Minding the Nation's Health

All about behavioral health and healthcare reform.

by David Shern, Ph.D.

Mental Health and the Spill: Let's Stop Discriminating

As BP claims administrator Kenneth Feinberg begins this week to compensate victims for injuries caused by the catastrophic oil spill, mental health and substance use conditions won't be included unless they are directly related to a physical injury sustained as a result of the spill. Read More

Health Reform is Mental Health Reform

Unless you're Rip Van Winkle, you know that health care reform has become law. But not enough has been written about the positive steps the law takes to expand and improve mental health and substance use coverage and services. Read More

What's Next for Parity--Part II

Early in his career, Philip Burguieres, Vice Chairman of the Houston Texans, experienced a serious episode of depression. He learned that treatment for mental health conditions were not covered on the same level as other medical conditions. He felt the practice was unfair and a barrier to treatment and decided to change things. Read More

What's Next for Parity-Part I

Although the federal mental health parity law became fully effective January 1, work remains to ensure the law works as Congress and advocates intended. Read More

Medical Homes: Making Room for Mental Health

Our health care system is plagued by a lack of coordination. Fragmentation is particularly acute in the mental health system, affecting both cost and quality. Read More

A Recovery for Americans’ Mental Health

As Congress and the administration consider a new stimulus, they need to repair the recession's damage to Americans' mental health.

We are seeing what we've known for decades: job losses and economic uncertainty increase the rate of psychiatric symptoms, the rate for suicide and the demand for mental health services. Read More

Prevention and Health Reform

While the value of prevention has won a seat at the table in the ongoing debate over health reform, the method of "scoring" potential savings has elbowed out a broader discussion of the advances made in identifying cost-effective interventions that lower the incidence of disease and produce healthier lives. Read More