mental health

Some Wisconsin lawmakers are trying to prevent suicide among young people in the state. Youth suicide rates have continued to rise over the last 10 years. And while it affects every demographic, some groups of young people report higher rates of suicidal thoughts and acts than others.

As a result, the Speaker's Task Force on Suicide Prevention convened Monday to address risk factors and solutions to the problem. Experts, survivors and family members affected by suicide spoke at Ripon College during the meeting.

Over the past decade, the number of teen suicides in Wisconsin has steadily risen. A new documentary from Milwaukee PBS features four young Wisconsinites who have all contemplated suicide. 

The Kids in Crisis documentary is an extension of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel series by the same name, which explores this mental health crisis.

Mental health experts believe about 6 million people in the United States suffer from some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  It’s a mental condition that wasn’t even officially recognized by science until the 1980s. It now represents a significant public health issue, among people as varied as combat veterans and small children growing up in violent homes.

It's National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, coordinated by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). With the theme of "Come As You Are," its goal for the campaign is to foster inclusivity in the greater eating disorder community, unify the field of eating disorders, and encourage individuals at all stages of body acceptance to share their stories and connect with others.

In the aftermath of mass shootings across the country, Wisconsin schools are getting $100 million in state grants to keep students safe. The funding comes from the State Department of Justice’s new Office of School Safety.

DOJ recently announced that about half of the funding will go toward mental health-related efforts.

The Zablocki VA Medical Center and UW-Milwaukee have discovered they make good partners in providing military veterans with a wide range of services. For the past few years, the Zablocki VA has teamed up with UWM's Military and Veterans Resource Center, or MAVRC, to hold a veterans mental health summit. The sixth annual summit takes place this Saturday, June 23 at UWM's student union.

Doctors define the “perinatal period” as running from before conception, through a woman’s pregnancy, all the way to a year post-partum.  It’s a time when women go through many changes physically - and mentally. But for women who struggle with mental health or substance abuse issues - these changes not only can affect the mother, but the child as well.

A series in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other USA Today Network newspapers around Wisconsin is looking at the impact of mental health issues on kids and teens in the state. 

The series, titled Kids in Crisis - and its accompanying podcast, This Is Normal, features personal stories from young people who have gone through significant emotional challenges.

Increasingly, police officers are the first contact for social services. To help with that, the Crisis Assessment Response Team brings the Milwaukee Police Department together with the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division to response to mental health crises. 

The first CART team was launched in 2013. It has since expanded to four teams, three cover the City of Milwaukee and one works throughout Milwaukee County.

Public health statistics show that as much as 20% of the US population will deal with clinical depression at some point in their lives, making it one of the most common mental health disorders.  Even if you don’t suffer from it, there’s a good chance that a friend or family member will be affected.

A few years ago, the Milwaukee-based Public Policy Forum reported the state was facing a looming nursing shortage, due to an aging population and an aging workforce.

Lake Effect's latest Fit For You addressed ways to cope with holiday stressors and how to balance that with our eating habits. However, common holiday stressors such as interpersonal relationships and unrealistic expectations in the midst of an abundance of food and drink is compounded for people who live in the already stressful environment of poverty.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in five adults in the United States has a mental illness – and rates of suicide attempts and deaths by prescription drug overdose are on the rise nationally.

September is National Recovery Month, but raising awareness about mental health, drug and alcohol abuse and suicide prevention is helpful throughout the year.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

On Lake Effect, we’ve looked at various issues surrounding mental health such as trauma, substance abuse, and the need for mental health nursing and other professions to help the Milwaukee community. Many assume mental health concerns are those of grown adults, but one psychologist is encouraging parents, teachers, and caretakers how to look out for a child’s mental health.