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As Patrick Korellis remembers it, he arrived at the college support group in 2008 and introduced himself to the person standing closest to him, a young woman named Emily Haas. She was a junior at Virginia Tech, majoring in business. Mr. Korellis was a senior at Northern Illinois University, studying meteorology and geography.

They would later swap stories of the stereotypical college variety — about cafeteria food, campus life and their post-graduation plans — but first, Mr. Korellis and Ms. Haas connected over a horrific shared experience.

In jails and prisons across the United States, mental illness is prevalent and psychiatric disorders often worsen because inmates don't get the treatment they need, says journalist Alisa Roth.

In her new book Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness, Roth investigates the widespread incarceration of the mentally ill in the U.S., and what she sees as impossible burdens placed on correctional officers to act as mental health providers when they're not adequately trained.

PORTLAND, Ore. — In the midst of a harrowing psychotic episode in summer 2009, Annie broke into her ex-husband's house and used a hammer and scissors to lay waste to plates, knickknacks, clothing, "and honestly, I don't know what else."

Had the mother of four, a retired captain in the National Guard, chosen to plead guilty, as a first offender she might have gotten off with the six months she'd already spent in jail.

Rosie Zaballos liked to host playtime tea parties and was sweet to everyone she met. But her older brother worried that the 16-year-old, whom her family described as "a little slow," might someday become pregnant.

In his 30s and married, he had three kids of his own. And their mom was sick and needed help. So he took Rosie to be sterilized at a state-run hospital so she couldn't have babies who might place an extra burden on the family.

If Denis Winter suffered from heart failure, cancer or almost any other deadly disease, his family could rest assured that his care would be largely covered by insurance.

But Winter has Alzheimer's disease. So the extraordinary cost of his care — $8,500 a month, or $102,000 a year — is borne entirely by his wife, Linda. It is quickly draining their lifetime of savings.

For Lori Stone, getting out of prison has always been a little nerve-racking.

She's been in and out of jail since she was 18. Every time she's been released, she's lost her disability benefits and her Medicaid coverage. That meant she couldn't afford her rent or her medication for her bipolar disorder until she was able to re-enroll, which could take weeks or months -- even if she went to all her appointments on time.

At the Beacon Barn Therapeutic Farm in Thornton, West Virginia, a typical day for Molly McCartney involves feeding horses—and seeing patients. McCartney, a clinical social worker and therapist, opened her practice in a barn in her Appalachian community as a way to combine her passion for animals with a desire to help people. But McCartney is only one of a handful of therapists in her area—an issue that is pervasive across Appalachia, a region with limited options for individuals seeking mental health care. For patients who use Medicaid, the options narrow even further.

Patrick Kennedy, the former Democratic representative and scion of the liberal political dynasty, has emerged as the unlikely go-to player for companies seeking to benefit from the Trump administration's multibillion-dollar response to the opioid crisis, reaping well over $1 million in salaries and equity stakes in the firms.