Many States Have Boosted Mental Health Funding

Since the mass-casualty shooting at an elementary school last year, three dozen states and the District of Columbia have increased funding for mental health, according to a recent report from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The report also found that about 12 states have passed or strengthened laws that allow more people to receive court-ordered treatment for severe mental illnesses. However, researchers predict that an influx of newly insured individuals under the Affordable Care Act could lead to "an acute shortage of mental health workers."

• "USA Has Made Slight Progress on Mental Health Since Newtown" (Szabo, USA Today, 12/11).