mental health services

An insufficient mental health care system pushes families in some states, including Kansas, to give up custody of their children for care. A program in place in New Jersey, Oklahoma and Washington may offer solutions.

Lotus Care House is taking a different approach to counter the homeless crisis. Unique support services like their path to housing and medical recovery programs help navigate the homeless from the street to permanent housing.

Johnson County courts are expanding a program that focuses on treating individuals with mental illness or drug issues, instead of punishing them. Plus: Scientists are grappling with how to better define and predict extreme weather events causing havoc across the Midwest.

The Department of Mental Health has continued to grapple with steep vacancies among staff, causing access to care across its state-run mental health facilities to decline as wings are shut down.

Many Missourians don't support the state's abortion ban, but that doesn't appear to change who they vote for. Plus: The 988 emergency mental health hotline debuted this summer, but some advocates question if Missouri is committed to funding the project long term.

In July, Missouri officials debuted 988, an emergency mental health hotline that connects callers to dozens of organizations around the country based on the caller’s area code. But advocates are concerned that the state has not committed to funding the hotline for the long term.

The larger facilities in central and southern Kansas are stretched thin. Hospital staff say rural facilities lack resources to help.

Society often depicts pregnancy as a blissful experience, but for some moms-to-be that's not the case. One psychiatrist discusses risks and treatment for reproductive mental health.

Missouri students reported feeling more sadness and hopelessness compared to prior years. But the state is near the bottom of the country in terms of having the recommended ratio of students to school psychologists.

From January 2019 to January 2020, 1,597 Missourians died from overdoses. Over the next 12 months, that number increased to 1,952, according to CDC data. However, a federal grant to help Missouri purchase and distribute naloxone has expired.

Counselor Mercedes Mora says the pandemic has taken a toll on her clients, her community and herself.

The Stress in America survey has been tracking the mental health toll of the past year. More patients, longer wait times and overloaded practitioners add up to a system on the brink of failing.