On March 9, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) released a report finding that states cut their cumulative non-Medicaid mental health budgets by $1.8 billion, or 8 percent, between 2009 and 2011.  During that same period, NAMI determined that 17 states increased their mental health budgets; however, 10 of those states increased mental health funding by 4 percent or less.  The authors recommend that states restore mental health funding, tie funding to performance, maintain adequate numbers of inpatient psychiatric beds, and invest in early detection and intervention research for serious mental illnesses (SMI).  The report also recommends that states implement mental health screening and assessment programs and support SMI education campaigns. 

From the report: 

The recent tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the killing of six innocent citizens in Arizona focused national attention on the state of the public mental health system in Arizona and other states. Many asked how a tragedy like this could happen again, with chilling references to Virginia Tech. How did Jared Loughner fall through the cracks when the signs of a serious psychiatric crisis seemed so clear?

For NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, what happened in Tucson is all too familiar. Even during the best of economic times, youth and adults living with mental illness struggle to access essential mental health services and supports. Services are often unavailable or inaccessible for those who need them the most.

Full Report: State Mental Health Cuts: A National Crisis (PDF | 1.79 MB) 

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2011). State mental health cuts: a national crisis. Honberg, R., Diehl, S., Kimball, A., Gruttadaro, D., and Fitzpatrick, M.