By Katherine Ponte and Izzy Goncalves
I have serious #mentalillness. As a result, #mentalillness has become a part of my partner and caregiver Izzy’s life as well. He and I have both learned a lot in our challenging 18-year journey to recovery. We’d like to share several lessons that have helped us to navigate recovery.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Meet Your Loved One Where They Are
Helping a loved one with #mentalillness often begins by identifying where they are in the five stages of change and advice for what you can do accordingly:
- Precontemplation (not interested in help): Demonstrate empathy and avoid judgment.
- Contemplation (recognizes problem but isn’t ready to change): Recognize that change is hard and consider pros and cons of treatment.
- Preparation (states commitment to change): Try to help your loved one define goals. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable and timely.
- Behavior change (starts to change/become actively involved in treatment): Reinforce your loved one’s positive behavior.
- Maintenance (sustaining change): Offer your continuing support.
It’s important to listen for “change talk” and act on it by providing support, comfort and encouragement at each stage. Patience is also required (although loved one should feel empowered to use their best judgment in times of an emergency). Pressuring someone to move forward in their journey may cause them to resist, which may delay treatment.
Listen In Order To Communicate
Starting the conversation with your loved one can be critical to helping them get the help they need. The caregiver may need to take the first step to start the discussion, and the best way to do so is to demonstrate genuine interest in your loved one’s concerns.
Don’t tell them how you can help — ask if you can help and how. Respect their desire not to talk about the situation. “I need to talk to you” is rarely a good way to start a conversation. When they don’t want to talk, the better approach is to keep gently reminding them that you are there for them if they want to speak.
Highly effective tools for improving communication include:
- Motivational interviewing: This technique seeks to tap into one’s own personal motivation for change, which may include achieving specific life goals.- OARS: This method provides a framework for practicing motivational interviewing. This acronym stands for opened-ended questions, affirmation, reflection and summarizing.
- Active listening: This form of engaging involves listening to what a person says and then reflecting what was said in a way that demonstrates understanding. It also serves as a mirror, nudging a person to see and confront their thoughts, ideas and impressions.
Show Compassion For Past Mistakes
It is important to always convey empathy and compassion when speaking with your loved one. This includes talking about the past. Many people with #mentalillness are aware of some of the inappropriate things they did when ill. In fact, they may often obsess over their regrets and mistakes.
It may be best not to raise these incidents if you see that your loved one is actively trying to improve their #behavior. Mentioning them may make it harder to move forward in their recovery — they can’t change the past. It can be helpful to instead focus on the present moment and future goals.
Encourage Self-Empowerment
#Mentalillness may make a person feel as if they have no say or control over their life. Often, they may allow their caregiver to take control of their treatment because of their difficulty accepting the diagnosis or out of ambivalence. However, self-empowerment is key to recovery.
It’s important to ask open-ended questions to explore what your loved one wants and to help them take ownership of their #mentalillness and treatment. When a caregiver respects and trusts their loved one’s decisions, this can feel liberating and improve the relationship.
Treatment approaches can also be self-empowering. A shared decision-making approach can be very effective. With this approach, a #patient makes clear to their doctor what their priorities are, and together they agree on a treatment plan. An approach designed to help #patients pursue life goals, rather than merely addressing symptoms and side effects, can be extremely motivating.
Practice Positive Reinforcement
Caregivers should strive to recognize and praise all accomplishments. When your loved one it severely depressed, getting up from bed, taking a shower or eating can be extremely difficult for them. Doing any of these is an accomplishment. Don’t mistake a depressed person’s inactivity as laziness.
Recovery is often a series of small accomplishments. Small accomplishments can build into big strides, such as getting a job or getting your own home. Encourage your loved one to dream and pursue goals and help them along the way with practical and realistic advice.
Avoid Helicoptering
Helicoptering is a form of a caregiver’s over-involvement in their loved one’s care. Plainly stated, a person feels under constant surveillance as a caregiver “hovers” around them, constantly on high alert for an episode or other adverse event. To a person with #mentalillness, this over-involvement and anticipation of the worst-case scenario can feel suffocating, disempowering, discouraging and even enraging. Despite a caregiver’s good intentions, helicoptering can lead a person to withdraw and isolate.
A common instance of helicoptering is when a caregiver repeatedly insists on contacting their loved one’s #psychiatrist, leading the #patient to feel like they’re being “snitched on.” This fear may be based on the control a #psychiatrist has on their treatment, such as the ability to make a medication change. A person may also feel that a #psychiatrist will give deference to the caregiver rather than the “sick” #patient. All of this may lead to a significant and harmful erosion of trust between the person and their caregiver — as well as the #patient and their provider.
Many caregivers do not realize the serious consequences of this sort of helicoptering. For example, their loved one with #mentalillness can revoke or put limits on the permission their #psychiatrist has to speak with caregivers in the future.
Access Peer Insights
Peers can support, inform and inspire each other’s recovery journey. In fact, people with #mentalillness are often more comfortable speaking to peers than clinicians. Peers have insights that clinicians without lived experience cannot offer; moreover, peers in recovery can offer invaluable hope to both supports and people living with #mentalillness.
Understanding is critical to a good relationship between a person with #mentalillness and their caregiver. While #mentalillness is very often a family effort, it cannot be overemphasized that a person’s responsibility, ownership and self-empowerment will enhance outcomes. When a person is provided more control over their treatment process, they are more likely to reach recovery. Ultimately, that’s what caregivers and their loved ones should be striving for, together.
Katherine Ponte is happily living in recovery from severe #bipolar I disorder. She’s the Founder of ForLikeMinds’ #mentalillness peer support community, #BipolarThriving: Recovery Coaching, and Psych Ward Greeting Cards. Katherine is also a Faculty Member of the Program for Recovery and Community Health at Yale University and has authored ForLikeMinds: #MentalIllness Recovery Insights. She is on the NAMI-NYC Board.
Izzy Goncalves works in finance and has been the primary caregiver of his spouse, Katherine. He has been instrumental in helping her develop a number of #mentalillness recovery initiatives.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8553
Thursday, January 6, 2022
By Katherine Ponte and Izzy Goncalves
I have serious #mentalillness. As a result, #mentalillness has become a part of my partner and caregiver Izzy’s life as well. He and I have both learned a lot in our challenging 18-year journey to recovery. We’d like to share several lessons that have helped us to navigate recovery.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Meet Your Loved One Where They Are
Helping a loved one with #mentalillness often begins by identifying where they are in the five stages of change and advice for what you can do accordingly:
- Precontemplation (not interested in help): Demonstrate empathy and avoid judgment.
- Contemplation (recognizes problem but isn’t ready to change): Recognize that change is hard and consider pros and cons of treatment.
- Preparation (states commitment to change): Try to help your loved one define goals. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable and timely.
- Behavior change (starts to change/become actively involved in treatment): Reinforce your loved one’s positive behavior.
- Maintenance (sustaining change): Offer your continuing support.
It’s important to listen for “change talk” and act on it by providing support, comfort and encouragement at each stage. Patience is also required (although loved one should feel empowered to use their best judgment in times of an emergency). Pressuring someone to move forward in their journey may cause them to resist, which may delay treatment.
Listen In Order To Communicate
Starting the conversation with your loved one can be critical to helping them get the help they need. The caregiver may need to take the first step to start the discussion, and the best way to do so is to demonstrate genuine interest in your loved one’s concerns.
Don’t tell them how you can help — ask if you can help and how. Respect their desire not to talk about the situation. “I need to talk to you” is rarely a good way to start a conversation. When they don’t want to talk, the better approach is to keep gently reminding them that you are there for them if they want to speak.
Highly effective tools for improving communication include:
- Motivational interviewing: This technique seeks to tap into one’s own personal motivation for change, which may include achieving specific life goals.- OARS: This method provides a framework for practicing motivational interviewing. This acronym stands for opened-ended questions, affirmation, reflection and summarizing.
- Active listening: This form of engaging involves listening to what a person says and then reflecting what was said in a way that demonstrates understanding. It also serves as a mirror, nudging a person to see and confront their thoughts, ideas and impressions.
Show Compassion For Past Mistakes
It is important to always convey empathy and compassion when speaking with your loved one. This includes talking about the past. Many people with #mentalillness are aware of some of the inappropriate things they did when ill. In fact, they may often obsess over their regrets and mistakes.
It may be best not to raise these incidents if you see that your loved one is actively trying to improve their #behavior. Mentioning them may make it harder to move forward in their recovery — they can’t change the past. It can be helpful to instead focus on the present moment and future goals.
Encourage Self-Empowerment
#Mentalillness may make a person feel as if they have no say or control over their life. Often, they may allow their caregiver to take control of their treatment because of their difficulty accepting the diagnosis or out of ambivalence. However, self-empowerment is key to recovery.
It’s important to ask open-ended questions to explore what your loved one wants and to help them take ownership of their #mentalillness and treatment. When a caregiver respects and trusts their loved one’s decisions, this can feel liberating and improve the relationship.
Treatment approaches can also be self-empowering. A shared decision-making approach can be very effective. With this approach, a #patient makes clear to their doctor what their priorities are, and together they agree on a treatment plan. An approach designed to help #patients pursue life goals, rather than merely addressing symptoms and side effects, can be extremely motivating.
Practice Positive Reinforcement
Caregivers should strive to recognize and praise all accomplishments. When your loved one it severely depressed, getting up from bed, taking a shower or eating can be extremely difficult for them. Doing any of these is an accomplishment. Don’t mistake a depressed person’s inactivity as laziness.
Recovery is often a series of small accomplishments. Small accomplishments can build into big strides, such as getting a job or getting your own home. Encourage your loved one to dream and pursue goals and help them along the way with practical and realistic advice.
Avoid Helicoptering
Helicoptering is a form of a caregiver’s over-involvement in their loved one’s care. Plainly stated, a person feels under constant surveillance as a caregiver “hovers” around them, constantly on high alert for an episode or other adverse event. To a person with #mentalillness, this over-involvement and anticipation of the worst-case scenario can feel suffocating, disempowering, discouraging and even enraging. Despite a caregiver’s good intentions, helicoptering can lead a person to withdraw and isolate.
A common instance of helicoptering is when a caregiver repeatedly insists on contacting their loved one’s #psychiatrist, leading the #patient to feel like they’re being “snitched on.” This fear may be based on the control a #psychiatrist has on their treatment, such as the ability to make a medication change. A person may also feel that a #psychiatrist will give deference to the caregiver rather than the “sick” #patient. All of this may lead to a significant and harmful erosion of trust between the person and their caregiver — as well as the #patient and their provider.
Many caregivers do not realize the serious consequences of this sort of helicoptering. For example, their loved one with #mentalillness can revoke or put limits on the permission their #psychiatrist has to speak with caregivers in the future.
Access Peer Insights
Peers can support, inform and inspire each other’s recovery journey. In fact, people with #mentalillness are often more comfortable speaking to peers than clinicians. Peers have insights that clinicians without lived experience cannot offer; moreover, peers in recovery can offer invaluable hope to both supports and people living with #mentalillness.
Understanding is critical to a good relationship between a person with #mentalillness and their caregiver. While #mentalillness is very often a family effort, it cannot be overemphasized that a person’s responsibility, ownership and self-empowerment will enhance outcomes. When a person is provided more control over their treatment process, they are more likely to reach recovery. Ultimately, that’s what caregivers and their loved ones should be striving for, together.
Katherine Ponte is happily living in recovery from severe #bipolar I disorder. She’s the Founder of ForLikeMinds’ #mentalillness peer support community, #BipolarThriving: Recovery Coaching, and Psych Ward Greeting Cards. Katherine is also a Faculty Member of the Program for Recovery and Community Health at Yale University and has authored ForLikeMinds: #MentalIllness Recovery Insights. She is on the NAMI-NYC Board.
Izzy Goncalves works in finance and has been the primary caregiver of his spouse, Katherine. He has been instrumental in helping her develop a number of #mentalillness recovery initiatives.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8553
I have serious #mentalillness. As a result, #mentalillness has become a part of my partner and caregiver Izzy’s life as well. He and I have both learned a lot in our challenging 18-year journey to recovery. We’d like to share several lessons that have helped us to navigate recovery.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Meet Your Loved One Where They Are
Helping a loved one with #mentalillness often begins by identifying where they are in the five stages of change and advice for what you can do accordingly:
- Precontemplation (not interested in help): Demonstrate empathy and avoid judgment.
- Contemplation (recognizes problem but isn’t ready to change): Recognize that change is hard and consider pros and cons of treatment.
- Preparation (states commitment to change): Try to help your loved one define goals. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable and timely.
- Behavior change (starts to change/become actively involved in treatment): Reinforce your loved one’s positive behavior.
- Maintenance (sustaining change): Offer your continuing support.
It’s important to listen for “change talk” and act on it by providing support, comfort and encouragement at each stage. Patience is also required (although loved one should feel empowered to use their best judgment in times of an emergency). Pressuring someone to move forward in their journey may cause them to resist, which may delay treatment.
Listen In Order To Communicate
Starting the conversation with your loved one can be critical to helping them get the help they need. The caregiver may need to take the first step to start the discussion, and the best way to do so is to demonstrate genuine interest in your loved one’s concerns.
Don’t tell them how you can help — ask if you can help and how. Respect their desire not to talk about the situation. “I need to talk to you” is rarely a good way to start a conversation. When they don’t want to talk, the better approach is to keep gently reminding them that you are there for them if they want to speak.
Highly effective tools for improving communication include:
- Motivational interviewing: This technique seeks to tap into one’s own personal motivation for change, which may include achieving specific life goals.- OARS: This method provides a framework for practicing motivational interviewing. This acronym stands for opened-ended questions, affirmation, reflection and summarizing.
- Active listening: This form of engaging involves listening to what a person says and then reflecting what was said in a way that demonstrates understanding. It also serves as a mirror, nudging a person to see and confront their thoughts, ideas and impressions.
Show Compassion For Past Mistakes
It is important to always convey empathy and compassion when speaking with your loved one. This includes talking about the past. Many people with #mentalillness are aware of some of the inappropriate things they did when ill. In fact, they may often obsess over their regrets and mistakes.
It may be best not to raise these incidents if you see that your loved one is actively trying to improve their #behavior. Mentioning them may make it harder to move forward in their recovery — they can’t change the past. It can be helpful to instead focus on the present moment and future goals.
Encourage Self-Empowerment
#Mentalillness may make a person feel as if they have no say or control over their life. Often, they may allow their caregiver to take control of their treatment because of their difficulty accepting the diagnosis or out of ambivalence. However, self-empowerment is key to recovery.
It’s important to ask open-ended questions to explore what your loved one wants and to help them take ownership of their #mentalillness and treatment. When a caregiver respects and trusts their loved one’s decisions, this can feel liberating and improve the relationship.
Treatment approaches can also be self-empowering. A shared decision-making approach can be very effective. With this approach, a #patient makes clear to their doctor what their priorities are, and together they agree on a treatment plan. An approach designed to help #patients pursue life goals, rather than merely addressing symptoms and side effects, can be extremely motivating.
Practice Positive Reinforcement
Caregivers should strive to recognize and praise all accomplishments. When your loved one it severely depressed, getting up from bed, taking a shower or eating can be extremely difficult for them. Doing any of these is an accomplishment. Don’t mistake a depressed person’s inactivity as laziness.
Recovery is often a series of small accomplishments. Small accomplishments can build into big strides, such as getting a job or getting your own home. Encourage your loved one to dream and pursue goals and help them along the way with practical and realistic advice.
Avoid Helicoptering
Helicoptering is a form of a caregiver’s over-involvement in their loved one’s care. Plainly stated, a person feels under constant surveillance as a caregiver “hovers” around them, constantly on high alert for an episode or other adverse event. To a person with #mentalillness, this over-involvement and anticipation of the worst-case scenario can feel suffocating, disempowering, discouraging and even enraging. Despite a caregiver’s good intentions, helicoptering can lead a person to withdraw and isolate.
A common instance of helicoptering is when a caregiver repeatedly insists on contacting their loved one’s #psychiatrist, leading the #patient to feel like they’re being “snitched on.” This fear may be based on the control a #psychiatrist has on their treatment, such as the ability to make a medication change. A person may also feel that a #psychiatrist will give deference to the caregiver rather than the “sick” #patient. All of this may lead to a significant and harmful erosion of trust between the person and their caregiver — as well as the #patient and their provider.
Many caregivers do not realize the serious consequences of this sort of helicoptering. For example, their loved one with #mentalillness can revoke or put limits on the permission their #psychiatrist has to speak with caregivers in the future.
Access Peer Insights
Peers can support, inform and inspire each other’s recovery journey. In fact, people with #mentalillness are often more comfortable speaking to peers than clinicians. Peers have insights that clinicians without lived experience cannot offer; moreover, peers in recovery can offer invaluable hope to both supports and people living with #mentalillness.
Understanding is critical to a good relationship between a person with #mentalillness and their caregiver. While #mentalillness is very often a family effort, it cannot be overemphasized that a person’s responsibility, ownership and self-empowerment will enhance outcomes. When a person is provided more control over their treatment process, they are more likely to reach recovery. Ultimately, that’s what caregivers and their loved ones should be striving for, together.
Katherine Ponte is happily living in recovery from severe #bipolar I disorder. She’s the Founder of ForLikeMinds’ #mentalillness peer support community, #BipolarThriving: Recovery Coaching, and Psych Ward Greeting Cards. Katherine is also a Faculty Member of the Program for Recovery and Community Health at Yale University and has authored ForLikeMinds: #MentalIllness Recovery Insights. She is on the NAMI-NYC Board.
Izzy Goncalves works in finance and has been the primary caregiver of his spouse, Katherine. He has been instrumental in helping her develop a number of #mentalillness recovery initiatives.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8553
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
By: Rhitu Chatterjee
Caption
Digital generated image of cut out male head multilayered with #covid-19 cells inside on blue background.
Even before the federal government's recent decision last week to authorize #COVID-19 boosters all #adults, it had already recommended them in October for people with certain high-risk conditions. Along with with illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, that list included #mentalhealthconditions.
The decision to prioritize people with #psychiatric diagnoses in the early rollout of boosters came after a growing number of studies linked #mentalhealthdisorders with higher risk of both #COVID-19 infection and of serious outcomes.
Last year, researchers analyzed data from five hospitals in the Yale New Haven Health System to see how people with a #mentalhealthdiagnosis who were hospitalized with #COVID-19 fared compared to others.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
"What we found was we had a higher level of mortality for those that had a prior #psychiatric history," says #psychiatrist Dr. Luming Li, who was working on her Master's degree at Yale University at the time.
The risk of death from #COVID-19 went up by 50% for those with a history of #mentalillness compared to those with no such history, says Li, who is now the Chief Medical Officer at the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD in Texas.
Another study published last year looked at a nationwide database of electronic health records with information on people who'd tested positive for #COVID-19 and those who were hospitalized.
If an individual had a history of a #mentaldisorder, they were more likely to get infected," says study author Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "And if they got infected, then they were more likely to have negative outcomes, such as hospitalization and death."
There are several things going on that explain this, she says.
For one, #mentalillnesses change people's #behaviors which can make them less likely to protect themselves from an infection, with measures like #socialdistancing or wearing masks.
Second, people with #mentalillness tend to have poorer overall health and many chronic health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, kidney disease.
"It is this very high prevalence of comorbid medical conditions that's likely to actually be putting them at greater risk for negative outcomes ," says Volkow.
It's well known that people with #mentalillness on average live shorter lives and die of health conditions other than their psychiatric diagnosis.
"They suffer prematurely from chronic illnesses, medical neglect," says Dr. Ashwin Vasan, who is president and CEO of Fountain House, a #mentalhealth nonprofit.
They are also among the most isolated in society, he says, and that #isolation takes an immense toll on their bodies putting them at a higher risk of chronic illnesses.
"There have been study after study showing that it leads to inflammation, immunologic #stress, neurodegenerative decline, immunologic impairment, endocrinological impairment," says Vasan. It's equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, he notes.
And many medications used to treat #mentalillnesses, particularly antipsychotics also increase risk of these chronic health problems, says Volkow.
"This has been one of the main challenges that we have with the use of antipsychotics overall, which help control certain symptoms in #schizophrenia but are negatively associated with a much higher risk of diabetes and hypertension and metabolic diseases," she says.
Certainly the risk isn't the same for all #psychiatric diagnoses. It's higher for people with serious #mentalillness, than say mild #depression. But as Vasan pointed out, #mentalillness is not a static thing.
"People's severity of #mentalillness and impairment can ebb and flow depending on the amount of care and support they're getting," he says. "Whether or not you're in the throes of a crisis or managing your chronic #mentalillness, we know on balance, at a population health epidemiologic level, that you're at greater risk."
There's also a clear overlap between serious #mentalillness and #homelessness and substance abuse, which are also linked to high risk of infection and severe #COVID-19.
"About 40% of our chronically homeless population has serious #mentalillness and addiction," says Vasan.
Most of the 13 million people with serious #mentalillness in the US are on Medicaid, he says, but 40% have no access to care at all.
"This is a systematically marginalized, sicker population that has less access to care and supports," he says.
For all these reasons, Vasan and other #mentalhealth experts were glad to see that #CDC prioritized people with #mentalillness for #COVID-19 vaccination, something they say should have happened long before.
But many people with #mentalillness, especially those with serious #mentalillness (people with significant impairments in their daily functioning) may not be aware of their own risks, or the new recommendations, says Li.
It's important for both #healthcareworkers and family members to also be aware of the risks of serious #COVID-19 faced by people with #mentalhealth diagnoses, and help make sure they are vaccinated, says Li.
"It's going to be a very important first step to make sure that they have their vaccines to start out with and then, second, to be able to get the boosters," she says.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8548
Caption
Digital generated image of cut out male head multilayered with #covid-19 cells inside on blue background.
Even before the federal government's recent decision last week to authorize #COVID-19 boosters all #adults, it had already recommended them in October for people with certain high-risk conditions. Along with with illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, that list included #mentalhealthconditions.
The decision to prioritize people with #psychiatric diagnoses in the early rollout of boosters came after a growing number of studies linked #mentalhealthdisorders with higher risk of both #COVID-19 infection and of serious outcomes.
Last year, researchers analyzed data from five hospitals in the Yale New Haven Health System to see how people with a #mentalhealthdiagnosis who were hospitalized with #COVID-19 fared compared to others.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
"What we found was we had a higher level of mortality for those that had a prior #psychiatric history," says #psychiatrist Dr. Luming Li, who was working on her Master's degree at Yale University at the time.
The risk of death from #COVID-19 went up by 50% for those with a history of #mentalillness compared to those with no such history, says Li, who is now the Chief Medical Officer at the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD in Texas.
Another study published last year looked at a nationwide database of electronic health records with information on people who'd tested positive for #COVID-19 and those who were hospitalized.
If an individual had a history of a #mentaldisorder, they were more likely to get infected," says study author Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "And if they got infected, then they were more likely to have negative outcomes, such as hospitalization and death."
There are several things going on that explain this, she says.
For one, #mentalillnesses change people's #behaviors which can make them less likely to protect themselves from an infection, with measures like #socialdistancing or wearing masks.
Second, people with #mentalillness tend to have poorer overall health and many chronic health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, kidney disease.
"It is this very high prevalence of comorbid medical conditions that's likely to actually be putting them at greater risk for negative outcomes ," says Volkow.
It's well known that people with #mentalillness on average live shorter lives and die of health conditions other than their psychiatric diagnosis.
"They suffer prematurely from chronic illnesses, medical neglect," says Dr. Ashwin Vasan, who is president and CEO of Fountain House, a #mentalhealth nonprofit.
They are also among the most isolated in society, he says, and that #isolation takes an immense toll on their bodies putting them at a higher risk of chronic illnesses.
"There have been study after study showing that it leads to inflammation, immunologic #stress, neurodegenerative decline, immunologic impairment, endocrinological impairment," says Vasan. It's equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, he notes.
And many medications used to treat #mentalillnesses, particularly antipsychotics also increase risk of these chronic health problems, says Volkow.
"This has been one of the main challenges that we have with the use of antipsychotics overall, which help control certain symptoms in #schizophrenia but are negatively associated with a much higher risk of diabetes and hypertension and metabolic diseases," she says.
Certainly the risk isn't the same for all #psychiatric diagnoses. It's higher for people with serious #mentalillness, than say mild #depression. But as Vasan pointed out, #mentalillness is not a static thing.
"People's severity of #mentalillness and impairment can ebb and flow depending on the amount of care and support they're getting," he says. "Whether or not you're in the throes of a crisis or managing your chronic #mentalillness, we know on balance, at a population health epidemiologic level, that you're at greater risk."
There's also a clear overlap between serious #mentalillness and #homelessness and substance abuse, which are also linked to high risk of infection and severe #COVID-19.
"About 40% of our chronically homeless population has serious #mentalillness and addiction," says Vasan.
Most of the 13 million people with serious #mentalillness in the US are on Medicaid, he says, but 40% have no access to care at all.
"This is a systematically marginalized, sicker population that has less access to care and supports," he says.
For all these reasons, Vasan and other #mentalhealth experts were glad to see that #CDC prioritized people with #mentalillness for #COVID-19 vaccination, something they say should have happened long before.
But many people with #mentalillness, especially those with serious #mentalillness (people with significant impairments in their daily functioning) may not be aware of their own risks, or the new recommendations, says Li.
It's important for both #healthcareworkers and family members to also be aware of the risks of serious #COVID-19 faced by people with #mentalhealth diagnoses, and help make sure they are vaccinated, says Li.
"It's going to be a very important first step to make sure that they have their vaccines to start out with and then, second, to be able to get the boosters," she says.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8548
By: Rhitu Chatterjee
Caption
Digital generated image of cut out male head multilayered with #covid-19 cells inside on blue background.
Even before the federal government's recent decision last week to authorize #COVID-19 boosters all #adults, it had already recommended them in October for people with certain high-risk conditions. Along with with illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, that list included #mentalhealthconditions.
The decision to prioritize people with #psychiatric diagnoses in the early rollout of boosters came after a growing number of studies linked #mentalhealthdisorders with higher risk of both #COVID-19 infection and of serious outcomes.
Last year, researchers analyzed data from five hospitals in the Yale New Haven Health System to see how people with a #mentalhealthdiagnosis who were hospitalized with #COVID-19 fared compared to others.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
"What we found was we had a higher level of mortality for those that had a prior #psychiatric history," says #psychiatrist Dr. Luming Li, who was working on her Master's degree at Yale University at the time.
The risk of death from #COVID-19 went up by 50% for those with a history of #mentalillness compared to those with no such history, says Li, who is now the Chief Medical Officer at the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD in Texas.
Another study published last year looked at a nationwide database of electronic health records with information on people who'd tested positive for #COVID-19 and those who were hospitalized.
If an individual had a history of a #mentaldisorder, they were more likely to get infected," says study author Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "And if they got infected, then they were more likely to have negative outcomes, such as hospitalization and death."
There are several things going on that explain this, she says.
For one, #mentalillnesses change people's #behaviors which can make them less likely to protect themselves from an infection, with measures like #socialdistancing or wearing masks.
Second, people with #mentalillness tend to have poorer overall health and many chronic health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, kidney disease.
"It is this very high prevalence of comorbid medical conditions that's likely to actually be putting them at greater risk for negative outcomes ," says Volkow.
It's well known that people with #mentalillness on average live shorter lives and die of health conditions other than their psychiatric diagnosis.
"They suffer prematurely from chronic illnesses, medical neglect," says Dr. Ashwin Vasan, who is president and CEO of Fountain House, a #mentalhealth nonprofit.
They are also among the most isolated in society, he says, and that #isolation takes an immense toll on their bodies putting them at a higher risk of chronic illnesses.
"There have been study after study showing that it leads to inflammation, immunologic #stress, neurodegenerative decline, immunologic impairment, endocrinological impairment," says Vasan. It's equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, he notes.
And many medications used to treat #mentalillnesses, particularly antipsychotics also increase risk of these chronic health problems, says Volkow.
"This has been one of the main challenges that we have with the use of antipsychotics overall, which help control certain symptoms in #schizophrenia but are negatively associated with a much higher risk of diabetes and hypertension and metabolic diseases," she says.
Certainly the risk isn't the same for all #psychiatric diagnoses. It's higher for people with serious #mentalillness, than say mild #depression. But as Vasan pointed out, #mentalillness is not a static thing.
"People's severity of #mentalillness and impairment can ebb and flow depending on the amount of care and support they're getting," he says. "Whether or not you're in the throes of a crisis or managing your chronic #mentalillness, we know on balance, at a population health epidemiologic level, that you're at greater risk."
There's also a clear overlap between serious #mentalillness and #homelessness and substance abuse, which are also linked to high risk of infection and severe #COVID-19.
"About 40% of our chronically homeless population has serious #mentalillness and addiction," says Vasan.
Most of the 13 million people with serious #mentalillness in the US are on Medicaid, he says, but 40% have no access to care at all.
"This is a systematically marginalized, sicker population that has less access to care and supports," he says.
For all these reasons, Vasan and other #mentalhealth experts were glad to see that #CDC prioritized people with #mentalillness for #COVID-19 vaccination, something they say should have happened long before.
But many people with #mentalillness, especially those with serious #mentalillness (people with significant impairments in their daily functioning) may not be aware of their own risks, or the new recommendations, says Li.
It's important for both #healthcareworkers and family members to also be aware of the risks of serious #COVID-19 faced by people with #mentalhealth diagnoses, and help make sure they are vaccinated, says Li.
"It's going to be a very important first step to make sure that they have their vaccines to start out with and then, second, to be able to get the boosters," she says.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8548
Caption
Digital generated image of cut out male head multilayered with #covid-19 cells inside on blue background.
Even before the federal government's recent decision last week to authorize #COVID-19 boosters all #adults, it had already recommended them in October for people with certain high-risk conditions. Along with with illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, that list included #mentalhealthconditions.
The decision to prioritize people with #psychiatric diagnoses in the early rollout of boosters came after a growing number of studies linked #mentalhealthdisorders with higher risk of both #COVID-19 infection and of serious outcomes.
Last year, researchers analyzed data from five hospitals in the Yale New Haven Health System to see how people with a #mentalhealthdiagnosis who were hospitalized with #COVID-19 fared compared to others.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
"What we found was we had a higher level of mortality for those that had a prior #psychiatric history," says #psychiatrist Dr. Luming Li, who was working on her Master's degree at Yale University at the time.
The risk of death from #COVID-19 went up by 50% for those with a history of #mentalillness compared to those with no such history, says Li, who is now the Chief Medical Officer at the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD in Texas.
Another study published last year looked at a nationwide database of electronic health records with information on people who'd tested positive for #COVID-19 and those who were hospitalized.
If an individual had a history of a #mentaldisorder, they were more likely to get infected," says study author Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "And if they got infected, then they were more likely to have negative outcomes, such as hospitalization and death."
There are several things going on that explain this, she says.
For one, #mentalillnesses change people's #behaviors which can make them less likely to protect themselves from an infection, with measures like #socialdistancing or wearing masks.
Second, people with #mentalillness tend to have poorer overall health and many chronic health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, kidney disease.
"It is this very high prevalence of comorbid medical conditions that's likely to actually be putting them at greater risk for negative outcomes ," says Volkow.
It's well known that people with #mentalillness on average live shorter lives and die of health conditions other than their psychiatric diagnosis.
"They suffer prematurely from chronic illnesses, medical neglect," says Dr. Ashwin Vasan, who is president and CEO of Fountain House, a #mentalhealth nonprofit.
They are also among the most isolated in society, he says, and that #isolation takes an immense toll on their bodies putting them at a higher risk of chronic illnesses.
"There have been study after study showing that it leads to inflammation, immunologic #stress, neurodegenerative decline, immunologic impairment, endocrinological impairment," says Vasan. It's equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, he notes.
And many medications used to treat #mentalillnesses, particularly antipsychotics also increase risk of these chronic health problems, says Volkow.
"This has been one of the main challenges that we have with the use of antipsychotics overall, which help control certain symptoms in #schizophrenia but are negatively associated with a much higher risk of diabetes and hypertension and metabolic diseases," she says.
Certainly the risk isn't the same for all #psychiatric diagnoses. It's higher for people with serious #mentalillness, than say mild #depression. But as Vasan pointed out, #mentalillness is not a static thing.
"People's severity of #mentalillness and impairment can ebb and flow depending on the amount of care and support they're getting," he says. "Whether or not you're in the throes of a crisis or managing your chronic #mentalillness, we know on balance, at a population health epidemiologic level, that you're at greater risk."
There's also a clear overlap between serious #mentalillness and #homelessness and substance abuse, which are also linked to high risk of infection and severe #COVID-19.
"About 40% of our chronically homeless population has serious #mentalillness and addiction," says Vasan.
Most of the 13 million people with serious #mentalillness in the US are on Medicaid, he says, but 40% have no access to care at all.
"This is a systematically marginalized, sicker population that has less access to care and supports," he says.
For all these reasons, Vasan and other #mentalhealth experts were glad to see that #CDC prioritized people with #mentalillness for #COVID-19 vaccination, something they say should have happened long before.
But many people with #mentalillness, especially those with serious #mentalillness (people with significant impairments in their daily functioning) may not be aware of their own risks, or the new recommendations, says Li.
It's important for both #healthcareworkers and family members to also be aware of the risks of serious #COVID-19 faced by people with #mentalhealth diagnoses, and help make sure they are vaccinated, says Li.
"It's going to be a very important first step to make sure that they have their vaccines to start out with and then, second, to be able to get the boosters," she says.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8548
Monday, January 3, 2022
Data from the U.S. #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention shows that the “proportion of emergency department visits related to #mentalhealthcrises has increased dramatically for young #children and #adolescents since the #pandemic started,” according to Education Week. Metro Creative
By Kylee Mullikin
ANDERSON — The American Academy of Pediatrics, among other organizations, now considers children’s mentalhealth a national emergency.
On top of daily challenges #children face, the #COVID-19 #pandemic also contributed to children’s #mentalhealthissues.
“Young people have endured so much throughout this #pandemic and while much of the attention is often placed on its physical health consequences, we cannot overlook the escalating #mentalhealthcrisis facing our #patients,” AAP President Lee Savio Beers said in an October AAP article. “Today’s declaration is an urgent call to policymakers at all levels of government — we must treat this #mentalhealthcrisis like the emergency it is.”
Before the #pandemic, rates of #mentalhealth diagnosis as well as #suicide rates among young people had been steadily increasing. In 2018, #suicide was the No. 1 cause of death for people 10-24.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
The #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention found that from March to October 2020, #mentalhealth emergency visits increased by 24% in kids 5-11 and 31% in youngsters 12-17.
Declaring children’s #mentalhealth a national emergency allows for more attention to be brought to this issue.
“We have the opportunity to get information out to #parents to help them to be aware of what may be happening with their #children and when it’s time to seek help,” said Jennie Voelker, a licensed clinical social worker and clinical director of Youth Services with Community Health Network.
One way to help children’s #mentalhealth is by letting them express themselves. This not only includes talking to someone about their feelings but letting them play, make art, write or anything else that they enjoy doing.
Voelker also wants #parents and guardians to remember that they are the role model for their #children.
“If #adults are taking care of themselves when they’re struggling with #stress and emotional health, then their #children will see that,” Voelker said. “They will learn from that, and they will model after that.”
In #children, changes in mood or #behavior can be helpful indicators. Increased or decreased expression of emotions can be an indicator a #child is struggling. Another indicator is if a #child suddenly loses interest in things normally enjoyed.
Voelker also mentioned that the use of #alcohol or #drugs can sometimes be a sign that a child is struggling mentally.
“I really do believe that #parents are the experts on their #children, so if your gut tells you something’s not right, that’s the time to be checking in,” Voelker said.
If any #child or teenage talks about #suicide, it is critical that they be taken seriously.
“That is a time to really seek help, and there are options out there. There are lots of 24-hour call lines (and) text lines that we can get help from.”
The #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline is a 24-hour call line that can be reached at 800-273-8255. One can also text IN to 741741, a 24-hour text help line.
Follow Kylee Mullikin on Twitter @kyleemullikinhb or call 765-640-4250.
Photo by samer daboul on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8546
By Kylee Mullikin
ANDERSON — The American Academy of Pediatrics, among other organizations, now considers children’s mentalhealth a national emergency.
On top of daily challenges #children face, the #COVID-19 #pandemic also contributed to children’s #mentalhealthissues.
“Young people have endured so much throughout this #pandemic and while much of the attention is often placed on its physical health consequences, we cannot overlook the escalating #mentalhealthcrisis facing our #patients,” AAP President Lee Savio Beers said in an October AAP article. “Today’s declaration is an urgent call to policymakers at all levels of government — we must treat this #mentalhealthcrisis like the emergency it is.”
Before the #pandemic, rates of #mentalhealth diagnosis as well as #suicide rates among young people had been steadily increasing. In 2018, #suicide was the No. 1 cause of death for people 10-24.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
The #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention found that from March to October 2020, #mentalhealth emergency visits increased by 24% in kids 5-11 and 31% in youngsters 12-17.
Declaring children’s #mentalhealth a national emergency allows for more attention to be brought to this issue.
“We have the opportunity to get information out to #parents to help them to be aware of what may be happening with their #children and when it’s time to seek help,” said Jennie Voelker, a licensed clinical social worker and clinical director of Youth Services with Community Health Network.
One way to help children’s #mentalhealth is by letting them express themselves. This not only includes talking to someone about their feelings but letting them play, make art, write or anything else that they enjoy doing.
Voelker also wants #parents and guardians to remember that they are the role model for their #children.
“If #adults are taking care of themselves when they’re struggling with #stress and emotional health, then their #children will see that,” Voelker said. “They will learn from that, and they will model after that.”
In #children, changes in mood or #behavior can be helpful indicators. Increased or decreased expression of emotions can be an indicator a #child is struggling. Another indicator is if a #child suddenly loses interest in things normally enjoyed.
Voelker also mentioned that the use of #alcohol or #drugs can sometimes be a sign that a child is struggling mentally.
“I really do believe that #parents are the experts on their #children, so if your gut tells you something’s not right, that’s the time to be checking in,” Voelker said.
If any #child or teenage talks about #suicide, it is critical that they be taken seriously.
“That is a time to really seek help, and there are options out there. There are lots of 24-hour call lines (and) text lines that we can get help from.”
The #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline is a 24-hour call line that can be reached at 800-273-8255. One can also text IN to 741741, a 24-hour text help line.
Follow Kylee Mullikin on Twitter @kyleemullikinhb or call 765-640-4250.
Photo by samer daboul on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8546
Data from the U.S. #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention shows that the “proportion of emergency department visits related to #mentalhealthcrises has increased dramatically for young #children and #adolescents since the #pandemic started,” according to Education Week. Metro Creative
By Kylee Mullikin
ANDERSON — The American Academy of Pediatrics, among other organizations, now considers children’s mentalhealth a national emergency.
On top of daily challenges #children face, the #COVID-19 #pandemic also contributed to children’s #mentalhealthissues.
“Young people have endured so much throughout this #pandemic and while much of the attention is often placed on its physical health consequences, we cannot overlook the escalating #mentalhealthcrisis facing our #patients,” AAP President Lee Savio Beers said in an October AAP article. “Today’s declaration is an urgent call to policymakers at all levels of government — we must treat this #mentalhealthcrisis like the emergency it is.”
Before the #pandemic, rates of #mentalhealth diagnosis as well as #suicide rates among young people had been steadily increasing. In 2018, #suicide was the No. 1 cause of death for people 10-24.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
The #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention found that from March to October 2020, #mentalhealth emergency visits increased by 24% in kids 5-11 and 31% in youngsters 12-17.
Declaring children’s #mentalhealth a national emergency allows for more attention to be brought to this issue.
“We have the opportunity to get information out to #parents to help them to be aware of what may be happening with their #children and when it’s time to seek help,” said Jennie Voelker, a licensed clinical social worker and clinical director of Youth Services with Community Health Network.
One way to help children’s #mentalhealth is by letting them express themselves. This not only includes talking to someone about their feelings but letting them play, make art, write or anything else that they enjoy doing.
Voelker also wants #parents and guardians to remember that they are the role model for their #children.
“If #adults are taking care of themselves when they’re struggling with #stress and emotional health, then their #children will see that,” Voelker said. “They will learn from that, and they will model after that.”
In #children, changes in mood or #behavior can be helpful indicators. Increased or decreased expression of emotions can be an indicator a #child is struggling. Another indicator is if a #child suddenly loses interest in things normally enjoyed.
Voelker also mentioned that the use of #alcohol or #drugs can sometimes be a sign that a child is struggling mentally.
“I really do believe that #parents are the experts on their #children, so if your gut tells you something’s not right, that’s the time to be checking in,” Voelker said.
If any #child or teenage talks about #suicide, it is critical that they be taken seriously.
“That is a time to really seek help, and there are options out there. There are lots of 24-hour call lines (and) text lines that we can get help from.”
The #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline is a 24-hour call line that can be reached at 800-273-8255. One can also text IN to 741741, a 24-hour text help line.
Follow Kylee Mullikin on Twitter @kyleemullikinhb or call 765-640-4250.
Photo by samer daboul on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8546
By Kylee Mullikin
ANDERSON — The American Academy of Pediatrics, among other organizations, now considers children’s mentalhealth a national emergency.
On top of daily challenges #children face, the #COVID-19 #pandemic also contributed to children’s #mentalhealthissues.
“Young people have endured so much throughout this #pandemic and while much of the attention is often placed on its physical health consequences, we cannot overlook the escalating #mentalhealthcrisis facing our #patients,” AAP President Lee Savio Beers said in an October AAP article. “Today’s declaration is an urgent call to policymakers at all levels of government — we must treat this #mentalhealthcrisis like the emergency it is.”
Before the #pandemic, rates of #mentalhealth diagnosis as well as #suicide rates among young people had been steadily increasing. In 2018, #suicide was the No. 1 cause of death for people 10-24.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
The #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention found that from March to October 2020, #mentalhealth emergency visits increased by 24% in kids 5-11 and 31% in youngsters 12-17.
Declaring children’s #mentalhealth a national emergency allows for more attention to be brought to this issue.
“We have the opportunity to get information out to #parents to help them to be aware of what may be happening with their #children and when it’s time to seek help,” said Jennie Voelker, a licensed clinical social worker and clinical director of Youth Services with Community Health Network.
One way to help children’s #mentalhealth is by letting them express themselves. This not only includes talking to someone about their feelings but letting them play, make art, write or anything else that they enjoy doing.
Voelker also wants #parents and guardians to remember that they are the role model for their #children.
“If #adults are taking care of themselves when they’re struggling with #stress and emotional health, then their #children will see that,” Voelker said. “They will learn from that, and they will model after that.”
In #children, changes in mood or #behavior can be helpful indicators. Increased or decreased expression of emotions can be an indicator a #child is struggling. Another indicator is if a #child suddenly loses interest in things normally enjoyed.
Voelker also mentioned that the use of #alcohol or #drugs can sometimes be a sign that a child is struggling mentally.
“I really do believe that #parents are the experts on their #children, so if your gut tells you something’s not right, that’s the time to be checking in,” Voelker said.
If any #child or teenage talks about #suicide, it is critical that they be taken seriously.
“That is a time to really seek help, and there are options out there. There are lots of 24-hour call lines (and) text lines that we can get help from.”
The #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline is a 24-hour call line that can be reached at 800-273-8255. One can also text IN to 741741, a 24-hour text help line.
Follow Kylee Mullikin on Twitter @kyleemullikinhb or call 765-640-4250.
Photo by samer daboul on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8546
Friday, December 31, 2021
Photo by Public Domain Photography on Pexels.com
BY ANDREW WRIGHT
Eighth grader Jamari James works on a puzzle while visiting a sensory room at French Middle School, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, in Topeka, Kan. The rooms are designed to relieve stresses faced by #students as they return to classrooms amid the ongoing #pandemic. Some #parents, repeating right-wing talking points about costs and spending, are complaining when their children's #schools fund #mentalhealth initiatives for #students.
The “usual suspects” who protest #CriticalRaceTheory have now turned to #mentalhealth programs, according to a recent article by NBC News. #Mentalhealthprofessionals employed by #school districts are now being charged with occupying “dangerous, worthless” jobs. All of this came up when Tara Eddins of Southlake, Texas, showed up at a #school board meeting demanding to know why the district was paying $90,000 per counselor to “give lessons to students on #suicideprevention.”
Shortly thereafter, the Southlake Families PAC, a conservative group backing opposition to anti-racism education proposals, sent out an email to its supporters in the district arguing #schools should “leave #mentalhealth and parenting to the #parents.” Calls to leave #mentalhealthcare to the home, behind closed doors as it were, are certainly not new. But they seem to have taken on a new life lately.
Some experts say we are in the midst of a “#mentalhealthcrisis” today in, a crisis disproportionately affecting youth. Psychiatric Times points out that the #COVID-19 #pandemic is, in part, to blame for restricting access to needed psychotherapy services. The journal says #mentalhealth-based emergency room visits increased for those between ages 5 and 11 by 24% in 2019, and for those between the ages of 12 and 17 by 31%.
The #mentalhealth dynamics of the #pandemic had both expected and surprising results. On the one hand, experiences of #depression, #anxiety, and substance abuse skyrocketed; on the other, #suicide rates did in fact decrease in general. A recent article in Scientific American argues that #mentalhealth as an industry, and care-giving in general, has shifted for the better.
It’s true that several psychological services and clinics were able to pivot to more accessible means of therapy during the #pandemic, such as telehealth-based services, and statistics overall suggested a move in the right direction for care. Bu there were still troubling disparities that general numbers hide. One of them is to be found in that decreasing #suicide rate: Although rates declined overall, rates of #suicide actually surged among people of color during the #pandemic. This is only one of the notable disparities in the field of #mentalhealth. In order to understand the divide better, we have to take a look at the #mentalhealthcare market.
When it comes to accessing #mentalhealthcare on the open market, there is a duality of approaches facing those seeking treatment. Therapy, psychotropic drugs, and social outreach make up one side, while self-care and the so-called “wellness industry” are the other. According to the #NationalAllianceofMentalIllness, the total costs of mental health treatments reached $225 billion in 2019. #Depression, meanwhile, was estimated to have caused $44 billion in losses to workplace productivity that year.
These numbers appear staggering, but they should be compared with revenue generated by the $4.5 trillion wellness industry— a sector in which companies peddle everything from crystals, teas, incense, and designer wear to yoga, meditation classes, and “mindfulness” seminars.
Although it’s quite easy to make the case that the wellness industry is not a real alternative to psychotherapy and medical care, the truth is that for many people it has appeal as an affordable alternative to medical treatment. The main problem is thus not the fact that the wellness industry acts as a substandard stand-in, but rather why real #mentalhealthcare costs so much and is so difficult to access.
Whether we’re talking about professional treatment or “holistic” products, both industries are offering commodities for sale on the market. They both depend on the logic of self-care—“look out for yourself”—and show a noticeable overlap with the neoliberal dictum of “hard work pays off.” People needing treatment find themselves working extra hours, seeking new jobs with proper benefits, carving out more time from their schedule, and more—all in order to gain access to or afford self-care.
But for those not seeking treatment, it would be a mistake to just say this is a problem for those looking for help. We all need good #mentalhealth, even if we haven’t thought ourselves in need of care. According to the #WorldHealthOrganization, #mentalhealth is defined as “a state of well-being whereby individuals recognize their abilities, are able to cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and make a contribution to their communities.” The key phrases that stand out are the “normal stresses of life,” “work productively,” and the social aspect of contributing to one’s community.
Indeed, these are certainly necessary criteria to feel a specific type of well-being. However, when “normal stresses” fall within the coordinates of capitalism, we are left to wonder, “What are normal stresses?” And there is the challenging problem of finding fulfilling and “productive work” in a system founded on estranged labor, a system which leaves one to sell their physical, mental, and emotional efforts for whatever value the “market” determines they’re worth.
If we attempt to interrogate the “normal stresses” of any one person’s life, we can imagine that someone with food security, unquestioned access to clean water, unpolluted air to breathe, and proper health benefits would experience less of the “normal stresses” than someone who lives in a food desert which is considered a minority community, has no guarantee of clean water, and has to depend on public transit and or a second job to survive.
Yet we are barraged with injunctions to take more time to ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and breathe right. These, we are assured, are the proper foundation to any form of good health.
It’s one thing to relativize “normal” here, but it’s another thing entirely to understand that those who don’t meet the criteria of “normal” are foreclosed from any sort of #mentalhealth whatsoever. The core conclusion of the “self-care” argument then becomes clear: #Mentalhealth is for those who can afford it.
This is the state of #mentalhealth discourse in the U.S. today. Going back to Southlake, Texas, we have to ask whether tackling this is this something #parents can take on themselves?
That complaining mom Tara Eddins argues, “At Carroll , you are actually advertising #suicide.” Of course, Eddins takes the “contagion” approach, where to even talk about #suicide to young people increases their interest with it. Like almost any observation, it isn’t without its kernel of truth. #Suicidecontagion is, in fact, a real phenomenon and speaks to the social role of both #suicide and mental well-being. However, her criticism misses the mark entirely: Not only is the idea of #suicide already entirely ubiquitous today anyway, but repressing #suicide as a topic of conversation will only make its return in reality all the more traumatic.
Forbidding discussion of it also has major effects on those grieving after a loss by #suicide. If a #parent does not want their #child hearing about #suicide at all, what hope does the #child have of talking about any #mentalhealth concerns with their #parents?
Indeed, it is evident that as this current crisis gets worse, families are not any more equipped to confront it than the #mentalhealthcare industry is. Certainly, religion and the implicit morality of what passes for “family values” is at work in the arguments by those like Eddins, but it should be remembered that her original complaint was actually about the #school district’s budget.
Regardless of whether or not the critics like her attacking #schools are sincere in their concern about the proper time and place for #children to receive #mentalhealth information, the real argument being made is clear: It comes down to money.
The truth of the matter is that the U.S. is facing not just a #mentalhealthcrisis; what we’re really up against is a mental care crisis. If someone cannot afford the means to attain mental stability and well-being, their #mentalhealth is deemed worthless by the market. Where Eddins properly misses the point is in the fact that the district’s employing of counselors is actually affordable care—purchased by individuals on the market, these services can cost over $10,000 a year per #patient (using #depression as the model here). What Eddins’ argument overshadows is that #mentalhealthcare is available to her child, yet she wants to close off that access.
The ‘wellness’ industry peddles everything from crystals and incense to tea and yoga, and more. | AP
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
If #mentalhealthcare is to become more accessible, attention must be focused on the two factors of affordability and availability. If receiving any sort of proper care was only a matter of access, people wouldn’t avoid calling ambulances because of the expected bill; we wouldn’t need to start GoFundMe campaigns to afford insulin; and we wouldn’t need so much literature on how to find “affordable” #mentalhealthcare.
As this article from CNBC points out, “access to care can prohibitively expensive” which points out the inherent limit of the word “access” leaving one to wonder why we celebrate its use when we hear stories on new grocery stores opening or arguments of how hunger has been declining for years—a fact that is not only no longer true but meant nothing to those whose state-of-being didn’t change by having more access. “Access” is not enough without money.
Without talking about affordability and availability, the focus on #mentalhealth, rather than care, puts the onus on the individual. Despite #mentalhealth becoming more “accessible” today, these questions are still to be addressed. But then again, perhaps they’ve already been answered. The #mentalhealth deficit can only be fully understood as not so much the individual issues of the mentally ill or suicidal but rather more as the structural inequality of a double-sided market that sees symptoms as opportunities for profit—whether via traditional therapy or “wellness solutions.” Until our care industry is fixed, the so-called #mentalhealthcrisis is here to stay.
CONTRIBUTOR
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright is an essayist and activist based out of Detroit. He has written and presented on topics such as #suicide and #mentalhealth, class struggle, gender studies, politics, ideology, and philosophy.
Photo by Public Domain Photography on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8540
BY ANDREW WRIGHT
Eighth grader Jamari James works on a puzzle while visiting a sensory room at French Middle School, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, in Topeka, Kan. The rooms are designed to relieve stresses faced by #students as they return to classrooms amid the ongoing #pandemic. Some #parents, repeating right-wing talking points about costs and spending, are complaining when their children's #schools fund #mentalhealth initiatives for #students.
The “usual suspects” who protest #CriticalRaceTheory have now turned to #mentalhealth programs, according to a recent article by NBC News. #Mentalhealthprofessionals employed by #school districts are now being charged with occupying “dangerous, worthless” jobs. All of this came up when Tara Eddins of Southlake, Texas, showed up at a #school board meeting demanding to know why the district was paying $90,000 per counselor to “give lessons to students on #suicideprevention.”
Shortly thereafter, the Southlake Families PAC, a conservative group backing opposition to anti-racism education proposals, sent out an email to its supporters in the district arguing #schools should “leave #mentalhealth and parenting to the #parents.” Calls to leave #mentalhealthcare to the home, behind closed doors as it were, are certainly not new. But they seem to have taken on a new life lately.
Some experts say we are in the midst of a “#mentalhealthcrisis” today in, a crisis disproportionately affecting youth. Psychiatric Times points out that the #COVID-19 #pandemic is, in part, to blame for restricting access to needed psychotherapy services. The journal says #mentalhealth-based emergency room visits increased for those between ages 5 and 11 by 24% in 2019, and for those between the ages of 12 and 17 by 31%.
The #mentalhealth dynamics of the #pandemic had both expected and surprising results. On the one hand, experiences of #depression, #anxiety, and substance abuse skyrocketed; on the other, #suicide rates did in fact decrease in general. A recent article in Scientific American argues that #mentalhealth as an industry, and care-giving in general, has shifted for the better.
It’s true that several psychological services and clinics were able to pivot to more accessible means of therapy during the #pandemic, such as telehealth-based services, and statistics overall suggested a move in the right direction for care. Bu there were still troubling disparities that general numbers hide. One of them is to be found in that decreasing #suicide rate: Although rates declined overall, rates of #suicide actually surged among people of color during the #pandemic. This is only one of the notable disparities in the field of #mentalhealth. In order to understand the divide better, we have to take a look at the #mentalhealthcare market.
When it comes to accessing #mentalhealthcare on the open market, there is a duality of approaches facing those seeking treatment. Therapy, psychotropic drugs, and social outreach make up one side, while self-care and the so-called “wellness industry” are the other. According to the #NationalAllianceofMentalIllness, the total costs of mental health treatments reached $225 billion in 2019. #Depression, meanwhile, was estimated to have caused $44 billion in losses to workplace productivity that year.
These numbers appear staggering, but they should be compared with revenue generated by the $4.5 trillion wellness industry— a sector in which companies peddle everything from crystals, teas, incense, and designer wear to yoga, meditation classes, and “mindfulness” seminars.
Although it’s quite easy to make the case that the wellness industry is not a real alternative to psychotherapy and medical care, the truth is that for many people it has appeal as an affordable alternative to medical treatment. The main problem is thus not the fact that the wellness industry acts as a substandard stand-in, but rather why real #mentalhealthcare costs so much and is so difficult to access.
Whether we’re talking about professional treatment or “holistic” products, both industries are offering commodities for sale on the market. They both depend on the logic of self-care—“look out for yourself”—and show a noticeable overlap with the neoliberal dictum of “hard work pays off.” People needing treatment find themselves working extra hours, seeking new jobs with proper benefits, carving out more time from their schedule, and more—all in order to gain access to or afford self-care.
But for those not seeking treatment, it would be a mistake to just say this is a problem for those looking for help. We all need good #mentalhealth, even if we haven’t thought ourselves in need of care. According to the #WorldHealthOrganization, #mentalhealth is defined as “a state of well-being whereby individuals recognize their abilities, are able to cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and make a contribution to their communities.” The key phrases that stand out are the “normal stresses of life,” “work productively,” and the social aspect of contributing to one’s community.
Indeed, these are certainly necessary criteria to feel a specific type of well-being. However, when “normal stresses” fall within the coordinates of capitalism, we are left to wonder, “What are normal stresses?” And there is the challenging problem of finding fulfilling and “productive work” in a system founded on estranged labor, a system which leaves one to sell their physical, mental, and emotional efforts for whatever value the “market” determines they’re worth.
If we attempt to interrogate the “normal stresses” of any one person’s life, we can imagine that someone with food security, unquestioned access to clean water, unpolluted air to breathe, and proper health benefits would experience less of the “normal stresses” than someone who lives in a food desert which is considered a minority community, has no guarantee of clean water, and has to depend on public transit and or a second job to survive.
Yet we are barraged with injunctions to take more time to ourselves, eat better, drink more water, and breathe right. These, we are assured, are the proper foundation to any form of good health.
It’s one thing to relativize “normal” here, but it’s another thing entirely to understand that those who don’t meet the criteria of “normal” are foreclosed from any sort of #mentalhealth whatsoever. The core conclusion of the “self-care” argument then becomes clear: #Mentalhealth is for those who can afford it.
This is the state of #mentalhealth discourse in the U.S. today. Going back to Southlake, Texas, we have to ask whether tackling this is this something #parents can take on themselves?
That complaining mom Tara Eddins argues, “At Carroll , you are actually advertising #suicide.” Of course, Eddins takes the “contagion” approach, where to even talk about #suicide to young people increases their interest with it. Like almost any observation, it isn’t without its kernel of truth. #Suicidecontagion is, in fact, a real phenomenon and speaks to the social role of both #suicide and mental well-being. However, her criticism misses the mark entirely: Not only is the idea of #suicide already entirely ubiquitous today anyway, but repressing #suicide as a topic of conversation will only make its return in reality all the more traumatic.
Forbidding discussion of it also has major effects on those grieving after a loss by #suicide. If a #parent does not want their #child hearing about #suicide at all, what hope does the #child have of talking about any #mentalhealth concerns with their #parents?
Indeed, it is evident that as this current crisis gets worse, families are not any more equipped to confront it than the #mentalhealthcare industry is. Certainly, religion and the implicit morality of what passes for “family values” is at work in the arguments by those like Eddins, but it should be remembered that her original complaint was actually about the #school district’s budget.
Regardless of whether or not the critics like her attacking #schools are sincere in their concern about the proper time and place for #children to receive #mentalhealth information, the real argument being made is clear: It comes down to money.
The truth of the matter is that the U.S. is facing not just a #mentalhealthcrisis; what we’re really up against is a mental care crisis. If someone cannot afford the means to attain mental stability and well-being, their #mentalhealth is deemed worthless by the market. Where Eddins properly misses the point is in the fact that the district’s employing of counselors is actually affordable care—purchased by individuals on the market, these services can cost over $10,000 a year per #patient (using #depression as the model here). What Eddins’ argument overshadows is that #mentalhealthcare is available to her child, yet she wants to close off that access.
The ‘wellness’ industry peddles everything from crystals and incense to tea and yoga, and more. | AP
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
If #mentalhealthcare is to become more accessible, attention must be focused on the two factors of affordability and availability. If receiving any sort of proper care was only a matter of access, people wouldn’t avoid calling ambulances because of the expected bill; we wouldn’t need to start GoFundMe campaigns to afford insulin; and we wouldn’t need so much literature on how to find “affordable” #mentalhealthcare.
As this article from CNBC points out, “access to care can prohibitively expensive” which points out the inherent limit of the word “access” leaving one to wonder why we celebrate its use when we hear stories on new grocery stores opening or arguments of how hunger has been declining for years—a fact that is not only no longer true but meant nothing to those whose state-of-being didn’t change by having more access. “Access” is not enough without money.
Without talking about affordability and availability, the focus on #mentalhealth, rather than care, puts the onus on the individual. Despite #mentalhealth becoming more “accessible” today, these questions are still to be addressed. But then again, perhaps they’ve already been answered. The #mentalhealth deficit can only be fully understood as not so much the individual issues of the mentally ill or suicidal but rather more as the structural inequality of a double-sided market that sees symptoms as opportunities for profit—whether via traditional therapy or “wellness solutions.” Until our care industry is fixed, the so-called #mentalhealthcrisis is here to stay.
CONTRIBUTOR
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright is an essayist and activist based out of Detroit. He has written and presented on topics such as #suicide and #mentalhealth, class struggle, gender studies, politics, ideology, and philosophy.
Photo by Public Domain Photography on Pexels.com
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/?p=8540
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