Study: Indiana Lost $4.2 Billion In 2019 On Untreated Mental Illness
A new study throws a sharp light on the broader economic impact of a health system not properly addressing mental health needs, with Indiana's leading crop sales not even equaling the economic cost of untreated mental illness.
Side Effects Public Media:
How Much Is The Economic Loss Of Untreated Mental Illness? One State Did The Math
Newly published research in Indiana shows the state lost $4.2 billion in 2019 due to untreated mental illness, according to the JAMA Network study. For context, corn, Indiana’s leading commodity, generated $3.8 billion in sales the year before. Indiana lawmakers recently adopted a new law to improve access to mental health care. Still, those efforts are not nearly enough to help hundreds of thousands of people navigate a complex system and find treatment. Measuring untreated mental illness and putting a price tag on it is difficult because individuals who are untreated have little to no interaction with the healthcare system, said Heather Taylor, the study’s lead author. (Gabriel, 11/27)
The Texas Tribune:
Mental Health Services For Firefighters Grow In Texas
For more than a decade, Sam Buser watched the lights of fire trucks bounce off the city streets of Houston, heard the roars of burning blazes and stood before the caskets of too many firefighters. He never held a hose or kicked in a door, but, as senior psychologist for the Houston Fire Department, he spent many sleepless nights at fire stations. His job was to convince those who run toward the fire that it's okay to help themselves. (Simpson, 11/27)
CBS News:
Brockton Non-Profit, Pinnacle Partnership, Helps Families Raise Kids With Mental Health Needs
Elizabeth Marcella says when her son turned five years old, she knew something was wrong. "He was three and four years old and super confident kid and then something changed." ... After COVID hit she is one of many parents who became deeply concerned about her child's mental health. That's when she discovered Pinnacle Partnerships in Brockton, a non-profit organization that provides resources, education and empowerment to families who are raising kids with mental health needs. (Burton, 11/27)
The CT Mirror:
Chris Murphy Wants To Fight Loneliness. He’s Still Figuring Out How To
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., knows talking about loneliness is not the most natural fit for a lawmaker. But he knew he was on to something after receiving an overwhelming response from constituents to an op-ed he wrote for a conservative news website. “I got more feedback from that piece in Connecticut than anything else that I’ve written in the last five years,” Murphy said about his op-ed for The Bulwark. “And so back home, I immediately can tell that people really were crying out for somebody in politics to talk about the issue of loneliness.” (Hagen, 11/28)
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In related news —
Roll Call:
Momentum Builds For Psychedelic Therapies For Troops, Vets
In 2004, Mike Gemignani enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school. A forward observer, he directed artillery units and Apache attack helicopters to their targets during his two tours in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division. He eventually left the military, went to college and settled into a job. But a slow trickle of anxiety and depression soon followed. (Satter, 11/28)
KFF Health News:
She Once Advised The President On Aging Issues. Now, She’s Battling Serious Disability And Depression.
The GoFundMe request jumped out at me as I was scrolling through posts on LinkedIn. Nora Super, executive director of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging and former director of the Milken Institute’s Center for the Future of Aging, was seeking contributions after suffering a severe spinal cord injury. “Right now, I have no feeling below the waist. I need lots of equipment to go home from the hospital and live safely and independently,” she wrote in her appeal. (Graham, 11/28)
KFF Health News:
‘Everybody In This Community Has A Gun’: How Oakland Lost Its Grip On Gun Violence
The red-tipped bullet pierces skin and melts into it, Javier Velasquez Lopez explains. The green-tipped bullet penetrates armored vests. And the hollow-tipped bullet expands as it tears through bodies. At 19, Velasquez Lopez knows a lot about ammunition because many of his friends own guns, he said. They carry to defend themselves in East Oakland, where metal bars protect shop windows and churches stand behind tall, chain-link fences. Some people even hide AR-15-style assault weapons down their pants legs, he said. (Young, 11/28)
