Mental Health Push In Congress Sparks a Lobbying Frenzy
... [ A ] a new federal report shows health insurers regularly violate laws , refusing to pay for mental health and substance abuse services or making patients jump through hoops to get care .
SOURCE : Politico , by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Wilson , 02 / 13 / 2022 , politi . co / 3ubgNFy
Mental Health Representation in Movies and TV Shows
Representation matters . The conversation about mental health has changed a lot over the last couple of decades , yet Hollywood is often hopelessly behind the times . These are the best — and worst — portrayals of mental illness on screen .
SOURCE : PopTonic , by Erin Elizabeth Long , Feb . 10 , 2022 , bit . ly / 38vuAi1
Why So Many Doctors Treat Their Own Mental Health in Secret
Mental Health in the news
Compiled by Kathleen McCarthy The Advocate Magazine
The multitude of news reports , articles , and blogs about people and events related to mental health indicate the relevance and importance of the topic . Click on the links to any entry below to find out “ the rest of the story .”
Because we can ’ t fit in all the mental healthrelated news on this page , see an expanded list of news items related to mental health at : www . amhca . org / publications / advocatemag at Baylor College of Medicine . “ You were either a buffoon or a killer .
SOURCE : The Washington Post , by Bethonie Butler , Nov . 26 , 2021 , https :// wapo . st / 3uZfgBS
How Long Should It Take to Grieve ? Psychiatry Has Come Up with an Answer .
( New York Times ) – After more than a decade of argument , psychiatry ’ s most powerful body in the United States added a new disorder ... to its diagnostic manual : prolonged grief . The decision marks an end to a long debate within the field of mental health , steering researchers and clinicians to view intense grief as a target for medical treatment , at a moment when many Americans are overwhelmed by loss . The new diagnosis , prolonged grief disorder , was designed to apply to a narrow slice of the population who are incapacitated , pining and ruminating a year after a loss , and unable to return to previous activities . Its inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders means that clinicians can now bill insurance companies for treating people for the condition .
SOURCE : Bioethics . com , March 21 , 2022 , https :// bioethics . com / archives / 62087
… My shifts in the pediatric emergency room during my three-year residency training were a tour of human heartbreak for me : A 15-year-old needed a sexual assault kit . A 3-year-old tested positive for the dad ’ s meth . A man dipped his 6-year-old ’ s feet in boiling oil . ... After each death , I choked back the welling tears , picked up the next patient ’ s chart and soldiered into the next room . The culture of medicine discourages doctors like me from crying , sleeping , or making mistakes . Worse , we can even be punished for seeking mental health care . … Doctors also have a high risk of death by suicide compared to many other professions . An estimated 300 to 400 physicians die by suicide in the United States every year — about a doctor a day .
SOURCE : New York Times , guest essay by Seema Jilani , MD , March 30 , 2022 , https :// nyti . ms / 3LoWSbX
From ‘ Ted Lasso ’ to ‘ Insecure ,’ TV ’ s Therapists Keep Getting Better ( With a Few Exceptions )
[ A ] lthough “ The Sopranos ” wasn ’ t the first TV series to feature a therapist character , many practitioners cited it as a refreshingly authentic representation of what therapy actually is . Before the hit HBO series , TV therapists tended to fall into two categories , said Glen Gabbard , clinical professor of psychiatry
Vaccine Eligibility Includes Risk for Mood Disorders
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added mood disorders to the list of conditions that put people at high risk for severe coronavirus cases recently , clinicians were not surprised . The mind-body connection , they say , is long-settled research . … But the scientific seal of approval is still critical : It makes millions of people eligible for booster shots based on their mental health diagnosis alone and gives vulnerable groups more reason to protect themselves .
SOURCE : The Washington Post , by Jenna Portnoy , Oct . 27 , 2021 , https :// wapo . st / 3j9ntxH
NBA : The 76ers and Ben Simmons ’ Mental Health
Medicine and cognitive behavioral therapy changed my life , but more importantly I learned that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to mental health . ... So when it comes to this ludicrous public referendum on what is and isn ’ t “ acceptable ” when it comes to Ben Simmons ’ mental health , it makes me furious .
SOURCE : SB Nation . com ( Vox Media ), by James Dator , Feb . 15 , 2022 , tinyurl . com / bdeb2kcc
9 The Advocate Magazine 2022 , Issue # 1 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org