Mental Health Weekly最新文献

The New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, Inc., is holding its annual conference, “Evolving Behavioral Health, Advancing Together for 75 Years,” April 14–15 in Iselin, N.J. For more information, visit http://www.njamhaa.org.

New Jersey officials last month announced they have adopted regulations that will allow outpatient health facilities to obtain a single, integrated license to provide behavioral health and primary care services. The state's mental health provider community has advocated such a move for years, although it is now awaiting formal release of the final rules amid some concerns over potentially burdensome requirements.

A new eating disorder treatment program for children has been formed to provide them with developmentally appropriate, age-tailored support to build lasting recovery skills and an opportunity to heal in an environment best suited for their age. The Denver-based Eating Recovery Center (ERC) pediatric-focused treatment track is designed specifically for children ages 8–12 who require inpatient or residential eating disorder care.

The House Appropriations Committee on Jan. 20 released its Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) spending bill for FY2026, which level-funded or slightly increased key behavioral health programs funding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The bill is part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 7148).

The New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, Inc., is holding its annual conference, “Evolving Behavioral Health, Advancing Together for 75 Years,” April 14–15 in Iselin, N.J. For more information, visit http://www.njamhaa.org.

A new national coalition of recovery leaders, advocates and activists has formed in response to the Trump administration's recent freeze — and then reinstatement — of nearly 2,000 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants, representing more than $2 billion in critical funding. The group, comprising more than 40 leaders from across the country, including mental health and substance use leaders, convened in January in Massachusetts to develop a coordinated strategy aimed at safeguarding civil and human rights while protecting access to essential mental health and substance use services.

Can online jurors be just as focused and fair as those deliberating in a courtroom? As courts rely more heavily on virtual proceedings, new research from the American Psychological Association (APA) suggests that justice doesn't necessarily suffer when jurors deliberate online, an APA news release stated. A study published in Law and Human Behavior found that mock juries convened virtually were just as attentive, engaged and thoughtful as juries that met in person. Researchers compared 54 mock juries — 24 that deliberated face to face and 30 that met online — using identical civil trial materials. On nearly every measure, the outcomes were strikingly similar. “Despite concerns that virtual formats might undermine juror attention or fundamentally alter deliberations, participants in online juries carefully evaluated the evidence and reported putting in comparable effort,” said lead author Krystia Reed, Ph.D., of the University of Texas at El Paso. The study involved 317 adults from upstate New York, who viewed a videotaped mock civil trial involving a fictional motor vehicle accident. Jurors, seated in groups of five or six, were asked to reach a unanimous verdict and determine damages for two plaintiffs suing a trucking company for negligence. Researchers analyzed recordings of every jury deliberation, examining jurors’ attention, engagement, interaction patterns and diversity of perspectives. They said the results suggest that virtual jury trials could be a viable option when in-person proceedings are not feasible, potentially helping courts reduce backlogs and improve accessibility without compromising fairness.

The Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) and Alera Health announced a strategic partnership to accelerate adoption of innovative payment models that promote access to high-quality, evidence-based care for people with a primary or secondary behavioral health disorder, an ABHW news release stated. As an extension to managed care, Clinically Integrated Networks assemble diverse networks of service providers who are incentivized under pay-for-performance models to improve health outcomes and lower unnecessary health care costs. People with behavioral health and co-occurring medical disorders frequently encounter barriers to engaging in complex outpatient care, leading to health care costs five to six times higher than average and an alarming reduction in life expectancy of 27 years. “ABHW has long supported value-based contracting and the shared accountability of a Clinically Integrated Network as a pathway to whole-person care,” Debbie Witchey, ABHW president and CEO, stated in the release. “Our managed care organizations have decades of experience in population health, and we look forward to the opportunity to learn from Alera Health and its ONEcare Networks through dialogue and collaboration focused on improving health outcomes.” Alera Health's ONEcare Networks bring together behavioral health, medical and social care organizations to improve health outcomes by facilitating data-sharing, coordinating care and expanding the use of evidence-based practices. ONEcare networks are established across the United States with over 200 provider organizations, employing 35,000 behavioral and medical clinicians who support over 4 million health care consumers, including roughly 450,000 with severe mental illness. In 2024, ONEcare networks nationwide reduced inpatient utilization by over 350,000 bed days and reduced medical spending by roughly 10.6%.

More than one in three Americans who use AI chatbots for mental health support say they do so to avoid judgment or stigma, according to a new survey from Cognitive FX, a specialized health care provider and brain rehabilitation center that focuses on treating concussions, post-concussion syndrome, traumatic brain injury and related neurological and cognitive conditions. The new data show that stigma, financial stress and ease of access are pushing many Americans toward AI chatbots for mental health support — despite concerns about accuracy and clinical safety.

Helping to care for grandchildren may help buffer older adults against cognitive decline, according to research published in Psychology and Aging. “Many grandparents provide regular care that supports families and society more broadly,” said lead researcher Flavia Chereches, MS, of Tilburg University, in an American Psychological Association news release. “We wanted to see whether that caregiving might also benefit grandparents themselves,” Chereches said. “An open question, however, is whether caregiving for grandchildren may also benefit grandparents themselves. In this research, we wanted to see if providing grandchild care might benefit grandparents' health, potentially slowing down cognitive decline.” Chereches and colleagues analyzed data from 2,887 grandparents over age 50 (mean age 67) in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, who completed surveys and cognitive tests three times between 2016 and 2022. Participants reported whether they had cared for a grandchild in the past year and detailed the types of care provided. Grandparents who provided childcare scored higher on memory and verbal fluency tests than those who did not, even after adjusting for age, health and other factors. The benefits held regardless of how often or what type of care was provided. Researchers also found that grandmothers who cared for their grandchildren showed slower cognitive decline over time compared with those who did not.