Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Holistic Mental Health Treatments Gaining Traction, As More Shy Away From Medication
Some of the voices inside Caroline White鈥檚 head have been a lifelong comfort, as protective as a favorite aunt. It was the others 鈥 鈥測ou鈥檙e nothing, they鈥檙e out to get you, to kill you鈥 鈥 that led her down a rabbit hole of failed treatments and over a decade of hospitalizations, therapy and medications, all aimed at silencing those internal threats. At a support group here for so-called voice-hearers, however, she tried something radically different. She allowed other members of the group to address the voice, directly: What is it you want? (Carey, 8/8)
In other news about mental health 鈥
By the fall of her sophomore year at the University of Houston, Mariellee Aurelio had already thought of several ways to kill herself. ...聽Her struggle mirrors those of countless college students across the state who are battling depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses but are often forced to wait weeks for a counseling appointment, according to interviews with several university students and counseling center directors.聽Understaffed counseling centers at Texas universities say they are frustrated by their inability to reach students, but the state doesn't earmark money for mental health services, and lawmakers want to limit tuition hikes. (Pattani, 8/9)
Former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy is calling on Americans to stop referring to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as 鈥渃razy鈥 because it demeans the people who suffer from mental illnesses. 鈥淚s Donald Trump experiencing a mental illness? That鈥檚 the question making the rounds these days,鈥 the mental health advocate wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post on Monday. (Yilek, 8/8)
The family of a man who died at Milwaukee County's Mental Health Complex almost four years ago has聽sued the county and several medical staff, claiming federal civil rights violations the lawsuit says were endemic for years at the troubled complex. Brandon Johnson, 25, died October 6, 2012, after three days at the complex. He had complained of being unable to move his legs聽and had unsuccessfully sought a transfer to another hospital. (Vielmetti, 8/8)