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Police departments nationwide have started teaming up officers with therapists in situations involving the mentally ill, largely in the hope of avoiding the type of incident that recently landed a New York Police Department sergeant on trial for murder.

Michael Callahan, an outgoing 43-year-old carpenter, landed in a Los Angeles County jail last September because of what he said were "bad decisions and selling drugs."

He had uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure when he arrived, but his health was the last thing on his mind. Consumed by a meth addiction, he hadn't taken his medications for months. "When I got here, I was a wreck," said Callahan, who is stocky and covered in tattoos. "My legs were so swollen that if I bumped them they would break open."

Lawmakers will begin debate next month on a bill that would require doctors to screen new moms for mental health problems – once while they're pregnant and again, after giving birth.

But a lot of doctors don't like the idea. Many obstetricians and pediatricians are afraid to screen new moms for depression and anxiety.

Pregnancy is often portrayed as a wonderful time in a woman's life, filled entirely with happy and hopeful emotions. And it is, for some lucky women. But the reality for a large percentage of pregnant women doesn't match this image.

Every time the country is shaken by a tragic mass shooting and the loss of innocent lives, the same debates are repeated. Besides sending thoughts and prayers for the victims, a common theme – especially when the shooter is not a Muslim – is discussing warning signs of mental illness, and its role in the actions of the murderer.

In a Feb. 28, 2018 meeting at the White House, in addition to suggesting stricter gun laws, the president said he thought due process for mentally ill people was not as important as making sure that they do not have guns.

In the wake of the horrific school shootings in Parkland, Fla., President Trump has called repeatedly for building or reopening mental institutions.

Strangely, perhaps, he has echoed an argument made by some experts who study the mental health care system.

One in every 5 young people between the ages of 13 and 18 live with a mental-health condition — yet the average delay between the onset of symptoms and intervention is between eight and 10 years. Those statistics come from the National Institute of Mental Health, and they underscore the problems facing parents as well as educators who are raising and/or teaching children who have untreated mental illnesses.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Gerardo Alejandrez used to punch classmates, throw chairs and curse at his teachers, conduct that forced him to switch from school to school. "I had a lot of anger issues," the 16-year-old said recently.

Then Gerardo entered a class at Oakland Technical High School for students who have mental health or behavior issues. In that classroom, the teacher gets support from Erich Roberts, a psychiatric social worker assigned to the group. Oakland Unified School District bills Medicaid, the nation's insurance program for low-income residents, for Roberts' services.