For the second year in a row, mental health played a leading role in a State of the Union message delivered by President Joe Biden. One year ago, Biden outlined a four-part “unity agenda” that focused largely on tackling the mental health and opioid crises at a time of deep psychological suffering and the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.
Peer support providers have the potential to play an important role in the mental health field, not only because they can help fill the gap in the workforce, but also because they have something unique to offer. Their lived experience working to recover from mental health or substance use challenges gives them insights they can offer to others in similar situations.
California relies on multiple streams of revenue to fund public mental health services from federal, state, and local levels. One of the many sources of income is the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). It’s a vital source of funding that directly impacts the care Californians receive for mental health and substance use care.
As a young boy living in what was then Zaire, Bertine Bahige remembers watching refugees flee from the Rwandan genocide in 1994 by crossing a river that forms the two Central African nations’ border.
It’s a startling statistic: Nearly half of all lifetime mental illness cases in the U.S. begin by age 14, yet 79% of youth needing care don’t receive it. A new approach to youth mental health care in California care hopes to change that startling dynamic. The “allcove” program brings youth voices in order to create a “with, for, and by youth” experience.
Too often a lack of resources and social stigma leaves people who need mental health support without help. As a consequence, we have seen an “ineffective and deadly” response to people experiencing mental health crises. The 988 crisis line is an opportunity to reimagine mental health and substance use disorder crisis response to give people the help they need. Through one easy-to-remember phone number, 988 will ensure that anyone experiencing a mental health crisis receives the care they deserve.