Section Newsletters

Articles on Mental Health Law

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Mental Health Law, March 2025 Information on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts Received Nearly $3 Million Mental Health Grant Award Mental Health Law, March 2025 The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts received a competitive grant award from the Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services. AOIC will use the funds to operationalize a replicable and effective structure to increase the utilization of statutorily-created civil outpatient pathways to mental health care, also referred to as Assisted Outpatient Treatment, in Cook and McLean Counties. 
While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence—A Conversation with the Author By Susan Goldberg Mental Health Law, March 2025 A discussion with author Meg Kissinger, whose memoir chronicles the mental illness in her family, and her work reporting on the “broken” mental health system. 
Editor’s Note By Sandra M. Blake Mental Health Law, January 2025 An introduction to the issue from the editor.
Proposal for a Pilot Project to Enhance Case Management in Respondents Involving Both Mental Health Proceedings and Guardianship Proceedings By Judge Maureen Ward Kirby, Judge Daniel Malone, & Judge Susan Kennedy Sullivan Mental Health Law, January 2025 Because of the size of our Cook County Court system, in certain circumstances, there is a more burdensome, costly, and inefficient legal process where a resident is a respondent in two separate legal arenas: a resident is or will be ordered to outpatient treatment for his/her/their mental health treatment and where the same Cook County resident is or will benefit from some level of guardianship.
Response to the Proposal for a Pilot Project to Establish a Single Docket for Mental Health and Guardianship Proceedings By Ann Krasuski Mental Health Law, January 2025 The pilot project proposal seeks to create “a single court call wherein an assigned judge hears a case involving a resident with legal issues in both the County Division (Mental Health) and the Probate Division (Guardianship). The dually‐assigned judge would be … prepared to hear the matters under both areas of law.” There would be three “pathways” to this combined docket, according to the proposal.
1 comment (Most recent January 31, 2025)
$27.5 Million in Funding Opportunities Enhance Women’s Behavioral Health Mental Health Law, September 2024  A look at new funding for improving women’s behavioral health.
How to Properly Issue Subpoenas for Mental Health Records and Depositions By Scott D. Hammer & Courtney L. Wood Mental Health Law, April 2024 When issuing subpoenas for mental health records and depositions of mental health professionals, attorneys must strictly follow the Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act.
Legislature Revises the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act By Joseph T. Monahan Mental Health Law, April 2024 Beginning January 1, 2024, an amendment to section 4 of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act came into effect regarding persons entitled to inspect and copy a recipient's record.
Navigating a New (and Confusing) Law for Access to Mental Health Records By Matthew R. Davison Mental Health Law, April 2024 Of all the new laws that went into effect on January 1, 2024, the one to cause confusion and concern regarding access to records of mental health recipients is the amended Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act.
Top 10 Things Guardians and Their Attorneys Should Know About Mental Health Law By Mark B. Epstein Mental Health Law, March 2024 Summaries of the top 10 things attorneys ought to know about mental health law.
Appellate Update By Andreas Liewald Mental Health Law, October 2023 A summary and analysis MacKenna v. Pantano.

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