RICHMOND, VA (WTVR) – Officials say a staggering number of mentally ill people are winding up in jails in Central Virginia and across the country. Story continues here >>>

Ricky Wyatt was a rambunctious Alabama teenager who had broken windows, overturned a school desk or two, and been in and out of group homes. His probation officer decided he needed to be committed to a mental institution. His aunt, his legal guardian, agreed. Story continues here >>>

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico has reached an agreement with the U.S. government ending a 12-year legal battle to improve the island’s health system for the mentally disabled, local justice officials said Thursday.
Story continues here >>>

Patsy Christian, former head of the old John Umstead and Dorothea Dix state psychiatric hospitals, was named assistant director for heathcare quality and safety in the Division of Health Services Regulation. Christian was a newsmaker back in 2008, when it was reported she used $250 in money intended for patient benefits to pay for a portrait of herself painted by a subordinate. Story continues here >>>

It’s long been thought that people with severe mental illness had limited opportunities for work, and many are advised to take on simple, low-stress jobs so as not to exacerbate their symptoms. But now researchers are studying high-functioning people with schizophrenia and its close cousin, schizoaffective disorder. Story continues here >>>

Missouri will become the first state to create coordinated care programs for mentally ill or substance abuse patients who also are dealing with other chronic health problems. Story continues here >>>

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island leads the nation in the percentage of its residents who attempt suicide, according to a study released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control.
Story continues here >>>

With troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the cost of medical care for veterans is expected to skyrocket in coming years. A study released Wednesday suggests that a huge chunk of those costs could be devoted to treating the invisible wounds of war. Story continues here >>>

Four years ago, the influential medical journal The Lancet ran six papers and assorted editorials on mental illnesses. The themed collection, under the banner “No health without mental health,” was a call to action for the world humanitarian community.

So how much influence did the articles have? The journal’s editors commissioned a new batch of papers to find out. The latest reports come from researchers and policy analysts at universities, non-governmental organizations and governments around the world. Story continues here >>>

The number of emergency room visits due to mental health problems of children and young adults is on the rise, according to a new study. Story continues here >>>