Recovery Update

Ever since I started working on mental health care 10 years ago, almost every individual I meet can speak to me, privately and intimately, about their mental health journey and the battles it comes with — but until recently, those stories never came above the surface in public spaces.

As Colorado continues to grapple with its state behavioral health crisis — too many in need, without enough to give it — state officials are hoping $14,000 will help strengthen the ranks of needed nurses. The Colorado Department of Human Services is offering that as a hiring bonus to people willing to work in mental health facilities in Pueblo and the Fort Logan facility in Denver.

Psychedelic therapy is on its way to becoming a mainstream medical treatment for mental health. In 2020 and 2022, residents of Oregon and Colorado voted to legalize the use of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, and the Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve it and MDMA, or Ecstasy, to treat depression and post-traumatic stress disorder by 2024.

Suicide remains a global public health crisis and is the third leading cause of death among US youth. Rates have also increased over the past 2 decades, with the death rate among youth aged 10 to 24 years increasing 52.2% from 6.9 per 100,000 in 2001 to 10.5 per 100,000 in 2020. Additionally, many populations are at elevated risk for suicide, including Black, Indigenous, Asian American and Pacific Islander, mixed race, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, and neurodiverse youth, as well as youth who are incarcerated or living with chronic illness or in the child welfare system.