News Releases

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health is offering for public comment a draft State Plan for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) block grants. SAMHSA oversees two major block grants: the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) and the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Support Services Block Grant (SUBG). These […]

A year-long series of virtual trainings designed to empower crisis workers began last month and will be continuing with monthly trainings throughout the next year. The trainings are designed to provide crisis response workers with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively respond to behavioral health crises. These monthly sessions will include: Technical Assistance: Ongoing […]

  Save the date for this year’s MHIDD Conference! The planning committee is now accepting calls for presentations and for the poster session. Find those submission documents in the link below. More details about speakers and the agenda will be coming as they are finalized later in the year. UPDATE: The call for posters and […]

Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is May 8   The month of May is recognized each year as Mental Health Awareness Month – a time to promote awareness, understanding, and acceptance of the fact that our mental health is an essential part of our overall health and wellbeing.   With the national recognition of this […]

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health is proud to announce it is joining the nation’s oldest and largest behavioral health platform. As an innovative, web-based platform provided in partnership with the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, the Network of Care for Behavioral Health will provide critical support and access to behavioral health […]

In Real Hope, we’re hearing from the people who are living their lives with recovery and resiliency, as well as the practitioners and advocates in Mississippi’s mental health system who are helping make that happen. Take a few minutes and hear from Mississippians who may have struggled, but are now realizing their potential. It’s real […]

DMH received notice on March 24, 2025 that SAMHSA-provided COVID grants available to the state during FY25 were being discontinued immediately. The total amount of these grants that was available for distribution to providers during FY25 was $10,959,626. Of that, $3,424,365.23 has been reimbursed to providers as of March 24, with $7,535,260.77 remaining. These had […]

Identify. Understand. Respond. Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based, early-intervention course that teaches participants about mental health and substance use challenges. It is a skills-based training course that teaches participants to identify, understand and respond to these challenges – we generally know how to refer someone for help when they’re showing signs of a […]

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health has released a 988 and Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools, offering a toolkit to guide conversations about this difficult topic and point Mississippians to resources available to provide hope for those impacted by suicide. In Mississippi, suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults […]

The finalized version of the 2024 Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) Operational Standards for Mental Health, Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Community Service Providers is now available here on the DMH web site and has been published on the Mississippi Secretary of State’s web site as well. The 2024 Operational Standards will become effective […]

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) is excited to share a major enhancement to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline that will further improve access to mental health services. As of September 17, georouting is officially live for T-Mobile and Verizon U.S. wireless carriers. This new feature allows calls from help-seekers with these carriers […]

Thanks to a new collaboration between the Macarthur Justice Center and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH), Mississippians in local jails now have direct access to mental health resources and services. The new MacArthur Forensic Navigator Program focuses on those areas where mental health services connect to the criminal justice system. The program will […]

Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council Community Feedback Survey Because every state is different, each state can decide the best ways to use federal grant funding dedicated to helping adults and children with mental illness and substance use disorder live successfully in the community. Your answers on this survey are anonymous, and your feedback is […]

Updated Post An additional public comment period is open regarding the proposed revisions to the DMH Operational Standards. On June 21, 2024, DMH filed proposed revisions to the 2020 DMH Operational Standards with the Secretary of State’s Office, designated as System Number 27554. The public comment period for this filing ended on July 16, 2024. […]

In this episode of Real Hope, we meet Tara Roberts, a certified peer support specialist with Youth Villages. With over four years of experience and a personal journey as a parent of children with mental health diagnoses, Tara offers invaluable support to families facing similar challenges. Her lived experience and extensive training allow her to […]

Save the date for the 36th annual Mental Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities conference, which will be held November 6th – 8th, at the Golden Nugget Casino in Biloxi, MS.  This year’s theme is: “Beyond Barriers: Innovations and Solutions for a Better Mississippi.” The MH/IDD Joint Conference Committee is now accepting proposals for presentations and posters. The forms […]