The Department of Justice this month sued the Mills administration over the state’s services for disabled children. Families hope the legal action is a catalyst for change.
mental health
FDA approves a potential ‘game-changer’ drug for schizophrenia
The approval comes less than a year Bristol Myers Squibb paid $14 billion to acquire the developer of the drug, Karuna Therapeutics.
Spruce Mountain board of directors chairperson resigns to form nonprofit to educate about brain disorders
Bob Staples said his son had schizoaffective disorder and died when he was struck by a train in Portland last month.
Jon Bon Jovi helps talk ‘distraught’ woman off ledge of Nashville bridge
The rock star helped the woman, who was standing on the ledge of the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, climb back to safety, according to a police video.
Department of Justice sues Maine over treatment of children with behavioral disabilities
The lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland says the state has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
New program to provide free counseling for Maine food industry workers
The Behind You pilot program, funded by a Texas nonprofit and implemented by the clinical students at the University of Maine, will cover up to 200 hours of free counseling in its first year.
Maine is still sending psych patients to controversial South Carolina hospital despite complaints
Justin Butterfield, 35, was committed to a state psychiatric hospital after killing his brother during a mental health crisis. His family is worried about him after he was transferred to a private hospital in South Carolina that has been likened to a prison.
Veterans lobbied for psychedelic therapy, but it may not be enough to save MDMA drug application
Military veterans have spent years lobbying for the use of psychedelic drugs to treat PTSD, but a sharply critical review of the club drug MDMA has put the therapy’s approval in doubt.
Last year, Maine made assaulting an emergency medical worker a felony. The problem of patient violence remains
Prior to the new law, health care workers filed 167 intentional injury lost time claims in the first 7 months of 2023; 114 were filed in the first 4 months after the law took effect.
Maine parents ramp up fight to get cellphones out of schools
A coalition of 9 Maine groups is advocating for less technology access for children because they’re worried about how constant technology use might impact mental health.