TheRepublic.com - Mental health News

Vt. Gov. Shumlin tours new psychiatric residence

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:59:52 -0400

MIDDLESEX, Vermont - Gov. Peter Shumlin, legislators and other officials toured Vermont's newest state psychiatric facility Tuesday, a day before the Middlesex Therapeutic Community Residence was set to receive its first two patients.

Widow of Pa. inmate who killed himself files suit

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:31:32 -0400

LANCASTER, Pennsylvania - The widow of an inmate who committed suicide at Lancaster County Prison in 2011 is suing the prison and its medical services provider.

Prosecutors: Jackson can get treatment in prison

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:59:04 -0400

WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors are refuting the contention by defense attorneys that Jesse Jackson Jr. should spend less time in prison because a lengthy sentence would cause his fragile mental health to deteriorate.

W.Va. Supreme Court yanks politico's law license

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:53:51 -0400

CHARLESTON, West Virginia - Calling his conduct reprehensible, West Virginia's Supreme Court stripped a veteran lawyer and frequent political candidate of his license Monday after he had someone involuntarily committed on mental health allegations later deemed untrue.

Actress Glenn Close to speak on mental illness

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:05:33 -0400

OMAHA, Nebraska - Actress Glenn Close is planning to visit Nebraska this fall to talk about the stigma of mental illness.

VA expands mental health services in Wichita

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:41:23 -0400

WICHITA, Kansas - A new $4.6 million building scheduled to open by Thanksgiving on the campus of the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita will bring improved mental health care to veterans in the region at a time when demand is growing, medical center officials said.

Charity-funded clinic to help Fort Campbell troops

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:31:19 -0400

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky - A private foundation broke ground Thursday at Fort Campbell on a new clinic to treat the signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.

Nevada governor vetoes universal background checks

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:12:34 -0400

CARSON CITY, Nevada - Gov. Brian Sandoval vetoed a bill Thursday that would have required a background check almost any time a firearm changes hands in Nevada, carrying through on his earlier promises to kill legislation that attracted interest in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting and a rampage at a Nevada restaurant in 2011.

Family: Kidnap try suspect has mental illness

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:57:42 -0400

MEDFORD, Oregon - His former wife and family members say a Medford man accused of trying to snatch a 5-year-old boy from his mother has a long history of mental illness, and his behavior has gotten increasingly dangerous in recent weeks.

Isakson calls for hearing on Atlanta VA hospital

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:14:59 -0400

ATLANTA - U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson is calling for a hearing on the Atlanta VA Medical Center after two federal audits earlier this year detailed allegations of mismanagement of mental health programs and poor patient care linked to three deaths.

Mental health experts ask court to stop execution

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:31:59 -0400

WASHINGTON - Mental disability experts have filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent the execution of a Georgia death row inmate whose lawyers have long claimed he's mentally disabled.

Chicagoan ordered to get help after 396 arrests

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:14:04 -0400

CHICAGO - A homeless Chicago woman who has been arrested 396 times in the past 35 years has been ordered by a judge to get mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Lancaster County mental health services privatized

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:13:28 -0400

LINCOLN, Nebraska - Three private agencies soon will take over mental health services that Lancaster County has been providing for about 3,500 low-income people with serious mental illnesses.

Relative: NH man struggles with mental illness

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:08:26 -0400

LACONIA, New Hampshire - The sister of a New Hampshire man accused of strangling a man at a Laconia home offering mental health care says her brother has struggled with mental illness his entire life.

Overtime for state workers continues to increase

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:10:00 -0400

TOPEKA, Kansas - A therapist at Larned State Hospital made nearly $51,000 in overtime last year, and a licensed practical nurse at the hospital made an extra $40,000, according to state records.

New Vt. psych facility to open soon

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:04:25 -0400

MIDDLESEX, Vermont - Vermont mental health officials say they're hoping a new seven-bed psychiatric unit in Middlesex will pass inspections this week and be ready to be open and admitting patients by next week.

Mary Washington to improve mental health services

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:05:12 -0400

FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia - The University of Mary Washington is improving mental health services for students.

Brach is calm eye of DC's stress-filled storm

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 10:56:07 -0400

BETHESDA, Maryland - A tornado warning was in effect in Washington and the rain was coming down in sheets, but the little residential roads around Bethesda's River Road Unitarian Church were gridlocked with traffic, as they are every Wednesday night. Washington's strivers were striving to chill out.

Conn. lawmakers not done yet with Newtown issues

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 09:38:12 -0400

HARTFORD, Connecticut - Even though Connecticut lawmakers have passed numerous bills addressing the school shooting in Newtown, their work on the subject is far from finished.

Doctor who OK'd 'Cuckoo's Nest' hospital use dies

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:33:00 -0400

GRANTS PASS, Oregon - The psychiatrist who opened the Oregon State Hospital's doors to filming of the 1975 Academy Award-winning movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" has died.

Senators press for answers on Atlanta VA issues

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:14:13 -0400

ATLANTA - Georgia's U.S. senators are asking for answers from the head of Veterans Affairs after an audit report outlined troubling problems at the Atlanta VA Medical Center.

Soldier pleads guilty in massacre of 16 Afghans

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 22:25:36 -0400

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Washington - The American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, many of them women and children who were asleep in their villages, pleaded guilty to murder Wednesday and acknowledged to a judge that there was "not a good reason in this world" for his actions.

Senate panel approves mental health rules for guns

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:40:51 -0400

DOVER, Delaware - A bill expanding the ability of Delaware authorities to prohibit people with mental health issues from having guns is on its way to a Senate vote after clearing the judiciary committee on Wednesday.

Bill would preserve prison mental health system

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:35:50 -0400

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania - A tentative proposal to privatize mental-health services in Pennsylvania's prisons is drawing opposition in the Legislature.

Wyo. lawmakers look at suicide prevention

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:26:13 -0400

CASPER, Wyoming - An interim legislative committee is considering the idea of requiring Wyoming educators receive suicide prevention training.