mental health

The executive order calls on states to move some unhoused people into treatment, including through involuntary commitment if necessary. It also encourages states and municipalities to eliminate homeless encampments.

3,000 Mainers called the LGBTQ+ hotline last year, according to the Trevor Project. Maine advocates say the elimination of this specialized service puts already vulnerable kids at risk. But they say there are still resources for LGBTQ+ youth to find support.

Maine will lose more than $3 million in grant funding used to hire or retain 14 school mental health professionals in the fall, Attorney General Aaron Frey said.

Dr. Dora Anne Mills, chief health improvement officer at MaineHealth, said the findings for youth are concerning.

Many testified that they'd turned to psilocybin therapy after other mental health treatments failed to help them.

The bill is, at least in part, a response to research suggesting that the gunman in last year's Lewiston mass shooting may have suffered brain injuries as part of his service in the Army Reserves.

Behavioral health groups say further investment is needed in home-based and community support services.

Advocates say that despite this week's termination of a 34-year-old consent decree, Maine's mental health system is far from where it should be.

The decree came out of a lawsuit 34 years ago stemming from the deaths of 10 residents at a state psychiatric hospital in Augusta.

The annual Measures of Growth report from Maine Economic Growth Council identifies where the Maine economy is improving and where there is still more work to do compared to other states across the country.