The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Kenosha County is a non-profit corporation 501 (c) (3) organized in 1983, and an all volunteer organization working to improve the quality of life through education, support, and advocacy. We promote recovery and fight stigma associated with mental illness. ALL of our programs are FREE of charge. We are an ALL volunteer group and we receive NO payment for our service. We rely on the GENEROSITY of others and DONATIONS to fund our programs. For more information about us - click here.
Support Groups
NAMI Kenosha County offers FREE Support groups for individuals coping with a mental illness and their family and friends. We offer three different groups: Peer (Adolescent, Adult) and Family/Friends. We provide support for ADHD, Anxiety Disorder, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Depression, Dissociative Disorders, Eating Disorders, Obsessive - Compulsive Disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Schizophrenia. Click on the tabs below for more information or visit our Support page. For Spanish speaking folks in crisis situation, please call NAMI National Hotline @ 800-950-6264 to speak with someone in Spanish. NAMI Connections Peer Support Group - Bridges Every Saturday from 11-noon at Bridges Community Center (5718 7th Avenue, Kenosha, Wi. 53140) NAMI - Kenosha - City Our next regular bimonthly support groups will be on second and fourth Thursdays January 10 and 24, February 14 and 28, March 14 and 28, April 11 and 25, May 9 and 23, June 13 and 27 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church on the corner of 88th St and 39th Ave at 6PM. There will be three groups - one group for Family & Friends, and two Peer groups for anyone coping with a mental illness (adults and adolescents). For more information call 262-652-3606 or email lzanin1953@gmail.com or jedeleo9010@gmail.com. NAMI - Kenosha - City Our next regular bimonthly support groups will be on second and fourth Thursdays January 10 and 24, February 14 and 28, March 14 and 28, April 11 and 25, May 9 and 23, June 13 and 27 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church on the corner of 88th St and 39th Ave at 6PM. There will be three groups - one group for Family & Friends, and two Peer groups for anyone coping with a mental illness (adults and adolescents). For more information call 262-652-3606 or email lzanin1953@gmail.com or jedeleo9010@gmail.com. NAMI - Kenosha - County Family & Friends Support Group will be held at the Kenosha County Center Building monthly:
NAMI/Active Minds Connections Peer Support Group for Students Listen, share, and relate to your peers struggling with mental illness 2019 dates: Feb 18, Mar 4 and 18, April 1 and 15, and May 6 Public · Hosted by Active Minds at UW-Parkside Room MOLN 142 12 noon to 1pm Active Minds is a student-led organization that meets weekly to change the conversation about mental health. We have guest speakers, awareness campaigns and fun! Facebook Event page: www.facebook.com/pg/parksideactiveminds/events/?ref=page_internal PTSD Support for Veterans Click below to learn about a new 12 Step program for Veterans with PTSD. 12_step_ptsd_program_for_veterans.pdf |
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SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
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SEEKING VOLUNTEERS
Do you have a passion for volunteering, supporting social causes, and fostering education and awareness in the Kenosha County community? Have you or a loved one experienced mental illness and want to make an impact as part of ongoing recovery? The NAMI Kenosha County Board is seeking additional members to help with supporting our mission to improve the quality of life through education, support, and advocacy. We promote recovery and fight stigma associated with mental illness. Volunteers wanted! Take the plunge and get involved to help our community!
Are you curious and interested? Submit an application here!
Do you have a passion for volunteering, supporting social causes, and fostering education and awareness in the Kenosha County community? Have you or a loved one experienced mental illness and want to make an impact as part of ongoing recovery? The NAMI Kenosha County Board is seeking additional members to help with supporting our mission to improve the quality of life through education, support, and advocacy. We promote recovery and fight stigma associated with mental illness. Volunteers wanted! Take the plunge and get involved to help our community!
Are you curious and interested? Submit an application here!
Proposed WISCONSIN STATE BUDGET
Its impact on Elders, Persons with Disabilities, Persons with Mental Illness & Persons who Provide Care
Governor Evers will introduce his proposed budget for 2019-2021 on February 28. On March 22, DRW’s Barbara Beckert and Sally Flaschberger will discuss items in the budget that impact older persons, persons with disabilities, persons with mental illness and long term care workers. Consumers, direct care workers, providers, family caregivers and other interested persons are encouraged to attend this free event.
Friday, March 22, 2019
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Madrigrano Auditorium, Gateway Technical College
3520 30th Avenue, Kenosha, WI
For reservations, call the ADRC at 262-605-6646 or register on line at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/advocacy-forum-wi-state-budget-tickets-57546739848
Its impact on Elders, Persons with Disabilities, Persons with Mental Illness & Persons who Provide Care
Governor Evers will introduce his proposed budget for 2019-2021 on February 28. On March 22, DRW’s Barbara Beckert and Sally Flaschberger will discuss items in the budget that impact older persons, persons with disabilities, persons with mental illness and long term care workers. Consumers, direct care workers, providers, family caregivers and other interested persons are encouraged to attend this free event.
Friday, March 22, 2019
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Madrigrano Auditorium, Gateway Technical College
3520 30th Avenue, Kenosha, WI
For reservations, call the ADRC at 262-605-6646 or register on line at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/advocacy-forum-wi-state-budget-tickets-57546739848
Wake Up Call - Westosha Central High School
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
6:30 PM 8:00 PM
Westosha Central High School, 24617 75th Street, Salem, WI 53168
Wake-Up Call is a life-size exhibit of a teen’s bedroom with more than 20 “red flags” that can signal drug or alcohol use. The bedroom identifies spots where teens may hide drugs, household items that can be used as drug paraphernalia and ways teens try to cover up drug and alcohol use.
More information: www.yourchoice-live.org/events/2019/1/31/wake-up-call-west-high-school-joliet-il-49san-88gjm-walgp-hc3w9
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
6:30 PM 8:00 PM
Westosha Central High School, 24617 75th Street, Salem, WI 53168
Wake-Up Call is a life-size exhibit of a teen’s bedroom with more than 20 “red flags” that can signal drug or alcohol use. The bedroom identifies spots where teens may hide drugs, household items that can be used as drug paraphernalia and ways teens try to cover up drug and alcohol use.
More information: www.yourchoice-live.org/events/2019/1/31/wake-up-call-west-high-school-joliet-il-49san-88gjm-walgp-hc3w9
Learning to be honest with herself, treatment court graduate strives to help others
By TERRY FLORES tflores@kenoshanews.com Feb 27, 2019
Jaime Rightmire knew that the lies she told could eventually lead to her death. But she didn’t know how to stop her path to destruction, one in which she found herself entangled in addiction to Xanax and making bad decisions that first landed her prison in 2015 for felony uttering — in her case, issuing worthless checks to buy real estate. Two years later she was set to return after being convicted of movable theft after taking a vehicle from a local dealership not long after she was released from prison. While faced with the possibility of doing seven years in prison, her attorney Ben Schwarz recommended her for Kenosha County’s Drug Treatment Court and a chance at a new start.
On Wednesday, her new start was validated as she graduated from the intensive program for nonviolent offenders during a ceremony before Circuit Court Judge Jodi Meier, treatment facilitators, family, friends and others who are still going through treatment.
Read the full article here.
By TERRY FLORES tflores@kenoshanews.com Feb 27, 2019
Jaime Rightmire knew that the lies she told could eventually lead to her death. But she didn’t know how to stop her path to destruction, one in which she found herself entangled in addiction to Xanax and making bad decisions that first landed her prison in 2015 for felony uttering — in her case, issuing worthless checks to buy real estate. Two years later she was set to return after being convicted of movable theft after taking a vehicle from a local dealership not long after she was released from prison. While faced with the possibility of doing seven years in prison, her attorney Ben Schwarz recommended her for Kenosha County’s Drug Treatment Court and a chance at a new start.
On Wednesday, her new start was validated as she graduated from the intensive program for nonviolent offenders during a ceremony before Circuit Court Judge Jodi Meier, treatment facilitators, family, friends and others who are still going through treatment.
Read the full article here.
Why Rock Bottom in Serious Mental Illness Is Death
Psychology Today, By Julie Fast Feb 14, 2019
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/take-charge-bipolar-disorder/201902/why-rock-bottom-in-serious-mental-illness-is-death
The idea that someone needs to hit rock bottom before getting help for a serious mental illness is a myth. I often hear loving parents say, "He will get help when he’s ready! ” or, “Maybe a few days on the street will be good for him!” or ”She will finally say yes to meds when she realizes the damage bipolar is doing to her life!"
Serious Mental Illness, SMI, includes bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. In SMI, there is no rock bottom.
Rock bottom is often death.
Psychology Today, By Julie Fast Feb 14, 2019
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/take-charge-bipolar-disorder/201902/why-rock-bottom-in-serious-mental-illness-is-death
The idea that someone needs to hit rock bottom before getting help for a serious mental illness is a myth. I often hear loving parents say, "He will get help when he’s ready! ” or, “Maybe a few days on the street will be good for him!” or ”She will finally say yes to meds when she realizes the damage bipolar is doing to her life!"
Serious Mental Illness, SMI, includes bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. In SMI, there is no rock bottom.
Rock bottom is often death.
Why Do People Die by Suicide?
A Mysterious Change of Mind. Scientific American, October 2018 by Michael Shermer
michaelshermer.com/2018/10/why-do-people-die-by-suicide/
“They say, ‘I don’t know what came over me. I don’t know what I was thinking.’ This is why suicide prevention is so important: because people can be very persuasive in arguing why they believe life—their life—is not worth living. And yet the situation looks radically different months later, sometimes because of an antidepressant, sometimes because of a change in circumstances, sometimes just a mysterious change of mind.”
A Mysterious Change of Mind. Scientific American, October 2018 by Michael Shermer
michaelshermer.com/2018/10/why-do-people-die-by-suicide/
“They say, ‘I don’t know what came over me. I don’t know what I was thinking.’ This is why suicide prevention is so important: because people can be very persuasive in arguing why they believe life—their life—is not worth living. And yet the situation looks radically different months later, sometimes because of an antidepressant, sometimes because of a change in circumstances, sometimes just a mysterious change of mind.”
NAMI's Ask the Expert Webinar: Skills You Can Use to Support a Loved One Experiencing Psychosis
Event Date & Time: Friday 22 March 2019, 04:00 PM - 05:30 PM, Eastern Time
Click here for more information.
Event Date & Time: Friday 22 March 2019, 04:00 PM - 05:30 PM, Eastern Time
Click here for more information.
Right To Fail
On Frontline - Milwaukee PBS starting Feb 26 at 9pm.
After decades in institutions, a man with schizophrenia faces violence and death to live on his own.
On Frontline - Milwaukee PBS starting Feb 26 at 9pm.
After decades in institutions, a man with schizophrenia faces violence and death to live on his own.
An Entirely New Type of Antidepressant Targets Postpartum Depression
A novel drug is intended to help women who suffer from depression after childbirth
Postpartum depression afflicts 10 to 20 percent of the nearly four million women who give birth in the U.S. every year. The condition can interfere with normal bonding between mothers and infants and jeopardize children’s development through adolescence. There is no specific treatment, but a promising new drug may change that.
Read more here.
A novel drug is intended to help women who suffer from depression after childbirth
Postpartum depression afflicts 10 to 20 percent of the nearly four million women who give birth in the U.S. every year. The condition can interfere with normal bonding between mothers and infants and jeopardize children’s development through adolescence. There is no specific treatment, but a promising new drug may change that.
Read more here.
Serotonin Syndrome - A Potential Fatal Side Affect
Serotonin syndrome can occur if you are taking medications, particularly antidepressants, that affect the body’s level of serotonin. The greatest risk of serotonin syndrome occurs if you are taking two or more drugs and/or supplements together that influence serotonin. In severe cases, serotonin syndrome can be life-threatening. Some symptoms of severe serotonin syndrome include: high fever, seizures, irregular heartbeat and unconsciousness.
Drugs and supplements that could lead to serotonin syndrome if taken together or in high doses include: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): antidepressants such as citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and sertraline (Zoloft) ... Street drugs: LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines.
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/serotonin-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20354758
themighty.com/2019/02/serotonin-syndrome-fatal-side-effect-antidepressants/
Serotonin syndrome can occur if you are taking medications, particularly antidepressants, that affect the body’s level of serotonin. The greatest risk of serotonin syndrome occurs if you are taking two or more drugs and/or supplements together that influence serotonin. In severe cases, serotonin syndrome can be life-threatening. Some symptoms of severe serotonin syndrome include: high fever, seizures, irregular heartbeat and unconsciousness.
Drugs and supplements that could lead to serotonin syndrome if taken together or in high doses include: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): antidepressants such as citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and sertraline (Zoloft) ... Street drugs: LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines.
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/serotonin-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20354758
themighty.com/2019/02/serotonin-syndrome-fatal-side-effect-antidepressants/
The Overlap between Depression and Anxiety
Depression & Anxiety have many overlapping symptoms. Depression is usually based on dwelling on past situations. Whereas, anxiety tends to focus more on future events.
From www.thementalhealthmatters.com
Depression & Anxiety have many overlapping symptoms. Depression is usually based on dwelling on past situations. Whereas, anxiety tends to focus more on future events.
From www.thementalhealthmatters.com
5 Ways Bosses Can Reduce the Stigma of Mental Health at Work
Experts tell us that one in four adults will struggle with a mental health issue during his or her lifetime. At work, those suffering — from clinical conditions or more minor ones — often hide it for fear that they may face discrimination from peers or even bosses. These stigmas can and must be overcome. But it takes more than policies set at the top. It also requires empathetic action from managers on the ground.
When bosses understand mental health issues — and how to respond to them — it can make all the difference for an employee professionally and personally. This involves taking notice, offering a helping hand, and saying “I’m here, I have your back, you are not alone.”
How do you learn or teach the people on your team to address colleagues’ or direct reports’ mental health issues in the same way? Here are five ways managers can help drive a more empathetic culture. Click here to read more.
Experts tell us that one in four adults will struggle with a mental health issue during his or her lifetime. At work, those suffering — from clinical conditions or more minor ones — often hide it for fear that they may face discrimination from peers or even bosses. These stigmas can and must be overcome. But it takes more than policies set at the top. It also requires empathetic action from managers on the ground.
When bosses understand mental health issues — and how to respond to them — it can make all the difference for an employee professionally and personally. This involves taking notice, offering a helping hand, and saying “I’m here, I have your back, you are not alone.”
How do you learn or teach the people on your team to address colleagues’ or direct reports’ mental health issues in the same way? Here are five ways managers can help drive a more empathetic culture. Click here to read more.
What Is The Difference Between A Panic Attack And An Anxiety Attack?
There are similarities and differences between anxiety and panic attacks. An anxiety attack often comes in reaction to a stressor. You're walking down a dark alley and hear footsteps, or you're at even the top of a rollercoaster and looking to go down that large hill.
An anxiety attack, people may feel fearful, apprehensive, may feel their heart racing or feel short of breath, but it's very short lived, and when the stressor goes away, so does the anxiety attack.
Panic attack on the other hand doesn't come in reaction to a stressor. It's unprovoked and unpredictable. And during a panic attack the individual is seized with terror, fear, or apprehension. They may feel that they're going to die, or lose control or have a heart attack. They have a host of physical symptoms which may include chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea. And in addition to these terrifying panic attacks, people start worrying about having the next one. So there's a lot of what's called anticipatory anxiety.
There are similarities and differences between anxiety and panic attacks. An anxiety attack often comes in reaction to a stressor. You're walking down a dark alley and hear footsteps, or you're at even the top of a rollercoaster and looking to go down that large hill.
An anxiety attack, people may feel fearful, apprehensive, may feel their heart racing or feel short of breath, but it's very short lived, and when the stressor goes away, so does the anxiety attack.
Panic attack on the other hand doesn't come in reaction to a stressor. It's unprovoked and unpredictable. And during a panic attack the individual is seized with terror, fear, or apprehension. They may feel that they're going to die, or lose control or have a heart attack. They have a host of physical symptoms which may include chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea. And in addition to these terrifying panic attacks, people start worrying about having the next one. So there's a lot of what's called anticipatory anxiety.
Overcoming depression, anxiety new Miss Kenosha ready to soar
“Depression and anxiety is something I have been working through and dealing with for a majority of my life,” she said. “I didn’t seek help for a very long time.”
But it was a month before the end of the summer last year that her issues with confidence and “longing to get up and live life” caught up with her.
“I am still struggling with it. It changed me and changed something in me. I thought I was never going to be the same,” she said.
At first, she thought she was unfixable, she said.
She was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and ADHD, something she thought was normal for her and that she just had to put a smile on her face and bear.
Read more here: Kenosha In The News
“Depression and anxiety is something I have been working through and dealing with for a majority of my life,” she said. “I didn’t seek help for a very long time.”
But it was a month before the end of the summer last year that her issues with confidence and “longing to get up and live life” caught up with her.
“I am still struggling with it. It changed me and changed something in me. I thought I was never going to be the same,” she said.
At first, she thought she was unfixable, she said.
She was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and ADHD, something she thought was normal for her and that she just had to put a smile on her face and bear.
Read more here: Kenosha In The News
Diabetes and Mental Health Conditions
Diabetes and mental health have a rather deep relationship. Each one affects the other in many ways. Living with either diabetes or a mental health condition can increase the risk of developing the other. Also, symptoms and effects of diabetes and mental health conditions are worse when someone has both diabetes and a mental health diagnosis.
Read more here:
Diabetes and mental health have a rather deep relationship. Each one affects the other in many ways. Living with either diabetes or a mental health condition can increase the risk of developing the other. Also, symptoms and effects of diabetes and mental health conditions are worse when someone has both diabetes and a mental health diagnosis.
Read more here:
Poor Dental Health as an Indirect Result of Depression
Poor oral hygiene is a common occurrence among people with mental illness. In fact, mentally ill adults are three times more likely to have teeth removed. Additionally, a variety of other factors associated with depression can result in problems like tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease, including:
Poor oral hygiene is a common occurrence among people with mental illness. In fact, mentally ill adults are three times more likely to have teeth removed. Additionally, a variety of other factors associated with depression can result in problems like tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease, including:
- Stress – Increased levels of cortisol facilitates the progress of periodontal disease. Stress can also lead to jaw disorders and muscle tension that can cause pain and restrict jaw movement.
- Substance use – Some people with depression participate in activities like smoking cigarettes, alcohol consumption, and drug use as coping mechanisms. In addition to being unhealthy strategies for dealing with depression, substance use can lead to dental disease, oral cancer, and other complications.
- Medication side effects – Medications used to treat depression can cause dry mouth, increasing the risk for cavities, gum disease, and infections such as thrush, tongue inflammation, mouth soreness, and inflammation of the parotid gland.
May 16 on PBS - 'You're not alone': New documentary will feature Kids in Crisis Milwaukee youth storytellers
Wisconsin is collaborating with Milwaukee PBS on a documentary about the lives, challenges and triumphs of a group of four young people who told their stories as part of the Kids in Crisis series.
Rory Linnane wrote in her story announcing the project:
The subjects of the documentary have not had easy lives. One was born addicted to heroin. One wrote a goodbye note when he was 7 years old. One was cyberbullied relentlessly. But they are thriving, smart, funny and dedicated to ending the stigma around mental illness.
The film will debut on Milwaukee PBS on May 16. It will be followed by a series of screening events around the state.
Wisconsin is collaborating with Milwaukee PBS on a documentary about the lives, challenges and triumphs of a group of four young people who told their stories as part of the Kids in Crisis series.
Rory Linnane wrote in her story announcing the project:
The subjects of the documentary have not had easy lives. One was born addicted to heroin. One wrote a goodbye note when he was 7 years old. One was cyberbullied relentlessly. But they are thriving, smart, funny and dedicated to ending the stigma around mental illness.
The film will debut on Milwaukee PBS on May 16. It will be followed by a series of screening events around the state.
2019 Kenosha County Annual Mental Health Vigil
May 15, 2019 6PM
Civic Center Park
Sheridan Rd and 57th Street (across from Post Office)
May 15, 2019 6PM
Civic Center Park
Sheridan Rd and 57th Street (across from Post Office)
Esketamine Drug moves forward by Johnson and Johnson
An experimental medication for depression related to the hallucinogenic street drug ketamine won a crucial endorsement from an independent advisory committee convened by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday.
In a 14-to-2 vote, the panel said the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson drug, known as esketamine, outweigh the risks. The vote brings the novel type of rapid-acting treatment for depression one step closer to approval.
The drug — delivered in a nasal spray — is the chemical cousin of the anesthetic ketamine. If approved, it would be the first major depression treatment approved in decades. The drug was tested in combination with oral antidepressants as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression.
Depression drug related to ketamine wins endorsement of advisory panel
An experimental medication for depression related to the hallucinogenic street drug ketamine won a crucial endorsement from an independent advisory committee convened by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday.
In a 14-to-2 vote, the panel said the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson drug, known as esketamine, outweigh the risks. The vote brings the novel type of rapid-acting treatment for depression one step closer to approval.
The drug — delivered in a nasal spray — is the chemical cousin of the anesthetic ketamine. If approved, it would be the first major depression treatment approved in decades. The drug was tested in combination with oral antidepressants as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression.
Depression drug related to ketamine wins endorsement of advisory panel
Schizophrenia - a Guide from NIMH
A great resource from the National Institute of Mental Health.
schizophrenia_nih_guide.pdf
More information can be found at:
www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia-listing.shtml
A great resource from the National Institute of Mental Health.
schizophrenia_nih_guide.pdf
More information can be found at:
www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia-listing.shtml
Mind Matters: A Resource Guide to Psychiatry for Black Communities.
Published this year by Global Health Psychiatry, the 175-page book is a unique contribution to the psychiatric literature for lay people: a resource guide about mental health in the African-American community.
Higgins is CEO of Global Health Psychiatry. He is one of 10 African-American psychiatrists, all board members of Global Health Psychiatry, who began the project two years ago to describe the major DSM-5 diagnoses in easy-to-understand language.
Higgins and his fellow authors who spoke with Psychiatric News say the resource guide is intended to fill a gap left by the plethora of texts written overtly for experts. “Too often books about psychiatry and mental health—even when they are intended for lay audiences—are really written for other professionals,” Higgins said. “We wanted to demystify the language of psychiatry.”
Published this year by Global Health Psychiatry, the 175-page book is a unique contribution to the psychiatric literature for lay people: a resource guide about mental health in the African-American community.
Higgins is CEO of Global Health Psychiatry. He is one of 10 African-American psychiatrists, all board members of Global Health Psychiatry, who began the project two years ago to describe the major DSM-5 diagnoses in easy-to-understand language.
Higgins and his fellow authors who spoke with Psychiatric News say the resource guide is intended to fill a gap left by the plethora of texts written overtly for experts. “Too often books about psychiatry and mental health—even when they are intended for lay audiences—are really written for other professionals,” Higgins said. “We wanted to demystify the language of psychiatry.”
HIPPA Feedback Needed
The federal government is requesting information from the public regarding potential changes to the federal privacy rules outlined in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Submit a comment online that explains how HIPAA has impacted your ability to help your loved one. Comment must be received by midnight on February 11, 2019.
The official request for information can be found here. The document covers multiple HIPAA issues, however, the key section is just one page long: see section b. "Promoting Parental and Caregiver Involvement and Addressing the Opioid Crisis and Serious Mental Illness." Specifically, see Question 23.
Comments may be short or long, and may be uploaded either as a Word document or as a pdf. One can also cut and paste them directly onto the site. Regardless, it is worth taking the time to compose your thoughts before starting the submission process.
Again, please focus on the provision asking for information on HIPAA and serious mental illness, and do not feel shy about expressing your passion. Once you're ready, just go here to submit.
Information on Government Shutdown’s Impact on Services
As the partial government shutdown looks to extend into this weekend, NAMI has put together the following overview of services that impact people with mental illness and whether these services are impacted by the shutdown.
Click here for more information.
As the partial government shutdown looks to extend into this weekend, NAMI has put together the following overview of services that impact people with mental illness and whether these services are impacted by the shutdown.
Click here for more information.
Seeing Beyond Depression
There's new evidence that depression is not just a disorder of the mind—and blood tests for signs of inflammation promise treatment options precisely tailored to each patient's needs. Establishing that depression can be caused by inflammation somewhere —anywhere—in the body demands much evidence. But it also requires more: a radical shift in mindset, because it overrides one of the distinguishing features of Western thinking—the deep fault line that separates ideas about the workings of the body from those about the workings of the mind.
Read more here: seeing_beyond_depression_-_psychology_today.pdf
There's new evidence that depression is not just a disorder of the mind—and blood tests for signs of inflammation promise treatment options precisely tailored to each patient's needs. Establishing that depression can be caused by inflammation somewhere —anywhere—in the body demands much evidence. But it also requires more: a radical shift in mindset, because it overrides one of the distinguishing features of Western thinking—the deep fault line that separates ideas about the workings of the body from those about the workings of the mind.
Read more here: seeing_beyond_depression_-_psychology_today.pdf
When researchers showed in 2006 that the anesthetic ketamine— also known as the club drug Special K—was a rapid and potent antidepressant, big pharmaceutical companies quickly jumped into the game. Extensive efforts to improve on decades-old antidepressants had floundered, but ketamine finally promised a novel mechanism of action and the potential to help treatment- resistant patients.
Because ketamine is an old drug and difficult to commercialize for a new indication, early entrants into this space set out to build ketamine mimetics that could replicate the anesthetic’s effect, ideally without its hallucinatory side effects. A few of these ketamine-inspired drugs are now nearing the finish line. In September, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) filed for FDA approval of a nasal spray containing esketamine—an isomer of ketamine that the company has patented. Despite some lingering questions about its efficacy compared with ketamine, experts in the field expect the drug will be approved, providing the first antidepressant breakthrough in decades.
Full Article: scientific_american_mind_–_08 _ 09_2017.pdf
Because ketamine is an old drug and difficult to commercialize for a new indication, early entrants into this space set out to build ketamine mimetics that could replicate the anesthetic’s effect, ideally without its hallucinatory side effects. A few of these ketamine-inspired drugs are now nearing the finish line. In September, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) filed for FDA approval of a nasal spray containing esketamine—an isomer of ketamine that the company has patented. Despite some lingering questions about its efficacy compared with ketamine, experts in the field expect the drug will be approved, providing the first antidepressant breakthrough in decades.
Full Article: scientific_american_mind_–_08 _ 09_2017.pdf
Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence
By Alex Berenson
This book does an excellent job of examining the link between cannabis use, mental illness and violence. Many cannabis advocates claim that cannabis makes you chill, and for many users that is undoubtedly true. But for many other users, it causes paranoia and triggers underlying psychosis which can lead to all manner of bad outcomes including violence.
Read the corresponding article from the New Yorker " Is Marijuana as Safe as We Think?" Permitting pot is one thing; promoting its use is another.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/14/is-marijuana-as-safe-as-we-think
By Alex Berenson
This book does an excellent job of examining the link between cannabis use, mental illness and violence. Many cannabis advocates claim that cannabis makes you chill, and for many users that is undoubtedly true. But for many other users, it causes paranoia and triggers underlying psychosis which can lead to all manner of bad outcomes including violence.
Read the corresponding article from the New Yorker " Is Marijuana as Safe as We Think?" Permitting pot is one thing; promoting its use is another.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/14/is-marijuana-as-safe-as-we-think
The Inflamed Mind: A Radical New Approach to Depression
In this game-changing book, University of Cambridge profressor of psychiatry Edward Bullmore reveals the breakthrough new science on the link between depression and inflammation of the body and brain. He explains how and why we now know that mental disorders can have their root cause in the immune system, and outlines a future revolution in which treatments could be specifically targeted to break the vicious cycles of stress, inflammation, and depression.
In this game-changing book, University of Cambridge profressor of psychiatry Edward Bullmore reveals the breakthrough new science on the link between depression and inflammation of the body and brain. He explains how and why we now know that mental disorders can have their root cause in the immune system, and outlines a future revolution in which treatments could be specifically targeted to break the vicious cycles of stress, inflammation, and depression.
Jane Pauley Talks Career Highlights, CBS Sunday Morning and Her Bipolar Diagnosis
Read More here: parade.com/727901/lhochwald/jane-pauley-talks-career-highlights-cbs-sunday-morning-and-her-bipolar-diagnosis/
Read More here: parade.com/727901/lhochwald/jane-pauley-talks-career-highlights-cbs-sunday-morning-and-her-bipolar-diagnosis/
EQUAL ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION TREATMENT SERVICES IS YOUR RIGHT
The 2008 Federal Parity Law requires insurers to cover illnesses of the brain, such as depression or addiction, no more restrictively than illnesses of the body, such as diabetes or cancer.
As rates of suicides and overdoses continue to climb nationwide, mental health parity is more important than ever. Unfortunately, many insurers are still not following the law.
Learn More at Don't Deny Me.
dontdenyme_infographic.pdf
The 2008 Federal Parity Law requires insurers to cover illnesses of the brain, such as depression or addiction, no more restrictively than illnesses of the body, such as diabetes or cancer.
As rates of suicides and overdoses continue to climb nationwide, mental health parity is more important than ever. Unfortunately, many insurers are still not following the law.
Learn More at Don't Deny Me.
dontdenyme_infographic.pdf
Diabetes and Mental Illness are Linked
Diabetes and mental illness can occur as separate conditions with little to do with each other; however, when someone does have both, the likelihood seems high that there is a relationship between them. It’s believed that certain factors cause one illness to lead to the development of another. Possible explanations for the link between diabetes and mental illness include:
Diabetes and mental illness can occur as separate conditions with little to do with each other; however, when someone does have both, the likelihood seems high that there is a relationship between them. It’s believed that certain factors cause one illness to lead to the development of another. Possible explanations for the link between diabetes and mental illness include:
- Genetic predisposition
- Physiological connection (happenings in the body like chronic inflammation, presence of stress hormones, or neurotransmitter problems)
- Lifestyle factors (inactivity, poor diet, obesity, smoking, improper treatment of or uncontrolled diabetes or mental illness)
- Psychiatric medication (many medications cause weight gain and/or impaired glycemia control)
Have researchers found a new risk factor for schizophrenia? Potential link between Schizophrenia and Infection.
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324166.php
Scientists have located an intriguing link between schizophrenia and the Epstein-Barr virus, a type of herpes virus. Now, they need to determine which way the risk lies. A new study may have found another environmental risk factor linked to schizophrenia. Schizophrenia, a condition characterized by a confused perception of reality, delusions, and altered behavior, affects more than 21 million people globally.
In a new study, specialists from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, MD, and the Sheppard Pratt Health System in Townson, MD, found evidence that links schizophrenia with the Epstein-Barr virus.
This is a herpes virus that causes infectious mononucleosis, or glandular fever.
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324166.php
Scientists have located an intriguing link between schizophrenia and the Epstein-Barr virus, a type of herpes virus. Now, they need to determine which way the risk lies. A new study may have found another environmental risk factor linked to schizophrenia. Schizophrenia, a condition characterized by a confused perception of reality, delusions, and altered behavior, affects more than 21 million people globally.
In a new study, specialists from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, MD, and the Sheppard Pratt Health System in Townson, MD, found evidence that links schizophrenia with the Epstein-Barr virus.
This is a herpes virus that causes infectious mononucleosis, or glandular fever.
For many, the holidays are a time filled with love, family, food,and fond memories.
But for some, the holidays are associated with feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and unpleasant memories. Sadness or depression at holiday time can be a reaction to the stresses and demands of the season. In other cases, people may feel depressed around the winter holidays due to a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes referred to as seasonal depression.
Click here for more information.
Click here to read a Kenosha News Special Report on Beating The Holiday Blues.
But for some, the holidays are associated with feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and unpleasant memories. Sadness or depression at holiday time can be a reaction to the stresses and demands of the season. In other cases, people may feel depressed around the winter holidays due to a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes referred to as seasonal depression.
Click here for more information.
Click here to read a Kenosha News Special Report on Beating The Holiday Blues.
Telepsychiatry boosts services for area residents
By HEATHER LARSON POYNER hpoyner@kenoshanews.com Dec 11, 2018 Updated Dec 17, 2018
Picture if you will, the classic cliché of a visit to the psychiatrist: an elderly man looking like Sigmund Freud sits with a notebook in back of a patient stretched out on a couch in a studiously appointed office. The patient talks, the doctor makes notes and may or may not issue a prescription for medication.
In the early days in the field of mental health, this may have been the case, but today however, those in need of treatment for behavior and mental health issues may see a person who is not a man, not elderly and not even in the same room as they are.
Today, and increasingly in Kenosha, psychiatric needs are being met through the technology of telepsychiatry.
Click here to read full article.
By HEATHER LARSON POYNER hpoyner@kenoshanews.com Dec 11, 2018 Updated Dec 17, 2018
Picture if you will, the classic cliché of a visit to the psychiatrist: an elderly man looking like Sigmund Freud sits with a notebook in back of a patient stretched out on a couch in a studiously appointed office. The patient talks, the doctor makes notes and may or may not issue a prescription for medication.
In the early days in the field of mental health, this may have been the case, but today however, those in need of treatment for behavior and mental health issues may see a person who is not a man, not elderly and not even in the same room as they are.
Today, and increasingly in Kenosha, psychiatric needs are being met through the technology of telepsychiatry.
Click here to read full article.
A Key To Depression: Sensing The Slip
The slip is what happens when small signs of your regular depression symptoms come back. It’s a mental process that, to me, feels like something close to quicksand. When you’re slipping, it may feel harder to get out with each moment. Like quicksand, it may pull you down faster than you’d think, and it’s hard to recognize at first.
Read more here: lifeeffects.teva/us/articles/a-key-to-depression-sensing-the-slip
The slip is what happens when small signs of your regular depression symptoms come back. It’s a mental process that, to me, feels like something close to quicksand. When you’re slipping, it may feel harder to get out with each moment. Like quicksand, it may pull you down faster than you’d think, and it’s hard to recognize at first.
Read more here: lifeeffects.teva/us/articles/a-key-to-depression-sensing-the-slip
Sunlight and Schizophrenia
Vitamin D Deficient Newborns Have a Higher Risk of Developing Schizophrenia, Claims Study
www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/sunlight-and-schizophrenia-312939
Newborns with vitamin D deficiency have an increased risk of schizophrenia later in life, a team of Australian and Danish researchers has reported. The discovery could help prevent some cases of the disease by treating vitamin D deficiency during the earliest stages of life. The study, led by Professor John McGrath from The University of Queensland and Aarhus University in Denmark, found newborns with vitamin D deficiency had a 44 per cent increased risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia as adults compared to those with normal vitamin D levels. Previous studies have indicated an increased risk of schizophrenia linked to between being born in high-latitude countries.
Vitamin D Deficient Newborns Have a Higher Risk of Developing Schizophrenia, Claims Study
www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/sunlight-and-schizophrenia-312939
Newborns with vitamin D deficiency have an increased risk of schizophrenia later in life, a team of Australian and Danish researchers has reported. The discovery could help prevent some cases of the disease by treating vitamin D deficiency during the earliest stages of life. The study, led by Professor John McGrath from The University of Queensland and Aarhus University in Denmark, found newborns with vitamin D deficiency had a 44 per cent increased risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia as adults compared to those with normal vitamin D levels. Previous studies have indicated an increased risk of schizophrenia linked to between being born in high-latitude countries.
Huge Brain Study Uncovers “Buried” Genetic Networks Linked to Mental Illness
www.scientificamerican.com/article/huge-brain-study-uncovers-buried-genetic-networks-linked-to-mental-illness/
Enormous genomic analysis yields tantalizing insights into mechanisms behind conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Unlike disorders caused by mutations in a single gene — such as cystic fibrosis or some types of muscular dystrophy — neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia involve hundreds of genes that interact with environmental factors. Each gene contributes only a small amount to the overall disease risk.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/huge-brain-study-uncovers-buried-genetic-networks-linked-to-mental-illness/
Enormous genomic analysis yields tantalizing insights into mechanisms behind conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Unlike disorders caused by mutations in a single gene — such as cystic fibrosis or some types of muscular dystrophy — neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia involve hundreds of genes that interact with environmental factors. Each gene contributes only a small amount to the overall disease risk.
Serious Infections and the Subsequent Risk of Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents
From: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2716981
On December 6, JAMA Psychiatry published a report from Denmark showing that serious infections in childhood, especially those resulting in hospitalization, are occasionally followed by childhood psychiatric problems. Such problems include obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, behavior disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and ADHD. Most childhood infections do no result in any such problems. Since the study followed more than one million children from birth, the results are very impressive. Such research can only be done in countries like Denmark that have national case registers covering all medical and psychiatric care for the entire population.
The idea that an infectious agent can cause a psychiatric disorder is, of course, not entirely new. Many adult psychiatric disorders have been linked to viruses such as the herpes family and influenza, to bacteria such as that which causes syphilis, and to parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii that can cause toxoplasmosis. Regarding childhood psychiatric disorders, reports of streptococcus bacteria causing obsessive compulsive disorder and tics in children, the PANDAS syndrome, date to the late 1990s.
From: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2716981
On December 6, JAMA Psychiatry published a report from Denmark showing that serious infections in childhood, especially those resulting in hospitalization, are occasionally followed by childhood psychiatric problems. Such problems include obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, behavior disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and ADHD. Most childhood infections do no result in any such problems. Since the study followed more than one million children from birth, the results are very impressive. Such research can only be done in countries like Denmark that have national case registers covering all medical and psychiatric care for the entire population.
The idea that an infectious agent can cause a psychiatric disorder is, of course, not entirely new. Many adult psychiatric disorders have been linked to viruses such as the herpes family and influenza, to bacteria such as that which causes syphilis, and to parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii that can cause toxoplasmosis. Regarding childhood psychiatric disorders, reports of streptococcus bacteria causing obsessive compulsive disorder and tics in children, the PANDAS syndrome, date to the late 1990s.
New Federal Analysis on Behavioral Health Workforce
The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) recently released national-level behavioral health workforce estimates for 2016 through 2030. The analysis, which was mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act, highlights how workforce shortages and an unequal distribution of providers have intensified access to care challenges for patients. HRSA reiterated that continued analysis on the behavioral health care workforce was essential to combatting the ongoing opioid crisis and noted that these findings aim to provide information on trends within the mental health and substance use disorder provider workforce.
Read more here.
The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) recently released national-level behavioral health workforce estimates for 2016 through 2030. The analysis, which was mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act, highlights how workforce shortages and an unequal distribution of providers have intensified access to care challenges for patients. HRSA reiterated that continued analysis on the behavioral health care workforce was essential to combatting the ongoing opioid crisis and noted that these findings aim to provide information on trends within the mental health and substance use disorder provider workforce.
Read more here.
Mutation links bipolar disorder to mitochondrial disease
BPhope.com: www.bphope.com/mutation-links-bipolar-disorder-to-mitochondrial-disease/
Mutations in the gene ANT1 may confer a risk for bipolar disorder through a complex interplay between serotonin and mitochondrial signaling in the brain.
These two pathways have been separately implicated in bipolar disorder, but the link between levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin and mitochondrial dysfunction had not been established. Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) in Japan now report that mitochondrial dysfunction affects the activity of serotonergic neurons in mice with mutations of ANT1.
BPhope.com: www.bphope.com/mutation-links-bipolar-disorder-to-mitochondrial-disease/
Mutations in the gene ANT1 may confer a risk for bipolar disorder through a complex interplay between serotonin and mitochondrial signaling in the brain.
These two pathways have been separately implicated in bipolar disorder, but the link between levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin and mitochondrial dysfunction had not been established. Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) in Japan now report that mitochondrial dysfunction affects the activity of serotonergic neurons in mice with mutations of ANT1.
How Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy Can Help Treat Bipolar Disorder
Self Magazine: www.self.com/story/interpersonal-and-social-rhythm-therapy-bipolar-disorder
If you’ve never heard of interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT), it may just sound like a bunch of vaguely psychological words strung together. In reality, IPSRT can be incredibly helpful for some people with bipolar disorder.
IPSRT is designed to teach someone with bipolar disorder how to prevent or better manage these shifts in mood and behavior. This form of therapy focuses on stabilizing a person’s daily rhythms, like sleeping, waking up, and eating meals, according to the Mayo Clinic. The “interpersonal” aspect of IPSRT stresses the link between how a person’s mood affects their life, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “It is about how one relates to others in the world,” Nassir Ghaemi, M.D., M.P.H., professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, tells SELF. For instance, your therapist might ask you about recent or significant times your bipolar disorder has affected your friendships, love life, work relationships, and more. This can help a person with bipolar disorder examine how their condition influences their experiences so they’re more committed to living with it in the healthiest way possible. Your therapist may also ask you questions to identify how your routine (like when you sleep) affects your symptoms on a day-to-day basis, because committing to a lifestyle routine is an essential part of this therapy.
The “social rhythm” part of IPSRT centers around creating a daily routine a person can stick to long-term. “People with bipolar disorder tend to live less regimented lives,” Michael Thase, M.D., professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood and Anxiety Program at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, tells SELF. “They may not go to bed at a good time, they may eat irregularly…adding normal times and a schedule to these things can help them take control of the irregularity.”
Self Magazine: www.self.com/story/interpersonal-and-social-rhythm-therapy-bipolar-disorder
If you’ve never heard of interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT), it may just sound like a bunch of vaguely psychological words strung together. In reality, IPSRT can be incredibly helpful for some people with bipolar disorder.
IPSRT is designed to teach someone with bipolar disorder how to prevent or better manage these shifts in mood and behavior. This form of therapy focuses on stabilizing a person’s daily rhythms, like sleeping, waking up, and eating meals, according to the Mayo Clinic. The “interpersonal” aspect of IPSRT stresses the link between how a person’s mood affects their life, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “It is about how one relates to others in the world,” Nassir Ghaemi, M.D., M.P.H., professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, tells SELF. For instance, your therapist might ask you about recent or significant times your bipolar disorder has affected your friendships, love life, work relationships, and more. This can help a person with bipolar disorder examine how their condition influences their experiences so they’re more committed to living with it in the healthiest way possible. Your therapist may also ask you questions to identify how your routine (like when you sleep) affects your symptoms on a day-to-day basis, because committing to a lifestyle routine is an essential part of this therapy.
The “social rhythm” part of IPSRT centers around creating a daily routine a person can stick to long-term. “People with bipolar disorder tend to live less regimented lives,” Michael Thase, M.D., professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood and Anxiety Program at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, tells SELF. “They may not go to bed at a good time, they may eat irregularly…adding normal times and a schedule to these things can help them take control of the irregularity.”
Scientists identify genomic regions tied to ADHD
www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0269-7
Scientists have identified 12 regions of the genome that are associated with the development of ADHD — the first time researchers have conducted a so-called genome-wide association study tied to the condition. For the study, which was published in Nature Genetics, researchers compared the genomes of more than 20,000 people with ADHD and 35,000 people without the disorder to detect the dozen regions. They also identified gene variants — some of which are known to be involved learning and hormone regulation — that may play a role in the development of the disorder.
Read the full article here: nature_genetics_adhd_genome__risk.pdf
www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0269-7
Scientists have identified 12 regions of the genome that are associated with the development of ADHD — the first time researchers have conducted a so-called genome-wide association study tied to the condition. For the study, which was published in Nature Genetics, researchers compared the genomes of more than 20,000 people with ADHD and 35,000 people without the disorder to detect the dozen regions. They also identified gene variants — some of which are known to be involved learning and hormone regulation — that may play a role in the development of the disorder.
Read the full article here: nature_genetics_adhd_genome__risk.pdf
The Justice System and Mental Health
From the American Psychiatric Association Foundation:
With nearly 2 million people with serious mental illness arrested each year, the U.S. correctional system is the nation’s primary provider of inpatient psychiatric care. We need to change that.
The number of people with mental illness in U.S. jails has reached crisis levels. In counties across the nation there are more people with mental illnesses in jails than in psychiatric hospitals.
Read more here: apafdn.org/impact/justice
From the American Psychiatric Association Foundation:
With nearly 2 million people with serious mental illness arrested each year, the U.S. correctional system is the nation’s primary provider of inpatient psychiatric care. We need to change that.
The number of people with mental illness in U.S. jails has reached crisis levels. In counties across the nation there are more people with mental illnesses in jails than in psychiatric hospitals.
Read more here: apafdn.org/impact/justice
CDC says life expectancy down as more Americans die younger due to suicide and drug overdose
www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-us-life-expectancy-declining-due-largely-to-drug-overdose-and-suicides/
Suicides and drug overdoses pushed up U.S. deaths last year, and drove a continuing decline in how long Americans are expected to live. Overall, there were more than 2.8 million U.S. deaths in 2017, or nearly 70,000 more than the previous year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. It was the most deaths in a single year since the government began counting more than a century ago. The increase partly reflects the nation's growing and aging population.
But it's deaths in younger age groups -- particularly middle-aged people -- that have had the largest impact on calculations of life expectancy, experts said. "These sobering statistics are a wake-up call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable," Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC's director, said in a statement. The suicide death rate last year was the highest it's been in at least 50 years, according to U.S. government records. There were more than 47,000 suicides, up from a little under 45,000 the year before.
Overall, U.S. life expectancy in 2017 was 78.6 years, down from 78.7 years in 2016. For men, life expectancy declined from 76.2 to 76.1, while women’s life expectancy held at 81.1 years. Drug overdoses killed 70,237 people in 2017, up from 63,632 in 2016, as the rate of overdose deaths increased 9.6 percent. Meanwhile, 47,173 people died by suicide in 2017, a rate of 14 deaths per 100,000 people. In 2016, the rate was 13.5 deaths.
www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-us-life-expectancy-declining-due-largely-to-drug-overdose-and-suicides/
Suicides and drug overdoses pushed up U.S. deaths last year, and drove a continuing decline in how long Americans are expected to live. Overall, there were more than 2.8 million U.S. deaths in 2017, or nearly 70,000 more than the previous year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. It was the most deaths in a single year since the government began counting more than a century ago. The increase partly reflects the nation's growing and aging population.
But it's deaths in younger age groups -- particularly middle-aged people -- that have had the largest impact on calculations of life expectancy, experts said. "These sobering statistics are a wake-up call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable," Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC's director, said in a statement. The suicide death rate last year was the highest it's been in at least 50 years, according to U.S. government records. There were more than 47,000 suicides, up from a little under 45,000 the year before.
Overall, U.S. life expectancy in 2017 was 78.6 years, down from 78.7 years in 2016. For men, life expectancy declined from 76.2 to 76.1, while women’s life expectancy held at 81.1 years. Drug overdoses killed 70,237 people in 2017, up from 63,632 in 2016, as the rate of overdose deaths increased 9.6 percent. Meanwhile, 47,173 people died by suicide in 2017, a rate of 14 deaths per 100,000 people. In 2016, the rate was 13.5 deaths.
Dental painkillers tied to higher risk of opioid use disorder, study suggests
Researchers are sounding an alarm about the increased risk for opioid addiction among young people who are prescribed painkillers for the first time from their dentists or oral surgeons. In a new study of 15,000 young people who received an initial opioid prescription after having wisdom teeth taken out, nearly 6 percent were diagnosed with opioid abuse issues in the next year, compared to just 0.4 percent in a peer group that didn’t get a prescription.
Study author Dr. Alan Schroeder of Stanford tells me the findings should trigger two questions: “One, why are opioids prescribed so frequently by dental providers and, two, assuming the vast majority are provided for wisdom teeth extraction, why are we doing so many wisdom teeth extractions?”
jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2717503
Researchers are sounding an alarm about the increased risk for opioid addiction among young people who are prescribed painkillers for the first time from their dentists or oral surgeons. In a new study of 15,000 young people who received an initial opioid prescription after having wisdom teeth taken out, nearly 6 percent were diagnosed with opioid abuse issues in the next year, compared to just 0.4 percent in a peer group that didn’t get a prescription.
Study author Dr. Alan Schroeder of Stanford tells me the findings should trigger two questions: “One, why are opioids prescribed so frequently by dental providers and, two, assuming the vast majority are provided for wisdom teeth extraction, why are we doing so many wisdom teeth extractions?”
jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2717503
Doctors reckon with high rate of suicide in their ranks
August 30 2018 by Blake Farmer
www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-doctors-high-rate-suicide-20180831-story.html
The medical profession is built on the myth that its workers are all highly conditioned athletes clocking long hours while somehow staying immune to fatigue and the emotional toll of their jobs. But there's a dark side to the profession that has been largely veiled even from doctors themselves: They are far more likely than the general population to take their own lives.
One of the unavoidable dangers of being a doctor is knowing exactly how to kill yourself and having easy access to the tools to do it. There are stories of anesthesiologists found in a hospital, hooked up to an IV. Wenger said his colleague used numbing agents in order to die more painlessly.
August 30 2018 by Blake Farmer
www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-doctors-high-rate-suicide-20180831-story.html
The medical profession is built on the myth that its workers are all highly conditioned athletes clocking long hours while somehow staying immune to fatigue and the emotional toll of their jobs. But there's a dark side to the profession that has been largely veiled even from doctors themselves: They are far more likely than the general population to take their own lives.
One of the unavoidable dangers of being a doctor is knowing exactly how to kill yourself and having easy access to the tools to do it. There are stories of anesthesiologists found in a hospital, hooked up to an IV. Wenger said his colleague used numbing agents in order to die more painlessly.
NAMI NOW
New stories and webinars!
Click here for the stories below and much more!
New stories and webinars!
Click here for the stories below and much more!
- It’s Not Stigma, It’s Discrimination
- Often when we talk about stigma, we're actually talking about discrimination. We need to claim what people are experiencing as a civil and human rights issue and demand an end to discrimination.
- Why I Don’t Say My Son "Committed" Suicide
- The terminology we use to describe suicide is often offensive to those who have lost loved ones. Here is one mother's account on why we shouldn't use the phrase "committed suicide."
New PBS NOVA Special: Addiction
Hear firsthand from individuals struggling with addiction and follow the cutting-edge work of doctors and scientists as they investigate why addiction is not a moral failing, but a chronic, treatable medical condition. Easy access to drugs like heroin, fentanyl, and even prescription medications like OxyContin has fueled an epidemic of addiction—the deadliest in U.S. history. Now, science is revealing how addiction affects the brain, and top experts are gathering evidence about how we should address our drug problem, from embracing evidence-based treatments, to rethinking public policies.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/addiction
Hear firsthand from individuals struggling with addiction and follow the cutting-edge work of doctors and scientists as they investigate why addiction is not a moral failing, but a chronic, treatable medical condition. Easy access to drugs like heroin, fentanyl, and even prescription medications like OxyContin has fueled an epidemic of addiction—the deadliest in U.S. history. Now, science is revealing how addiction affects the brain, and top experts are gathering evidence about how we should address our drug problem, from embracing evidence-based treatments, to rethinking public policies.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/addiction
Should the U.S. Bring Back Psychiatric Asylums?
From The Atlantic: A new paper argues that re-opening long-term facilities would help solve the country's mental-healthcare crisis.
HANNA KOZLOWSKA QUARTZ
JAN 27, 2015
For many, the phrase “psychiatric asylum” conjures up haunting and disturbing images: lobotomy procedures, drugged and restrained patients, the creepy facility in the movie “Shutter Island,” the cruel Nurse Ratched from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” But that image may be outdated.
In a provocative new paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, bioethicists at the University of Pennsylvania outline the crisis of mental-health care in the United States, and propose a solution: Rehabilitate the ill-reputed institution of the psychiatric asylum.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/01/should-the-us-bring-back-psychiatric-asylums/384838/
the_atlantic_-_bring_back___asylums.pdf
Additional Articles:
From the WallStreet Journal : the_case_to_bring_back_the_asylum_-___wsj.pdf
From the New York Times: trump_wants_more_asylums_—_and_some_psychiatrists_agree.pdf
From Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA): jvp140158.pdf
From The Atlantic: A new paper argues that re-opening long-term facilities would help solve the country's mental-healthcare crisis.
HANNA KOZLOWSKA QUARTZ
JAN 27, 2015
For many, the phrase “psychiatric asylum” conjures up haunting and disturbing images: lobotomy procedures, drugged and restrained patients, the creepy facility in the movie “Shutter Island,” the cruel Nurse Ratched from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” But that image may be outdated.
In a provocative new paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, bioethicists at the University of Pennsylvania outline the crisis of mental-health care in the United States, and propose a solution: Rehabilitate the ill-reputed institution of the psychiatric asylum.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/01/should-the-us-bring-back-psychiatric-asylums/384838/
the_atlantic_-_bring_back___asylums.pdf
Additional Articles:
From the WallStreet Journal : the_case_to_bring_back_the_asylum_-___wsj.pdf
From the New York Times: trump_wants_more_asylums_—_and_some_psychiatrists_agree.pdf
From Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA): jvp140158.pdf
Fountain House
https://www.fountainhouse.org
Fountain House successfully addresses the devastating impact of serious mental illness. We were founded in New York City in 1948 with the belief that people living with mental illness can be active participants in their own and each other’s recovery. Each year, over 1,600 members come to Fountain House to contribute their talents, learn new skills, access opportunities and forge new friendships.
Fountain House creates a culture that transforms lives. Our members, in partnership with staff, operate employment, education, housing and wellness programs. They perform all activities, including advocacy, administrative support, building maintenance and food preparation that keep our community going. Members hold jobs, graduate from schools, develop social networks and experience fewer hospitalizations and improved overall health. Increased fulfillment, sense of purpose, and stability inevitably follow.
Fountain House has inspired the creation of hundreds of similar programs in 34 countries that serve more than 100,000 people annually. In 2014, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation recognized our global reach and the efficacy of our evidence-based model with the prestigious Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.
https://www.fountainhouse.org
Fountain House successfully addresses the devastating impact of serious mental illness. We were founded in New York City in 1948 with the belief that people living with mental illness can be active participants in their own and each other’s recovery. Each year, over 1,600 members come to Fountain House to contribute their talents, learn new skills, access opportunities and forge new friendships.
Fountain House creates a culture that transforms lives. Our members, in partnership with staff, operate employment, education, housing and wellness programs. They perform all activities, including advocacy, administrative support, building maintenance and food preparation that keep our community going. Members hold jobs, graduate from schools, develop social networks and experience fewer hospitalizations and improved overall health. Increased fulfillment, sense of purpose, and stability inevitably follow.
Fountain House has inspired the creation of hundreds of similar programs in 34 countries that serve more than 100,000 people annually. In 2014, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation recognized our global reach and the efficacy of our evidence-based model with the prestigious Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.
STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH REPORT
For the fifth year in a row, Mental Health America (MHA) released its annual State of Mental Health Report, which ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on several mental health and access measures. This year, Minnesota came out on top overall with Nevada coming in 51st. The report also dives into addressing trauma in youth, and its long-term impact on performance and behavior in school.
MHA’s report also shines the spotlight on childhood trauma and its impact long-term, and releases data that shows how much trauma can impact youth in school. Trauma-impacted youth are more likely to be absent from school, find themselves removed from classrooms, or struggle with academics.
Click here to read the 2019 State of Mental Health in America Report and see how your state ranked for mental health care and access.
For the fifth year in a row, Mental Health America (MHA) released its annual State of Mental Health Report, which ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on several mental health and access measures. This year, Minnesota came out on top overall with Nevada coming in 51st. The report also dives into addressing trauma in youth, and its long-term impact on performance and behavior in school.
MHA’s report also shines the spotlight on childhood trauma and its impact long-term, and releases data that shows how much trauma can impact youth in school. Trauma-impacted youth are more likely to be absent from school, find themselves removed from classrooms, or struggle with academics.
Click here to read the 2019 State of Mental Health in America Report and see how your state ranked for mental health care and access.
Largest Brain Study of 62,454 Scans Identifies Drivers of Brain AgingS
Aug 22, 2018 | Original Story from IOS Press
In the largest known brain imaging study, scientists from Amen Clinics (Costa Mesa, CA), Google, John’s Hopkins University, University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, San Francisco evaluated 62,454 brain SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) scans of more than 30,000 individuals from 9 months old to 105 years of age to investigate factors that accelerate brain aging.
The current study, which will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, used brain SPECT imaging to determine aging trajectories in the brain and which common brain disorders predict abnormally accelerated aging. It examined these functional neuroimaging scans from a large multi-site psychiatric clinic from patients who had many different psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/largest-brain-study-of-62454-scans-identifies-drivers-of-brain-aging-307956
Aug 22, 2018 | Original Story from IOS Press
In the largest known brain imaging study, scientists from Amen Clinics (Costa Mesa, CA), Google, John’s Hopkins University, University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, San Francisco evaluated 62,454 brain SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) scans of more than 30,000 individuals from 9 months old to 105 years of age to investigate factors that accelerate brain aging.
The current study, which will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, used brain SPECT imaging to determine aging trajectories in the brain and which common brain disorders predict abnormally accelerated aging. It examined these functional neuroimaging scans from a large multi-site psychiatric clinic from patients who had many different psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/largest-brain-study-of-62454-scans-identifies-drivers-of-brain-aging-307956
Report: 55 Wisconsin counties face psychiatrist shortages
More than three-quarters of Wisconsin counties have significant shortages of psychiatrists, according to a Thursday report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum. Fifty-five of 72 Wisconsin counties face a “significant shortage” of psychiatrists and 20 have no practicing psychiatrists at all. The dearth of psychiatrists in these areas, along with the high prevalence of mental illness and substance abuse in the state, likely contribute to a gap in which more than half of Wisconsin adults in need of services for a mental health disorder go without care.
wisconsin_shortages_of_psychiatrist_care_2018.pdf
Read more.
More than three-quarters of Wisconsin counties have significant shortages of psychiatrists, according to a Thursday report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum. Fifty-five of 72 Wisconsin counties face a “significant shortage” of psychiatrists and 20 have no practicing psychiatrists at all. The dearth of psychiatrists in these areas, along with the high prevalence of mental illness and substance abuse in the state, likely contribute to a gap in which more than half of Wisconsin adults in need of services for a mental health disorder go without care.
- 55 counties have less than one psychiatrist for every 10,000 residents, which the Department of Health Services defines as a “significant shortage.”The federal government defines shortages as one psychiatrist per 30,000 residents. Under that definition, half of the counties face shortages.
- 20 counties in the state, mostly located in northern Wisconsin, lack psychiatrists.
- Moreover, the state’s psychiatrist workforce is aging. The average psychiatrist is 50 years old, and 15 percent in the state are 65 or older.
wisconsin_shortages_of_psychiatrist_care_2018.pdf
Read more.
The Depression Calculator for Employers
Depression affects more than 16 million Americans and is the leading cause of disability worldwide, costing the U.S. economy $210.5 billion per year in absenteeism, reduced productivity and medical costs. The Depression Calculator for Employers uses a wealth of the latest research to model how depression impacts a company or organization, based on just a few key demographics. How much time and money is your company losing to depression, and how much can you recover? Start the calculator to find out. www.workplacementalhealth.org/depressioncalculator/
Depression affects more than 16 million Americans and is the leading cause of disability worldwide, costing the U.S. economy $210.5 billion per year in absenteeism, reduced productivity and medical costs. The Depression Calculator for Employers uses a wealth of the latest research to model how depression impacts a company or organization, based on just a few key demographics. How much time and money is your company losing to depression, and how much can you recover? Start the calculator to find out. www.workplacementalhealth.org/depressioncalculator/
Employee mental health costs rise twice as fast as all other medical expenses
From CNBC, 9.27.2018. Read full story here
From CNBC, 9.27.2018. Read full story here
- The amount of money companies spend on the mental health of their employees has been rising rapidly.
- Employers plan to make mental health one of their top priorities in coming years, a new Willis Towers Watson survey finds.
- People with mental health conditions make six times as many emergency room visits as the overall population.
The First Digital Pill
The first digital pill will carry a price tag of $1,650 per month and soon be rolled out commercially to the first patients: people with mental illness covered by Medicaid, likely in regions including Florida and Virginia.
The pill, sold by the drug maker Otsuka as Abilify MyCite, is embedded with a sensor that can alert a patient’s physician or caregiver after it’s been swallowed. Approved last November by the Food and Drug Administration for patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, it’s a high-tech upgrade to the antipsychotic drug Abilify, which was first approved 16 years ago and has now gone generic. This is the first FDA approved drug-device combination product intended to track the ingestion of medicine.
ABILIFY MYCITE, a drug-device combination product comprised of aripiprazole tablets embedded with an Ingestible Event Marker (IEM) sensor intended to track drug ingestion, is indicated in adults for the:
https://www.otsuka-us.com/discover/articles-1208
The ABILIFY MYCITE® System
The first digital pill will carry a price tag of $1,650 per month and soon be rolled out commercially to the first patients: people with mental illness covered by Medicaid, likely in regions including Florida and Virginia.
The pill, sold by the drug maker Otsuka as Abilify MyCite, is embedded with a sensor that can alert a patient’s physician or caregiver after it’s been swallowed. Approved last November by the Food and Drug Administration for patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, it’s a high-tech upgrade to the antipsychotic drug Abilify, which was first approved 16 years ago and has now gone generic. This is the first FDA approved drug-device combination product intended to track the ingestion of medicine.
ABILIFY MYCITE, a drug-device combination product comprised of aripiprazole tablets embedded with an Ingestible Event Marker (IEM) sensor intended to track drug ingestion, is indicated in adults for the:
- Treatment of schizophrenia
- Treatment of bipolar I disorder as monotherapy and as adjunct to lithium or valproate for: Acute treatment of manic and mixed episodes
- Maintenance treatment
- Adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder
https://www.otsuka-us.com/discover/articles-1208
The ABILIFY MYCITE® System
"Horrific deaths, brutal treatment: Mental illness in America's jails," published by The Virginia Pilot.
In a nine-month investigation, reporter Gary Harki and several Marquette University students tracked the deaths of 404 inmates with mental illnesses since 2010 which reveals the brutal treatment many people suffer in our criminal justice system. The article, available here, includes disturbing images. Here are some of The Virginia Pilot's findings:
In a nine-month investigation, reporter Gary Harki and several Marquette University students tracked the deaths of 404 inmates with mental illnesses since 2010 which reveals the brutal treatment many people suffer in our criminal justice system. The article, available here, includes disturbing images. Here are some of The Virginia Pilot's findings:
- At least 33 times inmates' family or friends had warned the jails of their loved one's mental illnesses prior to their death.
- More than 178 inmates with a mental illness died by suicide while behind bars.
- In 70 cases staff at the jail subjected the prisoner to shock, pepper-spray, restraint, or some combination thereof.
- In more than half of the deaths, families sued either the facility or the medical provider.
- In more than 40 percent of deaths, The Virginian-Pilot found that inmates with mental illness were segregated from other inmates when they died.
This website is about “depression plus”: more than plain depression. Weirder or more “up and down” — but not manic. If that sounds like your experience, your depression might be in the middle of the Mood Spectrum: not bipolar, but not just depressed. More variable, more complex.
psycheducation.org/
Suicide rates are rising in most states, CDC reports
Suicide rates rose in all but one state between 1999 and 2016, with 25 states seeing increases of more than 30 percent, according to a new report released by the CDC. Here’s a look at the findings:
Suicide rates rose in all but one state between 1999 and 2016, with 25 states seeing increases of more than 30 percent, according to a new report released by the CDC. Here’s a look at the findings:
- There were nearly 45,000 suicides in the U.S. in 2016, more than double the number of homicides. Suicide was the second-leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 34.
- Between 2014 and 2016, the suicide rate was highest in Montana, at 29.2 suicide deaths per 100,000 people. The national average is 13.4 suicides per 100,000.
- Nevada was the only state that saw its suicide rate decline. It fell 1 percent between 1999 and 2016, but the state’s rate is still higher than the national average.
This is Normal
"This is Normal" is a new podcast from USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. We talk to young people about their own mental health challenges — and how they got through them. Because talking about this stuff makes us all feel a little less alone.
Click here to watch videos from students about their own personal experiences.
"This is Normal" is a new podcast from USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. We talk to young people about their own mental health challenges — and how they got through them. Because talking about this stuff makes us all feel a little less alone.
Click here to watch videos from students about their own personal experiences.
Kids In Crisis
Kids in Crisis is USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin's groundbreaking series on youth mental health. It's been recognized by the Poynter Institute and MediaShift for its engaging approach, involving dozens of community events and countless reader submissions from videos to personal essays. The lead reporter received the Wisconsin Media Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Wisconsin ranks among the worst states for rates of youth depression, youth suicide, and shortages of care providers. At the same time, hope is abundant in the stories of youth with mental health challenges, their families and their allies.
Click here to access the Kids in Crisis Series featuring stories, videos, and personal testimonials.
Kids in Crisis is USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin's groundbreaking series on youth mental health. It's been recognized by the Poynter Institute and MediaShift for its engaging approach, involving dozens of community events and countless reader submissions from videos to personal essays. The lead reporter received the Wisconsin Media Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Wisconsin ranks among the worst states for rates of youth depression, youth suicide, and shortages of care providers. At the same time, hope is abundant in the stories of youth with mental health challenges, their families and their allies.
Click here to access the Kids in Crisis Series featuring stories, videos, and personal testimonials.
Talulah Tattoo’s third annual Friday the 13th Fundraiser
All proceeds from this year's event were donated to NAMI Kenosha County! Pictured: John Rose receives the donation from Jen Parise, co-owner of Talulah Tattoo. |
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HuHot Cares
On March 7, 2018 NAMI Kenosha County participated in HuHot’s HuCares Program. The Mongolian Grill of Kenosha invited our nonprofit organization to share in the evening’s profits. Members of NAMI were also on hand to raise awareness of mental health issues. In the picture, Jack Rose, NAMI board member, accepts a check from Sean Hayes, assistant manager of HuHot.
On March 7, 2018 NAMI Kenosha County participated in HuHot’s HuCares Program. The Mongolian Grill of Kenosha invited our nonprofit organization to share in the evening’s profits. Members of NAMI were also on hand to raise awareness of mental health issues. In the picture, Jack Rose, NAMI board member, accepts a check from Sean Hayes, assistant manager of HuHot.
NEW Local DBT Class for Adults
Rogers Behavioral Health is now offering a specialized dialectical behavior therapy program for adults at our Kenosha location. Similar to the DBT program we offer for adolescents, within this group-based therapy, patients will learn practical life skills such as mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal skills to stabilize mood and behavior. DBT is effective in treating individuals who struggle with chronic suicidal ideation and non-suicidal self-injury, as well as people who have trouble regulating their emotions.
This evidenced-based treatment for adults is a unique partial hospitalization program running Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am -2:30 pm. The program is estimated to last two to six weeks, and varies based on each patient’s individual needs.Like all Rogers treatment programs, our leaders developed the DBT program using medical expertise and insights gained from our excellent clinical outcomes. If you would like more information or have a client you feel would benefit from this program or any other programs in our Kenosha location, please call admissions at 262-942-4000 and ask for Jenna to set up an initial assessment, or make a referral online.
Rogers Behavioral Health is now offering a specialized dialectical behavior therapy program for adults at our Kenosha location. Similar to the DBT program we offer for adolescents, within this group-based therapy, patients will learn practical life skills such as mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal skills to stabilize mood and behavior. DBT is effective in treating individuals who struggle with chronic suicidal ideation and non-suicidal self-injury, as well as people who have trouble regulating their emotions.
This evidenced-based treatment for adults is a unique partial hospitalization program running Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am -2:30 pm. The program is estimated to last two to six weeks, and varies based on each patient’s individual needs.Like all Rogers treatment programs, our leaders developed the DBT program using medical expertise and insights gained from our excellent clinical outcomes. If you would like more information or have a client you feel would benefit from this program or any other programs in our Kenosha location, please call admissions at 262-942-4000 and ask for Jenna to set up an initial assessment, or make a referral online.
Mass Shootings and Violence: NAMI Talking Points
It is important after tragedies happen to remember the tremendous impact they have on our communities— our parents, our children, our school professionals, our first responders--the mental health of our communities and our whole country. It’s also vital to recognize that the overwhelming majority of people with mental illness are not violent.
There are certain risk factors for violence including: a history of violence, substance abuse and untreated symptoms of psychosis, some evidence suggests. However, most people with mental illness will never become violent and mental illness does not cause most gun violence. Click here to learn more.
It is important after tragedies happen to remember the tremendous impact they have on our communities— our parents, our children, our school professionals, our first responders--the mental health of our communities and our whole country. It’s also vital to recognize that the overwhelming majority of people with mental illness are not violent.
There are certain risk factors for violence including: a history of violence, substance abuse and untreated symptoms of psychosis, some evidence suggests. However, most people with mental illness will never become violent and mental illness does not cause most gun violence. Click here to learn more.
Kindness Comes Full Circle
by Carol J Slovachek
January 2018
Filled with both challenges and lessons, 2017 was just a tough year for me. In mid-May after more than twelve years of steady recovery from bipolar illness, I found myself in the throes of a full blown manic–psychotic episode. I was hospitalized three times over a three month period and pumped full of antipsychotic drugs. The road back to recovery was filled with negative side effects from the various medications. Read more click here.
by Carol J Slovachek
January 2018
Filled with both challenges and lessons, 2017 was just a tough year for me. In mid-May after more than twelve years of steady recovery from bipolar illness, I found myself in the throes of a full blown manic–psychotic episode. I was hospitalized three times over a three month period and pumped full of antipsychotic drugs. The road back to recovery was filled with negative side effects from the various medications. Read more click here.