Key Update, April-May 2026, Vol. 22, No. 11 — National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse

For a free subscription to the monthly Key Update, send an email to selfhelpclearinghouse@gmail.com with Subscribe in the subject line.

The National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse is affiliated with the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion.

TO CONTACT: THE CLEARINGHOUSE: SELFHELPCLEARINGHOUSE@GMAIL.COM … SUSAN ROGERS: SUSAN.ROGERS.ADVOCACY@GMAIL.COM … JOSEPH ROGERS: JROGERS08034@GMAIL.COM

THE KEY UPDATE IS COMPILED, WRITTEN, AND EDITED BY SUSAN ROGERS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS’ SELF-HELP CLEARINGHOUSE.

NOTE: THE "FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE KEY UPDATE BUT STILL FRESH!" DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS DIRECTLY BELOW THE MONTHLY CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM DIGEST, INCLUDES ITEMS THAT HAD BEEN POSTED "ABOVE THE FOLD" IN EARLIER EDITIONS BUT ARE STILL RELEVANT. THESE INCLUDE ONGOING RESEARCH STUDIES THAT ARE STILL SEEKING PARTICIPANTS, AS WELL AS UPCOMING WEBINARS AND CONFERENCES, AND OTHER ITEMS OF CONTINUED INTEREST. DON'T MISS IT!

DEADLINE ALERT! There are eight webinars happening this week, one of which is THIS AFTERNOON at 1 p.m. ET, and three of which are on Tuesday, March 24 (tomorrow). And the call for proposals for the NARPA conference is April 15 (under CONFERENCES)! In addition, check out the “...But Still Fresh!” category (at the end of the newsletter) to learn that the Copeland Center will present a six-hour training on March 25 and 27. In addition, there are two March deadlines in “...But Still Fresh!”: March 26 is the deadline for the call for speakers and award nominations for Mental Health America’s annual conference. And March 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET is the deadline for nominations for the Society for Disability Studies Awards. And there is a lot more great information in the “...But Still Fresh!” category! Don’t miss it!

NEWS

ACTION ALERT: DOJ Proposes Rule to Expedite Executions; Comment Deadline Is May 15

May 15, 2026, is the deadline to submit comments on the Department of Justice’s proposed rule “aimed at speeding up the federal review process in state death penalty cases — a move officials say could significantly shorten the time between conviction and execution.” According to the Death Penalty Information Center, “[t]here is no categorical ban on the execution of people with mental illness. A small number of states have laws that create an exemption for some seriously mentally ill defendants.” Now comes the DOJ, whose proposed rule would help fast-track executions by further limiting the rights of people on Death Row, even though, “[s]ince 1973, at least 200 people have been exonerated from death row in the U.S., according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). A 2014 study estimated that at least 4% of those sentenced to death are innocent,” the Innocence Project has reported. “The DOJ is now seeking public comment on the proposed rule.” For details and to submit a comment, click here.

“Nursing Homes Falsely Diagnose Patients as Schizophrenic to Sedate Them, Report Says”

“Nursing home staff overdiagnoses their dementia patients with schizophrenia so they can prescribe antipsychotics in order to make the patients easier to manage, a report from the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) found,” MedPage Today reports. ‘Nursing homes gave antipsychotic drugs to residents with dementia to manage their behavior for the benefit of staff, despite FDA's warning that these drugs may increase the risk of death,’ the authors wrote in the report, released on March 19, 2026. ‘Even though antipsychotic drugs pose risks to residents' health, nursing homes did not take required steps to help protect residents who were given these drugs.’" For the MedPage Today article, click here.

“New Schizophrenia Drug Approved by FDA Without Any Clinical Trials”

“On February 20, 2025, the FDA approved a new drug for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, milsaperidone (Bysanti). Yet that drug has not been tested in a single clinical trial,” Mad In America reports. To read the backstory, click here. (Note: See also “None of the 22 FDA Approvals for Psychiatric Drugs in the Last Decade Were “‘Clinically Useful’”; “Two Books, Published Earlier, Confirm Similar Findings” in the March-April 2026 edition of the Key Update.)

Advocates Fight Spread of Assisted Suicide

Disability rights groups, including End Assisted Suicide and the Institute for Patients’ Rights, are suing to end the spread of laws legalizing assisted suicide — now legal in 13 states and the District of Columbia — that they believe “violate core protections under the U.S. Constitution and federal civil rights laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.” Such laws are “dangerous and will likely lead to a host of unintended consequences, including elder abuse, growing disparities in health care access and the stigmatizing of those with disability,” wrote Nancy Utoft, president of the Minnesota Alliance for Ethical Healthcare, in a letter to the Minnesota Star Tribune. And for “Columbia University doctor warns assisted suicide makes life 'disposable' amid growing push to legalize it,” click here. (Courtesy of Susan Fitzmaurice, I Love You, Lead On)

“NJ Prisons Enlist ‘Peer Companions’ in New Strategy to Stop Suicides”

New Jersey Department of Corrections officials launched a “peer companion” program in August 2025 that “pairs incarcerated people with prisoners who are on suicide watch and tasks them with ‘supportive observation and interaction,’” according to a New Jersey Monitor article. The program — modeled after a federal Bureau of Prisons program in California and Colorado — is being piloted with 22 peers at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, New Jersey. “The job is voluntary and paid, with peers making $6 for a four-hour shift.” Researchers who examined such programs in 2024 found that about 15 states had some variation of peer companions for suicide-prevention purposes. For the article, click here. For “Peer-assisted Suicide Prevention Programs in Prisons,” a free report, click here.

“Service Users Face Abuse From Mental Health Professionals”

“A new study examines abuse of service users in mental healthcare settings by healthcare workers,” Mad In America reports. “This research, published in BMJ Open, finds that reporting and documentation of abuse in psychiatric settings is inconsistent and prevalence rates vary widely. While some studies report no abuse, others have found that nearly 80% of service users experienced abuse at the hands of mental health workers. The current work, led by Kei Matoba from the Kansai Medical University in Japan, also finds that service users with a history of physical or sexual abuse were more likely to be victimized by healthcare workers in mental health settings.” For the Mad In America article, click here.

Bazelon Center Opposes Veterans' Affairs-Department of Justice Initiative to Strip Rights from Homeless Veterans

“[T]he VA and the Justice Department have entered an agreement to appoint VA lawyers to serve as Special Assistant United States Attorneys and petition for appointment of guardians for homeless veterans in VA hospitals,” the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law writes. “While the VA claims that these veterans are stuck in VA hospitals because they lack capacity to make health care decisions, it is far more likely that these veterans are stuck because of the lack of community mental health services and housing….It appears that the VA's new initiative to seek guardianship for hundreds of homeless veterans is an effort to avoid providing the community services and housing that veterans want and to have them placed in congregate settings instead. That would be bad policy and would violate the law.” For the Bazelon Center’s statement, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)

“Is Brain Rot Real? Researchers Warn of Emerging Risks Tied to Short-form Video”

“Research on the long-term impacts of short-form video consumption is still lacking, but recent studies show concerning associations with cognition and mental health,” NBC News reports. “A September 2025 review of 71 studies with a total of nearly 100,000 participants found that heavy consumption of short-form video was associated with poorer cognition, especially in regard to attention spans and impulse control, based on a combination of behavioral tests and self-reported data. The review, published in Psychological Bulletin, a journal of the American Psychological Association, also found links between heavy consumption of the videos and increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and loneliness.” For the NBC News article, click here.

“The Troubling Personal Side of Public Surveillance” Involving License Plate Readers

“Over the past few years, officers have been accused or convicted of misusing license plate readers — cameras that capture point-in-time images of license plates on public roads and store those sightings in a searchable database — to track people for personal reasons in Orange City, Florida, Sedgwick, Kansas and Braselton, Georgia,” the Marshall Project reports. In an investigative report in 2016, “The Associated Press (AP) found hundreds of cases where officers had used confidential law enforcement databases to get information on romantic partners, neighbors, journalists or business associates. But as police data systems rapidly increase in sophistication, speed and granularity, the potential for abuse grows in kind.” Meanwhile, “many agencies have little safeguards to prevent abuse by individual officers,” according to the Marshall Project article. For the Marshall Project article, click here. For the 2016 AP report, click here. And for “San Jose restricts use of license plate readers,” click here.

Newsom Threatens California Counties for Failing to Use His New Mental Health Court, Which Advocates Have Denounced as Harking Back to a “Dark Era When Forced Treatment…Was the Norm.”

Governor Gavin Newsom threatens to take funding from 10 California counties which, he says, “are underperforming when it comes to CARE Court. But, in 2023, Disability Rights California – the state’s federally designated Protection & Advocacy (P&A) agency – predicted that Newsom’s Care Court would be “a path toward institutionalization.” “California must invest in community mental health services and housing – with input from people with lived experience of mental illness – not involuntary treatment,” the P&A wrote. And in 2022, ACLU California Action wrote that, if the Care Court proposal passed, “[i]t would unravel decades of hard-won progress by the disability rights movement to secure self-determination, equality, and dignity for people with disabilities” and “[i]t harks back to a dark era when forced treatment of people with serious mental health conditions was the norm.” For “Newsom threatens California counties for failing to use his new mental health court,” click here. For the Disability Rights California article, click here. And for the ACLU article, click here.

“This Form of Mental Exercise May Cut Dementia Risk for Decades”

A federally funded study of 2,802 older adults who participated in a cognitive exercise experiment in the 1990s that was designed to increase the brain's processing speed “found that those who did eight to 10 roughly hourlong sessions of cognitive speed training, as well as at least one booster session, were about 25% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over the next two decades,” according to a recent NPR article. “BrainHQ is an online program that includes the same speed exercises used in the study, NPR reports. According to NBC News, “[p]articipants who completed game-like activities through BrainHQ…showed increased production of acetylcholine, sometimes called the ‘pay attention’ chemical.” For the NPR article, click here. For the NBC News article, click here.

“Study Finds ChatGPT Gets Science Wrong More Often Than You Think”

“A new study put ChatGPT to the test by asking it to judge whether hundreds of scientific hypotheses were true or false — and the results were far from reassuring,” according to Science Daily. “While the AI got it right about 80% of the time on the surface, its performance dropped significantly when accounting for random guessing, revealing only modest reasoning ability. Even more concerning, it frequently contradicted itself when asked the exact same question multiple times, sometimes flipping answers back and forth….The findings, published in the Rutgers Business Review, highlight the importance of using caution when relying on AI for important decisions, especially those that require nuanced or complex reasoning.” For the Science Daily article, click here.

“Yale Study Challenges Notion That Aging Means Decline, Finds Many Older Adults Improve Over Time”

A new study by scientists at Yale University, published in the journal Geriatrics, suggests “that older individuals can and do improve over time…The improvements were not limited to a small group of exceptional individuals and, notably, were linked to a powerful but often overlooked factor: how people think about aging itself,” the study showed. “The researchers followed more than 11,000 participants for up to 12 years. They found that 45% improved either cognitively or physically — and that those with more positive age beliefs were significantly more likely to show improvements in both areas, even after controlling for age, sex, education, chronic disease, and depression.” For the Yale news release, click here.

OPPORTUNITIES

TU Collaborative Is Recruiting for a Paid Research Study on Community Participation

“The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion is recruiting participants for a paid research study on community participation. We're studying factors that make community participation harder for people with mental illness. Participation in the study consists of a single two-hour interview on Zoom and is compensated with a $30 gift card. We are looking for individuals who are 18 or older; have a diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum, major depression, bipolar I, or bipolar II; are living in the community; and are currently receiving mental health services.” If you have questions or may want to participate, contact participation@temple.edu or (215) 204-5593. To fill out the interest form, click here.

The Next Monthly NCMHR Advocacy Committee Meeting Is March 25; April 8 Will Be the First Monthly Action Strategy Meeting, Organized by MindFreedom International and NCMHR

On March 25, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT), the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) will meet on Zoom for its monthly one-hour advocacy meeting. And on April 8, at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT), NCMHR and MindFreedom International will hold their first Monthly Action Strategy Meeting. NCMHR writes: “In response to growing national threats to community-based mental health services and the urgent need for coordinated action, the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) and MindFreedom International (MFI) are expanding opportunities to connect, strategize, and take action together.” For more information and to register, click here.

Is There a Topic You’d Like to Share with the Community? MindFreedom International, the Host of Judi’s Room, Wants to Know!

Kristina “KK” Kapp, MindFreedom International board president, writes, “We would love to extend an invitation: If there is a specific topic area you would like to present or share with the greater community [on Judi’s Room], I encourage you to email me at KK@mindfreedom.org!

Barnard College Is Recruiting for a Study of a Digital Tool to Help Individuals with Hoarding Disorder

Researchers are seeking individuals with lived experience with hoarding problems for a study to provide feedback on a new digital mental health tool (Clutter-Go!) “to facilitate engagement in therapy tasks for individuals undergoing hoarding disorder treatment.” The researchers — from Barnard College and Virtually Better, Inc. — write: “Cognitive behavioral therapy is the recommended treatment for adults with hoarding disorder, but many people undergoing this treatment struggle to complete the therapy homework involved in reducing their clutter….Participants’ feedback could help make this app more usable for future participants. Monetary compensation is offered for study completion. Depending on the amount of time you spend on the study, you'll be presented with a gift card to a retailer of your choice for approximately $80 to $160. Interested participants should email mwheaton@barnard.edu.”

Fireweed Collective Announces Its Spring Support Group Schedule

“Fireweed Collective Groups are virtual spaces where folks can connect, and offer mutual aid with others who share similar life experiences and struggles. Groups run for a month. They meet once a week online for 60 to 90 minutes. All support groups are sliding scale and are peer-led with the support of Fireweed Collective members. Your donations allow us to offer these groups at no cost. For questions, email groups@fireweedcollective.org. For details and to register, click here.

SAMHSA Announces More Than $69 Million in Funding Opportunities for Serious Mental Illness and Suicide Prevention Grant Programs

The three grant programs that SAMHSA will be funding are the Children’s Mental Health Initiative (CHI), Implementing Zero Suicide in Health Systems (Zero Suicide), and Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT). April 20, 2026, is the application due date for all three funding opportunities. For details including eligibility requirements and grant descriptions, click here. (Courtesy of Ann Kasper)

U.S. DOJ and DOL Announce Federal Funding Opportunities for Reentry, Supervision, Crisis Response, Behavioral Health, Youth, and Incarcerated Parents

“The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced several federal funding opportunities to support improvements to state and local criminal justice systems and better outcomes for people involved in them. These opportunities address critical challenges such as adult and youth reentry, community supervision effectiveness, crisis response and behavioral health services, and support for incarcerated parents and their children. Application deadlines range from March 19 to April 6, 2026.” For details, click here.

WEBINARS AND TRAININGS — FREE UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

Mindspring Mental Health Alliance to Present Many Webinars in late March and April

Mindspring Mental Health Alliance’s webinars are all archived, and everyone who registers is emailed the recording 24 hours after the life event. Certificates of attendance are sent to everyone who joins a live webinar and completes the post-webinar survey, but no CEUs are offered. March 23, 2026, at 1 p.m. ET is the first scheduled webinar: “Understanding Depression in Young People.” The second is on March 24 at 1 p.m. ET: “Discrimination, Fear, and Mental Health in LGBTQIA+ Communities.” For the schedule and to register for any of the webinars, click here.

AAPD to Host “Supporting Immigrant Voters in Our REV UP Organizing”

On March 24, 2026, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is presenting an online national training “to deepen your knowledge, build solidarity, and strengthen our collective power at the intersection of disability voting rights and immigrant justice.” The mission of REV UP (“Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power!”) is “to build the power of the disability vote through increasing civic engagement in the disability community and improving the accessibility of elections.” For details and to register, click here. (Courtesy of Alice Wershing)

“Grassroots Project Webinar: An Overview of H.R. 1”

On March 24, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET, “the Grassroots Project will host a one-hour walkthrough and overview of H.R. 1 [also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act], focusing on how the legislation pertains to people with disabilities. The webinar will feature a subject matter expert who will provide an overview of the legislation and its key provisions, followed by a state-level perspective highlighting how H.R. 1 may shape community-based efforts and systems at the local level. The webinar will conclude with a panel discussion reflecting on the projected implications of H.R. 1 for disabled people, home and community-based services, and the broader disability policy landscape. Designed as an informational session, this webinar will support participants in understanding the legislation and staying informed as the policy environment evolves.” For “Top Five Ways That H.R. 1 Hurts the American People,” click here. For more information and to register for the webinar, click here.

"Rationale for and Design of an Exercise Program to Improve Physical Function in Older Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions"

On March 24, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET, the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University will present a webinar that “will discuss physical function in older adults with serious mental health conditions as well as the rationale for and preliminary design of an exercise program for this population.” The presenter will be Dr. Julia Browne. For more information and to register, click here.

MHA in NJ Publishes Its Wednesday Spring Webinar Series Schedule

The Wednesday Spring Webinar series of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey runs from March through June 3, 2026. The first two webinars have already happened and are not archived. However, there are a number of upcoming webinars on the schedule, beginning on March 25. All the webinars begin at 10 a.m. ET. The webinars on April 1 and April 22 are New Jersey-specific, and there is no webinar on May 6. But there are still eight webinars with a national focus! For the schedule, including details of each webinar, and to register, click here.

Wildflower Alliance to Present “Alternatives to Suicide Overview”

On March 25, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET, the Wildflower Alliance will present “Alternatives to Suicide Overview.” “Learn about the first lived experience-developed, harm reduction approach to suicide! Alternatives to Suicide was developed in 2008 by people who've struggled with suicidal thoughts and attempts. It began as a support group and has since grown into a harm reduction approach that can be used by clinicians and other providers, family members, peer supporters and anyone else interested in better supporting someone who might be navigating thoughts of killing themself.” For details and the fee schedule, click here.

“Emerging Adult Series Part Five — Putting It All Together: Support and Independence”

On March 26, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET, the Cafe TA Center will present a 90-minute webinar in their Empowering Your Emerging Adult Series. “This session offers tools, heartfelt insights, and real-life success stories for parents and caregivers of emerging adults navigating mental health or substance use challenges, building on the four previous webinars in the Emerging Adult Series: Exploring Identity, Self-Discovery, and Social Connections, Fostering Independence in Emerging Adults: A Balanced Approach to Growth and Connection, Navigating Co-Occurring Challenges: Supporting Mental Health and Substance Use Together, and Mending Family Bonds: Healing Relationships During Recovery.” All are recorded. For more information and to register, click here.

“Conversation on Compassion and Self-Advocacy”

On March 31, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET, Doors to Wellbeing will present “a thoughtful conversation with Vivian Nuñez [that] will explore the balance between compassion and boundaries — how we sustain empathy in our lives and advocacy while remaining grounded in our roles. Through dialogue and reflection, participants will consider how recovery perspectives shift over time, including the ways aging, life experience, and changing responsibilities influence how we care for ourselves and others….Together, we will explore how people can move beyond fear or burnout in advocacy roles and instead cultivate sustainable practices that support resilience, longevity, and hope. Participants will leave with practical insights and reflective questions that support continued growth in both personal wellbeing and peer support practice.” For more information and to register, click here.

“Harm Reduction to Self-Injury Overview” to Be Presented by Wildflower Alliance

On April 9, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET, the Wildflower Alliance will present “Harm Reduction to Self-Injury Overview.” They write: “Learn what self-injury is, why people do it and how to be a better support when it happens. In this workshop, we will embrace harm reduction philosophy to go deeper into the context of self-injury on both an individual and social level. We will also explore how letting go of force and coercion can open new avenues of support.” For details and the fee schedule, click here.

The next Judi’s Room will be in May!

Because Passover begins at sundown on the first Wednesday in April, Judi’s Room is taking a break next month. The topic for Judi’s room on May 6, 2026, is Guardianship — Reclaiming Agency, Autonomy, and Independence. (The late Claude Pepper, who championed the rights of older adults during his long career in Congress, called guardianship “the most punitive civil penalty that can be levied against an American citizen, with the exception, of course, of the death penalty.”) To register, click here. And see OPPORTUNITIES, above, for an invitation from MindFreedom International, the host of Judi’s Room!

Mental Health America Has Numerous Archived Webinars

Among Mental Health America’s many archived webinars are “The sustainable mindset: Creating lasting change to improve your mental health” (click here), “New season, new energy: Mindfulness tips for a fresh start” (click here), and “Serving an Underserved Population: Peer Support, Disability, and Mental Health” (click here). For all the archived webinars, click here.

“Welcoming Places: A Path to Well-being and Participation”

The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes: “Grounded in research from the Collaborative, this training highlights what individuals with lived experience say makes community spaces feel truly welcoming….The training also offers practical strategies for individuals, peer professionals, providers, and community members to help people connect with welcoming spaces and build more of them. √ Access the training - This link will take you directly to the micro-training! This training is part of our year-long Reflect–Connect–Act Community Participation Journal Calendar, which pairs monthly micro-trainings with weekly journal prompts to inform, inspire, and increase participation. √ Learn more or download the journal calendar (go to page 52 for this month’s guided journal!)”

“Taking Action: An Evidence-Based Self-Help and Peer Support Approach to Wellness and Recovery”

These free updated workbooks offered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) “provide additional tools, structured exercises, and practical applications that [are] designed to strengthen self-awareness, daily wellness practices, and action planning.” To download the four workbooks, click on the titles: Part 1: Essential Elements Workbook; Part 2: Action Planning Workbook; Part 3: Implementation Guide; and Part 4: Taking Action To Go—Brief Action Plan

CONFERENCES

NARPA Issues Call for Proposals for Its Annual Rights Conference

April 15, 2026, is the workshop proposal deadline for NARPA’s Annual Rights Conference, to be held September 23-26 in Huntsville, Alabama. “NARPA (National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy) is seeking proposals that address strategies, ideas, programs, and emerging practices. Workshops will be selected based on adherence to the NARPA mission with an emphasis on diversity and multicultural perspectives.” For additional information and to submit a proposal, click here.

2026 Alliance for Rights and Recovery Executive Seminar in Troy, NY

On April 16, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET, the Alliance for Rights and Recovery will host an Executive Seminar at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy, New York. The Alliance writes: “The event will provide a deeper look at federal policy changes affecting mental health and substance use services and offer strategies for leaders and advocates in New York to mitigate potential harms and push for reforms that strengthen community-based supports.” The seminar’s theme is “Leading at the Crossroads: Tough Questions. Bold Leadership. Future of Recovery.” The member rate is $199; non-members, $229. To register, click here. (The registration link includes a link to register for the hotel.)

“Rethinking Mental Health: Mad in Norway International Film Festival”

From September 24 to 26, 2026, Mad in Norway’s International Film Festival will be held in Lillehammer, Norway. It will include “films from around the world — films that rarely reach mainstream cinema,” the organizers write. “Our mission is to promote a paradigm shift in mental health care — away from a narrow disease-based model and toward a more humanistic approach that truly supports recovery….In addition to film screenings, the festival will offer conversations with filmmakers, panel discussions, personal stories, and artistic performances. Above all, the festival is a space for human connection and new friendships, across national borders and differing perspectives.” For the announcement, click here. (Courtesy of Mad in America)

RESOURCES

"A Special Issue — Dignity in Mental Health: A Global Priority”

This open-access issue of Academia Mental Health and Well-Being (2025) includes a variety of articles on the theme of dignity in mental health. Among them are “Dignity in mental health — examining the dynamics of mental health stigma: a narrative review,” “Comparable efficacy of counselling, equine-assisted learning and nature-based interventions in family support,” “Ensuring dignity in an ageing world: improving care through a human rights approach,” “Artistic expression, self-worth, and mental health: pathways to dignity,” and several other articles, including “Patient dignity in mental health care: from inherent worth to standing.” Click on the above links for each of the named articles. For the special issue, which includes links to all the articles, click here.

Faith Inclusion Network: Disability Valued in Faith – and the TU Collaborative on Community Inclusion’s Faith, Religion, and Spirituality Web Page

“The Faith Inclusion Network (FIN) invites you to join us in supporting people with disabilities and their families. Through training, education, and resource connections, FIN helps faith communities become welcoming and accepting congregations where people of all abilities and their families can belong.” For the link, which includes a link to the FIN YouTube channel, with many archived webinars, click here. And for the Faith, Religion, and Spirituality web page of the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion, which includes many great resources, click here.

“Re-Centering Rights, Recovery, And Evidence In US Mental Health Policy”

One of the subheads of this recent Health Affairs article is “Voluntary Community-Based Services Should Anchor Mental Health Policy, Not Coercion,” and that is a key point the article makes. The nut graf is as follows: “Importantly, care perceived as coercive by patients has been associated with significant harms, including increased suicide risk post-discharge, avoidance of mental health services, and subjective experiences of dehumanization and isolation. Thus, the current evidence base does not support SAMHSA’s expansion of civil commitment and AOT as recovery-promoting interventions. Rather, these approaches lack demonstrated superiority over voluntary alternatives and carry documented risks of harm.” For the article, click here.

MHA Publishes “Mental Health Month Planning Guide 2026”

Mental Health America writes: “Since founding Mental Health Month (also referred to as Mental Health Awareness Month) in 1949, Mental Health America (MHA) has led the effort every May to promote mental wellness nationwide. This year, MHA’s theme for Mental Health Month is ‘More Good Days, Together’. This reflects the heart of our mission: helping people have more good days by meeting them where they are, supporting them as whole people, and understanding that ‘good’ is defined by their unique experience and goals. Designed for community organizations, workplaces, educators, and advocacy groups, this guide equips you with the tools to make a meaningful impact on mental wellness.” For more information and to download the free 15-page guide, click here.

“Barnes Family Foundation Sponsors ‘Social Connection in America’ Survey”

“In recent years, a U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory and a World Health Organization global commission report identified social connection as an urgent public health priority,” according to the Executive Summary of this 2025 survey report. “Strong, healthy connections are associated with a 50% increase in odds of survival. Without them, we are at risk of early death, heart disease, poor mental health, and more….Despite the importance of social connection, the United States lacks consistent, longterm, nationally representative data on this fundamental need. The ‘Social Connection in America’ survey fills that gap.” For the free 48-page document, click here. (Courtesy of City Voices)

“Peer Researchers in Qualitative Research on Homelessness and Mental Health: A Reflexive Journey from Data Validity to Relations of Ethical Labour”

Chapter 3 of Reframing Qualitative Research Ethics” Advances in Research Ethics and Integrity, Volume 12, begins: “Peer research, in which people with lived experience of the phenomenon under study participate as researchers, is growing in popularity, especially in the social and health sciences. While peer research is meant to democratise knowledge-making, enhance the validity of collected data, and help to gain access to hard-to-reach populations, its mainstreaming has introduced new challenges surrounding the co-optation of lived experience. This chapter reflects on an ongoing longitudinal research project on homelessness and mental health services in the Netherlands, in which pairs of academic and peer researchers have, to date, conducted 956 interviews with people with client experience of these services.” To read the chapter, by Nienke Boesveldt, click here. (Courtesy of Elizabeth R. Stone)

LAST WORDS

Trailblazing New Jersey Movement Leader Judy Banes Has Died

Judy Banes — described by the Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey, where she worked for decades, as “the grande dame of the peer movement in New Jersey [whose] impact extended far beyond New Jersey, helping to shape the national peer movement and inspiring generations of advocates and leaders” — died on March 16, 2026. One advocate she inspired was Joseph Rogers, who wrote about Judy: “When I was working as a mental health service provider in the late 1970s in northern New Jersey, I became involved in a statewide community organizing effort and met Judy Banes, a ‘peer.’ Encountering one other person who was not only recovering from mental illness but was also working to effect social change made a big difference in my ability to see that I could not only struggle toward my own recovery but I could do this in a way that would help others and thereby help myself.” And as Judy wrote, “Self-help is having a place where we can get rid of our rage and pain and learn to respect each other and ourselves for what we’ve been through.” For more information, including about Judy’s memorial service, click here.

The April-May 2026 Digest of Articles Offering Healthy Lifestyle Advice

For “Where to Watch the ‘How Not to Die’ Documentary,” click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak) For “Looking for life purpose? Start with building social ties,” click here. For “How to cope with disruptive change: You can’t stop life from throwing changes your way, big and small. But you can get a lot better at dealing with them,” click here. For “3 Toxic Habits That Kill Relationships: Identify and overcome the hidden pitfalls tearing you and your partner apart,” click here. For “Brain Aging Tied to MIND Diet Scores — Better adherence correlated with slower gray matter loss over 12 years,” click here. For “5 Simple Steps to Calm Yourself Down — Backed by Yale Science: Why your emotions feel so overwhelming, and the framework that makes them manageable in minutes,” click here. For “Gut Health Myths Debunked by GI Doctor,” click here. For “Debunking 10 Common Gut Health Myths,” click here. For “10 Science-Backed Benefits of Chickpeas: Chickpeas are affordable, versatile, and highly nutritious. They may aid weight management, protect against chronic disease, and promote several other aspects of health,” click here. For “Listen Up! Protect Your Hearing. To protect your hearing, use earplugs — and try to avoid loud noises,” click here. For “Do dental care products release microplastics? Yes, but don’t panic — here’s what to know: It’s impossible to completely avoid plastics while maintaining oral health, but you can reduce your (and the environment's) exposure to it,” click here. For “As a Neuroscientist, I Quit These 5 Morning Habits That Destroy Your Brain: Most people do #1 within 10 minutes of waking (and it sabotages your entire day),” click here. For “All That Stuff? It’s Stealing Your Life, Not Just Your Closet Space. How an ‘anti-social’ act might set you free — from more than just clutter,” click here. For “Sleep tips: 6 steps to better sleep,” click here. For “Horses that heal: Equine therapy rising in popularity,” click here. For “Want to be part of a village? You might need to get out of your comfort zone,” click here.

The April-May 2026 Digest of Articles About the Criminal Legal System, in Which Many Individuals with Mental Health Conditions Are Incarcerated (and the Key Update continues after this Digest)

For “Reading Between the Bars: An In-Depth Look at Prison Censorship,” click here. For “Death Penalty as a Strategic Tool: Questions of Fairness and Justice Arise,” click here. For “We Need More Public Defenders. Thousands More. The nationwide shortage is leading to hundreds of criminal cases being dismissed while harming defendants. Better pay would help, but efforts to expand the pipeline are needed,” click here. For “Felony disenfranchisement must end, once and for all,” click here. For “Millions of People With Felonies Can Now Vote. Most Don’t Know It. In a handful of key states, no more than 1 in 4 formerly incarcerated people registered in time for the 2020 election, a Marshall Project analysis found” (2021), click here. For “Justice Department rescinds Biden-era ‘no-knock’ warrant policy: Policy launched after the police killing of Breonna Taylor restricted when law enforcement could burst into a home without knocking,” click here. For “Women on the Inside: News Inside Issue 22 takes a hard look at how incarcerated women face unique challenges — and why their stories deserve to be heard,” click here. For “California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons: California’s incarcerated population has aged rapidly over the past 30 years. A new report recommends creating new pathways for senior citizens to seek release,” click here. For “‘Alarmed’: What Happens When Juvenile Detention Centers Don’t Have Enough Staff: From California to New York, juvenile detention systems struggle to protect the youth they house,” click here. For “String Of ‘Devastating’ Suicides In Hawaiʻi Prisons Continues: Corrections officials are asking for millions of dollars this year to hire dozens of health care workers to improve mental health services inside,” click here. For “How the City’s Mental Health System Failed Jabez Chakraborty: In the weeks before their son was shot by NYPD officers, the Chakraborty family did everything they could to get him treatment. They were forsaken at every turn,” click here. For “Judges decry treatment of nursing and pregnant detainees in ICE custody: The agency has declined to say whether a Biden-era policy largely barring detention for pregnant and nursing mothers remains in force,” click here. For “After Disputed Idaho Raid, Lawsuit Tries Different Approach to Hold ICE Accountable: It’s nearly impossible to sue federal officials for civil rights violations, but a new ACLU filing could become a test case for how to do it,” click here. For “Hannah Arendt Understood the Forces Behind Donald Trump: The late scholar of mass movements, charismatic leaders, and government violence foreshadowed the president’s rise and the MAGA movement in The Origins of Totalitarianism. Recent polling proves her prescience,” click here. For “Kansas foster teen's family awarded $8.3 million after his death at juvenile intake center: Jurors found that five juvenile officers in Sedgwick County either used excessive force on Cedric ‘C.J.’ Lofton or failed to intervene….after he was held facedown for 39 minutes in a juvenile intake center while in the throes of a mental health crisis,” click here. For “Communities fight ICE detention centers, but have few tools to stop them. The federal government doesn’t have to follow local zoning rules,” click here. For “Report: The FBI Bent Its Own Rules To Spy on 1,100 'Sensitive' Targets: Opening investigations requires evidence, so the feds created ‘assessments.’” click here. For “A criminal record ruins job opportunities. Let's fix that. | Opinion: There is nothing right about killing careers for those who have paid their debts to society. It's also a matter of common sense, because stifling work can push people back toward crime,” click here. For “The Victims Who Fought Back,” click here. For “A Path Forward: After losing my son to gun violence, I started interviewing people who had taken a life in order to understand how we were trapped in the same cycles of suffering — and how we could heal,” click here. For “ICE’s Detention of Pregnant People Continues a Disgraceful American Tradition: We are seeing yet another example of state-sanctioned violence against the reproductive futures of those deemed outside the national body,” click here. For “How AI Surveillance Tech is Creeping From the Southern Border Into the Rest of the Country: Surveillance technology has long been part of policing the border. ICE’s growing raids are bringing it to many other areas,” click here. For “Federal judges who've ruled against Trump administration denounce threats against themselves, their families,” click here. For “Before My Time in Hospice, I Never Considered Dying Alone: The incarcerated care workers of No One Dies Alone changed how I thought about dying in prison,” click here. For “Alabama ignoring ‘incontrovertible’ DNA test in push to execute innocent man, Innocence Project says,” click here. For “Missouri Man Said DNA Test Could Prove Innocence. He Was Executed Before a Court Ruled. Lance Shockley died by lethal injection last year. State courts have rejected prisoners’ requests for DNA testing in recent years,” click here. For “After 50 years, a final verdict for Tommy Zeigler: An Orlando judge has denied the death row inmate’s appeal to set aside his conviction,” click here. For “ ‘We have journalists every place in the world except in prisons.’ Incarcerated journalist Christopher Blackwell discusses his recent book on solitary confinement, and what it would take to level the playing field for incarcerated writers,” click here. For “When Texas Was Fertile Ground for Prison Bands: Until the 1980s, an annual prison rodeo offered a chance for men inside to perform and sell albums. Now we’re making them available to you,” click here. For “Public Records Power Accountability in Mississippi — if We Can Get Them. Sunshine Week highlights the power of public records and the growing barriers that limit transparency and weaken public oversight,” click here. For “Public Records Shed Light on the Justice System — But it Can Be a Battle to Get Them. The government has stalled on FOIAs for years in some cases. In others, agencies have said public records will cost thousands of dollars,” click here. For “On the advice of Klonsel: A look under the hood of an Alabama injustice: Rocky Myers, a Black man, was sentenced to death after being represented at trial by John Mays, a court-appointed attorney long affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan,” click here. For “Political Victims: How the Politics of Victims’ Rights Comes Up Short,” click here. For “How a Bank Robbery Case Became SCOTUS’s Next Big Fourth Amendment Test: Police in Virginia located a suspect by demanding location-specific cell phone data from Google. Did that violate his constitutional rights?,” click here.

FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE KEY UPDATE BUT STILL FRESH!

Note: Despite the fact that “on March 27, 2025, RFK Jr., Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services for the Trump Administration, announced that SAMHSA will effectively cease to exist, [and that] the remaining staff at SAMHSA will now be absorbed into a new agency, called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA),” the links to SAMHSA web pages and resources throughout the “...But Still Fresh!” category continue to work (although one is on the Wayback Machine), at least as of March 22, 2026.

And scroll down for ongoing RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES!

WEBINARS, EVENTS, TRAININGS, AND CONFERENCES

“Getting Good Healthcare: Me and My Medical Records”

On March 25 and March 27, 2026, 1:00 p.m-4:00 p.m. ET, the Copeland Center will present a six-hour continuing education (CE) course “empowering people to understand, access, and use their medical records to support better healthcare decisions.” The tuition is $180. For details and to register, click here.

“Not Optional: Participation Is Essential for Health.”

The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes: “In this training, you will learn that community participation is a medical necessity and that participating in the community improves health outcomes. You will find short videos that will help you focus your learning experience. There are also a few quizzes where you can track your understanding and write down your own goals! After the training, you will have the option to have your responses sent to you…[W]e hope you will join our other microtrainings as you increase your knowledge and skills to support community participation! For more information and to access the training, click here. And Check out Reflect. Connect. Act. to support your learning in this and future microtrainings! Click here to access a transcript of the audio material for this microtraining.”

“ISPS-US Psychosocial Approaches to Negative Symptoms in Psychosis Series 2026”

You can register individually for the last webinar (on April 1) in “a five-part ISPS-US series, 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET, [which] brings together leading researchers, clinicians, and people with lived experience to explore human-centered, recovery-oriented, and meaning-based approaches to negative symptoms.” For details, including the dates and topics of each session, and for individual session registration, click here.

Roots Up Will Present a Training in April, and a Podcast Featuring Rob Wipond and Sera Davidow

The following training and a podcast are upcoming in April: “3-Day Class on the Maastricht Interview for Hearing Voices” starting April 13, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. ET. For more information, including the fee schedules, click here for the Roots Up newsletter, which also includes a podcast — “Psychiatric Force, 2025 in Review! — by “freelance journalist and author Rob Wipond. Together, Rob and host Sera Davidow, touch on the prevalence of fraud in the mental health system, the driving forces behind that fraud, the latest data in forced commitments, the Governmental Accountability Office's (GAO) report on so-called ‘Assisted Outpatient Treatment’ and more.” For the newsletter, with the above information and more, click here.

Devva’s Room Meets on the Second Wednesday of Every Month at 7 p.m. ET

The next Devva’s Room will meet on April 8, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET. It is hosted by I Love You, Lead On. To register for Zoom meetings through June, click here.

2026 FRAC National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference (AHPC) to Be Held April 26-29

The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) will host its National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference April 26-29, 2026, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. “Join over one thousand anti-hunger advocates from across the country to attend content-rich sessions, learn legislative best practices, explore innovative advocacy methods, and form personal connections to help better fight hunger in your community.”

The National Council asks, “Which Behavioral Health Conference Is Right for You?”

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing has created a list of 2026 behavioral health conferences. They are listed below, in the same order as on the National Council website.

NatCon, April 27-29, 2026 (click here); Behavioral Health Tech Conference (BHT), Sept. 22-25, 2026 (click here); CrisisCon, Oct. 5-8, 2026 (click here); Mental Health America (MHA) Conference, Oct. 8-9, 2026 (click here, and for the call for speakers and awardees (deadline: March 26, 2026), click here); National Association for Addiction Professionals Annual Conference, Aug. 29-31, 2026 (click here); and NAMIcon, May 27-30, 2026 (click here).

Save the Date! Peerpocalypse Is May 4-7, 2026

On February 2, 2026, registration opened for Peerpocalypse, which will be hybrid for the fifth time. The in-person conference will be at the Seaside Convention Center in Seaside, Oregon; virtual access will be via the Whova app. In-person registration is $425; virtual registration is $250. Peerpocalypse 2026 will offer scholarships for Oregon residents starting February 2nd, 2026. “Please stay tuned for any announcements via our social media (@thepeercompany) and the official Peerpocalypse Newsletter.” The 2026 theme is “Rooted and Rising — Honoring the past, Shaping the future.” To sign up for the conference newsletter, click here. For Frequently Asked Questions, click here. Other questions? Contact peerpocalypse@thepeercompany.org

“Too Mad to be True IV: Madness and its Expressions” to Take Place in May

The fourth “Too Mad to Be True” conference will be held May 14-15, 2026, in the Dr. Guislain Museum in Ghent, Belgium, and online. This year's theme is “Madness and its Expressions.” For details and for information about the fee schedule, click here. To convert Euros to U.S. dollars, click here. (Online participation is €25, or $28.89.) (Courtesy of Philip Benjamin)

PRA Offers On-Demand Continuing Education Opportunities

The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA) is offering on-demand continuing education opportunities by PRA-approved providers. Four courses are Ethics and Boundaries (click here), Peer Support Services to Address the Health and Wellness of People Living with Serious Mental Health Challenges (click here), Staying Healthy and Hopeful: Managing Compassion Fatigue with Bev Kyer (Part 1) (click here), and Staying Healthy and Hopeful: Managing Compassion Fatigue with Bev Kyer (Part 2) (click here). Click on the link to each course for more information, including the respective fee schedules.

“...The Hope of the Possible Across Generations”: A Conversation with Jim Gottstein, JD, Dr. Susan Swim, and Ashley Lopez

In this interview, Dr. Susan Swim, founder of the Now I See A Person Institute (NISAPI), is joined by Jim Gottstein, a distinguished disability rights attorney, founder of the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights, and author of The Zyprexa Papers, and Ashley Lopez, a recovery consultant with NISAPI and an artist living abroad, “for a cross-generational conversation examining how diagnostic and deficiency-laden frameworks shape understandings of human suffering in ways that can impair lives, restrict agency, and narrow future possibilities….Drawing from decades of qualitative research and lived experience, the conversation reflects a consistent finding: the original experiences or traumas that brought individuals into psychiatric care were often less impairing than the treatments, chronic labeling, and loss of voice that followed.” To view the interview, click here.

“Not Optional: Participation Is Essential for Health.”

Now I See a Person Institute Presents a Conversation with Bob Whitaker and Susan Swim

The Now I See a Person Institute writes: “Bob Whitaker and Susan Swim engage in a reflective, grounded conversation that bridges lived experience, clinical practice, and decades of relational work in mental health contexts. Their dialogue moves away from technical or diagnostic language and instead centers on the human encounters that make healing possible. Together, they revisit earlier periods of practice when people were met through relationships and community rather than through labels and institutional responses, reflecting on what has been lost as mental health care became increasingly medicalized.” For more information and to view the interview, click here.

2026 Community Participation Calendar Features 12 Monthly Micro-trainings

The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion is “inviting you to take part in a year-long journey to strengthen community participation — in your own life, in the lives of people you support, and in the communities around you…[W]e’ll share one new training each month, helping you build momentum, apply what you learn, and keep coming back. After each training, you can receive a certificate of completion. Complete all 12 and earn a Community Participation Badge.” For more information and a link to download the calendar, click here.

HSRI’s Grassroots Project Offers Recordings of Five Webinars and Other Resources

The Human Services Research Institute’s Grassroots Project offers recordings of its five webinars, other resources, and a survey! For their latest newsletter, with links to these resources and the survey, click here.

“Mastery Vibes: Peer Support Unleashed”

Robyn Priest and Charlotte Armstrong write: “[We] bring decades of lived experience and bold innovation from explorationmastery.com and robynpriest.com to this transformative podcast. Each episode is packed with real talk, practical strategies, and empowering stories designed to help you thrive — not just survive. Whether you're a peer supporter, mental health advocate, or simply someone committed to living authentically, Mastery Vibes is your go-to space for growth, connection, and resilience.” To watch the trailer and the first four episodes of the podcast on YouTube, click here. If you want to be a guest on Mastery Vibes, write to info@robynpriest.com

"Exiles in NYC" Is a Free Podcast by John Jay College Professor Phil Yanos, PhD

Dan Frey of City Voices writes: “The link below is a conversation with Stacy Horn, author of ‘Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York.’” I think you will enjoy this brief but very important wake-up call to anyone considered ‘different,’ or ‘other,’ or ‘less than.’" For the podcast, click here.

“Exiles in the City Episode 2”

The second episode of Philip Yanos’s "Exiles in the City" podcast features Sascha Altman Dubrul, co-founder of the Icarus Project and author of "Maps to the Other Side: The Adventures of a Bipolar Cartographer." Philip Yanos writes that the podcast “takes inspiration from my book ‘Exiles in New York City: Warehousing the Marginalized on Ward’s Island.’ The focus of the podcast is exclusion of marginalized groups within urban areas.” For more information and to listen, click here. (Courtesy of Dan Frey, City Voices)

Save the Dates: 2026 National ADA Symposium Virtually in May and On-Site in July in Phoenix

The virtual 2026 National ADA Symposium will be held May 4-6, and the on-site Symposium will be at the Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix, Arizona, July 19-22. The Symposium is an initiative of the ADA National Network, hosted by the Great Plains ADA Center, which writes: “For over 25 years, the National ADA Symposium has been recognized as the leading national conference on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and accessibility. This premier event brings together federal officials, nationally respected experts, and experienced practitioners to share cutting-edge information, practical guidance, and best practices.” Registration opens January 12, 2026. For the registration fees for the virtual and on-site conferences, as well as FAQs and a media kit, click here.

“What’s Blooming with the Wildflower Alliance”

Since the Wildflower Alliance launched its podcast last month, it has posted new episodes. If you missed the first episode, “Whistleblowing & Restraints at Worcester State Hospital,” which was featured in the August-September 2025 Key Update, you can still listen to it, along with the new episodes, if you click here.

“Dangers of Contacting 988 (Update 2025 – It's Worse!)”

“In this episode of PsychForce Report TV, hosts Rob Wipond and Jesse Mangan welcome special guests Nemu and Olka from Safe Hotlines to discuss the latest research on how often 988 callers get unexpected and unwanted visits from law enforcement, the lack of privacy protections for all of the recorded calls and text exchanges, and other risks people should know about before calling 988.” For the recording, click here. (Courtesy of Wildflower Alliance)

“Whats, Whys, and Hows of Community Participation”

“The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusions has just released a new microtraining called the “Whats, Whys, and Hows of Community Participation!...Microtrainings are short, interactive online trainings, focused on a specific topic. Our microtrainings use audio, images, quizzes, and reflection prompts to help you learn about and adopt community participation practices. At the end of each microtraining, you have the option to receive a certificate of completion.” For more information and to access the microtraining, click here.

“Guardianship Abuse: Bad Apples or Tip of the Iceberg?”

A podcast by the National Institute of Justice explores “how the guardianship system is working in the U.S. How many individuals suffer abuse under guardianship? To what extent does guardianship, when properly executed, improve the lives of those it’s intended to serve? We explore those questions and more in the latest episode of the Justice Today podcast.” For more information and to listen to the podcast, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)

NEC’s “Neurodiversity Gifts” Is a Multi-dimensional Encounter Workshop

The National Empowerment Center’s three-hour “Neurodiversity Gifts” course, which you can take at your own pace, “features two hours of immersive video exploration and group discussion, and an hour of exercises to bring the content home to your life,” NEC writes. All proceeds from the $30 fee — scholarships are available — go to the National Empowerment Center. For more about the presenter and the fee schedule for the individual workshop, as well as the “Train-the-Trainer curriculum and license that empowers you to run the full 12-hour “Neurodiversity Gifts” workshop in your community,” click here. (Courtesy of Dan Frey)

IDHA Offers a Self-Paced Course Library

The Institute for the Development of Human Arts (IDHA) writes: “This library offers a range of self-paced courses covering a wide range of essential topics in transformative mental health. Courses are designed to integrate tools and knowledge into your practice and daily life. Most courses were adapted from former live, virtual offerings.” The courses include “Re-Thinking Mental Health: History of the Mad Movement and Alternatives to Biomedical Approaches” and “Our Struggles Are Intertwined: Intersection of Mental Health and Oppression.” For more information and/or to register, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)

“The Promise of Litigation to Decriminalize Mental Illness” 

“The Sozosei Foundation held a virtual convening on August 1, 2024, considering the role of litigation in the work to decriminalize mental illness. We were honored to host panelists Sarah J. Gregory, Litigation Counsel, Disability Rights California; Kevin Martone, M.S.W., L.S.W., Executive Director, Technical Assistance Collaborative; Leslie Napper, Mental Health Consumer (Peer) and Senior Advocate for Disability Rights California; Megan Schuller, Legal Director, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; and Luke Sikinyi, Director of Public Policy and Public Engagement, The Alliance for Rights and Recovery. The panel was moderated by New York Times best-selling author Robert Kolker and introduced by Sozosei Foundation Executive Director, Melissa Beck. To watch the recording, click here.” (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)

APS Announces Open Enrollment for the New, 5-Part “Honest, Open Proud” Series

“The Academy of Peer Services (APS) is excited to announce open enrollment for the new, five-part, Continuing Education Series ‘Honest, Open, Proud’ (HOP)! Register for these online modules and complete the series at your convenience! For more information about HOP, click here. To enroll in the HOP Modules, you need to create an account on the APS website. To get started, click here. HOP Modules 1 through 4 are eligible for 5 hours of Continuing Education (CE) credit toward the maintenance of the NYS Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) credential. To apply credits earned from these modules to another certification or credential, consult your certification/credentialing entity.”

OPPORTUNITIES (RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES ARE BELOW THIS CATEGORY)

Upcoming PCORI Research Funding Opportunities Will Open April 1

“On April 1, 2026, PCORI (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute) will begin accepting submissions of Letters of Intent (LOI) for several new PCORI Research Funding Announcements (PFA) under Cycle 2 2026. The PFAs seek to fund proposals for high-quality patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) and related projects. LOIs will be due April 28 by 5 pm ET. Applications, which are by invitation only, would be due Sept. 1, 2026.” For details about the funding announcements, click here. (Courtesy of Howard Trachtman)

Fireweed Collective Offers Support Groups, Webinars, and More

“Fireweed Collective offers mental health education and mutual aid through a Healing Justice and Disability Justice lens. We support the emotional wellness of all people and center QTBIPOC folks in our internal leadership, programs, and resources. Our work seeks to disrupt the harm of systems of abuse and oppression, often reproduced by the mental health system. Our model for understanding ‘severe mental illness’ is community and relationship-based and divests from the prison industrial complex and psych wards.” For Fireweed Collective’s website, click here.

The Society for Disability Studies (SDS) Invites Nominations for the 2026 SDS Awards

March 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET is the deadline for nominations for the Society for Disability Studies Awards, which “recognize outstanding contributions to Disability Studies across scholarship, activism, mentorship, and creative practice.” Neither nominators nor nominees are required to be SDS members. For brief descriptions of all nine awards, click here. To submit nominations, click here. For more about the Society for Disability Studies, click here. Questions? Email awards@disstudies.org

“Guide to PODS: Empowering Community Participation”

The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion offers a free manual about “The Power of Dependable Souls (PODS),” “an innovative new program that mental health agencies can implement in order to promote community participation! Is your agency interested in offering PODS within your programming? Or perhaps you already are implementing PODS but would like to connect with others and improve implementation.For more information, including a link to download the free 74-page PODS manual, click here. Questions? Please email hwells@temple.edu.

ISEPP Seeks Contributions to Either or Both of Two Forthcoming Books about Psychiatric Drugs

Editors at the International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry (ISEPP) write that they are seeking contributions to either or both of two forthcoming books in the Ethics International Press Critical Psychology and Critical Psychiatry series (see the whole series here). Volume 1 is Big Pharma and the Making of Modern Mental Illness: A Critical Inquiry into Psychiatric Drug Efficacy and Harm, which argues that “widespread use of psychiatric drugs rests on an unstable evidence base and carries neglected long‑term risks.” Volume 2 is The Medicated Mind: First-Person Accounts of Life on Psychiatric Drugs, which focuses on the experience of being on such drugs, including the direct and indirect benefits (such as the placebo effect), the negative consequences, and “the saga of trying to get off of, and live without, psychiatric medications.” The editors of these two volumes are Arnold Cantú, Jeffrey Lacasse, and Eric Maisel. “Please write to arnold.cantu@live.com for details (chapter length, due dates, etc.), with any thoughts or questions, and/or your expression of interest. Please also send a description — a paragraph will do — of your proposed chapter, if you already have an idea for a contribution. You can contribute an original chapter, a previously published chapter (with permission for its use), or a previously published article (with permission for its use).” (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova)

CMS’s ACCESS Model Request for Applications Is Now Available

April 1, 2026, is the deadline to respond to the ACCESS Model Request for Applications from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “The ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) Model tests an outcome-aligned payment approach in Original Medicare to expand access to new technology-supported care options that help people improve their health and prevent and manage chronic disease. The voluntary model focuses on conditions affecting more than two-thirds of people with Medicare, including high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic musculoskeletal pain, and depression. It will run for 10 years beginning July 5, 2026. Complete the ACCESS Model Interest Form to be notified about model updates. To be considered for the model’s first performance period, beginning July 5, 2026, applications must be submitted by April 1, 2026. Applications received after this date will be considered for a January 1, 2027 start.” For the 61-page ACCESS Model Request for Applications, click here.

“Calling all Night Owls! Announcing Our New Peer-Led Support Circle”

“Solstice House Peer Respite will be starting a new drop-in style virtual peer support group, hosted by our third-shifters. Midnight Resistance is a late-night peer support space. We gather after dark to offer one another presence, care, and solidarity — without judgment. Whether you can’t sleep, are looking for companionship, or want to share what’s on your heart, you’re welcome here.” The group, which is open to anyone in the U.S., will meet on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings. To fill out a survey about preferred times, click here. (The link to Solstice House Peer Respite also includes other online peer support groups, such as “Living Madly & Beyond: A Mad Pride Support Space” and “Qhere For It!”) “Please forward this message to all who may be interested and share with your networks!” Questions? Email Nze Okoronta (nzeo@soarcms.org) or call 608.886.9735. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)

“Justin’s Room” Seeks Storytellers. Will You Be One?

Beginning in January 2026, I Love You, Lead On will host Justin’s Room every third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. ET. It’s “a time to tell our stories and share memories of others….Every story matters…Join us to share the stories that have shaped who we are. You will have about eight minutes to share your words, your poems, your art, your dance, your music, or video. If you want to share, let us know ahead of time, or just join the Zoom. The mic will stay open as long as folks have something to say. Every story is welcome.” Send Susan Fitzmaurice a text message or email to get on the agenda: susan@iloveyou-leadon.com, 248-767-2217.

“What Do You Want to Read About Disability? Input from Readers Will Help Shape The New York Times’s Coverage.”

Sonia Rao, a new disability reporter for The New York Times, writes: “I want to know what readers, especially people with disabilities, want to see more reporting about. What is our coverage missing? Do you have a story that you want to share? Let us know.” For those blocked by the NY Times paywall, here are the questions she asks: “What are topics you want to see highlighted in our coverage on disabilities? What’s a story you think the Times should tell about your community? What is your name? What is your email address? Where do you live?” A “yes” or “no” question is the following: “I am open to a New York Times journalist contacting me about other reporting projects” You can contact Sonia Rao by email: sonia.rao@nytimes.com, X: https://x.com/bysoniarao, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bysoniarao/, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-rao/ or send an anonymous tip: nytimes.com/tips. For those not blocked by the Times paywall, click here. (Courtesy of Alice Wershing)

“Are You Interested in Peer Support Fidelity?”

Doors to Wellbeing writes, “Join us in developing a guide discussing the fidelity and effective implementation of peer support. This is a critical opportunity to strengthen and protect the values of peer support while advancing its credibility and impact across systems…Too often, peer support is redefined to fit into existing clinical or institutional frameworks that strip away its unique power. This guide [will help] draw a line between genuine peer support and roles that look like peer support in name only. Be part of a national effort to lift up peer leadership.” To fill out the interest form, click here.

Mad In America Offers a Multifaceted Forum for People with Lived Experience

Mad In America writes: “One of our priorities…is to provide a forum for people with lived experience to tell their stories, and the creative arts are powerful media for such truth-telling. We welcome submissions for consideration for display in this gallery of artwork or on our poetry or humor pages. Please submit artwork here. For the Arts Corner, click here. If you have any questions, please contact art@madinamerica.com.”

DHACC Is Creating a New Google Group, and You Are Invited

Disability History and Culture Collective (DHACC) is creating a new Google group, Disability Advocates Lead On, which will be a place to post disability events, links to disability newsletters, recollections of events, photos, and communication about current needs and issues. Please join or stay joined to the original list if you are interested only in disability museum(s). To join Disability Advocates Lead On (general disability community), click here or email DisabilityAdvocatesLeadOn+subscribe@googlegroups.com. To join DHACC Disability Museum (Museum-related discussions only) if you are not already on the list, click here or email disability-rights-museum+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You must be logged into a Google account to join either group. If you have any questions, concerns or things you’d like to discuss, please email DHACC@ILoveYou.LeadOn.com or LeadOn@ILoveYou.LeadOn.com.

Survivor Space Offers Resources for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Allies

Survivor Space is described as “a safe space where adult survivors of child sexual abuse and those who care about them can learn from other survivors; find information on new rights under the law; focus on self-care and resiliency; read survivor stories; explore civil litigation; access national resources and institutional programs; and connect with others to learn about and discuss a wide range of topics”(click here). (Courtesy of Surviving Spirit newsletter)

Take the Ice Bucket Challenge to Benefit Active Minds

“Ice Bucket Challenge Returns with New Focus on Mental Health” is the headline of an NBC News article. The “viral fundraising campaign that raised millions for ALS research in 2014 has been reimagined by students at the University of South Carolina to tackle a new issue: mental health awareness. The Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club’s #SpeakYourMIND campaign adapts the challenge’s format to raise funds for Active Minds, a nonprofit whose mission is to mobilize youth and change mental health norms. Participants pour ice water over themselves, post the videos and nominate others to join — all while emphasizing the importance of speaking candidly about mental health. The campaign … has attracted participation from high-profile figures such as former NFL players Peyton Manning and Emmanuel Sanders.” As of March 22, 2026, the campaign has raised $439,566. For more information, click here.

“First-of-Its-Kind Youth Mental Health Corps Trains Young People to Help Their Peers”

“The Youth Mental Health Corps is a collaborative initiative that supports youth mental health in schools and communities while giving over 500 young adults on-ramps into behavioral health careers,” according to its home page. “Young people receive training to work in the community, get a stipend and credentials, and help tackle the youth mental health crisis, the ‘defining public health issue of our time,’” NBC News reports. “The public/private partnership is backed by AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteering and national service,” along with other funding sources. While the NBC article calls the initiative the “first of its kind,” half of all Youth MOVE chapters offer informal youth peer support programs (click here); and there are many other organizations that sponsor youth peer support. For example, click here and click here.)

Mad in America Invites You to Share Your “Song of the Week”!

“Mad in America wants to know what songs you listen to that relate to your experience of psychiatry, or your thoughts and opinions about it. Check out the Staff Recommendations that have been published over the last few months and add your own by submitting here. Your song may be featured in our Song of the Week highlight and shared on Mad in America’s social media!” For previous songs of the week and the reasons for submitting them, click here.

TU Collaborative Wants to Hear Your Story!

“We are working on a project to better understand social connections among adults with significant mental health challenges,” the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes. “We are seeking your stories on your social connections generally” and “what those connections mean to you.” The TU Collaborative will compile these stories based on a series of brief surveys. For details and to share your story, click here.

Mad In America Invites You to Submit Your Personal Story (Within Certain Guidelines)

Mad In America writes: “A ‘personal story’ is defined as your story of being in relationship to psychiatry and/or the mental health system, whatever that means to you. It might involve your opinions and analysis of what happened to you, as well. It can be about a specific event, or about your overall journey, provided it fits the length requirements (1,500 to 3,000 words) and has a narrative arc. The piece should be about your personal experiences, not psychiatry or the mental health system in general. Submissions should fall under the theme of rethinking psychiatry and the mental health system, and should be original works not previously published elsewhere. For examples of the types of stories we publish, view our personal stories archive here.” For more information and/or to submit a personal story, click here.

Hearing Voices Network Is Now Hosting Online Groups

“There are now ONLINE opportunities to connect, share experiences, and find mutual support,” the Hearing Voices Network (HVN) writes. “These groups are accessible via web-based platforms and by phone…Online groups are specifically for those with personal lived experience with hearing voices, seeing visions, and/or negotiating alternative realities. They are voice-hearer facilitated. With further questions and for details on how to access the group[s], please email info@hearingvoicesusa.org.” To read this announcement online and for more information, click here.

Virtual Group Works to Advance Peer Research Capacity, Leadership, and Involvement

Nev Jones, PhD—a strong advocate for building research capacity, leadership, and involvement among peers, survivors, and service users—leads a virtual group dedicated to this effort. Dr. Jones—assistant professor, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh—was part of the team that developed “User/Survivor Leadership & Capacity Building in Research: White Paper on Promoting Engagement Practices in Peer Evaluation/Research (PEPPER),” published by the Lived Experience Research Network. For the white paper, click here. Anyone interested in joining the virtual group can email Nev at nev.inbox@gmail.com.

“Are You a Leader with a CMHC? Partner with the Temple University Collaborative!”
“The Clinical Treatment Act is a new law to encourage participation of low-income and minoritized healthcare recipients in research as a matter of equity. The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion seeks to partner with community mental health centers (CMHCs) across the U.S. to help get information about current and future research studies to service recipients in various programs. In return we are also available to support your organization with free trainings and other supports. Please contact Professor Bryan McCormick (bryan.mccormick@temple.edu) about this important partnership opportunity.” To read this announcement online, click here.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Iowa State Researchers Are Recruiting for a Study of the Treatment of Schizophrenia

To identify “what works, what is missing, and how care can be improved,” Iowa State University researchers are conducting a study “to understand how treatment for schizophrenia is experienced and delivered from the perspective of those most directly involved: people diagnosed with schizophrenia, caregivers or family members of people living with schizophrenia, and mental health professionals who work or have worked with people living with schizophrenia.” “Our aim is to…gain a global and culturally diverse understanding of treatment satisfaction, needs, facilitators, and barriers,” writes PhD student Zoi Polyzopoulou. For the anonymous and confidential online Qualtrics survey, which takes 10-20 minutes to complete, click here. Instead of a financial incentive, which they are not able to offer, “participants can include their email address (in a survey that is separate from their responses on our questionnaires) and we will provide a summary of what we have learned,” wrote Prof. Nathaniel Wade, who is supervising the study. Questions? zoipoliz@iastate.edu

Researchers Studying Inpatient and Outpatient Commitment Seek Participants

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, led by Dr. Nev Jones, seek to better understand how people end up on inpatient or outpatient psychiatric civil commitment orders, the impact of these experiences, and the perspectives of family members, service providers, attorneys, government administrators, and advocates working with those who have experienced involuntary commitment, as well as the perspectives of individuals with lived experience of involuntary commitment. The researchers will conduct one-time interviews of approximately 60-75 minutes by phone, Zoom, or, when possible, in person. Eligible participants must be at least 18 years old and proficient in English. All participants will be compensated $60. “As part of this work, we'd love to better understand and document the history of (and current) activism vis-a-vis civil commitment (and its expansion) in diverse U.S. states,” Dr. Jones writes. For more information about the study, click here. The researchers write: “Please reach out with any further questions and see more information on our outpatient commitment flyer here and our inpatient commitment flyer here.” Or email, call, or text Nev Jones PhD, pathways@pitt.edu, 1-813-415-5532.

Study of Primary Care Experiences of Individuals with Psychiatric Diagnoses Seeks Participants

“If you have ever been diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder; are, or were ever, prescribed antipsychotic medication for at least six months; and your schizophrenia or bipolar diagnosis was known by your primary care clinician, you may be eligible to participate in a study about your experience communicating physical health concerns in primary care. The study consists of one or two interviews lasting approximately 60 to 90 minutes. Interviews may be conducted in person for individuals in the Richmond, Virginia, area or virtually for participants elsewhere in the U.S. Participants will be compensated $75 for completing each interview.” To enroll or ask questions, contact Jeff Ciak, social work PhD candidate, Virginia Commonwealth University, ciakj@vcu.edu, 804.828.1030.

Researchers Recruit for a Study Aimed at Improving Supports for Discontinuing Antipsychotics

“A team of lived experience researchers at the University of Pittsburgh is conducting interviews to deepen our understanding of antipsychotic discontinuation among individuals who have been diagnosed or labeled with psychosis. Interviews will cover motivations, experiences of tapering or withdrawal, strategies and sources of support during and following discontinuation and long-term impacts. Interviews will be audio recorded, conducted by phone or Zoom and will last approximately 60-75 minutes…Participants will be compensated $60 for their time.” For more information and for questions, click here.

Young Adult Research Participants Needed: “How Do YOU Do Community?”

The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes: “We are conducting a research study to better understand how young adults [aged 18-30] with mental health conditions, especially those who have been marginalized, define and experience community participation since Covid.” Participation involves one Zoom interview of up to 90 minutes with a young adult interviewer, for which participants will receive a $30 Visa e-gift card. For more information, and to take the first step, click here.

Researcher with Lived Experience Is Studying Civil Commitment; Legal Professionals Are Invited to Participate

For her dissertation, graduate student Hannah Stewart at UTHealth Houston is studying involuntary civil commitment (including both inpatient and outpatient forms, such as AOT). To learn how the legal system shapes a person’s experience with force and coercion, she seeks to conduct in-depth interviews with legal professionals (e.g., attorneys and judges) to better understand their knowledge of mental health and their attitudes toward involuntary civil commitment. Legal professionals are encouraged to sign up by clicking here. Questions? Please contact Hannah.L.Stewart@uth.tmc.edu.

A Survey on “Shared Decision-Making and Medication Use in Psychiatry: Patient Autonomy and Well-Being” Seeks Responses from Care Providers and Researchers

“This research forms part of a doctoral thesis and a broader academic effort to explore patient autonomy and contribute to the ethical evolution of mental health care in Spain. The project focuses on examining the feasibility, clinical value, and operational barriers surrounding shared decision-making and deprescribing practices in psychiatric services, with particular attention to the lived realities and informed perspectives of those actively engaged in the field.” For more information, and the survey, click here. (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova)

Researchers Seek to Understand Experiences with Crisis Intervention Services for Psychological and/or Emotional Distress

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis write: “These services can range from police and 911, 988, and other crisis lines [to] emergency departments, inpatient psychiatric facilities, mobile crisis units, and peer respites. We are recruiting people who have direct lived experience as patients/recipients or providers/clinicians of these types of interventions and those with indirect experience as loved ones to participate in a brief survey and, if eligible and able, an online focus group. Participants will be eligible to receive a $50 gift card if they complete a 1.5-hour focus group. For a 5-minute screening survey, click here. At the end of the survey, you will be asked if you are interested in participating in a 90-minute focus group and will be asked for contact information to facilitate scheduling.”

You Are Invited to Complete a Survey About Helpful and Harmful Mental Health Services

Survivors And Families Empowered for Recovery (SAFE 4 Recovery), “a coalition of psychiatry survivors, families, and mental health professionals who believe in the power of hope and the resilience of the human spirit,” invites psychiatric survivors, family members, service providers, researchers, and others to respond to a survey about their “past experiences with mental health services. What was helpful? What was harmful?” SAFE 4 Recovery writes: “We launch this website to challenge a mental health service system that too often does more harm than good with its absolute reliance on models of care and treatment based on faulty archaic principles.” The website also includes information about “common myths about mental illness that interfere with mental and emotional healing,” and articles including “Confessions of a Noncompliant Patient,” by movement pioneer Judi Chamberlin, and “Never Give Up,” by Ron Bassman, a SAFE 4 Recovery founder. For the website and to respond to the survey, click here.

Hey, Parents/Caregivers & Youth/Young Adults: “Lifting Voices” Needs Your Voice!

Lifting Voices – a coalition of youth, young adult, and family voices – is seeking parents/caregivers and youth/young adults (ages 12-25) to respond, respectively, to two targeted surveys. The goal is “to learn more from those with lived experience about mental health and substance use disorder recovery needs, barriers, what has worked, and what actionable change is needed now, in order to improve the quality of care, advance innovation, and promote equitable access for all,” the organizers write. For the Lifting Voices home page and links to the two surveys, click here. For key principles, goals, and objectives, click here. For a media kit, click here.

Lived Experience in Clinical Mental Health Education Survey Project Is Recruiting

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are conducting a study to understand students’ experiences of postsecondary courses on “mental illness/psychiatric disorders.” “We are interested in experiences at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, doctoral), including fields such as psychology, counseling, and social work.” If you are 18+, a current or former student who has taken at least one class in a U.S. college or university pertaining to the understanding, diagnosis, and/or treatment of mental health conditions, and have at least one diagnosed mental health condition that has been covered in a course you took, you are eligible to participate. (There is no monetary compensation.) Questions? Callie Bennet, MSW (CJC204@pitt.edu or 412.525.7375, or Nev Jones, PhD (nevjones@pitt.edu). For the survey, click here.

UIC Is Recruiting for a Research Study on Enhancing Immune Health

Do you want to work on habits to enhance your immune health? University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is testing a program where you work with a personal virtual instructor to learn about immune health and how it can be strengthened. People in the study have a 50/50 chance of entering the new program OR getting an incentive, but everyone will be paid $135 for completing 3 study interviews. To find out if you are eligible, contact enhanceimmune@gmail.com or text 312-725-2966. (Courtesy of Peggy Swarbrick via Jacek Haciak)

Peer Workers Sought for Participation in Doctoral Research

A PhD candidate in the College of Nursing at the University of Central Florida is "seeking to interview peer workers about their professional roles, experiences as part of an interdisciplinary team, and how that role impacts their lives and recovery. [The researcher] would love the opportunity to include peers who are active in advocating for the value peers bring to a recovery experience. Participation involves an approximately one-hour long interview over Zoom. Those who complete the interview will be compensated $30 for their time." To screen for the study, click here. (Courtesy of the N.A.P.S. News Brief)

Latina/o/e/x or Hispanic Volunteers with a Diagnosis of Psychosis Are Sought

University of Pittsburgh and University of Texas/Dallas researchers write: “We are looking for individuals who have been given a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis to participate in a study on everyday social situations. The study will involve a 90-minute virtual interview via Zoom. We will NOT ask you to change medications or any part of your treatment. We will ask you about your Latina/o/e/x culture and have you perform various tasks (for example, answering questions about pictures of people). You will be paid $50 for your time and participation.” Interested? Click here. (Courtesy of Nev Jones)

Researchers Seek Input on “Understanding Psychosis in Asian Diasporas”

“Individuals from Asian diasporas have unique experiences, concerns, challenges, and opportunities when engaging with mental health care in the United States,” University of Pittsburgh researchers write. “This study seeks to interview Asian and Pacific Islander (API) individuals who have experienced psychosis or been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. The perspectives of the API community are essential to understanding their experiences and creating meaningful supports.” For more information, click here. (Courtesy of Nev Jones)

Learn How to Engage in More Meaningful Activities! Join the TU Collaborative’s Research Study.

The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes: “We are looking for individuals who are willing to participate in a six-month intervention to get out of the house and engage in more meaningful activities; who are available to meet on the day the intervention takes place; who are experiencing significant mental health issues; who live in the U.S.; and who are at least 18 years old. If you are interested in participating, please contact switch@temple.edu. You may be eligible for compensation of up to $440 for your time and effort.”

Are You Interested in Pursuing Graduate School and/or a Research Career? Read Below.

Stephania Hayes (UC Davis), Shannon Pagdon (Columbia/NYS Psychiatric Institute/University of Pittsburgh), and Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh) write: “We are gathering information from people with lived experience in the Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) or early psychosis space (including peer specialists, current/former CSC participants, and CSC youth coordinators) who are potentially interested in pursuing graduate school and/or a research career. All of us identify as having lived experience, work in CSC, and are invested in supporting the next generation of scholars who also have lived experience. We would like to create a discussion group and/or other supports for people interested in this career path. The link below leads to a very brief survey that will help us understand the level of interest in such supports, as well as areas of career interest. (Please note that this is not a research study.)” To participate in the anonymous survey, click here.

“Help Us Map the Landscape of Lived Experience and Family Involvement in 988 Policy and Related Crisis Response System Planning!”

“As 988 implementation rolls out alongside additional efforts to strengthen crisis response systems throughout the U.S., it's important to gauge the extent to which direct stakeholders (i.e., individuals who use or have used mental health crisis services and their families) have been involved in related policy, implementation and evaluation at the local, regional, state or federal levels. To map out involvement nationally, Mental Health America (lead: Kelly Davis), Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh) and Keris Myrick (National Association of Peer Supporters) have developed a survey aimed at documenting the extent of stakeholder involvement, the forms this involvement has taken, and, where available, what concerns stakeholders have raised. Any individual with knowledge of lived experience and family involvement is eligible to participate; individuals completing the survey do not have to have lived experience themselves.” For more information and to access the survey, click here.

Peer Support in Higher Education Survey Seeks Respondents

“Peer support programs are growing on college campuses across the U.S. Mental Health America, Doors to Wellbeing, and the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion want to better understand the availability of peer support in higher education as well as the experiences and needs of students accessing peer support programs…We hope to use this research to support the expansion of peer support in higher education, including developing a national database of peer support programs in higher education and documenting pressing issues in campus programs…You may also indicate if you are interested in having your school’s peer support program listed in a national database of peer support programs in higher education.” For more information and to complete the survey, click here.

Supported Education Survey Needs Your Help

Do you operate a program that provides dedicated supported education services for individuals with psychiatric disabilities/mental health conditions? If so, you are invited to complete the survey at the link below. The primary goal of the survey is to help create a National Supported Education Database (NSEdD) that will be "a searchable listing of diverse supported education programs and services for individuals experiencing psychiatric disabilities and/or mental health challenges...across the US and its territories." The NSEdD project is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and co-administered by the five SAMHSA-funded national consumer and consumer-supporter technical assistance centers, in collaboration with research partners Drs. Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh) and Mark Salzer (Temple University). For a link to the survey, which includes a definition of supported education, click here. For a flyer with information about the survey, click here.

National Survey on Student Rights, Discrimination, and Accommodations in Higher Education Seeks Respondents

"Have you experienced psychiatric disability-based discrimination or the denial of an accommodation in a postsecondary institution in the United States? Interested in informing national advocacy focus on psych disability rights in higher ed? Mental Health America (lead: Kelly Davis) and collaborators Dr. Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh), Stefanie Kaufman-Mthimkhulu (Project LETS) and Brit Vanneman Esq. (Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law) have developed "a survey aimed at providing a more comprehensive understanding of student experiences of campus-based discrimination, mandated leaves of absence, and/or denial of academic, administrative and/or student-work accommodations in the U.S. Data will be used to inform national advocacy efforts and future projects, and in reports, presentations and publications." For eligibility and to access the survey, click here.

If You've Had, or Been Labeled with, "Negative Symptoms" in the Context of Psychosis...

"If you have experienced or been labeled with 'negative symptoms' in the context of psychosis, please consider contributing an anonymous account of your views and experiences," Dr. Nev Jones writes. "Currently, there is nowhere one can go to find lived experience perspectives/ accounts on this topic—even though 'negative symptoms' regularly feature in research and clinical trials. Help us change this!" This survey is a companion to Psychosis Outside the Box; for a publication in Psychiatric Services about “Psychosis Outside the Box: A User-Led Project to Amplify the Diversity and Richness of Experiences Described as Psychosis,” click here. For more information and/or to share your story about "negative symptoms," click here.

“Are You Between the Ages of 21 and 60 and Drink Alcohol?”

"Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are seeking adults--[both smokers and non-smokers]--to study whether a gene and smoking may affect drinking alcohol. Volunteers should be healthy and drug-free, and not seeking treatment for alcohol-related problems. Research participation includes three outpatient visits at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD; alcohol consumption; brain scans (MRI), blood draws, and filling out questionnaires. There is no cost to participate and compensation may be provided." For more information, click here. (Courtesy of Fran Hazam)

TU Collaborative Seeks Participants for Its Parenting Through Leisure Project; See Also the TU Collaborative's Parenting Resources, Including Information on Custody Issues

The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion is seeking parents with lived experience of a mental health condition to participate in a paid research study. The TU Collaborative writes: "Our program, Parenting Through Leisure, focuses on helping parents with a serious mental illness participate in leisure activities with their child. We are looking for individuals who are 18 and older; are an adult parent with a diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, or depression; have a child who is 7 to 15 years old and is interested in participating in family leisure with you; have legal visitation rights, joint custody or full custody of the child, with at least weekly contact; and have a desire to engage in more leisure activities with their child." For details about the study and the remuneration as well as other benefits to eligible participants, and a link to sign up, click here. Questions? Please contact TUCollab@temple.edu. And for the TU Collaborative's Parenting web page--which includes links to many resources for parents with lived experience, including information about custody laws and a model family reunification statute--click here.

Survey Seeks Respondents Who Are in Administrative/ Leadership Positions in the Mental Health Field

If you are in an administrative/leadership position in the mental health arena, “the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP) Committee on Psychiatric Administration and Leadership invites you to participate in the International Survey on Administrative Psychiatry. The survey has two purposes: 1. To identify the concerns and needs of mental health professionals/psychiatrists in administrative and leadership positions. 2. To determine training needs in administrative psychiatry. We ask you to complete this brief, [15- to 20-minute] questionnaire to help us in developing recommendations for action. We also want to let you know that, if you fill out this questionnaire, you permit the committee to use your anonymous data for scientific work.” Peer providers are included. For the survey, click here. (Courtesy of Oryx Cohen)

NEWS THAT IS STILL FRESH

At Least 29 States Use Deadly Spit Hoods on People in Psychiatric Settings

“A Seattle Times investigation has found staff in medical settings across Washington and in at least 28 other states have used spit hoods over the past decade to subdue or control psychiatric patients and risk psychological distress, suffocation and even death in the process. In other contexts, like law enforcement, these hoods have recently become more heavily regulated — especially after being linked in media reports and lawsuits to the deaths of dozens of mentally ill people in jails and police custody.” For the article, with a map of the states that use spit hoods, click here.

Psychiatrists Plan to Overhaul the DSM — “and Change How We Define ‘Disorder’”

The American Psychiatric Association has announced “big upcoming changes” to the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual” (DSM), Scientific American writes. “[T]his dictionary of disorders has long been a lightning rod for criticism — in particular, about the way it classifies mental illnesses, which experts have said is not scientifically valid…The Future DSM Strategic Committee is proposing that the DSM change its guidance for diagnosis and increase its focus on ostensibly more objective measures of disease — ‘biomarkers’ that may indicate mental illness…But some experts don’t think the changes will do much to improve the manual.” In a LinkedIn post, psychiatrist Eric Arzubi wrote, “We don't have a diagnosis problem. We have a delivery problem.” He offered four suggestions for “what the APA could do with its financial and political capital instead.” For the post (Courtesy of Lee Goldberg), click here. For the Scientific American article, click here. For an NPR article about the changes, click here. For an American Journal of Psychiatry article about “The Future of DSM,” click here. And for “Will ‘Psychiatry’s Bible’ add a postpartum psychosis diagnosis?” click here.

REAL Health Providers Act Is “a Major Win for People Seeking Mental Health Care,” MHA Writes; and the PEERS in Medicare Act Has Been Reintroduced

The REAL (Requiring Enhanced and Accurate Lists of) Health Providers Act, signed into law on February 3, 2026, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 7148), establishes new, strict directory accuracy requirements for Medicare Advantage plans. The “three key protections that will help people access mental health care when they need it” are that “Medicare Advantage plans must verify and update provider directory information every 90 days”; “When inaccurate directory information leads a patient to see an out-of-network provider, the plan, not the patient, will bear the cost”; and “The law authorizes CMS to conduct specialized audits and publish public ‘accuracy scores,’ increasing transparency and accountability.” For more information about this, and about FY 2026 federal funding, click here. And in other legislative news, “Leading mental health organizations applaud reintroduction of PEERS in Medicare Act in Congress” (click here). For “Senate Releases FY2026 Funding Bills for Key Substance Use and Justice Agencies and Programs,” click here.

A Canadian Study Found an Increase in Psychotic Disorders Among Teenagers; Is Cannabis a Cause?

"People aged 14 to 20 are more often being diagnosed with psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, compared with those born earlier, a large Ontario study examining 30 years of data suggests.” Researchers believe increasing use of cannabis and similar drugs may be a contributing factor, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reports. The researchers write: “Although some of the findings may reflect improved access to assessment and treatment, further research is needed to examine potential contributors. These results can inform early psychosis intervention services in Canada.” For the CBC article, click here.

New Research Confirms That Inpatient Psychiatric Care Elevates Sucide Risk

In January 2026, The Lancet published “Suicide after involuntary psychiatric care: a nationwide cohort study in Sweden,” which found “an excess suicide risk among IPC [involuntary psychiatric care] patients compared to other clinical populations.” This study was highlighted in a recent Mad In America article, “As States Expand Psychiatric Detention, Research Shows Elevated Suicide Risk.” This MIA article, published on January 10, 2026, echoes information previously published in the Key Update: that inpatient psychiatric care, especially when it is involuntary, can be traumatizing, and may lead to an increased risk of suicide: In one meta-analysis, published in JAMA Psychiatry in July 2017, “the postdischarge suicide rate was approximately 100 times the global suicide rate during the first 3 months after discharge.” For the Lancet study, click here. For the Mad In America article, click here.

“Daily Coffee Tied to Brain Benefits,” and Dancing and Walking Help Too! So Does Brain Training! Plus the National Institute on Aging Has Additional Suggestions.

“Two to three cups a day [are] linked with less dementia risk -- but not if it's decaf,” according to a study recently reported in MedPage Today. However, the researchers add, "While our results are encouraging, it's important to remember that the effect size is small and there are lots of important ways to protect cognitive function as we age. Our study suggests that caffeinated coffee or tea consumption can be one piece of that puzzle." For the MedPage Today article, click here. For additional National Institute on Aging advice, click here. For “Dancing and the Brain,” click here and click here. “In fact, one study [in the New England Journal of Medicine] found that people who danced frequently [more than once a week] had a 76 percent lower risk of dementia than those who did so rarely.” This study was cited in the Washington Post: “This fun hobby may reduce your dementia risk by 76 percent” (click here). See also “Cognitive Benefits of Social Dancing and Walking in Old Age: The Dancing Mind Randomized Controlled Trial” (click here).

“None of the 22 FDA Approvals for Psychiatric Drugs in the Last Decade Were “‘Clinically Useful’”; Two Books, Published Earlier, Confirm Similar Findings

“New psychiatric drugs continue to skate through the FDA’s approval process. Although these drugs enrich the bottom line of the pharmaceutical industry, new research finds that they lack clinical utility and represent a lack of innovation in the field,” Mad In America reports. This echoes a 2012 book entitled “Bad Pharma: how drug companies mislead doctors and harm patients,” by Ben Goldacre. To quote from a book review, “It is well recognized that negative or unfavourable clinical trials results are much less likely to be published than positive findings.” For the book review, click here. And as reported in the last edition of the Key Update, “ ‘The Zyprexa Papers,’ by James B. (Jim) Gottstein, Esq., founder of the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights, is about litigation revealing that Eli Lilly conducted fraudulent research and hid from regulators and doctors that Zyprexa causes diabetes and other metabolic problems.” For the Mad In America article, which includes a link to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, click here.

“Case Studies Contradict Accepted Wisdom About AI Psychosis”

“Many of those who experience AI psychosis have no psychiatric diagnosis, but were experiencing social and environmental stressors, isolation, and lack of sleep.” This is the subheading of a recent Mad In America article, which debunks the theory that “anyone who experiences [AI psychosis] was already ‘prone to psychosis’ — that the chatbot simply triggered delusions that would have been triggered some other way.” For the Mad In America article, click here.

“Tens of Thousands of Mothers Were Flagged to Police Over Flawed Drug Tests at Childbirth”; How Data Were Collected and How to Avoid Problems If You Are Having a Baby

“The Marshall Project found more than 70,000 cases referred to law enforcement over allegations of substance use during pregnancy — and that’s a significant undercount.” This echoes a Marshall Project story in the Key Update’s September-October 2025 Criminal Legal System Digest: “Perils of Hospital Drug Tests: Widespread drug testing of pregnant patients at childbirth prompted thousands of reports to child welfare authorities, investigations and even families losing custody of their babies — often after parents ate nothing more than a poppy seed muffin, took common medications, or received fentanyl in their epidurals” (click here). For “How We Counted Referrals to Police About Substance Use During Pregnancy: New analysis finds the parents of 70,000 newborns were reported to law enforcement over substance use allegations, often based on flawed drug tests,” click here. And for “Having a Baby? 5 Tips to Avoid Problems From Flawed Drug Testing at the Hospital: “Hospitals routinely use unreliable drug tests at childbirth, and many parents are reported to child welfare agencies and the police,” the Marshall Project reports. “Here’s what you can do.” For the article, click here.

“Group Therapy, Developed With Help of Patients, Cut Postpartum Depression”

The “intervention informed by the community was especially effective for those with baseline depression,” MedPage Today reports. “Moms with depression randomized to the EleVATE group care intervention had a 72% reduction in postpartum depression 6 weeks after delivery compared with those assigned to usual care.” For the article, click here.

A Recent Study Confirms the Benefits of a Program Designed to Help Individuals With Complex Trauma and Dissociation

Researchers in the United States, the Netherlands, and Canada have reported that Finding Solid Ground (FSG) — “a psychoeducational program that is grounded in research on individuals with complex trauma histories and dissociative symptoms” — in conjunction with individual therapy outperformed individual therapy alone. “This randomized controlled trial demonstrates that adding FSG to psychotherapy of individuals with trauma-related dissociation (TRD) results in improvements in emotion regulation, PTSD symptoms, self-compassion, and adaptive functioning.” For the APA PsycNet article about the study, click here.

“What is ‘Medically Necessary’? How Big Health Insurers Hijacked a Medical Term and Built a Denial Machine Around It” and What to Do About It

“Why should the care you receive depend on the insurance card in your wallet and not your clinical situation?” asks Health Care un-covered, an independent newsletter and advocacy network led by former insurance executive turned whistleblower Wendell Potter. “The answer, of course, is because that’s how the insurance companies want it.” Health Care un-covered suggests two solutions: “The RUC (Relative Value Scale Update Committee) is an American Medical Association…volunteer group of 32 physicians and over 300 physician advisors who represent every medical specialty….Why don’t we ask them to develop a universal set of clinical coverage policies?” “Second…pass a law that says whenever an insurer denies payment or a request for care, that denial must be signed by a medical doctor, and signing that denial qualifies as ‘the practice of medicine.’ This would make those denials and the doctor who signed off on them subject to all the responsibilities and accountabilities required to practice medicine.” For the article, click here. (Courtesy of Fran Hazam) And for “Insurers can restrict mental health care. What laws protect patients in your state?” which was included in the January-February 2026 edition of the Key Update, click here.

Peer Respites Have a Strong Evidence Base but “A Rogue Valley Group Hoped to Start a Peer Respite in the Hills Above Ashland. Why Didn’t It Open?”

“The peer respite centers model has been found to divert individuals from hospitals, the criminal justice system, and other higher and more costly levels of care,” as NAMI Maine noted in a position statement in support of LD 1843, An Act to Provide Peer Respite for Individuals with Mental Health Care Needs, which became Maine law. For example, “Pierce County, Washington, reduced involuntary hospitalization by 32% by using certified peer specialists offering respite services, leading to a savings of 1.99 million dollars in one year,” as reported in “Cost Effectiveness of Using Peers as Providers,” by Sue Bergeson, VP, Consumer Affairs, OptumHealth (2011). For “Evidence for Peer Support,” click here. For “A Rogue Valley Group Hoped to Start a Peer Respite in the Hills Above Ashland. Why Didn’t It Open?” click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak) For more information about peer-run crisis respites, click here. For “Financing Peer Crisis Respites in the United States,” a SAMHSA publication, click here.

Action Alert! Sign the Petition: Just Say No to Long-Term Institutional Care!

“If you believe access to community-based mental health and addiction services should be protected and supported, add your voice to the petition calling on Congress to support recovery….People with these conditions…desperately need help attaining the essential supports to achieve and sustain recovery – access to health and behavioral health care, housing, employment, and peer support. Instead of help, the Trump administration has hindered opportunities for recovery” including massive funding cuts, federal staff and agency eliminations, harmful policy changes and curtailed enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.” President Trump “issued an Executive Order that calls for the return to the failed past policies of long term institutionalization, criminalization and coercion while ending support for proven harm reduction and Housing First approaches…. By signing this petition, you are speaking out and demanding Congress support recovery.” To sign the petition, click here. (Note: If you use Chrome and have trouble signing the petition, you may need to switch to another web browser.) (Courtesy of Paolo del Vecchio via Harvey Rosenthal)

“Investigation Raises Concerns About Lack of FDA Quality Testing for Generic Drugs”

“The Food and Drug Administration says that all agency-approved generic drugs ‘have the same high quality’ as brand-name drugs, but a ProPublica investigation found that the FDA rarely tests the quality of generic drugs, many of them manufactured overseas,” according to PBS News. Pro Publica notes that “[i]n recent years, independent labs, universities and the Department of Defense have raised alarms about contaminants and other quality failures in a number of generic medications. So have doctors…Yet the FDA largely dismissed the warnings and has only sporadically tested a sampling of generic drugs, which now account for about 90% of prescriptions in the United States.” This was a concern as far back as Trump’s first term, according to this 2019 article about an investigation by the publication Science: “Exclusive: FDA enforcement actions plummet under Trump — FDA actions that safeguard clinical trials, food and drug safety in steep decline, Science investigation reveals.” For the PBS News segment, click here. For the Pro Publica article, click here. For the Science article, click here. And for a review of “Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom,” a 2019 book by Katherine Eban, click here.

On January 1, the ABLE Age Adjustment Act Will Expand Eligibility for an ABLE Account

As of January 1, 2026, the ABLE Age Adjustment Act will amend Section 529A of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act to allow more individuals who have a disability to become eligible for an ABLE account. (ABLE accounts allow individuals receiving SSI to save up to $100,000 in an account without affecting their benefits, while no amount of ABLE funds affects eligibility for Medicaid and other public benefits.) “The age of eligibility expands to allow individuals who have a disability that began before age 46 (instead of before the age of 26) to be ABLE-eligible, extending opportunities of financial empowerment for individuals with disabilities who were previously excluded…The increase in the age of disability will allow additional people to save money in a tax-advantaged account, maintain eligibility for crucial public benefits while building assets, and gain financial independence and security.” For more information, click here.

“Creativity Might Be the New Longevity Tool for Your Brain”

A new study indicates that creativity may slow brain aging, Psychology Today reports. “What if picking up a paintbrush, dancing to music, or learning a new game could help your brain stay biologically younger? A new study in Nature Communications suggests exactly that. Researchers analyzed more than 1,400 people across dance, music, visual arts, and strategy-based gaming. Then they used EEG and machine learning to estimate each person’s ‘brain age gap,’ a measure showing whether your brain is aging faster or slower than expected. The results were striking. People with more creative engagement had younger brains across every domain. The deeper the expertise, the greater the delay in brain aging. And even short-term learning helped.” For the Psychology Today article, click here. For the Nature Communications study, “Creative experiences and brain clocks,” click here.

More Americans Seek Mental Health Care, but Insurers Can Restrict It as “Not Medically Necessary.” Meanwhile, ProPublica Surveys Legal Protections for Patients.

As self-reported mental health ratings decline, more Americans are visiting mental health professionals, according to a recent report by Gallup; 24% of U.S. adults “say they have visited a mental health professional in the past year.” (“Americans’ positive self-assessments of their mental health are the lowest in more than two decades of Gallup polling,” according to an earlier Gallup article.) But “[a]ccessing mental health care can be a harrowing ordeal,” according to NPR, which in 2024 reported on a ProPublica survey of “legal protections patients have against insurers impeding their mental health care.” And a recent NBC News article details the “insurance battle” waged by the parents of a teenager to get him care when “[t]heir insurance said that level of care was ‘not medically necessary.’” For the NPR article, click here. For the NBC News article, click here.

Nearly Half of Respondents to an International ECT Survey Reported That Their Quality of Life Was Made “Much Worse” or “Very Much Worse” by ECT; and Connecticut Has a Forced Electroshock Problem

Noted researcher John Read writes: “In 2024, 858 ECT recipients and 286 family members and friends, from 44 countries, responded to our online survey about their experiences of ECT.” In “A Survey of 1144 ECT Recipients, Family Members and Friends: Does ECT Work?” (click here) — one of the six research papers that the survey generated, published in the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing — nearly half (49%) of survey respondents reported that their quality of life was made “much worse” (22%) or “very much worse” (27%) by ECT. Five of the six papers are summarized in a table published by Mad In America, and a description of the sixth paper is also available in the article (click here). For “A large exploratory survey of electroconvulsive therapy recipients, family members and friends: what information do they recall being given?” published in the BMJ Journal of Medical Ethics, click here. For “ECT: New Studies Detail Harms, Lack of Efficacy, Lack of Informed Consent,” click here. For “Women Likely to Be Retraumatized by ECT: Disturbing Findings from a New Survey,” click here. For “I Can’t Remember a Single Day”: New Survey Shows Disastrous Memory Effects of ECT,” click here. For “Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): It’s Not Just the Memory Loss,” click here. And for “Connecticut’s Forced Electroshock Problem: Unpacking forced electroshock data obtained from the State of Connecticut Office of the Probate Court Administrator,” click here.

Western University-led Study Shows Playing Video Games May Improve Cognitive Performance

“Playing video games may boost your cognitive abilities and exercise can play a role in improving your mental health, but not the other way around, a large-scale study has found. The surprise findings are part of the Brain and Body study, a collaboration between Western University, in Canada, and the Science and Industry Museum for the Manchester Science Festival.” For the 2024 Western press release, click here. For “The Brain Health Benefits of Video Games” (2025), click here. For “Video gaming may be associated with better cognitive performance in children” (2022), click here.

“Lancaster County Police Departments Pairing with Addiction, Mental Health Specialists in State-funded Program”

“Participating Lancaster County police departments are using a peer co-responder program to improve their response to calls involving addiction and mental health issues,” LNP Lancaster Online reports. “The Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association received the grant money and developed the program.” “ ‘By pairing law enforcement with behavioral health professionals to deliver the right support at the right time, this approach ensures people in crisis are met with compassion and care,’ said Kirsten Kenyon, executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, which has awarded $1.12 million in grants in recent years to fund the program.” For the LNP Lancaster Online story, click here. For a Marshall Project article about unarmed crisis response teams, click here. (Note: The Marshall Project article appeared in the July-August 2025 Key Update.)

“Smartphone Screen Time Reduction Improves Mental Health: A Randomized Controlled Trial”

“On the basic question of whether digital detoxes work, the simple answer is: ‘Yes, they can,’” according to a Psyche article. “While more evidence is needed, some experimental studies now show that taking a break from social media can have positive effects on mental health. Similarly, one study has shown that reducing the number and frequency of notifications can reduce stress and boost wellbeing. And a handful of studies have identified some benefits of reducing or completely giving up the use of smartphones for a period of time.” For the Psyche article, click here.

The Shingles Vaccine May Slow the Progression of Dementia, and May Reduce the Risk of Developing It, Two New Studies Suggest

“Emerging research suggests that getting the vaccine to protect against shingles may reduce the risk of developing dementia,” CNN reports. “[T]he vaccine doesn’t just have a preventive potential, but actually a therapeutic potential as a treatment, because we see some benefits already among those who have dementia,” slowing the progression of the disease, said the senior author of one of the new studies, at Stanford University, which was recently published in the journal Cell. The other study was done at the University of Oxford in the UK. For two CNN articles about the studies, click here and click here.

“Emergency Mental Health Co-responders Reduce Involuntary Psychiatric Detentions in the USA”

“In response to public concerns about the prevalence of involuntary psychiatric detentions — and conventional law enforcement responses to mental health crises more broadly — many US communities have piloted programs seeking to augment their emergency first-response protocols,” Nature Human Behaviour reports. “One common approach is a ‘co-responder’ program, which sends mental health clinicians out as first responders along with police officers — either simultaneously or after the scene of the incident has been deemed safe for the clinician. Some limited evidence suggests the promise of mental health co-responder programs.” For the article, click here. (Courtesy of Elizabeth R. Stone) For “Moving from crisis response to crisis prevention in U.S. mental health systems,” click here. (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova via Luke A. Shootingstar) For a Marshall Project article about unarmed crisis response teams, click here. (The Marshall Project article was included in the July-August 2025 edition of the Key Update.)

“Americans Favor Voluntary Mental Health Care Amid Federal Push for Forced Treatment”

A new study from Washington University in St. Louis has found “strong support for voluntary care over forced hospitalization or medication against a person’s will. The research, ‘Public Attitudes Toward Mental Health Treatment Policy,’ was published Sept. 17 in JAMA Network Open…‘Community-based services, including those led by peers, are proven to improve population health and reduce reliance on costly institutional care,’ said Morgan C. Shields, an assistant professor at the university’s School of Public Health and first author of the study. ‘Our findings show strong bipartisan agreement that these services should be prioritized — a rare point of unity in today’s polarized political climate.’” For the Washington University press release, click here. (Courtesy of the Alliance Enews)

“ChatGPT Doesn’t Identify Well-Known Retracted Studies, Claims They Are ‘Internationally Excellent’”

Mad In America (MIA) writes: “Researchers, academics, and professionals are increasingly turning to large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT to identify citations and perform literature reviews… But this has led to career-ending errors in courtrooms, security vulnerabilities in AI-generated code for websites, government documents full of falsehoods, and misdiagnosis in medical contexts, since LLMs make up fake information…But even if you ask ChatGPT about a specific real article, can it identify if that article has been retracted due to errors, fake data, or other research misconduct? No, it cannot, according to a new study…’Users should be cautious of literature summaries made by large language models in case they contain false information,’ the researchers write.” For the MIA article, click here. (For a study of LLMs that is seeking participants, see OPPORTUNITIES, below.)

“For People Mentally Unfit For Trial, Waits For Treatment Get Longer” but Should People Be Force-Treated to Be Able to Stand Trial? Also, Inpatient Psychiatric Care Is Often Traumatizing and Without a Discharge Date.

“U.S. defendants must be able to understand the charges against them — but many who can’t remain behind bars waiting for mental health treatment,” according to a recent report by The Marshall Project. For the issues involved in forced treatment so that someone can stand trial, see “Forced Medication and Competency to Stand Trial: Clinical, Legal, and Ethical Issues” (click here). The implication is that people with mental health conditions could find help in psychiatric institutions. However, inpatient psychiatric care — especially when it is involuntary — can be traumatizing, and may lead to an increased risk of suicide: In one meta-analysis, “the postdischarge suicide rate was approximately 100 times the global suicide rate during the first 3 months after discharge.” For the Marshall Project article, click here. Both the criminal legal system and the mental health system need an overhaul, experts say. For “When ‘Not Guilty’ Is a Life Sentence: What happens after a defendant is found not guilty by reason of insanity? Often the answer is involuntary confinement in a state psychiatric hospital — with no end in sight,” click here. For “Not Guilty, Yet Continuously Confined: Reforming the Insanity Defense,” click here. For “Reducing the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail: Six Questions County Leaders Need to Ask,” click here. And for “Improving the Courts’ Response to People with Mental Illnesses,” click here.

“Doctors Who Accept Industry Cash Get More Patient Complaints, Study Finds”

Mad In America (MIA) writes: “A new article published in JAMA Network Open finds that physicians who receive larger payments from industry are significantly more likely to face patient complaints. These complaints, captured by the Patient Advocacy Reporting System (PARS), have been linked to malpractice claims, worse health outcomes, and threats to patient well-being. The study also found that male physicians and those working in non-academic settings are more likely to accept large payments from the industry.” For the MIA article, click here.

“New Suit Claims Legacy Website and Patient Portal Violated Users’ Privacy”

Despite the fact the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule makes it illegal for health care providers to disclose someone’s health information to a third party without written authorization, the HIPAA Journal reported in 2024 that “33 percent of the health care organizations” surveyed by a data analysis company “were using Meta pixel on their websites, ‘despite the risk of lawsuits, data breaches, and fines for non-compliance with the HIPAA Rules.’” A lawsuit has been filed against Legacy Health for the breach of an individual’s private health information; the suit may become a class action. For the Lund Report article, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak) At the same time, a blog by ProWriters, “a leading provider of cyber and professional & management liability insurance,” advises healthcare organizations and their insurers how “to mitigate the liability risk of using the Meta Pixel.” For “Meta Pixel Healthcare Risks: How to Reduce Liability,” click here.

“Technology Use Linked to Better Brain Health in Older Adults”

“Technology use among older adults appears to benefit cognitive health rather than harm it, according to a large-scale meta-analysis published in Nature Human Behaviour. The study, which examined data from more than 411,000 adults ages 50 and older, reveals that engaging with digital devices may actually help protect against cognitive decline and dementia,” reports the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. Key findings include that “the protective effect was comparable to or stronger than established factors such as physical activity and education,” “effects persisted even when controlling for socioeconomic factors, education and health conditions,” and “positive effects were found in both the 50-65 age group and those older than 65.” For the press release, click here.

Advocates Strategize to Oppose Trump Administration’s EO, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets”

In response to the Trump administration’s July 24th Executive Order that — as described by the Institute for the Development of Human Arts (IDHA) — “outlines a federal agenda to expand coercive mental health practices and threaten already-fragile civil liberties for unhoused, mad, and disabled people,” IDHA offers “educational resources, articles, and opportunities to contribute to a growing resistance to involuntary commitment nationally.” Under the heading “Community Care, Not Coercion,” IDHA provides a deep dive into the new EO, as well as a comprehensive array of resources to help advocates fight back. You can find it all if you click here. (Courtesy of Ben Cooley Hall) See also “Forced Hospitalizations Can Increase Violence, Suicides, and Homelessness” (click here). (Courtesy of Elizabeth R. Stone)

NEWS ABOUT RESEARCH STUDIES

“25 Reentry Wins in 2025: How States Are Removing Barriers to Reentry Success”; and How Related Stories Demonstrate the Need for, and a Solution to, the Numbers of People with Behavioral Health Needs in the Criminal Legal System; and “...5 Steps to Create a Reentry Council in Your State”

Individuals with mental health conditions and substance use disorders are over-represented in the criminal legal system: More than 43 percent of people in state prisons and local jails have psychiatric diagnoses, and “some research shows that an estimated 65% percent of the U.S. prison population has an active substance use disorder.” So “25 Reentry Wins in 2025” is good news for behavioral health stakeholders. For details provided by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, click here. For “Who’s in Ohio’s Psychiatric Hospitals, How Did They Get There and When Do They Get Out? Criminal defendants are overwhelming an understaffed state mental health system that, a few years ago, served thousands more patients,” click here. For Criminally Ill: Systemic Failures Turn State Mental Hospitals Into Prisons: A steep rise in criminally charged people with severe mental illnesses has all but halted patients’ ability to get care in Ohio’s state psychiatric hospitals,” click here. For “When Jail Becomes the Mental Health Treatment Plan: The county’s Restoration to Competency program is meant to prepare people with mental illness to face trial. Instead, it exposes how Arizona jails have become the state’s default psychiatric wards — with sometimes dangerous consequences,” click here. And for “Study: To Reduce Jail Populations, Increase Mental Health Services in Communities” (2022), click here. (And see “...5 Key Steps to Create a Reentry Council in Your State” (click here and scroll down) under OPPORTUNITIES, below.)

“One in Four Older Americans with Dementia Prescribed Risky Brain-altering Drugs Despite Safety Warnings”

“Despite years of clinical guidelines warning against the practice, one in four Medicare beneficiaries with dementia is prescribed brain-altering medications linked to falls, confusion, and hospitalization, according to research published January 12, 2026, in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA. While prescriptions for these medications fell from 20% to 16% over the nine-year study period among all Medicare beneficiaries, they continue to be prescribed to individuals with cognitive impairment who are particularly susceptible to these ill effects. ‘While this decline was encouraging, over two-thirds of patients receiving these prescriptions lacked a documented clinical indication in 2021, the end of the study period, suggesting high levels of potentially inappropriate and harmful prescribing,’ said senior author Dr. John N. Mafi. ‘Compared with patients with normal cognition, we also found higher levels of prescribing among older adults with cognitive impairment, who face a higher risk of adverse effects from these drugs.’” For the UCLA Health news release, click here.

“What the Air You Breathe May Be Doing to Your Brain”

“Chronic exposure to pollutants emitted by power plants, factories and motor vehicles is linked to dementia, research increasingly shows,” Philly Voice reports. “‘The quality of the air you live in affects your cognition,’ said [neuropathologist Edward B. ] Lee, the senior author of a recent article in JAMA Neurology, one of several large studies in the past few months to demonstrate an association between PM2.5 and dementia. Scientists have been tracking the connection for at least a decade. In 2020, the influential Lancet Commission added air pollution to its list of modifiable risk factors for dementia, along with common problems like hearing loss, diabetes, smoking, and high blood pressure. Yet such findings are emerging when the federal government is dismantling efforts by previous administrations to continue reducing air pollution by shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.” For the Philly Voice article, click here.

“Fast Depression Relief? Nitrous Oxide Shows Remarkable Potential”

“Nitrous oxide may offer quick, short-term relief for people with major depression, especially those who haven’t responded to standard medications…according to a large meta-analysis led by the University of Birmingham,” published in eBioMedicine on November 30, 2025, Science Daily reports. “The meta-analysis found rapid improvements after a single dose and more sustained benefits after repeated treatments. Side effects were generally mild and brief, though researchers stress the need for larger, longer-term studies.” For the Science Daily article, click here.

“Brain Training Game Boosts Chemical Linked to Memory and Attention, Study Shows”

“A new study finds that a cognitive training program may boost production of a brain chemical that plays a role in memory and attention,” NBC News reports. “Participants who completed game-like activities through BrainHQ, an online subscription program, showed increased production of acetylcholine, sometimes called the ‘pay attention’ chemical.” For the NBC News article, which includes a link to the study, called INHANCE (Improving Neurological Health in Aging via Neuroplasticity-based Computerized Exercise), click here.

“UW Study Finds Text-based Therapy Just as Effective as Video Sessions for Depression”

“Text-based psychotherapy can be just as effective as live video sessions for treating depression, according to new research from the University of Washington. The study, published October 30, 2025, in JAMA Network Open, compared outcomes among 850 adults who received either message-based psychotherapy or weekly video therapy through the online platform Talkspace. Researchers found that patients in both groups showed similar improvements in depression symptoms and social functioning.” For the article in Yahoo News about the study, click here. For the JAMA Network Open article, click here.

Secure Firearm Storage Might Prevent Many School Shootings and Youth Suicides

“Estimates suggest upwards of 500 K-12 students have have died in U.S. school shootings since 1999; in contrast, over 3,400 young people (ages 10-24) die by firearm suicide each year in our country,” MedPage Today reports. And “American children are 20 times more likely to die by firearm suicide at home than in a shooting at school….76% of firearms used in school shootings and 79% used in suicides are obtained from the home of a family member. One way to prevent these deaths is secure storage, as promoted by campaigns like Be SMART and proposed federal legislation like Ethan's Law.” For the MedPage Today article, click here.

“The Silent Threat: How Hearing Loss and Loneliness are Fueling Memory Decline”

“A massive European study has uncovered a powerful connection between hearing loss, loneliness, and memory decline,” Science Daily reports. “Researchers at the University of Geneva found that older adults with hearing impairments who also feel lonely — regardless of actual social isolation — experience faster cognitive decline.” For the article, click here.

“Antipsychotics Do Not Provide a Clinically Meaningful Benefit Over the Short-Term: A Review of the Evidence”

“Seventy years of RCTs [Randomized Controlled Trials] have failed to provide evidence that antipsychotics provide a clinically meaningful benefit for treating acute psychotic episodes” is the subhead of a June 21, 2025, Mad In America article by acclaimed investigative journalist Robert Whitaker. One of the takeaways of the detailed article is that, “[w]hile there have been hundreds of RCTs in chronic psychotic patients that have found that antipsychotics provide a statistically significant benefit over placebo in terms of reducing symptoms, the drug-placebo difference in these studies does not rise to the level of a ‘minimum clinically important difference.’” For the article, click here.

Older Adults Who Stop Taking Antipsychotics Have Better Outcomes, Study Shows

A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry has found that older adults who discontinue taking antipsychotic drugs (after being given them for “behavioral control” in the hospital) experience better outcomes than those who continue taking the drugs. “Those who discontinued antipsychotics (APMs) had lower rates of rehospitalization, delirium, dangerous falls, urinary tract infections, and death.” For an article about the study in Mad In America, click here.

“For Some Women With Serious Physical Ailments, Mental Illness Has Become a Scapegoat Diagnosis”

More than a third of women who have endometriosis are misdiagnosed with mental health conditions such as anxiety or bipolar disorder, according to a recent article in Smithsonian magazine. Many women “with lupus and other autoimmune diseases have similar stories, with another study finding that 36 percent of patients reported misdiagnoses of mental health or ‘medically unexplained symptoms.’ ” To do better, doctors need to be better trained in diagnosing mental health conditions, learn to listen more attentively to their patients, and be willing to “embrace uncertainty,” experts say. For the article, click here.

“Researchers: ‘We Do Not Suggest’ Antipsychotics for Depression”

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several antipsychotic drugs as an augmentation strategy for ‘treatment-resistant depression,’ including aripiprazole (Abilify), quetiapine (Seroquel), and olanzapine (Zyprexa). But in a new study, researchers found that these drugs were no better than trying another antidepressant—and that they come with increased risk of death.” For the article, in Mad In America, click here. For the Mad In America weekly newsletter, June 16, 2025, click here.

“Emotional Freedom Technique: Research Supports Benefits of Tapping for Mental Health”

“Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as “tapping,” is a method that some individuals have found helpful in managing their emotions,” Purdue University writes. “During EFT, individuals tap certain points on their body – similar to the points used during acupuncture.” “What Is Tapping for Anxiety?” gives some details. “In November 2022, the Tapping School shared an article titled “Why tapping should be avoided: Are the rumors true?” In short, the article debunks the myths surrounding avoiding tapping as a method to help certain behavioral health issues and concerns.” For EFT International’s Free Tapping Manual and other tapping resources, click here for the Purdue University news release.

“Guns Kill More U.S. Children Than Other Causes, But State Policies Can Help, Study Finds” and “Judges Are Throwing Out Gun Restrictions Because of Antiquated Laws From America’s Founding”

“More American children and teens die from firearms than any other cause, but there are more deaths — and wider racial disparities — in states with more permissive gun policies, according to a new study, in JAMA Pediatrics, [which] analyzes trends in state firearm policies and kids’ deaths since 2010, after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. City of Chicago. The ruling struck down the city’s handgun ban, clearing the way for many states to make it easier for people to buy and carry guns,” Stateline reports. In the most permissive states, the largest increase in deaths occurred among Black children. At the same time, four states with strict firearm regulations saw statistical decreases in children’s gun deaths. And for “Musket vs. AR-15: Judges Are Throwing Out Gun Restrictions Because of Antiquated Laws From America’s Founding,” in The Trace, click here. For the Stateline article, click here. And for “11 (More) Books to Help You Understand Gun Violence in the U.S.,” also in The Trace, click here.

“Have We Been Wrong About ‘Psychopaths’?”

“The author of a new book says there is little science behind a diagnosis that pervades criminal justice systems across the U.S. Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen says that reliance on this personality disorder by police and prosecutors in criminal cases skews the system toward harsher punishments. At the heart of his argument is what he considers the flawed use of the so-called ‘Psychopath Test,’ a checklist often used by courts to help determine when a person is entitled to parole or deserving of a capital sentence.” For the article, by The Marshall Project, click here.

“Study Finds Addictive Screen Use, Not Total Screen Time, Linked to Youth Suicide Risk”

“New research shows that youth who become increasingly addicted to social media, mobile phones or video games are at greater risk of suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts and emotional or behavioral issues.” The study, published June 18, 2025, in JAMA, “demonstrated that the total amount of time spent on social media, mobile phones and video games was not associated with future suicide-related or mental health outcomes. What mattered most was how youth were engaging with screens — especially whether their use showed signs of compulsion, distress or loss of control.” For more information, click here.

Researchers Study “Nature-based Social Interventions for People Experiencing Loneliness: The Rationale and Overview of the RECETAS Project”
“Loneliness is a major social concern with health consequences worldwide for populations across different demographic, cultural, social, economic, geographic, and environmental contexts,” according to researchers studying the RECETAS (Reimagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces) model in six cities across three continents, including Europe (Barcelona, Helsinki, Marseille, Prague), Australia (Melbourne), and South America (Cuenca). For the full article about the study, click here.

Closing the Healthcare Worker Shortage Gap Could “Avert 189 Million Years of Life Lost to Early Death and Disability and Boost the Global Economy by $1.1 Trillion.”

“A global shortage of at least 10 million healthcare workers is expected in 2030, according to the World Health Organization, with upper estimates at over 78 million.” This is an excerpt from a new report, “Heartbeat Of Health: Reimagining The Healthcare Workforce Of The Future.” Closing the gap “will require transforming healthcare service delivery — reimagining who provides healthcare, how services are delivered, and where care is accessed.” For the report, by the McKinsey Health Institute, click here. (Courtesy of Howard Trachtman)

“Since 988 Launch, Mental Health Crisis Services Have Faltered”; and 988 “Fails the People” in Other Ways

“While calls to the national hotline have continued to increase, fewer psychiatric facilities are offering emergency psychiatric walk-in services, mobile crisis response units, and suicide prevention services,” according to JAMA Psychiatry, STAT has reported. Of the four services monitored, peer support is the only one that has become more available. For the STAT article, click here. See also “The Problem with 988: How America’s Largest Hotline Violates Consent, Compromises Safety, and Fails the People,” a 108-page report that covers how “many crisis hotlines, including all crisis centers within the 988 network, have evolved to adopt policies and practices that compromise the safety, privacy, and autonomy of those seeking help.” For the free report, click here.

“New Study Exposes the Trauma of Involuntary Psychiatric Detention”

“A recent study highlights the negative experiences of involuntary psychiatric hospital admissions, revealing deep-seated issues of racism, discrimination, and lack of support within the mental healthcare system,” Mad In America (MIA) reports. For the MIA article, which includes a link to the Open Access study published in BMC Psychiatry, click here. In addition, studies have shown that “in the week following discharge from a psychiatric hospital, people are at a dramatically high risk for suicide.” For “Suicide Risk in Relation to Psychiatric Hospitalization,” click here.

“Patients on These Antidepressants Were More Likely to Gain Weight, Study Says” and Other Information to Consider Before Taking Antidepressants

A recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine analyzed the data of 183,118 individuals across eight U.S. health systems from 2010 to 2019. It found that some antidepressants were associated with more weight gain than others. Although a correlation with weight gain doesn’t mean the drug directly caused the weight gain, there are still many reasons to be wary of taking antidepressants. Previous editions of the Key Update included “Antidepressants Could Trigger Some Cases of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”: click here; “Warning Over Antidepressants as Top Experts Say They May Raise Risk of Suicide”: click here; “Antidepressants associated with increased risk of suicidal thoughts in healthy adults”; click here; “Many People Taking Antidepressants Discover They Cannot Quit”: click here; and “Psychotherapy Without Antidepressants Shows Best Results for Depression”; click here. And for the “Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs,” click here.

RESOURCES

Peer Support in Mental Health: A Selected Bibliography of Research Studies

The Association for Peer Support, organized by the Copeland Center, writes: “This collection highlights evidence-based studies that explore how peer support works, why it matters, and the outcomes it can achieve across diverse communities. Whether you’re a community member, student, or researcher, these resources offer practical insight into the power of peer-led approaches.” For the bibliography, click here.

“The Long Commute: Closing the Gap in Rural Employment for People with Serious Mental Health Conditions”

The Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation offers an issue brief that “explores the specific barriers facing rural job seekers — from the ‘lack of anonymity’ in small towns to the nationwide shortage of behavioral health providers — and highlights innovative, technology- driven solutions. Discover why rural areas experience lower labor force participation and slower employment growth compared to metro hubs,” as well as barriers to success, innovative solutions, and provider strategies. For the six-page brief, click here.

“Fair Chance Licensing Project: States Expand Access to In-Demand Jobs”

“Nearly 1 in 4 jobs in the U.S. require a government-issued license — yet many people with a criminal record are prohibited from receiving occupational licenses, which can have devastating effects for people, workforces, and safety,” the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSGJC) reports. “Many states have only recently adopted broadly applicable fair chance licensing laws that promote fair consideration of applicant criminal history while maintaining public safety priorities. Between 2020 and 2025, 35 states enacted new fair chance licensing laws or made significant amendments to those already on the books.” For “Fair Chance Licensing Project: States Expand Access to In-Demand Jobs,” which provides more information, including state-by-state laws, click here.

WHO Staff Share Mental Health Resources After the Closing of a WHO Unit

Natalie Drew and Michelle Funk write that the World Health Organization (WHO) Unit on Policy, Law and Human Rights has been closed, and both will be leaving WHO, so they have shared these resources for others to use and promote. POLICY AND LAW: WHO guidance on mental health policies and strategic action plans (click here), WHO guidance on policy and strategic actions to protect and promote mental health across government sectors (click here), Mental health, human rights and legislation: guidance and practice (WHO/OHCHR) (click here). SERVICE ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT: WHO guidance and technical packages on rights-based community mental health services (click here), WHO guidance on transforming services and promoting human rights (click here), WHO QualityRights service assessment toolkit (click here), WHO tool for person-centred recovery planning (click here). CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING: WHO QualityRights core training modules (click here), WHO QualityRights specialized training modules (click here), WHO QualityRights Training: Humanitarian Edition (click here), WHO QualityRights e-training on mental health, recovery and community inclusion – which has had more than 150,000 learners (now moved to the WHO Academy) (click here). SPANISH-LANGUAGE VERSIONS (click here). ADVOCACY, CIVIL SOCIETY AND PEER SUPPORT: WHO tools for advocacy and civil society (click here), WHO guidance on peer support (peer support groups and one-to-one peer support) (click here). The WHO MINDbank has transitioned to the Centre for Mental Health Policy and Law, Indian Law Society (click here). TWO RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS (AMONG MANY): “Breaking stigma, discrimination and promoting rights: global evaluation of the World Health Organization QualityRights e-training on mental health, recovery and community inclusion (click here), and Evaluating the efficacy of the WHO QualityRights e-training in promoting the rights of persons with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities: a cluster randomised controlled trial in Ghana (click here). (Courtesy of Ann Kasper)

“A Toolkit for Journalists Who Want to Investigate the Consequences of Hospital Drug Testing at Childbirth”

“Here is a primer with key takeaways from the Marshall Project’s extensive reporting on drug use investigations for pregnant women.” The Marshall Project discovered “that child welfare authorities forwarded these reports to law enforcement in more than 70,000 cases in 21 states during a six-year period. Journalists and researchers are welcome to request a consultation to discuss how to use the resources in this toolkit.” For the toolkit, click here. (“Journalists: How to Investigate Dangerous Heat in Prisons,” “How to Report on Deaths in Jails in Prison,” Reporting on Homelessness, and Other Topics” appeared in previous editions of the Key Update.)

ProPublica’s Launches New Rx Inspector News App

ProPublica recently launched Rx Inspector, which it describes as “a first-of-its-kind tool that provides answers to what the Food and Drug Administration won’t tell us: where our generics are coming from and the track records of the facilities that made them. Journalists, patients, pharmacists and more can use this database to look up the track record of the factories around the world that manufacture generic prescription drugs, including inspection and compliance documents filed after an inspection. The various features of the app and what users can find within it are available at the preceding link.

“Experts Warn You Should Never Share These 5 Things With ChatGPT — And What You Can Do If You Already Did”

Experts advise that it’s wise to be cautious about how much information you share with AI chatbots. Researchers at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI “analyzed the privacy policies of six of the top U.S. AI chat system developers (OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, Amazon’s Nova, Meta’s MetaAI and Microsoft’s Copilot) and found that all of them appear to use customer conversations to ‘train and improve their models by default’ and ‘some retain this data indefinitely.’ People underestimate how much of what they share with an AI chatbot can be ‘stored, analyzed, and potentially reused,’ cybersecurity expert George Kamide, co-host of the technology podcast ‘Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks,’ told HuffPost.” For the article, which includes what you should never share, and what to do if you already did, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)

Some Resources for Reducing Polypharmacy

These articles address the topic of reducing polypharmacy: “Using a Drug Audit Program to Reduce Polypharmacy in a State Psychiatric Hospital” (Abstract), (click here); “Medication Without Harm” (a 46-page “Policy Brief” from the World Health Organization) (click here); “Five Tips for Addressing Polypharmacy in Older Adults: Geriatric medicine specialist offers strategies for a challenging clinical issue” (click here); “Strategies to Reduce Polypharmacy in Older Adults” (click here); and “Routine deprescribing of chronic medications to combat polypharmacy” (click here).

“Disability in Political Science”

“Published in 1966, Jacobus tenBroek's ‘The Right to Live in the World: The Disabled in the Law of Torts’ is hailed by legal scholars for ‘la[ying] the groundwork for the disability rights laws we have today’ (Bagenstos 2016, p. 13). And yet, the self-evident nature of tenBroek's claim — that disabled people have a right to live in the world — belies the profound economic, social, and political changes that securing such a right would entail.” For “Disability in Political Science,” by Ann K. Heffernan, click here. (Courtesy of Elizabeth R. Stone)

“ ‘Peer with a P versus a p’: A Mixed Methods Study of Peer Support Training, Service Delivery, and Supervision Across Global Contexts”

“Peer support services in which people with lived experience provide non-clinical, mutualistic support are effective in improving health outcomes for people with serious mental health challenges. Despite its demonstrated effectiveness, there is limited research on peer supporters’ experiences with training, service delivery, and supervision across diverse global contexts. This explanatory mixed methods study explored these perspectives through a survey (N = 101), key informant interviews (N = 13), and focus group discussions (N = 14).” For the open-access article, click here. (Courtesy of Ann Kasper)

“The Rediscovered Concept of Recovery in Mental Illness: A Multicountry Comparison of Policy and Practice” (2009)

“Recovery has recently reemerged in many countries as a key concept in mental health,” according to a 2009 article in the International Journal of Mental Health. “Several long-term outcome studies have highlighted much higher recovery rates than previously assumed for persons with long-term mental illness. Service users (consumers) and professionals are now promoting this approach, and for users, recovery is about taking control over their own lives and introducing improvements which may or may not be related to clinical indicators of recovery. This approach also requires that professionals work with consumers in a much more collaborative fashion than in the past. Australia, Canada, England, and Israel have all formally accepted recovery as the cornerstone of their mental health policies and are currently in various phases of implementation. This paper describes these developments and identiﬁes the implications for mental health social work.” For the complete text, click here.

“Executive Report: The Future of Behavioral Healthcare”

“Advances in technology, changes in healthcare policies, and evolving client needs are all shaping the field in profound — and already visible — ways. This report aims to make sense of all these different trends and their collective impact in a digestible way…” For this 30-page report by Dennis Morrison, PhD, chief clinical officer of Eleos, click here.

“Snapshot of Behavioral Health Crisis Services and Related Technical Assistance Needs Across the U.S. (Updated Version)”

SAMHSA’s 60-page “Snapshot of Behavioral Health Crisis Services and Related Technical Assistance Needs Across the U.S. (Updated Version),” dated May 23, 2024, is available on the Wayback Machine, but no longer available on SAMHSA’s website. (Note: This may mean that some of it is obsolete.) For the document, click here.

Artists for Change Picks Up Where Altered States of the Arts Left Off

Artists for Change, created by a team led by movement pioneer Gayle Bluebird, has evolved from Altered States of the Arts, which was co-founded decades ago by Bluebird, Howie the Harp, and others. Artists for Change is a “ ‘home’ for historical works of artists who participated in the Consumer/Survivor movement” and “is intended to serve as a remembrance for those who were there, a resource for those who want to know more about the movement, and a place to view some of the art of that period.” The site also provides “historical videos and presentations, information about peer-run art centers, art programs, and art projects that peer specialists can easily do with people to help them use creative expression in healing trauma.” Bluebird writes: “Art that elicits emotions in the viewer–whether shock, surprise, disgust, humor, anger, or joy–requires time to sink in, not only to appreciate what is seen but also to feel at a deeper level what the artist might be communicating.” However, the URL has returned to the original URL: https://alteredstatesofthearts.org/ To view the website, click here.

“Involuntary Commitment and Forced Psychiatric Drugging in the Trial Courts: Rights Violations as a Matter of Course”

This article by Jim Gottstein begins with this statement in the Introduction: “The Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (“PsychRights”) was founded to mount a strategic litigation campaign against forced psychiatric drugging and electroshock in the United States. The impetus was the book “Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill,” by Robert Whitaker. PsychRights recognized this as a possible roadmap for demonstrating to the courts that forced psychiatric drugging is not achieving its objectives but is, instead, inflicting massive amounts of harm.” For the 55-page article, click here. Jim Gottstein is also the author of The Zyprexa Papers.

MHA Publishes “The 2025 State of Mental Health in America Report”

“Each year, Mental Health America uses the most recent publicly available federal data to rank all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In this year's report, New York, Hawaii, and New Jersey ranked highest in the nation for mental health – reflecting lower rates of mental illness and higher access to care – while Nevada, Arizona and Alabama ranked lowest.” For more information and to download the free 48-page report, click here.

“Report on Improving Mental Health Outcomes” Is a Great Resource

The Report’s Executive Summary begins: “The mental health system’s standard treatments are colossally counterproductive and harmful, often forced on unwilling patients. The overreliance on psychiatric drugs is reducing the recovery rate of people diagnosed with serious mental illness from a possible 80% to 5% and reducing their life spans by 20 years or so…” To download the free, 55-page report — by James B. (Jim) Gottstein, Esq.; Peter C. Gøtzsche, MD; David Cohen, PhD; Chuck Ruby, PhD; and Faith Myers — click here. (Note: The Report is intended to be used by advocates and is a modification of an earlier "White Paper," without the Alaska-specific information that it included. The "White Paper" was first included in the Key Update in April 2023, and in every subsequent edition in the “…But Still Fresh!” Department.)

You Are Invited to Browse an Online Library of 286 (and Counting) Scholarly Papers and Other Resources

Researchers with lived experience have developed an online list of “286 scholarly papers and other resources that support our mission of advancing user/survivor leadership in mental health research,” Michelle Colder Carras writes. “Many of these articles are authored by people with lived experience (LE), including LE leaders who are professional or student scientists, international peer-support or LE consultants, and other professionals. If an article is tagged as having an LE author, it either says so in the article or the author has said it’s okay to identify them that way.” All of the abstracts are available for free, as are some of the papers in their entirety. To check out the library, click here.

ISPS Offers an Array of Resources Under the Umbrella Heading “Survivors of Psychosis”

The International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis (ISPS) “is continually working towards expanding the participation of survivors in the work of the society,” iSPS writes. For “suggested reading from the members of the ISPS survivors e-mail group” and “other useful links,” click here. In addition, “ISPS International maintains an e-mail discussion group for ISPS members who have lived experience. The members of the group support each other, discuss and debate issues relevant to their experiences, and liaise with the ISPS Executive Committee. If you are interested in joining this group, please e-mail isps@isps.org for further information.”

“Why Forced Psychiatric Treatment Should Be Banned: Even the Science Says It’s Wrong”

“There is evidence that psychiatric hospitalization itself — whether voluntary or involuntary — leads to an increased risk of suicide,” according to an article by award-winning investigative journalist Robert Whitaker in Mad In America. In a 2014 study, researchers at the University of Copenhagen “concluded that the risk of dying from suicide rose as people received increasing levels of psychiatric care. Taking psychiatric medications was associated with a six-fold increased likelihood that people would kill themselves; contact with a psychiatric outpatient clinic with an eight-fold increase; visiting a psychiatric emergency room with a 28-fold increase; and admission to a psychiatric hospital a 44-fold increase.” For the article, click here. (Note: There was a link to this article via the word “traumatizing” in the September-October 2025 edition of the Key Update, but it bears repeating.)

Open AI Introduces “Parental Controls to Keep Teens Safe,” and CSWA “Firmly Opposes the “Use of Artificial Intelligence”

“We’re rolling out parental controls and a new parent resource page⁠.” Open AI wrote on September 30, 2025. “Parents can adjust Sora settings for connected teen accounts in ChatGPT, including opting into a non-personalized feed, choosing whether their teen can send and receive direct messages, and the ability to control whether there is an uninterrupted feed of content while scrolling…Available to all ChatGPT users starting [September 30, 2025], parental controls allow parents to link their account with their teen’s account and customize settings for a safe, age-appropriate experience.” And for the Clinical Social Work Association’s position paper on the “Use of Artificial Intelligence” (September 2025), click here. The article is the first one on the list.

NCAPPS Technical Assistance Transition Began on October 1, 2025

The National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS) has announced that, as of October 1, 2025, states requesting free technical assistance “to support ongoing compliance with the person-centered planning requirements of the 2014 Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Final Rule should visit www.HCBS-TA.org to submit a request.” For currently available NCAPPS resources, click here.

Resources from the MHA of SF Virtual Mini-Conference on Hoarding Behavior Are Available

The Mental Health Association of San Francisco held a virtual mini-conference on hoarding behavior on June 12-13, 2025. Now, the MHA of SF has made the videos and slides from the conference available for free (click here). In addition, for “Tips and Resources Provided by Conference Attendees,” click here. And for “San Francisco Resources for Hoarding Behavior,” click here. Also, to sign a petition to “Save the Hoarding Behavior Program at the Mental Health Association of San Francisco,” click here. And for the conference evaluation form, click here. (Courtesy of Howard Trachtman)

“The State of Opioid Overdose and Response in the U.S. 2025”

“Mental Health America believes that data is a critical tool for policy change. This report details state-level data and recommendations for action across the continuum of services and supports for opioid use, including prevention, treatment, and recovery.” To download the free 64-page report, click here.

“Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions”

For a 20-page report by Common Sense Media, “Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions,” which reports that “[s]eventy-two percent of teens have used AI companions at least once, and over half (52%) qualify as regular users who interact with these platforms at least a few times a month,” click here.

“Protecting Employees Before, During and After a Disaster”

JDSupra writes: “Despite the rise of natural disasters in the United States, one in four companies still are not prepared to protect their employees in a crisis, according to a survey by Fusion Risk Management. Disasters not only damage the business, they disrupt lives, and employers must be ready to safeguard their people before, during and after an emergency…The following outline of a three-phase approach highlights key areas where businesses should focus: employee safety, communication, compensation and leave.” For the article, click here. (Courtesy of The ADA Report)

A Resource for Reporters, Editors, Photojournalists: “Visualizing the Future of the Public Safety Beat”

The Center for Just Journalism writes: “This project is meant to be a resource for reporters, editors, photojournalists, art directors, and anyone else involved in producing and selecting the images in news stories. It catalogs the types of images that commonly appear in public safety reporting, offers guidance for how to choose images that tell a more holistic story about the people and places impacted by crime and the criminal legal system, and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the image selection process in a leading outlet covering gun violence and public safety.” For information about the project, click here.

TU Collaborative Offers “PODS: The Power of Dependable Souls Intervention Manual”

“PODS: The Power of Dependable Souls Intervention Manual” is a guide designed and published by the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion to help agencies support participants to engage in independent, sustainable community participation. Professionals (such as psychiatric rehabilitation specialists or peer specialists) can use this document to understand the purpose and participant-driven philosophy of the PODS program, implement its structured phases from preparation to group support, and access practical resources such as session guides, worksheets, and planning templates. For more information and to download the free, 74-page manual, click here.

Eye2Eye Offers Peer Support to Individuals Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

“Eye2Eye is a free, phone-based, peer support program, designed to assist individuals who are blind or visually impaired…Eye2Eye focuses on the shared experience of vision loss as a powerful tool for connection, emotional support, and personal growth. Callers will be matched with trained peer support specialists who are also blind or visually impaired…Eye2Eye is here to help build resilience, navigate the challenges of vision loss and celebrate victories one step at a time.” Phone: 833.932.3931; email eye2eye@shp.rutgers.edu. For more information, click here. (Courtesy of Alliance Enews)

The 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Was Released on July 28, 2025

“The 2024 NSDUH data presents new nationally representative estimates on the use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs; substance use disorders; mental health issues; and substance use and mental health treatment among the civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 12 or older in the United States. This release includes a user-friendly infographic report, a more comprehensive report, detailed tables, and an accompanying methodology report.” For the press release, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)

In “Escaping the Cycle of Perfectionism,” The New York Times Recommends Six Books

The New York Times writes: “We asked therapists and researchers for the best books on learning to let go…[S]triving to be perfect doesn’t necessarily protect us; it can take a toll on our well-being. Researchers have linked it to chronic stress and insomnia. Books can be a useful way to start examining our need to do everything right. We spoke to therapists and researchers to find the best books for identifying perfectionist patterns — and beginning to loosen their grip.” These are the six books The New York Times recommended, with links to more information about each book: “When Perfect Isn’t Good Enough” (click here), “The Gifts of Imperfection” (click here), “Too Perfect” (click here), “How to Be an Imperfectionist” (click here), “The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control: A Path to Peace and Power” (click here), and “Present Perfect: A Mindfulness Approach to Letting Go of Perfectionism and the Need for Control” (click here). For the NY Times article, click here.

“2025 National Guidelines for a Behavioral Health Coordinated System of Crisis Care”

SAMHSA’s free, 104-page “National Guidelines for a Behavioral Health Coordinated System of Crisis Care” is “grounded in 11 principles emphasizing that crisis services must be comprehensive, coordinated, person-centered, equitable, trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate, recovery-oriented, safe, continuous (through follow-up care), and evidence-based, according to a recent article in Open Minds. For the article, click here. The SAMHSA guidelines include a section on 988 that does not cover the risks of geolocation and police intervention, as described in “988 Received More Than 16 Million Contacts From Its July 2022 Launch Through December 2024,” under NEWS (above). For the SAMHSA “National Guidelines,” click here.

“Black Movement History Leaders: Past and Present”

The Wildflower Alliance writes: “There have been and continue to be many powerful Black leaders within this movement [and other movements] who too often are made less visible by a society that still finds it easier and more automatic to lift up white voices first. This exhibit is intended as only one of many small steps to counter that trend, and to help us avoid losing more stories from our history than have already been lost. We consider this not just an exhibit, but a call to action to lift up more Black voices….” To view the gallery and nominate someone to be included, click here.

“Seeking Simplicity? These Books Will Help You Banish Clutter”

“According to a 2024 study, 73 percent of homeowners felt overwhelmed and anxious when their homes were untidy, and 48 percent said lack of organization affects their mental health,” The New York Times reports, adding that the study was commissioned by the Container Store, which has an axe to grind. In case you are blocked by the NY Times paywall, here are the three books it recommended that might help: “No New Things: A Radically Simple 30-Day Guide to Saving Money, the Planet, and Your Sanity,” by Ashley Piper (click here); “Organize First, Decorate Second,” by Whitney English (click here); and “Everything You Need to Know About Hoarding,” by Lynne M. Drummond with Laura J. Edwards (click here). For the link to the New York Times article, click here.

“A Wellness Model Developed By and For Individuals With Lived Experience”

An article in Psychiatric Services by Peggy Swarbrick, Lasheema Sanders-Edwards, and Rita Cronise “explores the use of a wellness model developed by and for individuals with lived experience of mental health or substance use conditions. An overview of the model, including its development and rationale, is provided along with examples of the effective use of tools based on the wellness model. The use of this approach among members of a community wellness center is described. Firsthand experiences of the authors are used to illustrate their personal journeys in using the model for their own recovery and in peer support work.” For the Abstract and information about how to gain full access to the article, click here. (Courtesy of Rev. Luke A. Shootingstar)

“Inpatient Stays Involving Mental and Substance Use Disorders, 2016”

A 20-page report by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, dated March 2019 — “Inpatient Stays Involving Mental and Substance Use Disorders, 2016” — found that “[i]n 2016, nearly 10 million inpatient stays had a principal (2.2 million) or secondary (7.7 million) MSUD [mental and/or substance use disorder] diagnosis, constituting 6.1 and 21.7 percent of all inpatient stays, respectively. In total, stays principally for MSUDs cost $15.3 billion (3.6 percent of total hospital costs). On average, stays for MSUDs cost $7,100 and were 6.4 days.” For the report, click here. (Courtesy of Michelle Colder Carras)

“Journalists: How to Investigate Dangerous Heat in Prisons,” “How to Report on Deaths in Jails in Prison,” Reporting on Homelessness, and Other Topics

“Exposing the risks posed by heat behind bars requires coverage at the intersection of public health, climate change and criminal justice,” according to a recent Marshall Project article. For the article, click here. And for “Journalists: How to Report on Deaths in Jails and Prisons,” click here. And for “How to Investigate Prison Staffing Trends in Your State: Our toolkit helps you report on how the widespread, long-term trend of declining prison staff affects both safety behind bars and state budgets,” click here. [Note: The August-September 2025 edition of the Key Update included “Journalists: How to Get Records the Criminal Justice System Doesn’t Want You to Have” click here). And previous editions have included The Homeless Crisis Reporting Project (click here), a ProPublica article on reporting on homelessness, click here, and Montclair State University’s Center for Cooperative Media’s tips for reporters on a wide array of topics (click here).]

MHA Has Published a Spanish-language Edition of “Where to Start”

MHA writes that its “Where to Start” publication helps individuals with mental health challenges find some direction and resources. For “Donde Empezar,” for $12.99, click here. For “Where to Start” in English, for $19.99, click here.

“Guide to Peer Involvement & Leadership in Early Intervention in Psychosis Services: From Planning to Peer Support & Evaluation”

The goal of this guide is to provide a range of different stakeholders with information and best practices for peer support and leadership in early intervention for psychosis (EIP) services. There are sections on planning and policy, clinician education, peer support, and evaluation/research. It includes multiple interviews/Q&As with area experts as well as profiles or exemplary programs and initiatives. To download the 106-page manual, by Nev Jones, PhD, click here.

Psychotropic Deprescribing Council Addresses the Rational Deprescribing and Tapering of Psychotropic Drugs

“The Psychotropic Deprescribing Council was founded to bring clinicians, other healthcare professionals, patients, and the general public together to address the rational deprescribing and tapering of psychotropic drugs,” its website says. “Although prescribing psychotropic drugs is common, doctors receive little guidance on how to safely reduce or stop them. Many millions are at risk for sudden discontinuation of drugs such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, or pain drugs. The Psychotropic Deprescribing Council will gather medical professionals and the public to provide guidance about the process of deprescribing and tapering off these medications when appropriate.” For the website, click here. (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova) For other information about tapering off psychotropic medication, see the Ashton Manual (click here) and the “Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs” (click here.) And for Surviving Antidepressants, “a community of volunteers providing peer support for tapering all psychiatric drugs and their withdrawal syndromes, click here. And “Do Benzodiazepines Cause Alzheimer’s Disease?” Short answer: More research is needed. “Until then, we must assume that appropriate use of benzodiazepines will not lead to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.” For the American Journal of Psychiatry editorial (2020), click here. For the free 234-page “Joint Clinical Practice Guideline on Benzodiazepine Tapering: Considerations when Benzodiazepine Risks Outweigh Benefits,” click here.

“Guide to Equity Terminology: Promoting Behavioral Health Equity through the Words We Use”

“Equitable terminology refers to consciously selecting words that promote inclusivity and respect while also considering who is represented and who is absent from the conversation. It is built on the following guiding principles: person-centered, strengths-based, non-stigmatizing, ever-evolving.” For the brief, free, guide, click here. (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova)

These Six Books Can Help Ease Interpersonal Tensions

A recent New York Times article, “Some People Are Just Difficult. Here’s How to Handle Them,” recommended six books that might help. The Times writes, “We asked therapists, psychologists and other workplace experts to recommend books that can help you get along with difficult people — or at least disagree with them more constructively. Here are six titles that rose to the top of the list.” For those who are blocked by the Times paywall, here are the books, with links: “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” “Why Won’t You Apologize? Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts,” “The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt,” “The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter—And How to Make the Most of Them Now,” “Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most,” and “The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life.”

LAC Coalition for Whole Health “Protect Medicaid” Report Provides One-Pagers; and National Health Law Program offers “Medicaid Defense”

“Proposed funding cuts and other changes to Medicaid would be devastating for the millions of Americans with mental and/or substance use disorders who depend on the program for access to critical health services,” the Legal Action Center Coalition for Whole Health writes. For its report highlighting “the direct and critical benefits of Medicaid — particularly for individuals with mental illness and/or substance use disorders — through data and beneficiary testimonials, making the case for Congress to oppose all funding cuts and other changes that would reduce access to this lifeline program,” click here. For one-pagers “developed by the Coalition for Whole Health to document the essential role that Medicaid plays in each state,” click here. For the National Health Law Program’s “Medicaid Defense – Resources and Analysis,” click here. (Courtesy of Ron Manderscheid via Alliance Enews)

“WHO Guidance on Mental Health Policy and Strategic Action Plans”

“This publication provides a clear framework for strengthening leadership, governance, service delivery, and workforce capacity. It highlights mental health’s connection to social and structural determinants — such as poverty, housing, education, and employment — offering actionable strategies to address these, combat stigma and discrimination, and expand access to care. It emphasizes the crucial role of people with lived experience in shaping inclusive, responsive systems and advocates for cross-sector collaboration to deliver holistic support, integrating lifestyle, and physical health, psychological, social, and economic interventions while promoting well-being and prevention.” To download the free, 44-page document, click here. (Courtesy of Janet Paleo)

“Framework for an Ideal Behavioral Health System” and “Moving Toward a Human Rights Approach to Mental Health”

“This paper outlines HSRI’s framework for an ideal behavioral health system. The framework details associated system values, expectations, and practices.” For the Human Services Research Institute’s free 16-page paper, click here. (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova) And “[i]n the wake of current health, economic, and social justice crises, as experiences of trauma and loss multiply, mental health professionals have a crucial opportunity to recognize the human experience and rights of those suffering mental distress,” Jim Probert writes. For “Moving Toward a Human Rights Approach to Mental Health (2021),” click here.

NY Times Recommends “Five Books on Healing from Trauma” and Two More

A recent New York Times article suggested five “books that explore trauma” and “that can help us make sense of negative experiences.” For those blocked by the Times paywall, the books are “What Happened to You?” by Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey, “No Bad Parts” by Richard C. Schwartz, “Trauma and Recovery” by Judith L. Herman, “Waking the Tiger” by Peter A. Levine with Ann Frederick, and “It Didn’t Start With You” by Mark Wolynn. Two additional books are “Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents,” by Dr. Lindsay C. Gibson; and “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma,” by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk.

“Capacity-Building Strategy for Next-Generation Mental Health Research: Embedding a National Network Infrastructure to Grow Mental Health Researcher Capabilities and Mental Health Lived-Experience Research Leaders”

“This perspective article describes a networked infrastructure for a capacity building strategy of the Australian-based ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation…In 2022, the Centre established the first national, cross-disciplinary mental health Next Generation Researcher Network, including a tailored Lived-Experience Research Collective with the aim to grow future research leaders and establish career pathways embedded within the research activities of the Centre.” For the article, published in BMJ Mental Health on March 24, 2025, click here.

“Cooking Up Youth Engagement” and Latest Edition of the Focus 2.0 Newsletter

The Café TA Center writes: “This document offers a ‘how-to’ for a group of youth, or an organization, to empower young people to plan and implement an engagement in which youth come together for a common purpose, whether it be training, advocacy around a specific issue, relationship-building, fun, entertainment, and connection, activity planning and delivery, or other youth-related activities. By following the right recipe, youth (and those who support youth) will understand how to plan and implement programming in a youth-driven manner that genuinely empowers the youth voice.” For the free 19-page guide, published by the Cafe TA Center and the Family Cafe, click here. And for the latest Focus newsletter, which includes many additional resources, click here.

PeerTAC Newsletter Offers Resources and Other Information

PeerTAC writes: “Welcome to the PeerTAC Newsletter! We will be featuring upcoming PeerTAC events and resources about the inclusion of Peer Support Services in MHOTRS (Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Service) programs. For questions or a request for technical assistance related to Peer Support Services, send us a message using the Ask PeerTAC feature on our website: https://peertac.org.” For the newsletter, click here.

SAMHSA Launches New Center for Addiction Recovery Support (CARS)

“The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Office of Recovery, in partnership with One World Recovery Network (OWRN), is excited to announce the launch of the new Center for Addiction Recovery Support (CARS). CARS is ready to provide essential training and technical assistance (TTA) to help organizations better support individuals facing substance use and co-occurring mental health challenges.” For details, click here. (Courtesy of Elizabeth R. Stone)

Café TA Center Issues Focus 2.0, Number 16

The latest edition of the Café TA Center newsletter, Focus 2.0, includes a link to a 20-page Resource Kit that “features a diverse collection of trainings, workshops, webinars, and other valuable key deliverables developed by statewide consumer network grantees and national Technical Assistance (TA) centers.” It also includes a “National Overview of the U.S. Certified Peer Specialist Workforce,” as well as other useful information. For Focus 2.0, click here.

“Tools and Tips for Navigating Conflict”

Spring Up writes: “...we often discuss how conflict can be a source of growth, transformation, and a critical site for putting our liberatory values into practice. We’d like to take this opportunity to share some of the core tools and frameworks we use to understand the root causes of conflicts and perceive more choices for how to respond. We know that being able to identify more choices and options is instrumental in living into freedom and de-escalation.” For the article, posted on Medium, click here.

“Forensic Peer Supervision: Supporting Peer Workers in Criminal Justice Settings”

PARfessionals writes: “This comprehensive reference textbook is specifically designed to equip Forensic Peer Supervisors with the requisite tools, knowledge, and best practices for effectively supervising Peer Recovery Support Workers (PSWs) within criminal justice settings. The primary objective is to ensure that supervision is not only effective but also supports the delivery of ethical, trauma-informed, and person-centered peer services across diverse environments, including halfway houses, drug courts, jails and prisons, and social service agencies. The textbook will be available for complimentary download on our official website starting March 13, 2025.” For the PARfessionals website, click here.

“Developing Community Participation Stories: Storytelling for StorySlams”

The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion has a new storytelling manual, “Developing Community Participation Stories,” which is “your guide to crafting stories of community participation…Included in the manual is a brief background on storytelling research, key elements of community participation stories, and strategies for crafting stories. The manual has strategies to support individuals as well as for facilitating storytelling groups. The overarching aim is to support people to move beyond illness-focused narratives to highlight (and celebrate!) the diverse roles individuals occupy within their communities.” For more information and to download the manual, click here.

NCAPPS Begins 2025 by Offering a Multitude of Resources

The National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS) is ringing in the new year by offering many resources. For the NCAPPS offerings, click here.

“How Do I Find a Good Therapist?”

The American Psychological Association offers some questions to consider if you are looking to find a good therapist. For example, is the therapist licensed? If you have health insurance, will it cover the therapy from this provider? Are there limits to the number of sessions covered by your insurance? For more information, click here.

“Peer Support and Resistance: Becky Brasfield’s Vision for Mental Health Justice”

Writer, policy researcher, advocate, and peer specialist Becky Brasfield is interviewed in a recent issue of Mad In America: “...Ms. Brasfield has dedicated her career to elevating the voices of service users and dismantling systemic inequities. Her lived experience with psychosis, combined with her leadership in peer support, has made her a powerful critic of traditional psychiatric models that often marginalize those they aim to help.” For the MIA article, click here. Also see “Why Lived Experience, Not Psychiatry, Is Now the New Authority in the Behavioral Health and Wellness Field.” This online publication, by Becky Brasfield, includes links to many additional resources. It is available here.

“Life expectancy and years of potential life lost in people with mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis”

“We aimed to systematically synthesize studies to estimate life expectancy and Years-of-Potential-Life-Lost (YPLL) in people with any and specific mental disorders across a broad spectrum of diagnoses,” the authors write. The interpretation of the results was that “[m]ental disorders are associated with substantially reduced life expectancy, which is transdiagnostic in nature, encompassing a wide range of diagnoses. Implementation of comprehensive and multilevel intervention approaches is urgently needed to rectify lifespan inequalities for people with mental disorders.” For the article, click here.

“A Reduction in Health Care Expenditures Linked to Mental Health Service Use Among Adults With Chronic Physical Conditions”

“The aim was to examine the impact of receipt of mental health services on health care expenditures for U.S. adults with major chronic physical conditions,” the authors write. The conclusions were that “[r]eceipt of mental health services was associated with a reduction in overall health care costs, particularly for office-based visits and prescribed medication, among adults with chronic physical conditions.” For the article click here.

“10 Tips for Incorporating Humor into Your Life”

“Incorporating humor into your daily life has many potential benefits,” Mental Health America (MHA) writes. For the potential benefits of humor and 10 tips for incorporating humor into your life, click here.

Materials from SAMHSA Webinar on “Financing Peer Crisis Respites in the U.S.” Are Now Available

The free report, webinar recording, and webinar slides from SAMHSA’s Webinar on “Financing Peer Crisis Respites in the United States” are now available online. To download the report and slides and view the webinar, click here. For many additional SAMHSA resources, click here. These resources are a product of the Center for Financing Reform and Innovation (CFRI), “a SAMHSA contract that seeks to understand financing mechanisms of behavioral health care to identify opportunities, innovations, and challenges to service delivery and access.”

“The Lived-Experience Research Collective Is a Research Capacity Building Initiative…

…of the ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation [in Australia]. The collective’s purpose is to provide tailored training, mentoring for mental health researchers with lived-experience (both individuals who identify as experiencing mental-ill health and carer/family, kinship group researchers), and lived-experience and carer/family kinship researchers located in community, government or non-government organisations. This includes a place to grow expertise and develop important career pathways in research settings. We do not ascribe to one definition of lived-experience and are inclusive for people who self-identify as having lived-experience.” For the website, click here. (Courtesy of Nev Jones)

“Breaking the Algorithm: Redesigning Social Media for Youth Well-being”

“Mental Health America’s latest report…dives deep into how social media is impacting young people’s mental health, relationships, and daily lives. Born from the Breaking the Algorithm summit and research project, this initiative was led and co-created by young people every step of the way…This report brings together insights from over 900 survey respondents, focus groups with young people, and conversations with our youth co-researchers…” For more information, click here.
SAMHSA Launches RecoverMe to Help Young Adults with Substance Use and Mental Health Issues

“SAMHSA is kicking off RecoverMe, a campaign that connects young adults (ages 18-25) to practical and affirming resources to help them navigate their unique challenges with substance use and mental health. RecoverMe provides tools, resources, and a supportive recovery community to help young adults on their personal recovery journey and highlights that recovery is not one size fits all…The RecoverMe Campaign Partner Toolkit page contains resources for partner organizations, including customizable social graphics, logos, a shareable badge and social media content, campaign one-pager, sample newsletter content, and more. For the RecoverMe website, click here. For the RecoverMe Campaign Partner Toolkit, click here. (Courtesy of Edie Mannion)

“Partnership between a consumer-led mental health research network and a large mental health research organisation: an Australian mixed methods case study”

“This paper presents a case study review of an Australian research partnership between an independent mental health lived experience-led research network and an academic organisation established for the research and treatment of [mental health] disorders….The aim of the study was to explore the principles and practical requirements needed for a successful partnership that promotes inclusive research practices and power sharing and provide a framework to improve the operationalization of future similar partnerships.” For the open-access study, click here. (Courtesy of Nev Jones)

“Recovery in the USA: From Politics to Peer Support”

“Efforts to transform the mental health service delivery system to a more consumer-driven and recovery-orientated approach has its roots in a somewhat radical anti-psychiatry and civil-rights movement dating back to the 1970s,” the authors write. “The recovery movement has evolved from a more radical view in the early days, to participatory involvement in systems, to returning to alternative models of care that are more independent. Now as more peer specialists work in systems, there is an increased emphasis on non-medical alternatives and the cycle continues. Regardless, recovery, self-determination, choice, etc. are always at the centre. This paper notes the interesting cycles of recovery-orientation and how they spin around the values/tenets of the movement’s early roots.” For the open-access paper, published in 2012, click here.

“Not Before Time: Lived Experience-Led Justice and Repair”

In May 2022, the Department of Health in Victoria, Australia, commissioned advice to the Minister for Mental Health on how their government could formally acknowledge harms in the mental health system. This became the State acknowledgement of harm project. For the free, 87-page report, “Not Before Time: Lived Experience-Led Justice and Repair,” subtitled “Advice to the Minister for Mental Health on Acknowledging Harm in the Mental Health System,” click here. For information on the context of the report, click here. (Courtesy of Nev Jones)

The Ethics International Press Critical Psychology and Critical Psychiatry Series Offers Its Books at Discounted Prices

“The Critical Psychology and Critical Psychiatry Series presents solicited chapters from international experts on a wide variety of underexplored subjects…The series recognizes and appreciates those who have contributed to the abundance of literature critiquing the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the biomedical model of mental health, and the practice of psychiatric diagnosing.” For more information and to order any of the books – “Critiquing the Psychiatric Model,” “Humane Alternatives to the Psychiatric Model,” “Theoretical Alternatives to the Psychiatric Model of Mental Disorder Labeling,” and “Practical Alternatives to the Psychiatric Model of Mental Illness” – click here. (Ordering via EIP is less expensive than ordering via Amazon.

SAMHSA Launches New Technical Assistance Center to Serve the Needs of Individuals with Serious Mental Health Conditions

On September 26, 2024, SAMHSA announced the launch of its new Serious Mental Illness Training & Technical Assistance Center (SMI TTAC), which “will build upon the work previously done through the SAMHSA-funded SMI Adviser,” according to a SAMHSA press release. “This project will be an invaluable source of information and resources for mental health clinicians, caregivers, advocates, and people living with SMI and early SMI,” the press release notes. For more information, click here.

“The Armory Project (TAP) Helps Prevent Firearm Suicides”

“The Armory Project (TAP) helps prevent firearm suicides by facilitating safe, voluntary, out-of-home firearm storage with trusted firearms dealers and other vetted partners in local communities. Firearm owners, including military members and veterans, now have more options whenever they need to get firearms out of the home, for any reason.” To learn more, click here.

“The Soteria Project Recounted by Mosher and Its Clinical Resonances Today”

“[T]here is today growing and promising scientific evidence validating the principles of the Soteria project. Undoubtedly, this would not have been possible without the pioneering work of [Loren] Mosher, who, imbued with the tenets of interpersonal phenomenology, shook the psychiatric establishment, leading others to follow the path that he had begun.” For the article, click here. (Courtesy of Peggy Swarbrick and Jim Gottstein) For more about Soteria, click here.

“Stress Reduction: Emotional Health and Wellness” and Results from a National Parenting Survey

“ ‘Stress Reduction: Emotional Health and Wellness’ discusses how you can reduce your stress by taking care of your mental and emotional health,” the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes. “Working at staying healthy emotionally will reduce your stress; it might improve your mental health so you have fewer symptoms or less of a need for emergency interventions.” For the 23-page document, targeted to parents, click here. The TU Collaborative continues: “Through research, we hope to better understand the challenges parents face and what supports may be necessary for improving parenting efficacy and overall well-being of parents with mental illnesses. Research from Dr. Katy Kaplan highlights some of the challenges parents with mental illnesses face.” For the visual abstract of the article, click here. For the article, click here. For the U.S. Surgeon General’s 36-page Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents, “Parents Under Pressure,” click here. (Note: “Parents Under Pressure” was included in the September-October 2024 Key Update.)

MHA Offers Complete Set of 2024 “Supporting Young Minds” Guides in Spanish

MHA writes: “Mental Health America’s 2024 Supporting Young Minds guides provide tools for youth to help them feel empowered to address their mental health and support each other. The guides also offer tools for adults to support young people as they explore and navigate complex situations and emotions [where] they live, learn, and play.” For the free guides, click here. For MHA’s complete collection of Spanish resources, click here.

“7 Memoirs Therapists Think You Should Read”

This New York Times article is about suggestions from “mental health experts on the stories that helped them and their patients through tough times.” For those who are blocked by the New York Times paywall, the seven memoirs are “An Unquiet Mind,” “Just Kids,” “The Glass Castle,” “Born to Run,” “Strangers to Ourselves,” “The Noonday Demon,” and “Wave.” For the New York Times article, click here.

“Therapists Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives” and “The 7 Books Every Therapist Must Read”

TIME Magazine writes: “Being a therapist means listening to a lot of clients' problems. Between their schooling, reading, continuing-education requirements, workplace mentors, general curiosity, and learnings from patients, therapists are full of practical advice to improve mental health and well-being. But what’s the one mighty mental-health tip that stands out above all others? We tapped psychotherapists and psychologists for the single piece of advice that has changed their own lives for the better.” For the TIME article, click here. And for “The 7 Books Every Therapist Must Read,” click here.

“Listening to the Peer Support Workforce — Top Ten Priorities: An Action Agenda”

“Following more than six years of participatory action activities at peer support workforce conferences, three researchers and practitioners with lived experience — Jeremy Reuling, Rita Cronise, and Jessica Wolf — have developed this agenda identifying ten peer support workforce priorities with recommendations for action based on what they heard from members of the workforce,” the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes. For more information, and for the link to download the free, 46-page document, click here.

SAMHSA Offers a Recording of Its Webinar on Psychiatric Advance Directives, and Several Resources

For a link to SAMHSA’s webinar on “Psychiatric Advance Directives to Promote Community Living,” click here. (Courtesy of Mark Karmatz)

Here Are Four Articles That Debunk the “Chemical Imbalance” Theory

These four articles can be used to contradict the widespread but incorrect theory that mental health conditions are caused by a “chemical imbalance” in the brain. In "A Short Guide to Psychiatric Diagnosis," published by Mental Health Europe, it says: “Despite many, often misleading, reports in the media, scientists have yet to discover any genetic markers, chemical imbalances or other differences in brain function which reliably predict or identify mental illness. Clearly there are genetic differences which impact on the way we respond to life events, and distressing experiences can produce consequences in the chemistry of our brains, but this is not at all the same as suggesting that brain diseases ‘cause’ mental illnesses.” And here are three more articles that also debunk this “theory”: “Serotonin and depression: A disconnect between the advertisements and the scientific literature” (click here); “Psychiatry’s New Brain-Mind and the Legend of the “Chemical Imbalance” (click here); and “Is the chemical imbalance an ‘urban legend’? An exploration of the status of the serotonin theory of depression,” click here. (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova)

“Psychometric Adequacy of Recovery Enhancing Environment (REE) Measure: CHIME Framework as a Theory Base for a Recovery Measure”

“The aim of this study was to assess to what extent the recovery elements of the Recovery Enhancing Environment (REE) instrument measured the dimensions proposed by the CHIME framework, (Connectedness, Hope and optimism about future, Identity, Meaning in life and Empowerment dimensions), so as to evaluate personal recovery in people with severe mental illness.” For the study, click here. (See the next item, which refers to CHIME.)

“Personal Recovery: A Guide Towards Good Mental Health for Consumers”

“The aim of this workbook is to help you understand recovery oriented practice and what you can expect from your service provider. It will guide you through the C.H.I.M.E. framework providing a definition and understanding of personal recovery and addresses the working practices which will further strengthen your ability to engage in self-management.” For the free, 40-page workbook, click here.

MHA Issues Report on Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health 2024 Outcomes

“This year, Mental Health America (MHA) celebrates the 5th anniversary of its Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health, the first national certification recognizing U.S. employers committed to supporting a mentally healthy workforce. Since 2019, MHA has received over 500 applications from employers, representing a combined workforce of 4.3 million employees. Sourced from all 2024 applications, the ‘Workplace Mental Health 2024 Report: Trends and Best Practices of Top Employers’ provides benchmarking and identifies emerging trends that can help support all employers' workplace wellness efforts.”

New HIPAA Administrative Simplification Fundamentals Fact Sheet

“The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a new HIPAA Administrative Simplification Fundamentals Fact Sheet (PDF), located on the HIPAA and Administrative Simplification webpage of the Administrative Simplification website. The new resource provides an overview of Administrative Simplification, its purpose, goals, and how the health care industry benefits from it. Administrative Simplification requirements, which were authorized by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and subsequent legislation, govern how providers, health plans, and clearinghouses—otherwise known as HIPAA covered entities—handle electronic administrative transactions and set standards for transmitting health information.”

“Reducing the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail: Six Questions County Leaders Need to Ask”

“This new edition of ‘Reducing the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail: Six Questions County Leaders Need to Ask’ advances the original Stepping Up framework, published in 2017, by embedding a racial equity lens and uplifting the voices of people with lived experience. It provides six guiding questions for county leaders, offers tips gleaned from counties across the country that answered the call to action, and addresses ongoing challenges.” For more information and a link to the 17-page document from the Council of State Governments Justice Center, click here.

“Unlocking Qualitative Data in Mental Health Research”

The researchers write: “This paper presents the results of a scoping review of qualitative diary methods (QDMs) in mental health research, aimed at clarifying how diary methods are used in mental health research, and outlining key decisions and considerations in planning and conducting a qualitative diary study. Forty-eight papers were reviewed, and the findings highlight different elements of QDMs.” For the website, click here. For the article, published in European Psychologist, click here. (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova)

“The Modern Psychiatrist’s Guide to Contemporary Practice”

“ ‘The Modern Psychiatrist’s Guide to Contemporary Practice: Discussion, Dissent, and Debate in Mental Health Care’ provides an overview of psychiatry, starting with the most fundamental question of all: why does psychiatry exist? Key topics are covered, such as diagnosing mental illness, controversial treatments, involuntary admission, human rights, suicide, and global inequality.” The author, Brendan Kelly, is a professor of psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin. For the Open Access version of this 272-page book, published on July 3, 2024, click here.

“Twenty-five Years of Olmstead: Life in the Community for All”

The Cafe TA Center writes: “This edition of Focus 2.0 looks back on twenty-five years of the Olmstead decision, which effectively ended legal institutionalization and the placement of people with mental health disabilities in segregated settings. How far have we come, and what remains to be done?” For the newsletter, click here.

“Schizophrenia, stigma and systems hold so many back, which made it tough to celebrate my hard-won tenure”

Nev Jones, Ph.D., writes: “17 years passed between enrollment in a graduate program that didn’t want me and receipt of tenure at Pitt. Along the way, I learned the hard way that the mental health system often doesn’t listen closely to its consumers.” For the article, click here.

“Peer-Run Respite Approaches to Supporting People Experiencing an Emotional Crisis”

“Research shows that guests experience peer-run respites as empowering and safe places where they feel more seen, heard, and respected than they do in conventional settings.” So begins a recent article by Lauren Spiro, MA, and Margaret Swarbrick, PhD, FAOTA, published by the American Psychiatric Association. “In a discussion informed by their experiences and the literature, the authors examine how peer-run respites differ from conventional psychiatric crisis response services in their basic philosophy: how emotional crisis is understood, the goal of crisis response, how trauma is viewed, the importance of self-determination, power dynamics, and relationality.” For the article, click here.

MHA Has Published a Free BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit

Mental Health America writes: “July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month,” and its new toolkit will “provide free, practical resources to help navigate mental health stigma, bridge generational differences, dismantle mental health myths, and encourage meaningful conversations. The toolkit is available for download (click here) and a Spanish translation is also available. We’re also working to improve our online BIPOC Mental Health Resource Center.”

“Inpatient Psychiatric Care in the United States: Former Patients’ Perspectives on Opportunities for Quality Improvement”

The researchers write: “We fielded a national survey online in 2021, in which we asked participants to report their recommendations for care improvement through a free-response box….Most responses described negative experiences, with suggested improvements implied as the inverse or absence of the respondent's negative experience. Among 510 participants, we identified 10 themes: personalized care, empathetic connection, communication, whole health approach, humane care, physical safety, respecting patients’ rights and autonomy, structural environment, equitable treatment, and continuity of care and systems….” For the article, click here.

“New NCAPPS Resource: A National Environmental Scan of Technical Assistance Needs for Person-Centered Planning”

NCAPPS writes: “Despite progress, states continue to grapple with how to effectively implement person-centered planning in a way that aligns with the Home and Community-Based Services Final Rule requirements. Many states continue to seek technical assistance to support maintaining or coming into compliance with the requirements. This environmental scan seeks to understand common themes across those states that continue to need technical assistance around person-centered planning.” For the 37-page document, click here.

NCAPPS Offers Resources on Person-Centered Planning

The National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS) is featuring several resources on person-centered planning: “Person-Centered Planning: Choosing the Approach that Works for the Person” (eight pages), “Office of Healthcare Information and Counseling Person-Centered Thinking Toolkit” (39 pages), “Person-Centered Planning,” a 14-page SAMHSA issue brief, and the Community Living Policy Center’s “Association of Person-Centered Planning with Improved Community Living Outcomes” (10 pages). For links to all four documents, click here.

STAT Offers Free E-Book on “Improving Care for the Aging Population”

“Aging populations can often feel lonely, need to make nutritional sacrifices, or find themselves unable to pay essential bills. Many also have difficulty navigating the health care system and government and community resources, all of which pose substantial challenges. This collection of STAT journalism tackles these and other critical issues facing an aging population. STAT reporters spotlight gaps in care, including the absence of tailored food delivery services for Medicare recipients and the hurdles faced in accessing insurance coverage due to AI-based denials.” To download STAT’s free e-book, click here.

SAMHSA Offers Behavioral Health Barometers, Region 1-10, Volume 7: Indicators as Measured in the 2021-2022 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health”

SAMHSA writes: “The ‘Behavioral Health Barometers, Region 1-10, Volume 7: Indicators as Measured in the 2021-2022 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health’ is a series of 10 reports that provide a snapshot of behavioral health in each of the 10 HHS regions. The reports [published in April 2024] present a set of substance use and mental health indicators as measured in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).” To download the report on the Indicators, click here. For a map of the SAMHSA Regional Offices, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)

“Lost in Translation: A Narrative Review and Synthesis of the Published International Literature on Mental Health Research and Translation Priorities (2011–2023)”

The background of this study, published online on March 27, 2024, is that “Priority-setting in mental health research is arguably lost in translation. Decades of effort has led to persistent repetition in what the research priorities of people with lived-experience of mental ill-health are.” From the abstract, the conclusion is as follows: “One lived-experience research led survey was identified. Few studies reported lived-experience design and development involvement. Five of the seven papers reported responses, but no further progress on priorities being met was reported.” For the full paper, click here. (Courtesy of Nev Jones)

“Forced ≠ Treatment: Carceral Strategies in Mental Health”

“...there is a broad recognition that far too often people experiencing mental health challenges encounter the criminal legal system rather than accessing mental health supports. In response, many policymakers have championed policies that aim to divert people experiencing mental health challenges away from prisons and jails and into mental health treatment. However, some of these policies, particularly those involving forced treatment, rely on carceral tactics and replicate incarceration. The following brief analyzes state and local policies that adopt carceral approaches to mental health treatment.” For more information and to download the free 16-page report, published by the Center for Law and Social Policy, click here. (Courtesy of Joe Marrone via Jacek Haciak)

“We Gotta Stop Criminalizin’ Mental Illness” Developed by the University of Chicago

This report, subtitled “Experiences with Mental Health Crisis Response in Chicago,” was developed by a team of sociologists from the University of Chicago, who interviewed 23 residents of Chicago about their experiences with mental health crisis response from July through October 2023. To download the free 34-page report, click here. (Courtesy of Fran Hazam)

The Recent Cafe TA Center Newsletter, Focus 2.0, Issue 13, Highlights “When There’s a Crisis, Call a Peer”

A free 94-page manual published by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and subtitled “How People with Lived Experience Make Mental Health Crisis Services More Effective,” is the focus of Focus 2.0, Issue 13. The Bazelon Center writes: “As state and local governments seek alternatives to a police response to calls involving people with mental health disabilities or who are in crisis, stakeholders are asking critical questions about the effectiveness of alternative approaches. Among these are whether the alternative response will come quickly enough to keep people safe…There is an answer: Make the supports provided by people with lived experience serving as peer support workers, working in peer-led organizations, central to the delivery of mental health crisis services.” (The manual was featured in the February 2024 edition of the Key Update.) To download the free manual, click here. For the newsletter, click here.

CAFÉ TAC Offers Consumer Pathways to Inclusion and Engagement Model (CPIEM)

“The Consumer Pathways to Inclusion and Engagement Model (CPIEM) is a [138-page] guidebook created by peers, for peers, to help them develop the skills they need to turn their lived mental health experience into meaningful change in the mental health system of care.” For more about the guidebook, including a link to download it (or you can click on the link attached to the title, above), click here. A webinar to introduce the guidebook was presented on March 14, 2024. For a recording of the webinar, click here. (Jeremy Countryman writes: “Recordings of all of our webinars are at https://cafetacenter.net/tac-trainings/. Just scroll down to “Recent Trainings and Webinars.”)

A Digital Booklet Explains the UN’s “Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health Care”

MindFreedom International writes: “Monirul, a MindFreedom member in Bangladesh, has launched a website called MindfulRights in order to promote human rights in various fields in Bangladesh, including mental health care, and to raise public awareness of related issues within the country. Although the site is still a work in progress, it already offers educational resources, such as a digital booklet that Monirul has composed to explain the United Nations' Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health Care in simple terms...To access these resources, click on the links above.

Crestwood’s Recovery Resilience Solutions Offers “Welcome to Recovery Practices”

The latest podcast by Recovery Resilience Solutions is about “the power of a recovery-based welcoming practice.” Dr. Lori Ashcraft writes: “In this podcast on welcoming, I give you lots of ideas about how to welcome (not intake) people into your programs. It is so important to get this right because it’s the first and lasting impression the person has of both us and our program. We can set the stage for a solid working relationship, or for a struggle as you try to connect later on.” For a link to the podcast and more information about “Viva La Evolution,” click here.

“The Ethics of Survivor Research: Guidelines for the Ethical Conduct of Research Carried Out by Mental Health Service Users and Survivors”

“Drawing on the experience of survivors and service users, [this accessible manual] considers key issues such as informed consent and confidentiality with particular reference to mental health settings.” For more information and to download the free, 56-page manual, click here. (Courtesy of Konstantina Poursanidou)

WHO Publishes Operational Framework for Monitoring Social Determinants of Health Equity

The World Health Organization writes: “This Operational Framework for Monitoring Social Determinants of Health Equity provides countries with critical guidance on monitoring the social determinants of health–broadly defined as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, and people’s access to power, money and resources–and actions addressing them, and using data for policy action across sectors to improve health equity. The publication is meant as a resource for national governments and their partners.” For more information and to download the free 140-page manual, click here.

IAAPA Proposes a Pathway to End Coercive Psychiatry

Following up on the landmark report on “Mental Health, Human Rights and Legislation” — launched on October 9, 2023, by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights — the International Association Against Psychiatric Assault (IAAPA) has issued a proposal to end coercive psychiatry. For details, click here. (Courtesy of Dan Fisher) To download the 208-page “Mental Health, Human Rights and Legislation: Guidance and Practice”—originally reported in the September 23 edition of the Key Update — click here.

SAMHSA’s Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit

“SAMHSA’s updated Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit provides guidance to a wide range of individuals on preventing and responding to an overdose. The toolkit also emphasizes that harm reduction and access to treatment are essential aspects of overdose prevention.” For more information and to download the free toolkit, click here.

“Study: To Reduce Jail Populations, Increase Mental Health Services in Communities”

A new study by researchers at George Mason University “concludes that U.S. jails are de facto mental health institutions, with nearly 10 times as many individuals with serious mental health conditions in prisons and jails than in state psychiatric hospitals. The study also found that access to affordable healthcare services and behavioral health treatment in the community changes how the jail is used and reduces the size of the jail population.” For more information and a link to the study, click here.”

“Solving Homelessness Through Better Information”

At the link below are six reports about how to address homelessness in the Portland, Oregon, region. Although the reports, by Homeless Strategic Initiatives of Portland, are geared specifically for the Portland area, many of their lessons are broadly applicable. For the reports, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)

World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All

“The World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All is designed to inspire and inform better mental health for everyone everywhere. Drawing on the latest evidence available, showcasing examples of good practice from around the world, and voicing people’s lived experience, it highlights why and where change is most needed and how it can best be achieved. It calls on all stakeholders to work together to deepen the value and commitment given to mental health, reshape the environments that influence mental health, and strengthen the systems that care for mental health.” For the free, 296-page report by the World Health Organization (WHO), click here.

“Mental Health Crisis Services: Promoting Person-Centred (sic) and Rights-based Approaches”

The World Health Organization (WHO), which published this 80-page “Technical Package” in 2021, writes: “By showcasing good practice mental health services from around the world this guidance supports countries to develop and reform community-based services and responses from a human rights perspective, promoting key rights such as equality, non-discrimination, legal capacity, informed consent and community inclusion. It offers a roadmap towards ending institutionalization and involuntary hospitalization and treatment and provides specific action steps for building mental health services that respect every person’s inherent dignity.” For the manual, click here.

Frontiers in Psychology Adds to Its Archive of Articles About Open Dialogue

The latest addition to Frontiers in Psychology’s trove of articles about Open Dialogue is “Open Dialogue services around the world: a scoping survey exploring organizational characteristics in the implementation of the Open Dialogue approach in mental health services.” For the article, published online on November 10, 2023, click here. For all 21 articles, click here. (Courtesy of Ann Kasper)

Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC) Directory Offers Helpful Resources

“PARC mails a free national directory of resources to prisoners, their friends and family members. This year, we have expanded the content and the directory is now 28 pages listing nearly 300 organizations serving folks on the inside!! Thank you to all of our community partners for supporting the mailing of this directory.” For the PARC website, which includes a link to the Directory, click here.

“The Lived Experience of Depression: a Bottom-up Review Co-written by Experts by Experience and Academics”

"This journey in the lived experience of depression can also help us to understand the nature of our own emotions and feelings, what is to believe in something, what is to hope, and what is to be a living human being." For the article, click here. (Courtesy of Ann Kasper)

Movement History of the Consumer/ Client/ Survivor/ Expatient/ Ex-Inmate/ User Community

This 647-page comprehensive history and timeline, mostly compiled by award-winning mental health advocate Pat Risser (b. 1952, d. 2016), begins: “The history of the Consumer/ Client/ Survivor/ Ex-patient/ Ex-Inmate/ User Community is deeply enmeshed in and with other civil and human rights movements. To understand the depth of this intertwining, it is necessary to cover the history of slavery, women, children, people with disabilities, education, labor and other factors that play a role in creating who we are today.” To download the document, click here. (Courtesy of Judene Shelley)

MHA Offers "Peer Support: Research and Reports"

For Mental Health America's web page offering evidence of the benefits of peer support, click here.

Wellness Activity Manual Helps People Learn Healthy New Behaviors & Habits

The free, 64-page Wellness Activity Manual: A Guide for Group Leaders “focuses on helping people with mental health conditions learn new behaviors and habits to improve their personal wellness. Each lesson has been constructed as a group activity that maximizes learning through building positive interpersonal relationships and actively involving participants. The Wellness Group meets weekly for one hour. The manual contains nine lessons focused on physical, emotional, and intellectual wellness. Each lesson can be used as a stand-alone group or combined into a multi-session series.” For more information and to download the free manual, click here.

“A Manual for Coping with Extraordinary and Remarkable Experiences”

“Extraordinary and remarkable experiences should not interfere with your mood and daily functioning. This manual will help you to keep your extraordinary experiences manageable in daily life, although your extraordinary experiences may be annoying and intruding at times. You can work through this manual with your therapist…Solutions will be sought for your problems. The described method consists of a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and an educational course.” For the free, 34-page manual, copyrighted in 2013 by Mark van der Gaag, Dorien Nieman, and David van den Berg, click here. (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova) Note: This manual has not been reviewed, so no judgment about its value should be inferred from its inclusion in this e-newsletter.

Lived Experience Leadership Offers Numerous Research Studies Focused on Peer Supporters

Lived Experience Leadership features the findings of 12 years of research studies focused on [the peer support] workforce in a range of settings, to foster a better understanding of and respect for Lived Experience as a distinct discipline and build clarity on what makes this work unique and valuable. Importantly, this body of research was led by Lived Experience researchers.” For the website, click here.

International Peer Respite/Soteria Summit Offers Abundant Related Resources

For numerous resources about peer respites, Soteria, and related movements, click here.

“Podcast: The Rise in Forced Treatment and Abusive Guardianships”

“[M]illions of Americans are subjected to psychiatric detention or forced treatment every year. Often well meaning family members are trying to ‘help,’ but end up traumatizing and permanently damaging their loved ones. Join us as investigative journalist Rob Wipond explains how most states have broadened their criteria for psychiatrically detaining someone far beyond ‘imminent harm’ and that as a practical matter, this could happen to almost anyone.” For the podcast, click here.

“Alternatives to Coercion in Mental Health Settings: A Literature Review”

This 214-page report was commissioned by the United Nations Office at Geneva to inform the report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It was published in 2018 by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute. To download the free report, click here.

“Training of Lived Experience Workforces: A Rapid Review of Content and Outcomes”

“Recently, the lived and living experience (LLE) workforce in mental health and alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sectors has expanded,” researchers at La Trobe University and the Self Help Addiction Resource Center in Australia write. “Despite widespread benefit of this inclusion, some LLE practitioners have encountered personal and professional challenges in their workforce roles…[W]e present recommendations for improving training processes for this workforce.” For the article, published in Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services (Springer), click here.

“WHO’s New Series to Enhance the Meaningful Engagement of People with Lived Experience”

The World Health Organization’s “new ‘Intention to Action’ series is tackling both an evidence gap and a lack of standardized approaches on how to include people with lived experience into decision- and policy-making…The first publication—‘People power: Perspectives from individuals with lived experience of non-communicable diseases, mental health conditions and neurological conditions’—includes six detailed case studies from 12 individuals with lived experience of diverse health conditions.” For more information and a link to download the 80-page publication, click here. (Courtesy of Matthew Jackman)

“What Is Mental Illness?”

“This conversation between Justin Garson (philosopher), Nev Jones (community mental health researcher), and Marco Ramos (psychiatrist/historian)”--sponsored by The Philosopher–“will aim to offer a sense of the scope of what is at stake in our understanding of mental illness, considering the place of biology, society, histories of oppression, evolution, and lived experience in such an understanding.” For the video, click here. (Courtesy of Kevin Fitts)

“Optimizing Recovery Funding, Volumes 1 & 2”

“In 2021, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provided the Peer Recovery Center of Excellence (PR CoE) with supplemental funding for a special project to identify and recommend best practices and strategies to optimize funding for high-quality and effective recovery support services. The result was 'Volume 1: Barriers to Acquiring Funding for Organizations in the Ecosystem of Recovery Volume' and 'Volume 2: Strategies for State Funding of Recovery Support Services.'” To download the full, 130-page report, click here.

“Crisis Now” Offers a “Roadmap to Safe, Effective Crisis Care”

The goal of Crisis Now: Transforming Crisis Services—led by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and developed with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and RI International—is “to provide all communities a roadmap to safe, effective crisis care that diverts people in distress from the emergency department and jail by developing a continuum of crisis care services that match people’s clinical needs.” Among the resources offered on the website are SAMHSA’s 80-page “National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care Best Practice Toolkit” (2020), an “Overview of Crisis Funding Sources Available to States and Localities” (last updated March 2, 2022), and assessment tools, such as “How Does Your Crisis System Rate?” The Crisis Now partners write: “Are you interested in adding your organization to the list supporting Crisis Now, or do you have questions? Reach out to us at info@crisisnow.com. For the website, click here.

“What Is the Meaning of Life?” This Free Online Collection Offers Answers

Excellence Reporter offers more than “1,200 articles-interviews on ‘What Is the Meaning of Life?’ written by renowned spiritual leaders, mindfulness experts, great thinkers and authors, elders, artists, musicians, CEOs, etc.” The contributors include such renowned figures as Bertrand Russell; Carl Jung; the Dalai Lama; Eleanor Roosevelt; Epicurus; Erich Fromm; Kahlil Gibran; Buckminster Fuller; Robert Louis Stevenson; and Ron Bassman, executive director of MindFreedom International. To browse the free compendium, click here.

The UIC Center’s Solutions Suite for Health & Recovery Offers Free Tools

"The UIC Center offers tools, curricula, and implementation manuals for free use in community-based programs, peer-run programs, or one's own life. You can introduce the entire complement of products to foster improved health, wellness, and mental health recovery. Or, you can choose the ones that will work best for your program or your life. The Suite was developed in collaboration with Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey. The UIC Center is funded by NIDILRR (National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research). For the UIC Solutions Suite for Health & Recovery, click here. (Courtesy of Peggy Swarbrick via Jacek Haciak)

U.S. Surgeon General Creates Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation

"The U.S. Surgeon General’s Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation, developed in collaboration with the HHS Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES), provides specific guidance and resources for health care providers, educators, librarians, faith leaders, and trusted community members to understand, identify, and stop the spread of health misinformation in their communities." For information about the toolkit (a 22-page overview of health misinformation, and resources to stop it), and links to a “Talk to Your Community About Health Misinformation” Infographic, a “Health Misinformation Checklist” Infographic, and the Surgeon General's press release, click here.

“Psychiatrist with Philosophical Interests” Leads “Conversations in Critical Psychiatry,” a Psychiatric Times Series

Awais Aftab, who describes himself as a "psychiatrist with philosophical interests" in his Twitter bio, leads "Conversations in Critical Psychiatry," which, he says, "explores critical and philosophical perspectives in psychiatry and engages with prominent commentators within and outside the profession who have made meaningful criticisms of the status quo." Among those interviewed are Jim Gottstein, author of The Zyprexa Papers, on “The Fight for Pharma Accountability and Psychiatric Rights”; Allen Frances, M.D., author of Saving Normal; Sandra Steingard, M.D., and G. Scott Waterman, M.D., on "Integrating Academic Inquiry and Reformist Activism in Psychiatry"; Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, on "50 Shades of Misdiagnosis"; Kathy Flaherty, J.D., executive director of the Connecticut Legal Rights Project, Inc., on "Reconsidering Care and Coercion in Psychiatry"; Nev Jones, Ph.D., on "Phenomenology, Power, Polarization, and the Discourse on Psychosis"; Dainius Puras, M.D., on "Global Psychiatry's Crisis of Values"; and many others. For the archived interviews, click here.

U.S. DOL Releases Guidance on FMLA Leave and Mental Health

The U.S. Department of Labor’s newly issued Fact Sheet #280 about the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) explains when eligible employees may take FMLA leave to address mental health conditions, and new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) offers additional information. (Although the FMLA covers public and private employers nationwide, only those private employers who have 50 or more employees for at least 20 workweeks in a year are required to provide their eligible employees with FMLA leave.) For details, click here.

“Where DNA and Medications Meet”

Not all drugs are effective for all people; therapeutic response rates for many drugs are only 50%-75%. “OneOme, co-founded by [the] Mayo Clinic, provides evidence-based pharmacogenomic solutions that help improve patient outcomes and reduce costs through more personalized medication decisions.” OneOme’s RightMed Test is “a doctor-ordered pharmacogenomic (PGx) test that analyzes your DNA and provides your doctors with genetic information to help them determine how you may respond to certain medications. The results may help your doctors reduce medication trial and error, minimize risk of side effects, save you time and money, and make more informed prescribing decisions. Because your DNA doesn’t change over time, your doctors can use your test results to make more personalized medication decisions for you over the course of your lifetime.” For more information, click here. (Courtesy of Robin Osborne)

“New Federal Guidance for Alternatives to Police for People with Behavioral Health or Other Disabilities”

The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and the Vera Institute have published a seven-page report entitled “New Federal Guidance for Alternatives to Police for People with Behavioral Health or Other Disabilities.” “Vera and the Bazelon Center agree with the new guidance, from the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS), that ‘jurisdictions should not assume that the proper response to a crisis is always to send law enforcement.’” Boiling down the guidance, they write, “sending police in response to a mental health crisis where there is no immediate safety risk to the public is discriminatory and violates civil rights laws.” For the seven-page document, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)

SAMHSA Publishes Results from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)

“This infographic accompanies the more comprehensive NSDUH annual national report. Together, they provide researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the public with data that can be used to better understand and improve the nation’s behavioral health,” SAMHSA writes. For the 21-page infographic, click here. For the 162-page “Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health,” click here.

“New Year’s Resolutions: Building Good Mental Health Habits”

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently published some suggestions about building good mental health habits. SAMHSA writes: “Setting New Year’s resolutions can be a positive way to focus on self-improvement, but it's important to approach them in a manner that promotes good mental health and well-being and maximizes our chances of sticking with them.” For SAMHSA’s guidance, click here. And for “Top 8 New Year's Resolutions to Make if You Have Anxiety: Making unrealistic New Year's resolutions can be damaging to your mental health. Here's how to do it right,” click here. And for “9 Mental-Health Resolutions for 2024, According to Therapists,” click here.

Two Mental Health Toolkits Can Help Develop, Maintain, and Expand Rural Mental Health Services

The Rural Health Information Hub offers the “Mental Health in Rural Communities Toolkit,” which “features evidence-based models, resources, and program examples for the successful development and implementation of mental health programs to serve rural communities,” and the “Rural Suicide Prevention Toolkit,” which “highlights innovative, evidence-based models and resources to develop and implement successful suicide prevention programs in rural communities.” For more about rural mental health, click here. (Courtesy of Amy Smith)

DISCLAIMER: The Clearinghouse does not necessarily endorse the opinions and opportunities included in the Key Update.

About the Key Update

The National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse is affiliated with the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion. The Key Update is the free monthly e-newsletter of the National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse. Volume 22, No. 11, April-May 2026. For content, reproduction or publication information, please contact Susan Rogers at selfhelpclearinghouse@gmail.com. Follow Susan on Twitter/X at @SusanRogersMH

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