Behavioral Health Policy & News

New York City plans to implement a pilot program where mental health professionals would replace police officers in responding to mental health emergencies.  The program will be tested in two to-be-determined NYC neighborhoods identified as "high need."  The NYC pilot program is based on the Oregon-based CAHOOTS co-responder model.

Suicide rates among 10-19 years old youth was the second leading cause of death in 2017 according to data from the National Vital Statistics System. Overall, rates for youth aged 10-14 declined between 2000-2007 before tripling between 2007-2017. The rates of completed suicide among Black youth are increasing faster than any other racial or ethnic group.

NASW CEO Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW, writes: "The effects of suicide go beyond the person who takes his or her life. Suicide causes pain, suffering and loss to individuals, families and communities."

Guest Santo D. Marabella, MBA, DSW, is an author, playwright, filmmaker, speaker and educator. He's the author of "The Lessons of Caring: Inspiration and Support for Caregivers." He talks about the lessons he's learned while caring for his aging parents, and how this book can help others in similar situations.

Suicide rates are rising in nearly every state in America. Many of these deaths are preventable if everyone from family to friends to health-care providers asks the right questions, uses the right language, and helps them get the right care.

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week is designed to counteract the myths about drugs and alcohol that teens often hear from the Internet, TV, movies, music, or friends. Sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, both part of the National Institutes of Health.