SF Has a Chance to Reinvent Its Mental Health Care System

©Noah Arroyo using Canva AI/San Francisco Public Press: A person’s journey through San Francisco’s behavioral health system can start at many points, including after their deteriorating condition lands them on the streets.

Montana’s youth need help. Here’s how educators are confronting a mental health crisis.

Hardin High School., ©TAILYR IRVINE, Gazette Staff

Behavioral health care in Montana’s schools: ‘Not a luxury, it’s a necessity’

©MSU Photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez/Posters designed by freshmen graphic design students in the College of Arts and Architecture at Montana State University hang in the hallway of Haynes Hall, Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in Bozeman, Mont. The posters are part of the 988 campaign to bring awareness to Montana’s suicide prevention lifeline.

Georgia students’ private battle: Anxiety disorders in the classroom

Latha Wright, a 16-year-old Atlanta student, says mental health is misunderstood. She posed for a portrait in her home on May 25, 2022. ©Arvin Temkar/AJC
Latha Wright, a 16-year-old Atlanta student, says mental health is misunderstood. She posed for a portrait in her home on May 25, 2022. ©Arvin Temkar/AJC

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 1, 2022, by Vanessa McCray and Eric Stirgus: Latha Wright studies Latin, draws her own comics and films videos with her little brother.

The 16-year-old Atlanta student also battles anxiety.

When her family sought help, they encountered obstacles that make it difficult for many Georgia teens and young adults to get therapy and proper medication.

Her mom, Sherry Neal, called numerous providers covered by their insurance in her search to find someone taking new clients.

Navigating health care in general is hard, she said, but: “Just wait until someone you love needs mental health care.”

During the pandemic, rates of anxiety disorders and depression among young people doubled to 1 in 5, according to JAMA Pediatrics data. The social isolation of virtual learning, social media pressures and academic expectations are primary contributors.

Read more here at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.