Mental Health and Illness

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Treating Mental Health Within Jails Should Start Beyond Jails

In the United States, people with mental health concerns are disproportionately jailed at a staggering rate. It is essential that people have access to the health care they need while incarcerated. But efforts to build up community-based alternatives are essential, too.

Stephanie Brooks Holliday

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Reconstructing Ukraine, Wildfires, Telehealth: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on reconstructing Ukraine, what to do about wildfires, virtual mental health care services, and more.

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State and Local Policy Is Changing for Psychedelics. What Will the Feds Do?

Psychedelics are attracting interest as a treatment for some mental health conditions. In response, some states and cities are changing their laws and policies on the supply and use of these mind-altering substances. But like cannabis, most psychedelics are federally prohibited—raising some tough questions for the federal government.

Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer, Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand

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An Autistic Soldier Wants You to Read This

Despite the recruitment challenges it is currently facing, the Army continues to make personnel decisions based on last century's understanding of neurodivergent diagnoses. The loosening of stigma associated with these diagnoses could improve recruitment, and the Army might reap the benefits of neurodiversity.

Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc

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RAND Turns 75: A Look Through the Decades At World-Changing Research

From anticipating the Space Age in the 1940s to studying gun policy and COVID-19 responses in the 2020s, RAND is celebrating 75 years of research that has made a difference.

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Ukraine's Recovery, Mental Health First Aid, School Staffing: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the trade-offs of Ukraine's reconstruction, the effects of a Mental Health First Aid training program, school staffing challenges, and more.

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Mental Health First Aid: Training People to Help Others

An innovative program trains and empowers people to not look away from those experiencing mental illness, but to listen to them, reassure them, and encourage them to get help. Most trainees of the program in New York City were still using what they had learned five years later.

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Environmental Justice, Mental Health Care, Insomnia: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on environmental justice, access to mental health care, why America should stick with Europe. and more.

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A Potential Backslide in Mental Health Care for Millions of Americans

The expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration will have broad-sweeping effects, and one of the most significant is little known: It could begin undoing the expansion of mental health care access for millions of Americans.

Ryan K. McBain @ryankmcbain

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The Ripples of War Are Only Beginning to Spread. Is America Ready?

There are now more than 1.9 million U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 50,000 were physically injured and around 15 percent have experienced PTSD. Perhaps all were exposed to burn pits and other toxins. What are the long-term impacts of the wars on those who fought them?

Kayla M. Williams @KWilliams101

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RAND Experts on Veteran Mental Health Respond to the White House Mental Health Research Priorities

The White House identified eight research priorities to better manage America's current mental health crisis. RAND researchers highlight why each area is critical for veteran mental health and how RAND is contributing to address them.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand, Carrie M. Farmer @carriefarmer, et al.

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Preventing Military Sexual Assault Is Important. So Is Getting Mental Health Care Afterward

Despite a decade of scrutiny on the issue, sexual assault and harassment in the military is still a pervasive problem. The effects of the trauma from these assaults can be lasting. So it's not just the military services, but also veterans' services, that need to connect these people to appropriate care for mental health.

Julia Rollison @Julia_Rollison

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State of the Union, Mental Health First Aid, China's Spy Balloon: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on President Biden's State of the Union address, the benefits of mental health first aid training, insights on China’s spy balloon, and more.

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Regulating Space, Threats to Critical Infrastructure, Psychedelics: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the need for governance in outer space, why the recent FAA system failure was a wake-up call, the changing policy landscape around psychedelic therapies, and more.

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Intelligence Work Is Exciting. And Traumatizing

The intelligence community needs to communicate to its workforce about the varied forms of trauma, how it affects individuals, and what resources exist to help. Protecting the intelligence workforce can help protect us all.

Heather J. Williams @HeatherJWill