Topics:
MPS voice on the Ballot 4 Question on Legalizing Psychedelics
An Act to provide more timely treatment of inpatient mental health care
The Mental Health Impact of Social Media and Smartphones
Medicaid/SAMHSA Cuts

Psychiatrists taking on policy, “existential problems” (WWLP)

BOSTON (SHNS) – As psychiatrists lament persistent barriers to mental health care access and “existential problems” revolving around medicine and science, top health care figures in the Legislature are seemingly on board with implementing more mental and behavioral health reforms.

“This is a moment where psychiatrists really need to speak to key issues in mental health care that aren’t always articulated in the political scene,” Massachusetts Psychiatric Society President Dr. Jhilam Biswas said. “This is a moment where organized medicine needs to be visible, because we need to speak to the science and to medicine and what we know to be truths.”

“We’re facing existential problems around medicine and science and research right now, and generally, we’re just really busy because there’s access issues. There’s a huge need for doctors to be in clinics doing the work, but we’re recognizing we can’t do the work without people knowing how important it is to get the truth out about different issues in health care,” Biswas told the News Service.

Click the link above to read the whole article.

Massachusetts Psychiatric Society incoming president Anderson Chen sits at a State House advocacy event on Sept. 24, 2025. (Ella Adams/SHNS)

Dr. Jhilam Biswas on the Importance of Advocacy, from the How to be Patient podcast.


Listen/watch the entire episode here to hear discussions about the timely treatment act, assisted outpatient treatment and other topics. Click here also to read more about this podcast episode.

MPS voice on the Ballot 4 Question on Legalizing Psychedelics

Ballot Question 4 to Legalize Psychedelics Draws National Attention — and Dollars (Harvard Crimson)

10/15: Ballot Question 4 Debate - Legalize Psychedelics (Boston Public Radio - WGBH)

Mass. Voters Reject Question 4 (Boston Globe) 

Question 4 debate: Legalization of psychedelics (WCVB TV)

Mass. voters to decide on legalizing some psychedelic drugs (WPRI)

Letter to the Editor: Psychedelics come with risks, and so does Question 4 (Newton Beacon)
An Act to provide more timely treatment of inpatient mental health care

Bill H.2210
Bill S.1401

Jhilam Biswas Reveals Paths to Mental Health Reform From Forensic Hospitals to Freedom
Dr. Biswas discusses the Timely Treatment Bill, and her research (Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World podcast)

The Mental Health Impact of Social Media and Smartphones

How cellphone-free schools can work for everyone by Dr. Jhilam Biswas (Boston Globe 7/15/25)

AG Campbell Testifies In Support Of The STUDY Act To Promote Safe Technology Use And Protect Youth Mental Health (Mass.gov - Office of the Attorney General 6/17/25)

“We are raising younger generations in a digital storm, where attention is fractured, sleep disrupted, and mood and confidence affected by likes and comparison. The Massachusetts Psychiatric Society strongly supports the STUDY Act because the evidence is clear: the unregulated use of smartphones in schools is part of a public health crisis in youth mental health. This legislation is a vital step toward protecting young developing minds. Schools should be a place of focus, connection, and digital detox—a space where children are free to think on their own, without the constant pull of an algorithm. Our kids deserve a break from the noise so they can truly learn, grow, and socialize,” said Jhilam Biswas, MD, President, Massachusetts Psychiatric Society.

Medicaid/SAMHSA Cuts

Facts Over Fiction: The Current State of Psychiatry (Psychiatric Times)