Mental illness often ignored by churches

Published: June 23, 2011 at 8:31 PM Reposted at darkestcloset.bloggerspot.com

WACO, Texas, June 23 (UPI) -- Mental illness is prevalent in church communities but is also accompanied by significant distress that is often ignored, U.S. researchers found.

Study co-author Dr. Matthew Stanford -- a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University, and an expert in mental illness and the church -- says families with a member who is mentally ill would like their congregation to provide assistance.

The study surveyed nearly 6,000 participants in 24 churches representing four Protestant denominations about their family's stresses, strengths, faith practices and desires for congregational assistance.

The study, published in the journal Mental Health, Religion and Culture, found help from the church with depression and mental illness was the second priority of families with mental illness, but ranked 42nd on the list of requests from families that did not have a family member with mental illness.

"The difference in response is staggering, especially given the picture of distress painted by the data: families with mental illness reported twice as many problems and tended to ask for assistance with more immediate or crisis needs compared to other families," Stanford said in a statement. "The data give the impression that mental illness, while prevalent within a congregation, is also nearly invisible."

As a result, mental illness of a family member frequently destroys the family's connection with the religious community, Stanford said.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/06/23/Mental-illness-often-ignored-by-churches/UPI-23821308875519/#ixzz1XfQVjlyv

Shared Decision Making in Mental Health

“In July 2007, a meeting of approximately 50 experts and stakeholders in SDM and mental health was convened in Washington, DC by CMHS. Participants included researchers and SDM providers in general and mental health care, policymakers, and mental health consumers. The meeting provided an opportunity for participants to exchange perspectives on SDM, inform one another of the state of the science and practice of SDM in general and mental health care, and develop recommendations for advancing SDM within the U.S. mental health care field. Participants shared their experiences as consumers and providers of mental health care and offered insights and perspectives on a variety of aspects of SDM.

This report is intended to provide a general overview of SDM and the available research on its effects in both general and mental health care. It includes recommendations from the participants of the SDM meeting.”

To obtain a copy of the publication please visit SAMHSA Publications .

Reposted at darkestcloset.bloggerspot.com

Behind Bars Without Help: The Mental Health Controversy in Michigan

Posted at NAMI blog Thursday, August 25, 2011 Reposted at darkestcloset.bloggerspot.com

By Ron Honberg, NAMI Director of Policy and Legal AffairsThe new head of Michigan's Department of Corrections recently made national news when he expressed concerns about the extent to which his department's resources are used to provide mental health to inmates.
On August 21, it was reported in the Detroit News that Dan Heyns, director of Michigan's Department of Corrections wanted to work with sheriffs, prosecutors and local officials to ensure that fewer people living with mental illnesses come to prison.

"I've got institutions that are just packed with people who are very, very seriously mentally ill", Heyns said. "These aren't stress cases. I can't exactly provide a therapeutic environment."

Jails and prisons are the worst possible environments for people struggling with the symptoms of severe mental illnesses. Prisons are ill-equipped to provide effective psychiatric treatment. Inmates with the most severe mental illnesses are too often isolated in administrative segregation, special housing units, super-max prisons and other forms of solitary confinement. The long term isolation of individuals experiencing delusions, hallucinations or other severe psychiatric symptoms has been characterized as being akin to torture.

Sadly, the problems highlighted by Director Heyns are not unique to Michigan. A recent study revealed that about 17.1 of male inmates and 34.3 percent of female inmates in local jails throughout the country live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or PTSD. When compared to figures for the general population this is roughly a 470 percent increase in prevalence for both men and women.

So what can be done to achieve Director Heyns vision that fewer individuals living with mental illnesses come to prison to begin with?

Some would respond that we need to take a close look at our nation's treatment laws. Until the 1960s, people living with serious mental illnesses were virtually devoid of civil rights protections and were frequently institutionalized for long periods of time with no due process or right to appeal. Fortunately, these egregious civil rights abuses are a thing of the past.

There are many who believe that the laws have gone too far in the other direction, asserting that requiring proof of immediate or imminent danger to self or others means that certain people will not get help when they need it the most. Not everyone agrees. Many argue equally strenuously that the laws should remain as they are, citing continuing abuses and civil rights violations in hospitals, adult care homes, and other settings as evidence that we need to maintain strict, narrow civil commitment standards.

Irrespective of how you feel about these complex issues, the overall lack of mental health services and supports across the country is beyond dispute. Even during the best of economic times, the availability of good mental health services has been limited in the US, particularly for those who rely on the public mental health system for their care. In 2006 and 2009, before the full impact of the economic crisis, NAMI gave the nation's mental health system a grade of "D" in its Grading the States 2006 and 2009 reports.

Unfortunately, the economic recession has only made these problems worse. In March, 2011, NAMI released a report entitled State Mental Health Cuts: A National Crisis. This report revealed cuts to non-Medicaid state mental health spending of nearly $1.6 billion dollars between 2009 and 2011, with even deeper cuts projected for 2012. These cuts have led to the erosion of vital inpatient and community services for tens of thousands of youth and adults living with the most serious mental illnesses. Hospital beds have been eliminated and in many parts of the country, there are virtually no community services available either.
Not surprisingly, these cuts have added to already considerable burdens faced by law enforcement and correction centers. In Nevada, Judge Jackie Glass, who runs the Clark County (Las Vegas) Mental Health Court implored legislators not to impose further cuts on mental health services. She testified that "you will see … people [who lose mental health services] ending up in prisons, jails, emergency rooms, homeless…"
In Sacramento County, California, U.S. District Court Judge John A. Mendez went further, blocking the county from cutting mental health services as a way to balance the budget. He stated that the county's budget cutting plan would cause "catastrophic harm" and violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The U.S. is clearly at a pivotal moment in its history. Solutions to the budget crisis are not easy. However, one thing is clear: Indiscriminate cuts to mental health budgets will not save money, but cost more in the long run. Cuts of the magnitude that have occurred will continue to perpetuate the national disgrace of incarcerating people for the "crime" of having a serious mental illness. We should pay heed to Director Heyns, Judge Glass, Judge Mendez and others on the front lines responding to people in crisis. A civilized, advanced nation must do better for its most vulnerable citizens.

Culture improves physical, mental health

Published: May 24, 2011 at 8:33 PM

TRONDHEIM, Norway, May 24 (UPI) -- Doctors prescribe exercise to patients but Norwegian researchers say they soon may also prescribe going to the theater or taking up painting for better health.

Researchers Koenraad Cuypers, Steinar Krokstad, Turid Lingaas Holmen, Margunn Skjei Knudtsen, Lars Olov Bygren and Jostein Holmen of Norwegian University of Science and Technology analyzed participation in cultural activities and health involving more than 50,000 participants from 2006 to 2008.

The researchers say they found a surprising link between cultural activities and better physical and mental health.

The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found being involved in either receptive cultural activities, such as attending a theater performance or visiting an art show, or creative culture activities, such as painting or music that people participate in, was found to be related not only to good health, but to satisfaction with life and low levels of anxiety and depression.

Men seemed to get a greater perceived health benefit than women did but participation in creative and receptive cultural activities was associated with satisfaction with life, low anxiety and low depression in both genders.

"The results suggest that the use of cultural activities in health promotion and health care may be justified," the researchers say in a statement.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/05/24/Culture-improves-physical-mental-health/UPI-86651306283609/#ixzz1O2JRwIsK

Reposted at darkestcloset.blogspot.com,

Supreme Court Orders California to Reduce Prison Population

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that California must reduce its prison population by more than 30,000 inmates, citing conditions that violate the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the prison system that failed to deliver minimal care to prisoners with serious medical and mental health problems and produced “needless suffering and death.” Suicide rates in the state’s prisons, Justice Kennedy wrote, have been 80 percent higher than the average for inmates nationwide. A lower court in the case said it was “an uncontested fact” that “an inmate in one of California’s prisons needlessly dies every six or seven days due to constitutional deficiencies.” (The New York Times, 5/24/11)

Abortion Does Not Increase Mental Health Disorders

Authors of a new study of Danish women and girls have concluded that having a first-trimester abortion does not increase a woman’s risk of developing a mental health condition. Of the 365,550 individuals studied between 1995 and 2007 who either gave birth for the first time or had an abortion, the latter group – 84,620 women – had roughly the same rate of seeking psychiatric help before the abortion as afterward. On the other hand, of those who gave birth, the rate of those who sought help in the year after delivery was significantly higher than the rate of those who sought help before having a child. Authors of this study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that the stresses of parenthood, coupled with hormonal changes and less sleep, may explain the increase. To read the free abstract, go to http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0905882

African-Americans Likely to Delay MH Treatment

At the age of 12, former NBA player Thabiti Boone witnessed his severely depressed mother attempt suicide when she jumped from a six-story building and landed at his feet.

“When she was jumping off the roof, I took in all of the depression that caused her to jump,” says Boone, describing the incident in a public service video sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. He said that although he felt as if everyone was waiting for him to “break down” mentally, no one sat down and talked with him about how he was feeling.

Too often, Boone’s experience is echoed in the African American community when it comes to talking about mental health. Mental illness is brushed under the carpet, ignored, or stigmatized. But a new campaign by SAMHSA is designed to raise awareness of mental health problems among young adults in the African American community hopes to get more people talking about the issue -- and ultimately getting the help they need.
The ads will encourage and educate young adults to step up and talk openly about mental health problems, and that they are not alone in their struggle. The television, radio, print, and Web ads feature real personal stories of African Americans dealing with mental health problems, and they aim to engage those in the community to support young adults who need help.

While 58.7% of Americans with serious mental illness received care in 2008, only 44.8% of mentally ill blacks received services, according to SAMHSA's 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The prevalence of serious mental illness is highest among those age 18 to 25, but according to SAMHSA, those people are the least likely to receive services or counseling.

“African Americans are more likely to delay seeking treatment until their symptoms are more severe and are more likely to discontinue or stop treatment once it is started,” says Paolo Del Vecchio, associate director for SAMSHA’s office of Consumer Affairs, which offers resources and programs to address mental health.

There are a variety of mental health disorders ranging from depression and anxiety problems to phobias and more serious issues such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, says Annelle Primm, director of minority and national affairs at the American Psychiatric Association.

Symptoms of mental instability can include changes in mood, sleep activity, energy level, or appetite; an inability to remember, concentrate, or think; and delusions or hallucinations. But Primm says that having just one of those symptoms in a fleeting sort of way, doesn’t mean that someone has a mental illness. But when the symptoms are grouped together over a long period a time a person should seek help.

Although a lack of health insurance is one of many reasons mental health care is not sought in the black community, many neglect treatment because the stigma associated with it can cause shame and embarrassment. Also, the belief by some religions that mental health problems can be cured through prayer and faith is another reason why some people do not admit they aren’t well or seek professional help, says Del Vecchio.

So instead of getting the help they need, many people suffering from mental illness self-medicate with alcohol and illegal drugs.

"The disparities that African Americans experience in accessing mental health care can be overcome through increased awareness and education,” said Kathryn A. Power, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services. “Raising the African American community’s understanding and attention to these issues will provide greater opportunities for recovery from mental health problems.”

http://www.blackenterprise.com/2010/03/02/challenging-the-stigma-of-mental-illness/

Resources
-- The Stay Strong Foundation
-- National Alliance on Mental Health
-- The Black Mental Health Alliance
-- Mental Health America
-- Black Psychiatrists of America

Reprinted from STOMP Newsletter. www.cnsantistigmaprogram.org