New report details mental health care gaps in Indian Country

According to the Health and Human Services Inspector General's office, one in five hospitals and clinics in Indian Country provides no mental health services. Meanwhile, The Fiscal Times reports on the mental health toll being taken by the recession.  

The Associated Press: Report: Mental Health Care Gaps in Indian Country
A new U.S. government report highlights serious gaps in mental health care for many American Indians and Alaska Natives, groups that suffer from problems including a teenage suicide rate more than twice the national average. One in five hospitals and clinics in Indian Country provide no mental health services, according to the Inspector General's Office of the Department of Health and Human Services (Brown, 9/30).

The Fiscal Times: The Recession's 'Silent Mental Health Epidemic'
As President Obama and Republican leaders argue over the best way to reduce 9.1 percent unemployment and revive a near-flatlining economy, less attention has been paid to the widespread emotional and psychological damage caused by long-term unemployment -; and the drain it has on government resources and workforce productivity. With an estimated three-quarters of the 14 million unemployed Americans out of work for more than six months and fully half out of work for more than two years, many jobless Americans are falling into despair as repeated attempts to find work come up short (Hirsch and Pianin, 10/2).