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White House

Sandy Hook: Administration Promises $100 Million in Mental Health Funding, But There’s a Few Problems

by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. 9/27/2024

From 2009 until 2013, states have cut more than $4.35 billion from mental health funding for treatment and related services for those most in need in America. Yes, you read that right — $4.35 billion. In tough times, states always turn to cutting social services first.

The message states seem to be sending is, “Hey, we know you’re already poor, so if we cut services to you, well, how much worse could your life be?”

So it comes as a relief — well, a little relief — that the White House announced the rejiggering of some budgets to free up $100 million in funding of mental health services to states.

Is this enough of a response — or even the right response — to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre?

9/27/2024 1 comment

Final Rules for U.S. Mental Health Parity Released: No Surprises But Also No Silver Bullet

by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. 9/15/2024

By John M. Grohol, Psy.D.

Much was made this past week about the Obama administration’s publication of the final rules that put into place the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Some media reports are suggesting that this will take down all barriers to mental health treatment.

However, the reality is a little bit more complicated, as I last noted in this article.

The release of the final rules will have little impact to most Americans, because most insurance companies already were complying with the interim final rules. But you wouldn’t know that from the media coverage, which glossed over this, umm, important point.

9/15/2024 5 comments

Transcript of President Obama’s Remarks at the National Conference on Mental Health

by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. 8/8/2024

By John M. Grohol, Psy.D.

Transcript of President Obama's Remarks at the National Conference on Mental Health This is an edited transcript of President Obama’s remarks to the participants of the National Conference on Mental Health, held in the White House on June 3, 2013. Our coverage of the National Conference on Mental Health will continue here tomorrow with a summary of the conference.

President Obama: Â Thank you so much. Everybody please have a seat. Thank you so much. Welcome to the White House. Thank you Janelle for that introduction and sharing your story and making such a difference through your organization. We’re really proud to have you here. I want to thank Secretary Sebelius, Secretary Arnie Duncan, Secretary Eric Shinseki, for their leadership and helping organizing this event. I also want to acknowledge some outstanding members of congress who are here and who care deeply about this issue.

Finally, I want to thank all of you for participating in this National Conference on Mental Health. We wanted to bring together folks who suffered from mental illness, and families who supported them. We wanted to bring together advocates and educators, faith leaders, veterans, local officials.

8/8/2024 3 comments