Public policies and practices should promote greater awareness and early identification of mental health conditions. Public policies should be guided by credible, evidence-based research. Justice system responses to people with mental illness should be minimized while ensuring that any interactions preserve health, well-being and dignity.
Implications. Practice: There is a need for practitioners to educate policymakers about the opportunities surrounding behavioral intervention, particularly in specialty settings.. Policy: Federal behavioral health legislation that directly includes cost-effectiveness, evidence-based terminology, or a prevention frame is more likely to be enacted into law than legislation that does not ...
CDC's public health strategy to improve mental health is guided by principles of health equity. Health equity is the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. 9 When people have limited access to resources they need to be healthy, such as access to health care, they are more likely to ...
differ, creating the social conditions that support the mental health of all individuals is a necessary element of creating healthy communities. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Network attorneys and staff have identified six key policies with the potential to significantly improve mental health outcomes across the United States.
Mental health workforce; Crisis response; Diversion; Criminal Justice Reform; Due to the breadth of issues impacting mental health, this report is not comprehensive of all possible issue areas and related legislation. Conclusions. Mental health emerged as a top issue in states’ policymaking in 2022, reflecting overwhelming concern from the ...
By ensuring laws and policies related to mental health are in line with internationally agreed human rights conventions. Countries should ensure their policies and laws related to mental health both protect and promote mental health. While many countries have sought to reform their laws, policies and services since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with ...
The development and dissemination of effective COVID-19 vaccines gives us hope for an end to the pandemic that has upended our lives. But vaccines will not end the mental health crisis that is ...
Increasing Access to Health Care Services. For the last several years, increasing rates of mental illness and barriers to treatment for adults and youth have challenged states. In response, legislatures have worked to help strengthen and align behavioral health and public health systems.Common policy actions include improving statewide data systems, promoting cross-sector engagement and ...
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) passed in March 2021, included substantial investments in mental health care to address the increased need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key elements include: Mental Health Block Grants: The Act provided an additional $1.5 billion for Community Mental Health Services Block Grants, which support state and local mental health programs.
Join Our Movement. Our nation is grappling with multiple mental health and substance use crises. Lack of access to comprehensive lifesaving care, record-high overdose rates, dramatic increases in suicidal ideation and a mental health workforce shortage — all of which made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic — are just some of the daunting challenges.
Young adults have been hit particularly hard, with 69% of women and 54% of men aged 18 to 29 reporting negative impacts on their mental health.Marriages have suffered, with divorce rates skyrocketing in the early months of the pandemic.² This challenging state of affairs has been fueled by fear of illness, economic downturn, isolation, and the harsh reality that one in four Americans had a ...
Addressing supply-side access challenges in the near term requires a better understanding of the problem of low access to mental health services and how it is related to the size, composition ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the nation’s mental health. Americans were more likely to report experiencing stress, anxiety, or great sadness compared to people in other countries; Black and Latino people experienced more mental health concerns than whites. Uncertainty and disruptions in employment, income, housing, and food security have contributed to increases in ...
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Network attorneys and staff have identified six key policies with the potential to significantly improve mental health outcomes across the United States. This policy brief covers a wide range of areas focused on communities and those who work to support communities. It is designed as a practical resource for public health professionals, leaders ...
The National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and philanthropic organizations should address research gaps related to intervention development and implementation — prioritizing interventions that target inequities in emotional, mental, and behavioral health, that are needed for different age groups, and that are co-created with the populations they are ...
In our rapidly changing world, policies around mental health and substance use disorders have been slower to be updated. However, changing behavioral health policies is crucial for the well-being of all people in all communities. Here are 10 key steps for these policy changes to make a better and healthier tomorrow.
Introduction, purpose and use of the guidance explores key mental health policy considerations, addressing challenges and the urgent need for reform to tackle social and structural determinants. It emphasizes the need to align with international human rights frameworks, highlighting essential factors and proposing new directions for equitable ...
