Topics Related to Mental Health

On July 16, 2023, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services celebrated the one-year anniversary of 988, the three-digit suicide and crisis lifeline. 988 connects North Carolinians via call, chat or text to a trained counselor who will listen, offer support and provide community resources 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As part of the ongoing focus on behavioral health and resilience, changes promoted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are improving health and saving lives among people in the state with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders. New state level data is showing the lowest rate of tobacco use in more than a decade for people in North Carolina who struggle with their mental health or heavy drinking.

Building on the success of a program in Mecklenburg County, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the development of pilot community-based programs to restore the capacity of people who the courts determine are Incapable to Proceed (ITP) to trial.

With overdose deaths in 2021 increasing 22%, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services continues to extend mobile crisis care, treatment programs and other efforts to improve behavioral health services across the state.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a Spanish-language Cafecito and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss Mental Wellness, Aging Adults and the latest COVID-19 Information.

As part of a shared commitment to behavioral health and the well-being of children and families, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and UNC Health will partner to convert the R.J. Blackley Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Butner, N.C., into a 54-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents.

This winter and spring, 130 public schools across North Carolina will receive mental and behavioral health training and consultation through the North Carolina Psychiatry Access Line (NC-PAL).

Eight organizations across the state will now be able to increase their recovery services, supports and accessibility for individuals with substance use disorders.

Suicide is among the top five leading causes of death for people ages 10 to 65 in North Carolina. To address this complex and serious health problem, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a coordinated state action plan to reduce injury and death by suicide.

In response to rising mental health needs, another resource is available to behavioral health patients at emergency departments across the state.