaluate such problems falsely suggests there is a natural escalation from non-use to occasional use to risky use to addiction.
The expensive medications, designed for people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders, are being prescribed regularly for common problems such as anxiety and attention-deficit disorder and are being used on children and the elderly.
More Americans receive mental health treatment in prisons and jails than in hospitals or treatment centers, yet the criminal justice system was never built to handle people with mental illnesses. A judge in Miami-Dade County is trying to prevent those with mental illnesses who have committed minor crimes from ending up in jail.
The SSI program for low-income disabled children is rapidly expanding, with the biggest increase among kids with mental, behavioral and learning disorders, including ADHD, speech delays, autism, and bipolar disorder, sparking criticism in Congress.
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a reader who wonders if there are states where they can get both curative care and hospice care at the same time. The health law may provide some solutions, Andrews says.
About 14 percent of elderly nursing homes residents receives a so-called atypical antipsychotic medicine despite an increased risk of death when the medicines are used to manage dementia in older people.
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a mother whose daughter is uninsured and needs some inexpensive care. Andrews says going to a community health center may be a good option for her.
Michelle Andrews answers a question from a mother whose daughter lost her insurance and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. What are her options to get coverage?
With states reducing the number of psychiatric beds, mentally ill patients often languish in hospital emergency rooms for several days, sometimes longer. At most, they get drugs but little counseling, and the environment is often harsh.
The wait for an appointment with an expert can be long, and psychiatrists especially are in short supply. Psychologists seek to expand their role by prescribing drugs.
Analysis by advocacy group NAMI finds cuts of $1.8 billion, or about 8 percent of the states' total budgets, from 2009 through 2011.
Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, is making a "paradigm shift" in his division to focus more on care-at-home cases.
For years, the state paid private providers who care for people with disabilities to handle their clients' case management. But an 11th-hour change inserted into the budget last session stripped them of that responsibility, giving it instead to quasi-governmental Mental Retardation Authorities - and potentially creating a conflict of interest.
Sweeping agreement with Georgia points to new Obama administration campaign to ensure people with mental illness and developmental disabilities get community services and are not forced into institutions.
Insurance coverage of mental illness and addiction problems often is skimpier than for physical illness. But that is changing with the mental health parity law that took effect earlier this year and the new health overhaul.
Many homeless people are uninsured and ineligible for Medicaid. But that will change beginning in 2014, when Medicaid greatly expands under the new health law.
Juggling a caregiving role with a full-time job is daunting. But it can be even more difficult working during the end stages of a loved one's life. Some companies are helping their employees manage the tough times.
The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services has suspended voluntary admissions to the state's three hospitals for the mentally ill because they are full.
You might think the fight over mental health parity - the requirement that health insurance plans not handle coverage for mental ailments any differently than coverage for any other disorder - would be over. You would, however, be wrong.
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