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Health care payments continue to evolve and shift away from fee‐for‐service payment systems that typically reward volume and move to value‐based payment (VBP) models that incentivize high‐quality, cost‐effective care. While this is happening more for physical health services, there's more uncertainty about the role of behavioral health. A new white paper aims to tackle that question with information about existing models that have been implemented along with recommendations for federal and state policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization or day treatment programs can provide more intensive levels of care with multiple types of therapy, more frequent sessions with mental health professionals, and clinically informed care coordination and case management. This observation on residential treatment is included in a new white paper released this month by the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observing that the transition to the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers an opportunity to grow crisis response services along a continuum, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) last month released a series of 10 technical assistance collaborative papers providing important resources for stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boldly proclaiming to Congress that it's time to redesign the U.S. mental and behavioral health system, Senate lawmakers last month released a white paper outlining a national strategy to integrate mental health care, enhance delivery within local communities and improve how federal funds and other resources are planned for and allocated to increase the nation's investment through better mental and behavioral health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can bird‐watching improve mental health? A new study has found that people who have nature‐based experiences report better well‐being and lower psychological distress than those who do not, a North Carolina State University news release stated. Bird‐watching in particular yielded promising results, with higher gains in subjective well‐being and more reduction in distress than more generic nature exposure, such as walks. Because bird‐watching is an easily accessible activity, the results are encouraging for college students, who are among those most likely to suffer from mental health problems, the news release indicated. "Bird‐watching is among the most ubiquitous ways that human beings interact with wildlife globally, and college campuses provide a pocket where there's access to that activity even in more urban setting, said Nils Peterson, corresponding author of the study and a professor of forestry and environmental resources at North Carolina State University. The paper, "Birdwatching linked to increased psychological well‐being on college campuses: A pilot‐scale experimental study," was published in Environmental Psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on mental health education to be taught in schools. Topics discussed include white paper "Mental Health Education in New York Schools: Review of Legislative History, Intent and Vision for Implementation" has been issued by Mental Health Association of New York State'; New York state schools teach about alcohol, tobacco and cancer screenings; and the views of Glenn Liebman, MHANYS chief executive officer, on curriculum development.

The article reports that the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released three overview papers detailing approaches to treating individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. The overview papers were titled "Services Integration," "Systems Integration," and "The Epidemiology of Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Disorders."

Could earmarking recreational marijuana taxes for investments in mental health offset the potential health consequences of marijuana legalization, while retaining its benefits to communities?, NYU News reported April 1. "If more and more states are passing recreational marijuana laws and adding excise taxes, then it would make sense that at least some of this is earmarked for mental health," says NYU School of Global Public Health's Jonathan Purtle, an associate professor of public health policy and management and the author of a new JAMAHealth Forum paper arguing that the earmarked taxes have the potential to help millions. Right now, most states don't earmark marijuana tax revenue for mental health. Just six states — Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York, Oregon, and Washington — mention mental health in their recreational marijuana tax codes, but only in combination with substance use, providing no guarantee that any revenue will be spent on mental health in addition to substance use services. "We found that earmarking a quarter of marijuana tax revenue is not nominal — it's a lot of money, and could help a lot of people," said Purtle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leading advocates and researchers in the mental health field published new data in JAMA showing that state medical board license applications do not follow national recommendations to protect the mental health of physicians, The Emotional PPE Project reported May 18. Physicians have high rates of burnout and consistently report they do not have adequate support for their emotional wellness. Despite this context, physicians infrequently seek mental health care, often fearing that it will result in loss of their medical license. In 2018, the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) published recommendations to limit medical license application questions regarding mental health to only what is necessary and relevant, and to provide language supportive of mental health treatment seeking. The findings in JAMA show that as of July 2020, these recommendations have not been widely adopted. Only 1 of 54 US state and territory medical licensing applications evaluated in the study fully adopted the FSMB recommendations (North Carolina), and five states were not consistent with any of the recommendations. This latest paper is one in a series of publications over the past year that have brought awareness to the multitude of barriers that physicians face when seeking mental health care. Advocacy organizations such as The Emotional PPE Project and the National Alliance on Mental Illness have emerged as some of the leaders in the effort to lift these barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the report "Responding to the Newtown Tragedy: A White Paper on Behavioral Health as a Partner in the Solution," published by the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS). Recommendation to the U.S. Congress and the national government on behavioral health service by NAPHS include ensuring essential health benefits in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), passage of the Behavioral Health Information Technology Act in Congress and issuance of a final parity rule.

Reports that the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Research Institute Inc. is seeking paper topics for its 12th annual Conference on State Mental Health Agency Services Research Program Evaluation and Policy in Washington D.C. Title of the conference; Topics for paper proposals; Guidelines.

The article reports that the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Co-Occurring Center for Excellence has released three papers for treatment professionals, including counselors, administrators and primary care providers. The papers include "Overaching Principles to Address the Needs of Persons with Co-Occurring Disorders," "Definitions and Terms Relating to Co-Occuring Disorders" and Screening Assessment and Treatment Planning for Persons with Co-Occuring Disorders."

The article offers news briefs in the U.S. related to mental health. An online survey of adults' views on mental health treatment has been conducted by Harris Interactive Inc. and American Psychological Association. A paper from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has studied mental illness at substate level. Another corporate-sponsored study suggests that obsessive-compulsive disorder is under-treated.

The article reports on the paper "Care of Adults with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders in U.S. Community Hospitals, 2004," released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to the report, about 1.9 million of the 7.6 million hospital stays were for patients hospitalized for mental health or substance abuse problem. With this, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration administrator Terry Cline calls for increased mental illness intervention effort.

The article presents the call for proposals by the Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health (RTC). RTC will hold its 18th annual research conference, "A System of Care for Children's Mental Health: Expanding the Research Base," from March 6 to 9 in Tampa, Florida. RTC is accepting applications for presentations and is especially interested in proposals that address research and evaluation related to system transformation; federally supported initiatives. The center is also interested in projects representing strong partnerships with family members. Presentation formats include symposia, paper presentations, topical discussions and poster presentations.

The article discusses the impact of virtual violence on mental health. The American Psychological Association (APA) urged a reduction in the violence found in so many video games available to children and adolescents. The APA cited 20 years of research as well as a recent paper analyzing dozens of studies, reported the "New York Times." The data show that those children who play video games containing violence and bloodshed show greater "short term" increases in antagonism toward their friends, parents and other authority figures, compared with those kids who play more benign games.

Reports on the upgrade of the web site of Menninger Clinic. Offer of information to mental health professionals and mental people with mental illness; Expansion of the treatment program section, papers and books; Provision of data on Menninger training programs and a Newsroom section for the media.