The average payout for liability claims against mental health professionals has increased nearly 40% since 2019, according to a report from insurer CNA and the Healthcare Providers Service Organization. 

For the first time in decades, overdose deaths across the U.S. have seen a significant decline, marking a potential turning point in the opioid crisis, according to a Sept. 18 NPR report. 

The managers of a Matteson, Ill.-based youth counseling center have been sentenced to prison for defrauding the state's Medicaid program of $2.5 million. 

Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare will close two locations of a Missouri psychiatric hospital, affecting 154 employees. 

To keep pace with demand for behavioral healthcare, health systems are choosing joint ventures with for-profit behavioral healthcare companies. 

A licensed professional counselor was indicted on 10 counts of healthcare fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft for allegedly submitting $2 million in false claims to Texas' Medicaid program. 

Despite patient fears of police interventions and hospitalization when calling a crisis hotline, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network only needed emergency service interventions for a small portion of all calls, a Vibrant Emotional Health whitepaper found.

A coalition of 333 organizations sent a letter to congressional leaders urging an extension of prescribing flexibilities for two years. Among the organizations that signed the letter are the American Health Care Association, American Pharmacists Association, Cleveland Clinic, Duluth, Minn.-based Essentia Health, Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine, Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham, New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health, Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health and Pittsburgh-based UPMC. 

Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries typically paid out-of-pocket for inpatient and outpatient behavioral services, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. 

High doses of popular ADHD medications were associated with more than a fivefold risk of having a first-time episode of psychosis, according to a Sept. 12 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

A new study conducted by researchers at Seattle-based University of Washington has found that adolescent girls experienced accelerated brain aging during COVID-19-related lockdowns. 

A coalition of attorneys general from 42 states is urging Congress to mandate a Surgeons General warning label on algorithm-driven social media platforms, according to a Sept. 9 letter shared with Becker's. 

The CEO of a Massachusetts behavioral health company has agreed to plead guilty to six counts of healthcare fraud. 

Is America’s healthcare system broken? Absolutely. It’s expensive, dysfunctional, and needlessly complex. But you already knew that.

The Department of Justice is suing Maine, alleging the state violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by segregating children with behavioral health conditions in residential facilities.  

Norristown (Pa.) State Hospital was cited by the state after one of its patients was found dead in his room, allegedly having been killed by his roommate, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sept. 10.

Mental health-related jobs are projected to grow three times faster over the next decade than all occupations overall, CNN reported Sept. 7. 

The FDA unveiled a new strategy to tackle the ongoing shortage of ADHD medications that includes streamlining the approval process for new manufacturing facilities and increasing production limits for existing manufacturers, The New York Times reported Sept. 6.

Orange County, Calif., will terminate its contract with nonprofit mental health provider Be Well after an audit found systemic failures, Voice of OC reported Sept. 9. 

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will put millions toward studying patient-centered outcomes in behavioral health.