Mental Health

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Nonprofit Bets Asian-American Students Can Learn To Avoid Unhealthy Gambling

KFF Health News Original

It’s not clear why Asian-American college students have higher rates of compulsive gambling than their peers, but a nonprofit in the San Francisco Bay Area arms them with strategies to avoid getting hooked.

Gun Control Vs. Mental Health Care: Debate After Mass Shootings Obscures Murky Reality

KFF Health News Original

More than half of mass shooters have serious mental health disorders, experts say, but the vast majority of mentally ill people are not violent. Some clinicians suggest strategic interventions, including closing loopholes in background checks to buy firearms and allowing family members to confiscate guns under temporary court orders for relatives at risk of doing harm.

With Hospitalization Losing Favor, Judges Order Outpatient Mental Health Treatment

KFF Health News Original

Nearly every state in the country allows courts to force people with severe mental illnesses into treatment against their will. But critics argue these controversial intervention programs fail to address underlying problems in behavioral health services.

Measure To Cap Dialysis Profits Pummeled After Record Spending By Industry

KFF Health News Original

The dialysis industry raised nearly $111 million in a successful bid to defeat the measure, which also was opposed by hospitals and doctors. The union that sponsored the measure collected about one-sixth that amount.

Judges In California Losing Sway Over Court-Ordered Drug Treatment

KFF Health News Original

In a Medicaid-funded pilot project starting with 19 counties, clinicians and other providers are now in charge of deciding what kind of treatment an offender needs. The change has rankled some judges and attorneys — and forced some felons to spend more time in jail — but it has been largely embraced by clinicians and county agencies.