Some powerful truths presented.
The mental health systems in this country are broken. But even broken things can be fixed. I have hope.
"what we like to do is say "This is how you fix it. now listen to me and follow these rules it'll be good for you." Unfortunately Senders you are correct but change is occurring and more is coming.
A person with a mental illness needs to be treated with respect for being a person, a human being not a diagnosis. This respect means treating the whole person. Physical health and mental health. They go hand and hand.
A new way to address the illnesses is work together with the person with the illness. Don't tell them what they have to do instead treat them with respect for being an adult and encourage them and using every option available to show them how wellness can be achieved. From the use of medicine if needed, therapy, education, family support and talking with others who are living with a mental illness too to hear how they are succeeding in their lives.
So now folks realize attending to the whole person physical and mental health and not just try to find a way to stop the symptoms and making zombies of folks is leading to folks getting their lives back. Going back to school, work, owning homes and businesses something unable to be done before while zombied out on potent psychiatric medications. Medications may still be needed to manage the illnesses but better ones and not handed out like candy. It is using everything together that brings wellness. Treat the whole person.
This concept of shared decision making and showing respect to adults is being proved out all across the country that this new approach referred to as Recovery works. Don't confuse this with Recovery from addictions and the 12 step programs this "Recovery" is include as part or this Recovery approach to wellness. that too.
It is very basic, show me respect, hear my pleas, work with me to help me get well. The MH industry is now realizing ordering someone to "do" does not work for most folks.
Who goes around saying "I want a mental illness" It isn't a choice, it just is and a person has to learn how to live with it and still be able to live their lives to the fullest. Being parents and working etc etc.
The MH system is a mess leave it to government to help create this big time. Fed, States Medicaid etc etc. Leave it to health insurance companies refusal to pay for services for mental health.
What Gary McCarthy said is a reality many with mental illness are exposed to. A person with a mental illness has to live with stigma at home, from family no kidding, from co-workers, friends in school, from neighbors. Is denied housing or jobs the Stigma is deafening .
Our veterans are now dying on their own country's soil because of two things. The government is not attending to their mental health needs and stigma and the lack of education about mental illness.
Bring Mental Illness out in the open. Lets talk about them. Let's learn about them.
A couple weeks back Mayor McCarthy signed two resolutions recognizing families with loved ones with a mental illness and folks living with the illnesses for their work in education about mental illness helping to reduce the stigma. I give him kudos. I am sure he has thought about that night he spoke out as the City Council president. He isn't a stupid man. He just was uneducated like we all are is some area or another. We all stigmatize one thing or another. But as we become educated that stigmatizing starts to be reduced.
I don't want to see brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, husbands and wives, grandsons and grand daughters take their lives shooting themselves, overdosing on pills, jumping off bridges because shame and stigma about having PTSD, Major Depression both of which can include psychosis etc caused them to not reach out for help.
Ellis Medicine is not to enthusiastic about being the mental health clinic for the county and low income community. The money they get from Medicaid to provide the services barely covers the cost. Therefore the needed mental health services aren't there. The lines are long for those who are poor. Hey, it could be the the person who lost their job at GE who no longer can pay the taxes and mortgage who becomes part of that poor population and have to use Medicaid. Unless they are at the extremes of the illness most likely they will not see a mental health provider for months meanwhile the illness grow like a cancer consuming them and for some it kills them.
Much more money has always been given to those addicted to drugs and alcohol. Even the director of the Federal Substance abuse and Mental Health department SAMHSA admitted to congress 70% or all funding they put into the addictions programs and grants and only 30% goes towards mental health care.
NYS is not to much different although I don't have the percentages but there is no doubt in anyone's mind Addictions gets a heck of a lot money then mental health care in our state. Once our state merges both into one agency mental health will be squashed even more. The balance is way out of whack. That is why we see so many addictions houses etc. and meanwhile folks wait in line to get mental health help when they are pleading for it. Go figure.
National Depression Screening Day® October 10, 2013 Take an anonymous depression screening.
http://www.helpyourselfhelpothers.org/ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Are you feeling desperate, alone or hopeless?
Ellis Medicine Crisis Information Referral Hotline
(51
243-3300
24 Hours, 7 Days a week.
These services are available for in-person mental health assessments in the Emergency Room, for telephone counseling, referral and to aid in psychiatric emergencies.
Let's start to talk about mental illness. Bring it out into the light. Maybe it will lead to improvements to the broken system and when someone pleas for help they will get it.
Logged
companies.....they push the pills
