LACONIA, N. H. – In New Hampshire, the number of people waiting in hospital emergency rooms for a bed in a psychiatric facility has more than tripled since 2014, according to the state's new Mental Health Plan.

A local journalist has been covering this issue firsthand.

Managing Editor of the Laconia Daily Sun, Roger Carroll, says he was having suicidal thoughts. When his therapist said he needed more help than she could give him, they agreed he should go to the emergency room.

Looking back, Carroll considers his wait time lucky in comparison to others.

"Because I didn't have a history of drug use – I don't use drugs, I don't drink, I don't have a history of violence – I was a pretty easy placement,” says Carroll. “Within a day, which is really fast, I was taken to an inpatient facility about 10 miles from Laconia in the town of Franklin."

But Carroll says he's spoken with many who have waited more than a week in the ER before a psychiatric bed became available – some for weeks. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, the number of psychiatric beds in New Hampshire per capita is about the same as the national average.

Carroll says he wrote about his experience to decrease the stigma around depression and encourage others to get help. He was so open about it that, during his several-day stay, he invited his seven- and nine-year-old granddaughters to visit him at the hospital.

"I said, 'Do you know why I'm here?' And Gracie, the youngest, said, 'Because you're sad.' And I said, 'That's right sweetie, because it's called depression. And it hits people sometime, even grownups, and it's okay to get help,'” says Carroll. “That was one of the reasons I thought it was important that they see me there. One, they could see that grandpa's okay. And two, they need to know that when you have these obstacles, that it's okay to get help."

Carroll now meets with a psychiatric nurse practitioner, and says he's gradually feeling like himself again.

He notes that some days are easier than others. But family, friends, and co-workers continue to empower him, as well as more than 100 people who have reached out since his story was published.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.


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CARSON CITY, Nev. -- Nevada scored a D-plus for children's mental health, according to a new report from the Children's Advocacy Alliance.

Researchers evaluated the Silver State on a series of mental-health indicators including depression, substance abuse, developmental disorders, suicide and access to care.

Dr. Tara Raines, Kids Count Initiative director at the Children's Advocacy Alliance in Nevada, said the biggest problem is access: The state faces a huge shortage of pediatric mental-health providers, especially within the juvenile-justice system.

"We need more psychologists," Raines argued. "We need more treatment centers for kids with severe mental-health disorders. We need more psychiatric social workers. We need more child psychiatrists."

The report gave Nevada an F-plus grade for percentage of children receiving mental and behavioral care, noting in several counties, families have almost nowhere to turn when a child develops mental illness.

A 2020 report from Mental Health America ranked Nevada worst in the nation for prevalence of mental illness and low access to care. It found 71% of youths in Nevada who experienced major depressive episodes never got treatment.

The bottom line, she said: Nevada needs to aggressively recruit more providers, as soon as possible. Raines would like the state to fund more slots in nationally accredited child mental-health training programs, especially in southern Nevada.

"We know that people tend to stay where they get licensed," Raines observed. "If we can recruit trainees to come here for internships or for post-doctoral fellowships, the likelihood of them staying on afterwards to become licensed in the state of Nevada is incredibly high."

The report authors also call on the state to require mental health screenings for all kids, and reexamine school discipline to focus more on prevention.

CLIVE, Iowa - This week, more attention is being paid to the struggles of people living with mental-health conditions. In Iowa, parents are telling their stories in hopes of inspiring other families to speak out.

Between now and Saturday, groups around the country are observing Mental Illness Awareness Week. Mary Neubauer of Clive has become an advocate in recent years, after her son took his own life in 2017.

More than a decade ago, he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression and major anxiety. She said the family made a sincere effort to be open about what happened.

"In hindsight," said Neubauer, "it was our way of saying, 'Do you see this? Do you see the impact that mental illness had on this beautiful boy's life?'"

She said leading up to his death, it was hard to find enough resources in Iowa to treat her son's conditions, so that's been another focus of the family's advocacy.

And while the state has taken steps to build resources, including creating a children's behavioral-health system, Neubauer said she worries that access issues remain, especially in rural areas.

For the general public, Neubauer added there are still opportunities to overcome any lingering stigma about mental health issues.

"We all need our mental health and our physical health to truly be well," said Neubauer.

The awareness week comes on the heels of an annual fundraising event for the Iowa chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. This year's "NAMI-Walks Your Way Iowa" saw roughly 500 people in attendance, with more than $140,000 dollars raised.

Organizers say a key element is getting more stories out into the public, so other families struggling with a diagnosis don't feel isolated.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Degrading mental health among the nation's K-12 students over the past year and a half has alarmed health professionals. Experts say West Virginia could use federal funding to help address students' needs, at a time when the novel coronavirus crisis shows no signs of letting up.

Tamicah Owens is a summer research associate at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and a doctoral student in educational theory and practice at West Virginia University. She said the state will receive more than $761 million to ensure they can reopen safely and meet students' needs.

"So school districts, for example, could hire more teachers," said Owens. "They could hire counselors, they could hire nurses, they could also hire additional social workers and school psychologists and counselors."

Owens explained that the majority of the funds will go to local school boards that will make decisions on how to use the money. But she said they must receive public input from educators and parents on their proposed plans.

Owens said she believes the funding represents a significant opportunity for West Virginia to address some of the longstanding needs and challenges in its education system.

"That is the number one thing that needs to happen," said Owens, "is parents and students and teachers need to be able to put input into what they need specifically to help with these issues."

She also pointed out stark disparities in income and poverty in the state based on race, noting that Black West Virginians are almost twice as likely to be living in poverty than white residents.

She said the economic strain created by the pandemic means students of color are facing greater challenges, and says funding should be used in ways that help combat longstanding inequities.