IN THE NEWS: NAMI FRANKLIN COUNTY

• '988' nationwide mental health crisis and suicide prevention hotline to launch in 2022 January 6, 2022
  By July 16, 2022, there will be a nationwide hotline to help with mental health crises and suicide prevention. “Once fully implemented, 988 will save lives and is a critical component to ensuring people in crisis are diverted from involvement in the criminal justice system and connected to appropriate services and supports,” said NAMI CEO […]
• Preventing the next school tragedy with programs to combat mental health issues January 3, 2022
  The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports one in six U.S. youth, ages 6-17, experience a mental health disorder every year. NAMI claims half of those conditions start by age 14 with behavior problems, anxiety, and depression among the issues most commonly diagnosed. NAMI added only around half of students with mental health conditions […]
• Americans' Stigma Against Depression May Finally Be Fading: Study December 22, 2021
  Americans may be dropping some of the stigma they once had toward depression, but attitudes toward other mental health conditions still seem stuck in the past, a new study shows. The research, based on interviews with U.S. adults conducted over 22 years, found a mixed bag when it came to mental health stigma. In recent […]
• Dr. Christine Crawford Discusses How To Talk With Children About Social Media Threats December 20, 2021
  For a live on-air interview, Dr. Christine Crawford, associate medical director of NAMI, discusses the mental health impact of the recent TikTok threat and provided coping tips. She recommends parents and teachers have open conversations with students who might be experiencing concerns and stress about the threats on social media.
• There’s a Mental Health Crisis in Children. Could Triathlon Help? December 20, 2021
  Between technology, the ongoing pandemic, and cultural conflict, it’s no surprise kids are feeling depressed, anxious, and overwhelmed. Christine Crawford, M.D., MPH and Associate Medical Director for NAMI, says there was already a mental health crisis in children before the pandemic, but COVID-19 exacerbated symptoms of anxiety, sadness, irritability, and increased levels of stress in […]
• What the Black Community Needs to Know About the ‘Holiday Blues’ December 20, 2021
  For Black Americans, unique challenges can contribute to the heightened feelings of stress, sadness, and loneliness that many people experience at this time of year. Feelings of grief may be more pronounced with the absence of loved ones from annual events. A disproportionate number of Black and brown people have become sick or died of […]
• “We’ve been waiting for something like this” December 10, 2021
  The U.S. has been grappling with a rise in anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions. The government announced plans to tackle it head-on, with Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issuing a public advisory that flagged a “mental health crisis” among young people. The rise in mental health issues and suicides predates the pandemic. Still, […]
• A new suicide hotline, 988, will launch in July 2022 and offer expanded services December 9, 2021
  By July, the U.S. will switch to an expanded suicide hotline for which people can call a three-digit number — 988 — to get help. It’s also hoped that 988, not 911, will eventually become the number called when a person is experiencing a behavioral-health crisis. Americans seem to back the idea. Around 70% of […]
• Happy Birthday Psycom: The 10 Most Meaningful Advances in Mental Health Since 1996 December 7, 2021
  To mark Psycom’s 25th anniversary, we solicited input from organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Psycom’s editorial advisory board, and thought leaders look at how far we’ve come and give hope for the future. “Since 1996, there has been a positive shift in attitudes around mental illness and a focus on developing […]
• Parent Central: How to Speak with Your Kid About Mental Health and Illness December 6, 2021
  Today’s generation of parents have more mental health awareness which can help lessen the shame surrounding mental health conditions. It can still be challenging to talk to kids about mental illness and explain the importance of mental health. Whether you want to speak with your kid about mental health in general, about their mental health, […]
• Medicaid Funding for Soon-to-Be-Freed Prisoners Eyed in States December 3, 2021
  Vermont and several other states are asking federal regulators to approve the use of Medicaid funds for health-care services to prisoners shortly before their release. Approval by CMS would mark the first break in the firewall that has kept Medicaid out of prisons and would address the problem of interrupted care faced by newly released […]
• Black Masculinity and Mental Health: How to Move Past Outdated Roles and Encourage Better Care November 30, 2021
  The effects of systemic racism on Black Americans have been persistent and profound, as the National Alliance on Mental Illness points out, and the increase in media reports and images of police brutality and violence inflicted upon members of the Black community has added insult to injury. As mental health challenges continue to rise in […]
• 15 Things You Can Do to Reduce Anxiety November 29, 2021
  According to NIMH, the primary distinctions between typical anxiety and anxiety disorders are the duration and the extent that the anxiety impacts daily life. People with anxiety disorders feel anxious most of the time. Their anxiety is so intense that it causes problems with their relationships, career, and health. There are many ways to manage […]
• Mental Health Disorders May Be Linked to Increased Risk of Severe COVID-19 - Experts Explain November 24, 2021
  This fall, the CDC identified mental health disorders as underlying health conditions that may result in more serious cases of COVID-19 or, even, dying from the virus. Katlyn Nemani, MD, research assistant professor in NYU Langone Health's Department of Psychiatry, stressed that, in her view, people with severe mental illness, schizophrenia in particular, are at […]
• Phone companies must allow texting new ’988′ suicide line November 18, 2021
  The FCC will require that phone companies allow people to text as well as call a new “988” number for the suicide-prevention hotline. Phone companies have until July 2022 to implement the 988 number for both calling and texting. “Texting to 988 is a huge step forward in improving how you address mental health,” said […]
• FCC approves texting '988' to reach National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by next year. November 18, 2021
  The FCC unanimously voted to require text messages sent to the number 988 be routed to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, 2022. Not only is texting a very familiar form of communication for most people, texting to reach 988 also will help individuals who for safety reasons need to access the hotline […]
• FCC votes to include texting in upcoming suicide prevention lifeline, 988. November 18, 2021
  With the pandemic exacerbating the nation's mental health crisis, the FCC voted to expand access to 988, mental health and suicide crisis number, to include texting as well as calling. "We know that not everyone may be able to make a phone call or be comfortable making a phone call. The ability to text 988 […]
• Suicide hotline's text upgrade could strain system November 18, 2021
  A federal move to promote texting the national suicide hotline for help could strain crisis center capacity. Texting can make reaching help more accessible for vulnerable communities, including young people and members of the LGBTQ community, but many insist the system will need more resources. "We don't want somebody to text and not get a […]
• FCC votes to let people text ‘988’ to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline starting in July November 18, 2021
  The FCC voted unanimously to expand access to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by letting people text 988 starting next year. Text message providers have to support the three-digit code by July 16th, 2022, which is when the code will go into effect. “With today’s decision to require providers to support text messaging to 988, […]