UnitedHealth Group is rejecting some demands of the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of being too stingy in its coverage of mental health care.
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People in jails and prisons are much more likely than the general public to have a mental illness, and the prevalence among incarcerated women is especially high. Minnesota's corrections commissioner, Paul Schnell, has said dealing with mental illness in the system is a priority for the new administration.
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The people who run the residency program at the hospital know that the numbers are lopsided and alarming: In Minnesota, more than a million people are under the age of 18, but there are only 140 child psychiatrists practicing in the state. And there's clearly a need. There's a 1 in 5 chance that kids will develop depression sometime between middle and high school and a 1 in 6 chance they'll develop serious anxiety.
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Angela Davis leads a group discussion in MPR's UBS Forum about why we feel lonely, what we can do about it and whether technology makes it better or worse. She was joined by Cheryl Bemel, a licensed psychologist with Allina Health.
Read MoreCall to Mind, MPR's mental health initiative, presents a conversation with singer, rapper and author Dessa and journalist Michael Pollan to discuss his latest book, "How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence."
Read MoreNeuroscientists and gerontologists see evidence that people aging normally can become more vulnerable to financial exploitation. Con artists, fraudsters and, in many cases, family, friends and caregivers take money from seniors through the abuse of trust.
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MPR's mental health reporter Alisa Roth gives the keynote address at a Hamline University conference on the "Criminalization of Mental Illness."
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Nearly two-thirds of Minnesota's homeless population has a mental illness, according to a new study from the Wilder Foundation. The results are based on a survey of nearly 4,300 people experiencing homelessness.
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You can start the conversation about mental health with your primary care physician, but when is it time for you or your doctor to take the next step and book an appointment with a psychologist or psychiatrist?
Read MoreMPR’s Angela Davis talks with Jenifer Lewis about her book "The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir,” her work spreading awareness about bipolar disorder, and the issues she wants to tackle next.
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Stearns County officials estimate nearly two-thirds of people in the jail on any given day have a mental illness, either diagnosed or not .So Stearns County, along with CentraCare, local law enforcement and the St. Cloud VA, formed an action team of police, human services, probation agents and mental health workers. They meet and compare notes on people in jail or in the community who might benefit from intervention.
Read MoreThis hour-long program is about talking to white kids about race and racism: how white parents, families and teachers can learn to show up for racial justice in a way that will make a difference for generations to come. The show explores a wide variety of approaches with kids of all ages.
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Long waits for an appointment and pop culture stereotypes of lying on a couch are enough to turn many off from seeking mental health services. But Dr. Jon Hallberg, medical director of the University of Minnesota Physicians Mill City Clinic, says it can be as easy as talking to your primary care physician.
Read MoreThis hour-long program is about loneliness: what it is, why so many of us feel it, and the surprising toll loneliness takes on our physical and mental health.
Read MoreThis hour-long program is about asking for help: why it's so hard to admit when we need something from another person, and the surprising effects that sharing our vulnerability can have on our mental health. The episode explores how shame and stigma can prevent us from asking for what we need, why we tend to underestimate the generosity of others, and how asking can make us feel seen in both welcome and uncomfortable ways.
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In February, a federal judge in California ruled the Minnetonka-based health insurer denied claims for behavioral health care based on overly restrictive guidelines that put profit over patients. Now, in a proposed remedy, the plaintiffs' attorneys want UnitedHealth to adopt new guidelines and take another look.
Read MoreThe first of a four-part series of special programs for Mental Health Awareness Month. Psychiatrist Dr. Anne Hallward hosts this series, which focuses on subjects that are hard — but important — to talk about. The first episode is about apologies and forgiveness.
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Jenna Erickson first realized she might have borderline personality disorder when she read about it in her high school psychology textbook. Erickson spoke with Cathy Wurzer about her experience, and some of the biggest misconceptions around living with mental illness.
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Two experts join MPR News host Angela Davis to talk about mindfulness meditation. They discuss what it is, how to do it and what the research says about how it affects us.
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50,000 are people challenging UnitedHealth's standards for behavioral care. U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero recently ripped the Twin Cities-based insurer for placing an "excessive emphasis" on paying for treatments during a crisis while ignoring "effective treatment of ... underlying conditions."
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