mental-health-issues

Forthcoming legislation would increase interagency coordination for mental health crises

BY: and - October 17, 2023

On Dec. 30, 2020, state troopers responded to a 911 report of a possibly suicidal person standing on the edge of an Interstate 80 overpass in Monroe County. That person was 19-year-old Christian Hall, an Asian American, who, amidst a mental health crisis, was shot three times by police that day after he refused officers’ […]

Kingsessing mass shooting reinforces need for mental health services, experts and advocates say

BY: - July 17, 2023

‘No matter what you look like or where you live, every Pennsylvanian deserves to be safe and feel safe in their community,’ Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said

COMMENTARY
USE ONCE - LONELINESS CONCEPT ART GETTY

Here’s what happens if we cure America’s loneliness epidemic | Opinion

BY: - July 16, 2023

It would make us healthier, fitter and less likely to abuse drugs.

Mental health respite facilities are filling care gaps in more than a dozen states

BY: - July 14, 2023

They offer a short-term, homelike environment for people who are experiencing a mental health crisis but don't need immediate medical care.

Thousands of Pa. kids sought mental health treatment last year, according to a new report.

Report: Thousands of Pa. students asked for mental health help last year

BY: - June 26, 2023

Nearly 65% of students felt they needed professional support, but didn't feel comfortable speaking to friends or a family member about it.

Thousands of Pa. kids sought mental health treatment last year, according to a new report.

Social media, trauma, hate speech add to youth mental health crisis, U.S. Senate panel told

BY: - June 8, 2023

Lawmakers agreed that the nation's youth are in crisis. They disagreed on the role Congress has to play in fixing it.

Direct service providers rally for more money in the 2022-23 state budget at the Pennsylvania state Capitol on May 24, 2022 in Harrisburg, Pa. (Photo by Amanda Berg, for the Capital-Star).

Bill allocating $100M for mental health clears Pa. House panel | Wednesday Morning Coffee

BY: - May 24, 2023

'Our continued work to better mental health care in Pennsylvania takes another step forward,' Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, said.

Flashing lights on a police car

Pa.’s Casey sponsors police reform bill to protect people with disabilities, mental illness

BY: - May 18, 2023

Up to half of all violent confrontations with law enforcement involve people living with disabilities, data show.

COMMENTARY
A snapping turtle crossing a highway.

What an encounter with a snapping turtle taught me about my own family | Charles D. Allen

BY: - April 5, 2023

We must stay vigilant, work with others, and provide help when necessary. Sometimes that is all we can do.

COMMENTARY
Direct service providers rally for more money in the 2022-23 state budget at the Pennsylvania state Capitol on May 24, 2022 in Harrisburg, Pa (Photo by Amanda Berg, for the Capital-Star).

Pa.’s intellectual disability community will not be left out of 2023’s budget debate | Opinion

BY: - March 29, 2023

These are our neighbors and our family members. This is my brother. We must act on their behalf right now.

With the boss away, running Fetterman’s office takes a village of coordinated staff

BY: - March 6, 2023

As the Pennsylvania Democrat seeks treatment for depression, staff in D.C. and Pa. are stepping up.

COMMENTARY
USE ONCE: U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has been widely praised for going public about his need for treatment for depression (Alex Wong via Getty Images News/The Conversation)

When does clinical depression become an emergency? 4 questions answered | Analysis

BY: - March 2, 2023

The good news is that depression responds well to treatment.