Families face lack of mental health services- The Greenville Daily Reflector

Ihave four children diagnosed with mental illnesses. My oldest son sustained a traumatic brain injury because he stopped taking his mental health medication. He wanted to join the army, but he knew the army would not take him if he was on medication. So he stopped taking his medication. That is very sad because when my son and other people with mental illnesses are on the proper medication, they function as well as anyone else and sometimes better. If I was fighting in a war and the person next to me needed medication, I would rather have them taking it than not.

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Community colleges could bar students – NewsObserver.com

The state’s community colleges could soon be able to deny admission to applicants who appear to pose a health or safety threat.

On Friday, the State Board of Community Colleges voted to amend the system’s long-standing open-door admissions policy. The change would allow the 58 colleges to refuse to admit prospective students who may present “an articulable, imminent and significant threat.”

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GOP leaders plan ways to cut billions – NewsObserver.com

As they look to pass a state budget with major cuts, the new Republican leaders of the state legislature are talking of two tactics for slicing $3.7 billion in spending.

State department executives could be given responsibility for making cuts that meet set targets, and budgets will be examined to root out programs that don’t work or aren’t needed, said incoming House Speaker Thom Tillis and incoming Senate leader Phil Berger.

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Every little bit truly does help | hospital, letter, group – Burlington Times News

A member of the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness passes along a letter the group receives just after Christmas from Central Regional Hospital, a state psychiatric hospital in Butner. It’s written by Linda Dameron, the director of volunteer services and community relations.

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Man charged with killing Alamance deputy in 1970 dies | Burlington Times News

A man accused of killing an Alamance County Sheriff’s deputy more than 40 years ago died last week.

A graveside service was held for Ralph K. Averitte Monday at the Oakwood Cemetery of Mebane, according to his obituary. Details about where he lived when he died on Dec. 29 were unavailable.

Last April, Judge Paul Gessner granted a petition in Alamance County Superior Court that dismissed the first-degree murder charge against Averitte. A state psychiatrist testified that he was incompetent to stand trial.

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FayObserver.com – Editorial – Self-Help: Stigma of PTSD has just lost more ground

Every case of post-traumatic stress disorder comes with its personalized story: ambush, bullet, IED, shrapnel, vehicle rollover, brain injury. Not every victim can remember the whole story, but it’s there.

For that reason, David Blackledge’s stories (ambush, rollover, suicide bomber) may be important mainly because of what he did in response and what’s happened to him since

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