Mental Health www.TheCitizensWhoCare.org Oregon teens struggle with mental health more than ever, according to state survey Talking with Kids about Mental Health Talking with Kids about Mental Health Talking To Kids About Mental Illnesses Mental Health On-Line Scerening Tests: Depression - English | Spanish; Anxiety - English | Spanish; Postpartum Depression; Psychosis; Bipolar; Eating Disorder; PTSD; Parent; Youth; Addiction Test: plus a Work Health Survey and a Young People's Mental Health Survey. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans Suffers From Mental Illness Each Year For Parents and Caregivers Mental health of children and young people ‘at risk in digital age’ Men and Mental Health Help Bring Good Samaritan Laws to Your State Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Uncovering an Epidemic — Screening for Mental Illness in Teens How to Talk About Mental Health Myths and facts about mental health The stigma that goes along with mental illness issues 30 Days Prior to a Suicide - What is health care missing? What is gaslighting? No proof that 85% of mental health apps accredited by the NHS actually work How the Trigger Warning Debate Exposes Our F*cked Up Views on Mental Illness Mental Health and Mesothelioma Suicide and Therapy When the Hospital Fires the Bullet Suicide Teen Suicide Suicide Prevention Military College Safe Space - Videos to ralax to and breathe Glossary Resources Related Conditions Addiction Anxiety Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) / Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) Bipolar BPD Depression Dissociative Identity Disorder Eating Disorder Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Postpartum PTSD Schizophrenia Suicide The UX of Getting Good Sleep: Resources for Better Sleep Cognitive Behavioral (CBT) Therapists in 97415 Psychiatrists in 97415 Note: We haven't be able to locate a psychiatrist in Curry County. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in Coos Bay, There was a Psychiatrist in Eugene, Eureka, McKinlesville, and Orland, There was a Psychiatric Nurse in Eugene and a Psychiatric Nurse Practioner in Albany, Central Point, Coos Bay and Newport. Related topics: Are you feeling suicidal? Attempts,FIX Clustering/Contagion, Crisis Text Line, FIX Crisis Trends, Depression, Emergency Phone/Chat/Text Numbers, FIX Facebook Live , Guns, How to talk with your kids about suicide, Mental Illness, Need to Talk?, Online Depression Screening Test , Oregon Suicides 1990 to date, FIX Prevention, FIX Religion, FIX Safety Plan, FIX Secrets No More, Semicolon Campaign, 741741 Crisis Text Line, Stigma, Struggling Teen, FIX Suicide, Suicide Internationally, Suicide 10-14 Year-Olds, Teen Depression, FIX Teen Suicide, 3-Day Rule, FIX '13 Reasons Why', Veterans, Warning Signs Resources Merchandise - Single card - $1.00 includes shipping, Positive Parenting Pack (all 34 cards) - $13.00 plus shipping Active Minds gave me the strength and power to start going to counseling. I am proud to tell people that I have a counselor and now encourage friends to go to counseling. I help them understand that even if they don't have a mental illness, they do have mental health that needs to be cared for.  Oregon teens struggle with mental health more than ever, according to state survey In Oregon, the kids are increasingly not all right. A report from the Oregon Health Authority shows that middle- and high school-aged children feel they struggle more with mental illness and cope less well with the stress of their lives than was the case as recently as two years ago. Compared with 2015 and particularly 2013, more eighth- and 11th- graders reported they have unmet mental health needs on the biennial 2017 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey . This year, almost 19 percent of eighth-graders and 22 percent of 11th-graders reported that unmet need on the survey, given to more than 12,000 students in each grade at public schools throughout the state last spring. A quarter of eighth-graders said their emotional or mental health was fair or poor. A third of 11th- graders did At the same time, fewer students reported that they know how to cope with everyday stress and anxiety -- a measure of resiliency that officials use to take the mental temperature of Oregon teens. More than 40 percent of students in both grades survey did not meet the state's benchmark for coping ability. About a third said they felt so sad and hopeless, they had stopped doing normal activities. Up to 18 percent said they had contemplated suicide. Nearly 9 percent of eighth graders reported they had in fact attempted suicide in the last year and 7 percent of 11th graders did. While the survey didn't search out causes for why teenagers feel hopeless, sad or anxious, experts in child psychology say the high proportions of Oregon teens who reported stress and turmoil -- and no way to combat them -- aren't surprising. Terrorism, cell phones and increased economic insecurity for Oregon families all play a role. Dr. Ajit Jetmalani, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University, said the he and his colleagues see a confluence of relatively new challenges that parents and national health care policy are just now confronting. "I think we've reached a place where there's a fork in the road: There could be movement around what's best for kids based around obvious negative trend lines," Jetmalani said. "I don't think it's going to come from a national level. It's going to come from a local level." Virtually all the teens who took the survey were from 13 to 17 years old. They grew up in the aftermath of the Great Recession, which reshaped the economy into one of heavily low-wage and freelance jobs with a historically wide gap between the very rich and the poor. These children's parents spent a large portion of their lives in the fear-filled years after 9/11. The fallout from those events have imprinted themselves on children, said Jetmalani. "These kids now are the product of an environment where people were incredibly distressed and were frightened about safety, were frightened about economic security," Jetmalani said. "We know when people are preoccupied or stressed or experiencing trauma, that can impact the relationship between family members and that can impact a community." Statewide, half of Oregon students qualify for subsidized school meals, indicating they come from families living below 185 percent of the poverty line. Some of those experience extreme deprivation and lack of security, with 22,541 kids found to be homeless at some point during 2016-17. When parents are focused on where and when their children will eat or sleep, they have less capacity for their kids' emotional needs, according to studies. That instability shows up in how those kids function as well. They often lose sleep, perform poorly in school and act out, which often leads to punishment. Up to 40 percent of students reported they had missed at least one day of school for mental health reasons. About as many skipped school for any reason, according to the survey. The report does not draw conclusions or link the results, but state analysts say that many of these trends are related. For instance, the increase in teens saying they have mental health issues that haven't been addressed corresponds closely to their decreasing ability to cope in tough times. "Those are two rates that are corresponding," said Wes Rivers, adolescent health policy assessment specialist for the Oregon Health Authority. "As those increase, you would expect unmet need to also increase." Rivers said that the trend line is the same – possibly suggesting that all are related. Students live in a relatively novel era when they have access to smartphones and social media at an age no other generation has, and both are a near-constant presence in many teens' lives. Jetmalani said the biological traits that make adolescence tough in any era -- lack of impulse control, heightened emotions, puberty -- are exacerbated by the speed of smartphone technology and the sense of isolation it can provide. He said that almost every child who comes to his office, alone or with family, complains of the pressures social media. Social media opens the door for bullying, researchers say. It also closes adolescents off from crucial learning developments that can only be achieved through person-to-person interaction. For instance, fights between friends can play out completely over text messages and Instagram comments, rather than through face-to-face interactions that allow friends to see how much they hurt each other and learn empathy and restraint. "If you're neurologically wired to need human contact and interpersonal exchange and we disrupt that through these electronic pathways, we disrupt resilience over time," Jetmalani said. Parents also grapple with how much they use their own phones and computers. The parents' overuse of screentime can negatively impact their teens. Jetmalani warned that school bans on smartphone use might not go far enough. Parents and communities might be headed toward making stricter decisions about how old children should be to have access to the internet without supervision -- and whether adults need to temper their own technology usage. Social media usage fosters a sense of competition that teens are particularly susceptible to. Many social media users create a carefully curated version of their online selves skewed toward their best looks and best days. Jetmalani said many kids compare their lives to the lives of others as presented through social media -- and conclude that they haven't achieved as much or traveled enough or had as much fun as most others their age. And it's not just that competition that is damaging, Jetmalani said. The tone of national politics has filtered down to make youth feel they must pick a side in everything -- politics, friendships, what they like and don't. "The polarization of information is so wide, and instead of being focused on the greater good, there's haves and have-nots and Republicans and Democrats -- and there's not a sense of what's best for all of us," he said. Jetmalani said the stressors, anxiety and depression facing so many teens can be tackled best with more investment in mental health services at early ages. "I don't think all is lost. We just have to make a decision. We have to do this work and do it systematically." -- Molly Harbarger mharbarger@oregonian.com or 503-294-5923 Source: www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2017/12/oregon_teens_struggle_with_men.html Nearly 1 in 5 Americans Suffers From Mental Illness Each Year New Jersey had the lowest rates of overall and severe mental illness, while Utah had the highest Every year, about 42.5 million American adults (or 18.2 percent of the total adult population in the United States) suffers from some mental illness, enduring conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, statistics released Friday reveal. The data, compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), also indicate that approximately 9.3 million adults, or about 4 percent of those Americans ages 18 and up, experience “serious mental illness” – that is, their condition impedes day-to-day activities, such as going to work. This data does not diverge greatly from the last SAMHSA report, released in 2012, which found that 45.9 million American adults, 20 percent of this demographic, experienced mental illness at least once annually. (Though there is a 1.8 percent difference, the statistics do have margins of error, and methods of compiling them are often revised, so this dip does not necessarily mean there has been a long-term decline in mental illness.) The SAMHSA paper comes amid increasing scrutiny of the ability of America’s health care system to handle issues of mental illness. For example, the American Mental Health Counselors Association released a study earlier this week claiming that adults with mental illness who live in those states electing against expanding Medicaid under Obamacare will be denied insurance. According to the study, care could be denied to up to 4 million patients. The SAMHSA study breaks down mental illness rates by state. Perhaps surprisingly, New Jersey had the lowest national rates of overall and severe mental illness – 14.7 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively. The states with the most mental illness? In Utah, 22.3 percent of the adult population experienced mental illness, and in West Virginia had the most cases of severe mental illness among adults, at 5.5 percent. It may be tempting to look at the map that accompanies the study and try to make guesses at why, say, the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest seem to suffer more from mental illness than other regions. However, because there is so much mental health illness in all the states – and lots of uncontrolled variables – it would be hard to draw any real conclusions. According to the study, “factors that potentially contribute to the variation are not well understood and need further study.” Not all psychiatric statisticians are satisfied with SAMHSA’s findings, with some alleging that the agency grossly understates the prevalence of mental illness. Ronald Kessler, McNeil Family Professor of Health Care at Harvard and expert in large scale mental illness surveys, tells Newsweek that SAMHSA’s assessment of serious mental illness is “pretty good” but that he believes that the “prevalence for any mental illness is too low.” Kessler, who is familiar with SAMHSA’s computational methods, said that the agency did not measure all of the ailments in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -- including some major ones like attention deficit disorder. “I find it objectionable that they use this term ‘any mental illness,’” he says. “What they really mean is any mental illness that they decided to measure. What they ask about is anxiety and depression and drinking and drugs, but there are many things beside that they totally ignored.”’ Kessler estimates that the prevalence of mental illness might range from 25 to 30 percent of American adults. A 2011 report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pegs the number at 25 percent. SAMHSA’s statistics division disagrees with Kessler’s assessment. “This captures the majority of people suffering from mental illness in the country,” Dr. Kevin Hennessy, deputy director of the Center for Behavioral Health and Statistics and Quality, tells Newsweek. According to the report, the state-level estimates are based on data collected from 92,400 adults 18 and over from the 2011 and 2012 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. The survey itself was built around the DSM, but also includes an “improved prediction model” developed based on previous survey attempts. Ultimately, the experts might be splitting hairs; even the state with the lowest rate of mental illness still nears 15 percent. Perhaps more importantly, only 62.9 percent of adults nationwide with serious mental illness received mental health treatment in the year they reported this illness. Dr. Peter Delany – director of the “the government’s lead agency for behavioral health statistics,” the Center for Behavioral Health and Statistics and Quality, according to SAMHSA’s website – tells Newsweek that the information shows policymakers, in black and white terms, that mental illness impacts a large portion of the population, regardless of statistical caveats. “These are real people that have very serious problems,“ he says. “The data should be helping us think through how we want to approach helping them get services that they need.” Source: www.newsweek.com/nearly-1-5-americans-suffer-mental-illness-each-year-230608?utm_source=internal&utm_campaign=incontent&utm_medium=related4 Talk with your kids about Mental Health Kids are naturally curious and have questions about mental illnesses. It can be challenging for adults as well as for children. Myths, confusion, and misinformation about mental illnesses cause anxiety, create stereotypes, and promote stigma. During the past 50 years, great advances have been made in the areas of diagnosis and treatment. Parents can help children understand that these are real illnesses that can be treated. In order to talk with a child about mental illnesses, you must be knowledgeable and reasonably comfortable with the subject. You should have a basic understanding and answers to questions such as, what are mental illnesses, who can get them, what causes them, how are diagnoses made, and what treatments are available. Some parents may have to do a little homework to be better informed. Parents can help children understand that these are real illnesses that can be treated. In order to talk with a child about mental illnesses, you must be knowledgeable and reasonably comfortable with the subject. You should have a basic understanding and answers to questions such as, what are mental illnesses, who can get them, what causes them, how are diagnoses made, and what treatments are available. Some parents may have to do a little homework to be better informed. Because children often can’t understand difficult situations on their own, you should pay particular attention if they experience: 1. Loss of a loved one 2. Divorce or separation of their parents 3. Any major transition – new home, new school. 4.Traumatic life experiences, like living through a natural disaster 5.Teasing or bullying 6. Difficulties in school or with classmates Parents should be aware of their child's needs, concerns, knowledge, and experience with mental illnesses. When talking about mental illnesses, parents should: 1. Communicate in a straightforward manner 2. Communicate at a level that is appropriate to a child's age and development level 3. Have the discussion when the child feels safe and comfortable 4. Watch their child's reaction during the discussion 5. Slow down or back up if the child becomes confused or looks upset 6. Listen openly and let your child tell you about his or her feelings and worries Considering these points will help any child be more relaxed and understand more of the conversation. Pre-School Age Children Young children need less information and fewer details because of their more limited ability to understand. Preschool children focus primarily on things they can see, for example, they may have questions about a person who has an unusual physical appearance, or is behaving strangely. They would also be very aware of people who are crying and obviously sad, or yelling and angry. School-Age Children Older children may want more specifics. They may ask more questions, especially about friends or family with emotional or behavioral problems. Their concerns and questions are usually very straightforward. "Why is that person crying? Why does Mommy drink and get so mad? Why is that person talking to himself?" They may worry about their safety or the safety of their family and friends. It is important to answer their questions directly and honestly and to reassure them about their concerns and feelings. Teenagers Teenagers are generally capable of handling much more information and asking more specific and difficult questions. Teenagers often talk more openly with their friends and peers than with their parents. As a result, some teens may already have misinformation about mental illnesses. Teenagers respond more positively to an open dialogue which includes give and take. They are not as open or responsive when a conversation feels one-sided or like a lecture. Talking to children about mental illnesses can be an opportunity for parents to provide their children with information, support, and guidance. Learning about mental illnesses can lead to improved recognition, earlier treatment, greater understanding and compassion, as well as decreased stigma. 800/969-6642 www.nmha.org Do you need help starting a conversation with your child about mental health? Try leading with these questions. Make sure you actively listen to your child’s response. 1. Can you tell me more about what is happening? How you are feeling. 2. Have you had feelings like this in the past? 3. Sometimes you need to talk to an adult about your feelings. I’m here to listen. How can I help you feel better? 4. Do you feel like you want to talk to someone else about your feelings? 5. I’m worried about your safety. Can you tell me if you have thoughts about harming yourself or others? Seek immediate assistance if you think your child is in danger of harming themselves or others. You can call a crisis line or the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1.800.273.TALK (8255) or teach your chioldren the Crisis Text Number 741741 since they probably prefer to text about emotional issues than talk about them. If your child is in need of community mental health services, check out your local school health center. Talking To Kids About Mental Illnesses Kids are naturally curious and have questions about mental illnesses. Understanding mental illnesses can be challenging for adults as well as for children. Myths, confusion, and misinformation about mental illnesses cause anxiety, create stereotypes, and promote stigma. During the past 50 years, great advances have been made in the areas of diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. Parents can help children understand that these are real illnesses that can be treated. Parents can help children understand that these are real illnesses that can be treated. In order to talk with a child about mental illnesses, you must be knowledgeable and reasonably comfortable with the subject. You should have a basic understanding and answers to questions such as, what are mental illnesses, who can get them, what causes them, how are diagnoses made, and what treatments are available. Some parents may have to do a little homework to be better informed. When explaining to a child about how a mental illness affects a person, it may be helpful to make a comparison to a physical illness. For example, many people get sick with a cold or the flu, but only a few get really sick with something serious like pneumonia. People who have a cold are usually able to do their normal activities. However, if they get pneumonia, they will have to take medicine and may have to go to the hospital. Similarly, feelings of sadness, anxiety, worry, irritability, or sleep problems are common for most people. However, when these feelings get very intense, last for a long period of time and begin to interfere with school, work, and relationships, it may be a sign of a mental illness that requires treatment. Because children often can’t understand difficult situations on their own, you should pay particular attention if they experience: 1. Loss of a loved one 2. Divorce or separation of their parents 3. Any major transition – new home, new school. 4.Traumatic life experiences, like living through a natural disaster 5.Teasing or bullying 6. Difficulties in school or with classmates 1. Communicate in a straightforward manner 2. Communicate at a level that is appropriate to a child's age and development level 3. Have the discussion when the child feels safe and comfortable 4. Watch their child's reaction during the discussion 5. Slow down or back up if the child becomes confused or looks upset 6. Listen openly and let your child tell you about his or her feelings and worries Considering these points will help any child be more relaxed and understand more of the conversation. Do you need help starting a conversation with your child about mental health? Try leading with these questions. Make sure you actively listen to your child’s response. 1. Can you tell me more about what is happening? How you are feeling. 2. Have you had feelings like this in the past? 3. Sometimes you need to talk to an adult about your feelings. I’m here to listen. How can I help you feel better? 4. Do you feel like you want to talk to someone else about your feelings? 5. I’m worried about your safety. Can you tell me if you have thoughts about harming yourself or others? Seek immediate assistance if you think your child is in danger of harming themselves or others. You can call a crisis line or the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1.800.273.TALK (8255). If your child is in need of community mental health services, check out your local school health center. Pre-School Age Children Young children need less information and fewer details because of their more limited ability to understand. Preschool children focus primarily on things they can see, for example, they may have questions about a person who has an unusual physical appearance, or is behaving strangely. They would also be very aware of people who are crying and obviously sad, or yelling and angry. School-Age Children Older children may want more specifics. They may ask more questions, especially about friends or family with emotional or behavioral problems. Their concerns and questions are usually very straightforward. "Why is that person crying? Why does Daddy drink and get so mad? Why is that person talking to herself?" They may worry about their safety or the safety of their family and friends. It is important to answer their questions directly and honestly and to reassure them about their concerns and feelings. Teenagers Teenagers are generally capable of handling much more information and asking more specific and difficult questions. Teenagers often talk more openly with their friends and peers than with their parents. As a result, some teens may have already have misinformation about mental illnesses. Teenagers respond more positively to an open dialogue which includes give and take. They are not as open or responsive when a conversation feels one-sided or like a lecture. Talking to children about mental illnesses can be an opportunity for parents to provide their children with information, support, and guidance. Learning about mental illnesses can lead to improved recognition, earlier treatment, greater understanding and compassion, as well as decreased stigma. 800/969-6642 www.nmha.org How to Talk About Mental Health Do you need help starting a conversation with your child about mental health? Try leading with these questions. Make sure you actively listen to your child’s response. Can you tell me more about what is happening? How you are feeling? Have you had feelings like this in the past? Sometimes you need to talk to an adult about your feelings. I’m here to listen. How can I help you feel better? Do you feel like you want to talk to someone else about your problem? I’m worried about your safety. Can you tell me if you have thoughts about harming yourself or others? When talking about mental health problems with your child you should: Communicate in a straightforward manner Speak at a level that is appropriate to a child or adolescent’s age and development level (preschool children need fewer details than teenagers) Discuss the topic when your child feels safe and comfortable Watch for reactions during the discussion and slow down or back up if your child becomes confused or looks upset Listen openly and let your child tell you about his or her feelings and worries Related Video YouTube embedded video: http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/zMdFj4e0Q18 Glenn Close talks about her family's experience with mental health problems, and the importance of talking and learning about mental health issues. "I challenge every American family to no longer whisper about mental illness behind closed doors," she said. Learn More about Supporting Your Children There are many resources for parents and caregivers who want to know more about children’s mental health. Learn more about: Recognizing mental health problems in children exit disclaimer icon, how they are affected, and what you can do Diagnosing and treating children with mental health problems exit disclaimer icon Talking to children and youth after a disaster or traumatic event exit disclaimer icon (PDF – 796 KB) Get Help for Your Child Seek immediate assistance if you think your child is in danger of harming themselves or others. You can call a crisis line or the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1.800.273.TALK (8255). If your child is in need of community mental health services, find help in your area and possibly from your school health center. Mental health of children and young people ‘at risk in digital age’ Cyberbullying and rise in self-harm highlighted by MPs voicing concern over violent video games and sexting Violent video games, the sharing of indecent images on mobile phones, and other types of digital communications, are harming young people’s mental health, MPs warned on Wednesday, amid evidence of big increases in self-harm and serious psychological problems among the under-18s. Cyberbullying and websites advocating anorexia and self-harm are also posing a danger to the mental wellbeing of children and young people, the Commons health select committee says in its report. Sarah Wollaston, chair of the committee, who was a GP for 24 years before becoming a Tory MP in 2010, said: “In the past if you were being bullied it might just be in the classroom. Now it follows [you] way beyond the walk home from school. It is there all the time. Voluntary bodies have not suggested stopping young people using the internet. But for some young people it’s clearly a new source of stress.” However, the MPs said they had found no evidence that the emerging digital culture was behind the worrying rise, of up to 25% to 30% a year, in numbers of children and young people seeking treatment for mental health problems. The cross-party group acknowledges that forms of online and social communication are now central to the lives of under-18s, but says that a government inquiry into the effects is needed because of the potential for harm. “For today’s children and young people, digital culture and social media are an integral part of life … this has the potential to significantly increase stress and to amplify the effects of bullying,” the committee’s report says. Some young people experience “bullying, harassment and threats of violence” when online, the MPs say. While they did not look into internet regulation in depth during their six-month inquiry, they concluded: “In our view sufficient concern has been raised to warrant a more detailed consideration of the impact of the internet on children’s and young people’s mental health, and in particular the use of social media and impact of pro-anorexia, self-harm and other inappropriate websites.” It calls on the Department of Health and NHS England’s joint taskforce, now investigating, alongside bodies such as the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, the mental health of under-18s, to assess the impact of social media. The MPs appreciate the move for e-safety to be taught at all four education key-stages in England. But they also want the Department for Education, as part of a review of mental health education in schools, to “ensure that links between online safety, cyberbullying, and maintaining and protecting emotional wellbeing and mental health are fully articulated”. Wollaston voiced concern that “sexting” (sharing indecent photographs) could be traumatic for vulnerable young women persuaded to pose for intimate pictures then finding the shots shared widely. Some would end up being harassed, she said. Sexting had “become normalised in some school environments”, she said. “We need much better education about the dangers of sexting.” She also expressed unease about the impact of violent video games played by young people. Parents, she said, should do more to check what their offspring were doing online in their free time and talk to them because “if they are spending two hours a night doing that, is that harming their child?” Lucie Russell, director of campaigns and media at the charity Young Minds, said: “The 24/7 online world has the potential to massively increase young people’s stress levels and multiplies the opportunities for them to connect with others in similar distress. Websites like Tumblr, where there has been recent media focus on self-harm blogs, must do all they can to limit triggering content and that which encourages self-harming behaviour.” Russell backed the committee’s view that the internet could also be “a valuable source of support for children and young people with mental health problems”. But, she added that “many professionals feel completely out of touch with, even intimidated by, social media and the net”. The report paints a grim picture of the growing number of under-18s needing care, often struggling to access it, or becoming an inpatient hundreds of miles from home, as children’s and adolescents’ mental health services tried to cope with budget cuts, lack of staff and too few beds. “Major problems” in accessing services ends with “children and young people’s safety being compromised while they wait for a bed to become available”, say the MPs. Services are under such pressure that in some parts of England children only get seen by a psychiatrist if they have already tried to take their own lives at least once. Despite growing need, criteria for being referred for NHS treatment have been tightened in most of England, the MPs say. Liz Myers, a consultant psychiatrist with the Cornwall Partnership NHS foundation trust, told the inquiry that its services for the young were receiving 4,000 referrals a year, though were only commissioned by the NHS to do 2,000. “This has meant that we are necessarily having to prioritise those who have the most urgent and pressing need, and we have no capacity for earlier intervention and very little capacity for seeing those perhaps with the less life-threatening or urgent risky presentations. “There are increasing waits. It is not okay. We do not want that for our children and young people, but we have to just keep prioritising.” Hilary Cass, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said failure to tackle emerging problems with young people’s mental health meant the issue was now “a hidden epidemic”. Source: www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/05/children-cyberbullying-self-harm-gaming-mps-concern Men and Mental Health Dr. Sara Hickmann is a Clinical Counselor for the Fleet and Family Support Center at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, CA. Previously, she served as the Director of Player Assistance Services in the Player Development Department at the National Football League (NFL) from 2004 to 2009. We asked Dr. Hickmann to compile a list of commonly held misconceptions about men’s mental health. Our goal in the Men’s Mental Health Campaign is to challenge some of the common yet false beliefs that men hold about mental health, particularly the beliefs that might prevent them from getting the help they need. Let’s start the conversation. Common Belief: “I don’t need help. I got this.” Research shows that, often, the men who need mental health services most – stressed out, successful, athletic, family men – are also the least interested in getting help. The traditional male role encourages a preoccupation with success, power and competition. And yet these types of men are at higher risk of negative psychological consequences, such as depression, anxiety, and relationship problems. Common Belief: “Talking about my problems is not going to change anything.” The term “normative male alexithymia” has been used to describe men’s problems with expressing their emotions, a possible contributor to depression and barrier to treatment. Men are geared towards problem solving, but sometimes holding in how you feel is part of the problem. When you start talking about things that bother you or are causing stress, the problem solving can begin. Athletes will “huddle up” on the court or field to make a plan or a game strategy and make adjustments as they go along. This is similar to what happens in counseling or therapy. Common Belief: “It’s not that bad, it’s the way I’ve always been.” Most likely, you don’t like to go to the doctor when you have a fever, sore throat, and cough. You probably want to ride it out and see if you can just get better on your own. But then you realize the cough has now turned into bronchitis and you aren’t able to work. Mental health issues can be similar. It can be hard to know when it’s time. Sometimes, you just need to talk. And, other times, it’s pretty bad. You can’t get out of bed or function. Untreated depression and other psychiatric problems can result in personal, family, and financial problems, even suicide. According to NIMH, four times as many men as women die by suicide in the United States, which may result from a higher prevalence of untreated depression. Yet eight out of 10 cases of depression respond to treatment. Common Belief: “People will think I am crazy if I see a psychologist.” Our brains are sensitive organs that respond to our genetics, traumatic life events, and stress. Many of these factors are not in our direct control. Men may express their depression in terms of increases in fatigue, irritability and anger, loss of interest in work, and sleep disturbances. It has also been shown that men use more drugs and alcohol, perhaps to self-medicate. This can mask the signs of depression, making it harder to detect and treat effectively. A diagnosis is not a life sentence. A diagnosis can be a name of a condition that provides a road-map for proper treatment and improvement in your mood, relationships, and life. Start the conversation. With someone you trust. With someone who is trained. With someone who cares. Ask questions. Start the conversation. Conversation Guide Some tips to start a conversation with someone about concerns around mental health. DO: OBSERVE, COMMUNICATE, RESPECT DON’T: ASSUME, ALIENATE, LABEL Start a Conversation Educate yourself before approaching the topic of mental health. Find a place that’s both comfortable and private. Don’t just talk about mental health – talk about other things you normally discuss or an activity/hobby you share. Pick a time when you can both chat without interruption or distraction. Be relaxed, open and approachable in your body language. Validate their feelings. Ask open-ended questions: ‘How are you?’ or ‘What’s been going on?’ Listen Without Judgment Whatever they are saying, take it seriously. Do not interrupt. Encourage them to explain what they are struggling with. Avoid using stigmatizing words and language. Ask ‘How does it make you feel?’ or ‘How long have you felt that way?’ Encourage Action Show that you’ve listened by recapping. Help them think about options and next steps. Urge them to commit to doing one thing that might help. Ask them to write their feelings down if that is more comfortable than speaking. If necessary, encourage them to see a doctor or health professional. Offer to go with them to see a doctor or health professional. Follow Up Put a note on your calendar to call them in one week. If they’re really struggling, follow up sooner. Make sure they’ve managed to take that first step and see someone. If they didn’t find this experience helpful, urge them to try a different professional because there’s someone out there who can help them. Schedule regular get-togethers to touch base or just spend time together doing fun activities. Some helpful comments: “How are things going? Did you speak with your doctor? ?What did they suggest? What did you think of their advice?? You’ve had a busy time. Would you like me to make the appointment?” Dealing with Denial? If they deny the problem, don’t criticize. Acknowledge they’re not ready to talk. Say you’re still concerned about changes in their behavior and you care about them. Ask if you can check in again next week if there’s no improvement. Avoid a confrontation with the person unless it’s necessary to prevent them hurting themselves or others. Some helpful comments: “It’s ok that you don’t want to talk about it but please don’t hesitate to call me when you’re ready to discuss it. Can we meet up next week for a chat? Is there someone else you’d rather discuss this with? Is Their Life in Danger? If someone says they’re thinking about suicide, it’s important you take it seriously. Tell them that you care about them and you want to help. Don’t become agitated, angry or upset. Explain that thoughts of suicide are common and don’t have to be acted upon. Ask if they’ve begun to take steps to end their life. If they have, it’s critical that you do NOT leave them alone and do NOT use guilt or threats to prevent suicide. Even if someone says they haven’t made a plan for suicide, you still need to take it seriously. Don’t hide suicidal comments even if asked to keep confidential – reach out for help. Get immediate crisis help by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Texting "SOS" to 741741..   Myths and facts about mental health There are myths about mental health conditions that simply aren’t true. Unfortunately, these negative stereotypes prevent many people from reaching out and getting the help they need. By understanding the truth about mental health, you can spread the word to help raise awareness and fight stigma. Myth: People with mental health conditions never get better Fact: Treatment works for more than 8 in 10 people who get help for depression, and as many as 9 in 10 people who get help for panic attacks.† †Source: Mental Health America Myth: People with mental health conditions are just weak Fact: Many factors can impact mental health — including biology, environment, and challenging life events. Anyone can develop a mental health condition — there’s no single cause, and it isn’t anyone’s fault. Myth: If I get treatment, my employer will find out Fact: You decide who you want to tell — and not tell — about your care. Your medical record is confidential, and you can’t lose your job or your health insurance for getting treatment for a mental health or addiction issue. Myth: If I get treatment, I’ll have to take medication Fact: There are many types of treatment. Medication is just one of them — and it’s typically combined with therapy, self-care resources, and other types of support. We don’t automatically recommend medication to everyone — it’s a personal decision members and providers make together. Source: kp.org For Parents and Caregivers As a parent or caregiver, you want the best for your children or other dependents. You may be concerned or have questions about certain behaviors they exhibit and how to ensure they get help. What to Look For It is important to be aware of warning signs that your child may be struggling. You can play a critical role in knowing when your child may need help. Consult with a school counselor, school nurse, mental health provider, or another health care professional if your child shows one or more of the following behaviors: Feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks Seriously trying to harm or kill himself or herself, or making plans to do so Experiencing sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart or fast breathing Getting in many fights or wanting to hurt others Showing severe out-of-control behavior that can hurt oneself or others Not eating, throwing up, or using laxatives to make himself or herself lose weight Having intense worries or fears that get in the way of daily activities Experiencing extreme difficulty controlling behavior, putting himself or herself in physical danger or causing problems in school Using drugs or alcohol repeatedly Having severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships Showing drastic changes in behavior or personality Because children often can’t understand difficult situations on their own, you should pay particular attention if they experience: Loss of a loved one Divorce or separation of their parents Any major transition – new home, new school, etc. Traumatic life experiences, like living through a natural disaster Teasing or bullying Difficulties in school or with classmates 2:01 Former Senator Gordon Smith Sen. Gordon Smith shares his story about mental health problems, and encourages others to "bring mental health issues out of the shadows." What to Do If you are concerned your child’s behaviors, it is important to get appropriate care. You should: Talk to your child's doctor, school nurse, or another health care provider and seek further information about the behaviors or symptoms that worry you Ask your child’s primary care physician if your child needs further evaluation by a specialist with experience in child behavioral problems Ask if your child’s specialist is experienced in treating the problems you are observing Talk to your medical provider about any medication and treatment plans   Talking with Kids about Mental Health Mental health is a state of psychological well-being in which a child can cope effectively with normal stresses, be productive and contribute to her or his community. Data Highlights Children’s mental health problems are an important public health issue because of their prevalence, early onset and detrimental impacts on kids, families and communities. Half of all mental health disorders start by age 14 and, in any given year, up to 20% of US children have mental health problems. This translates to approximately 1.8 million California children that suffer from mental health problems each year. Left untreated, children with mental health problems are at greater risk of abusing drugs or alcohol, becoming involved with the criminal justice system, dropping out of school and committing suicide. Significant adversity experienced in early childhood, such as stress associated with persistent poverty or chronic neglect, can severely impact brain development and lead to decreased mental and physical well-being throughout a child’s lifetime. Even very young children can suffer from serious mental health disorders: over 10% of children, ages 2-5, are diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Parental well-being also directly impacts early childhood mental health, which is of particular importance given that postpartum depression affects 1 in 7 women. Annually, approximately 37% of California children who need mental health treatment or counseling do not receive services. Young children and those in poverty are even less likely to receive needed services. Despite the fact that early intervention is effective, 60% of California children under age 6 who needed mental health services did not receive them. Pro-Kid Policy Agenda To fight the growing, costly and potentially tragic epidemic of poor mental health among children, the state should promote children’s access to mental health care by requiring the health plans that it contracts with to make improvements in mental health service delivery and follow-up, including coordination with primary care networks and providers. California should also work expeditiously with counties to effectively leverage all funds generated by the Mental Health Services Act of 2004, and emphasize early intervention programs. Momentum Mental health programs in California have been drastically cut recently; the state’s spending on mental health was reduced by 21% between 2009 and 2012. Federal health care reform makes mental health services an “essential benefit” in children’s health coverage, which means that children’s access to mental health coverage and care will be substantially increased beginning in 2014. California’s Early Mental Health Initiative has helped tens of thousands of young children who suffer from mild to moderate mental health challenges through proven school-based prevention and early intervention programs; however, funding for the program was eliminated in the 2012-13 budget and has not been restored since, despite over 20 years of successful implementation and its modest cost of $15 million per year. Source: www.childrennow.org/index.php/learn/mental_health/ College Over the last few months, I have had the privilege of writing about the Each Mind Matters Movement and trying to help take away some of the stigma that goes along with mental illness issues. The Each Mind Matters Movement is doing a great job of bringing prevention and early intervention to those in need, providing local programs & making sure that underserved audiences are a priority, because no matter what race you are, how much money you make or where you live, everyone can benefit from improved mental health! So often in the news, we hear about kids committing or attempting suicide for a variety of reasons. The ages of these kids keeps getting younger & younger, it seems. As adults, we not only need to be honest with kids about our own mental health struggles, but also to let our kids know that getting help for themselves is also OK and no matter what they have questions about in regards to their mental health, asking those questions and seeking help is ALWAYS better than not saying anything. Talking to kids about this kind of stuff isn’t always easy though. Every child is going to respond to different things & different approaches. A few years back, I heard a speaker at a conference for the charter school my kids were going to attend. I wish I could remember his name because I really like what he had to say. He was talking about the differences in boys and girls and how if you were to take a look at high school during lunch time, a lot of the times, you would see a group of girls all huddled together talking. But, a group of boys would usually be standing side by side, sometimes leaning against a wall but usually not looking at each other eye to eye. He said that that is how he talks to his kids and I’ve started doing that too. When I need to talk to my son, who is 15, I find it best to do so as we’re driving somewhere in the van. This way, we’re side by side and he seems to respond better. With my daughter (who is 11), I find that it’s better to go somewhere, away from the house, where we can sit and talk to each other face-to-face, without any disruptions. Again, every child is different but that is what works for us. Also, if there is a certain subject I need to talk to my kids about & it’s a sensitive matter, I try to collect my thoughts and wait a little bit until I have thought it out. Trust me when I say I am FAR from perfect when it comes to this but I’ve noticed that when I have calmed down or have my thoughts all together, my kids react better too. In the past when I have gone to therapy or been on medication for depression & anxiety, I don’t hide it from my kids. Obviously, I won’t tell them everything I talk about in counseling but I don’t let depression & anxiety stay a family secret. When I am anxious about something, say an important doctor appointment, I’ve let them know that I am anxious and why. They can sense it, they’re smart kids…telling them “everything is fine” or not letting them know anything, is pretty much telling them to lie & not be honest about their own mental health. We can end the stigma of mental health issues, not only for ourselves but for our kids as well. If you head on over to the Each Mind Matters website, you can find an area to pledge to join the movement. “ Ending the stigma associated with mental illness is a personal choice. We have to decide for ourselves that each mind really does matter. Each one of us must determine what we will do to make a difference. Helping their college-age kids cope with the high stress of undergraduate life For all those freshman just settling into dorm life this fall, college can be exhilarating, mind-blowing, the best years of their lives. But many parents don’t realize that their children are also facing a potential double whammy. Not only must new students navigate an entirely unfamiliar social, emotional and intellectual landscape, but they’re also entering a time in their lives — the ages between 18 and 21 — when many mental illnesses, from anxiety to depression to eating disorders, peak. This week, The Checkup, our podcast on Slate, explores the mental health of college students. Here’s one sobering statistic: up to 50% of college-age kids have had or will have some kind of psychiatric disorder. That’s why we’re calling this episode “Meltdown U.” (To listen to The Checkup now, click on the arrow above; to download and listen later, press Download; and to get it through iTunes click here.) Consider some more scary numbers: 80% of college students who need mental health services won’t seek them 50% of all college students say they have felt so depressed that they found it difficult to function during the last school year Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college-age youth – over 1000 deaths per year. The rate of student psychiatric hospitalizations has tripled in the past 20 years. We asked Dr. Eugene Beresin, M.D., a child psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, to offer some guidance on what parents should know about helping their college-age kids cope with the high stress of undergraduate life. Here’s his advice: 1. Be Prepared It is likely your kid will experience a mental health problem or encounter one in a roommate or classmate. Discuss this, and talk about what to do if it happens. You might say, “Talk with some adult to get advice. This could be me, a dorm advisor, or mental health counselor. Don’t think things will just pass. They could get worse.” Inform your kids about the mental health realities. 2. Get Information About Mental Health and Illness Some colleges have great websites on mental health services. They just don’t promote this nor do many educate parents or students about the signs and symptoms of psychiatric problems. Some colleges may have information online, or you can go to other sites for trusted resources about college student mental health, even other college sites (good examples include Cornell, MIT, University of Pittsburgh). For educational material about the disorders themselves go to your state psychiatric association website (branches of the American Psychiatric Association or the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry). 3. Learn about College Mental Health Services Though no one will direct you, call the counseling center and ask about the kind of coverage, professional staff and the range of services for your kid. And talk with the highest staff member you can. The person answering the phone may know little or nothing about what really is available. It may be a student volunteer, or an administrator who does not know the answers you seek. 4. Find Out About Your Insurance Coverage This can be really hard. Think about your own coverage! The mental health system is very complicated. Call and ask about the number of office visits per year. Ask how many are just for medications, and how many are for therapy. Many insurance companies will say “we have unlimited visits for biological conditions.” But this means, “unlimited 15 minute visits for medication management.” If the coverage is obtained through the college, ask if it also covers visits off campus. 5. Learn About Local Mental Health Services Off Campus Many college mental health services will be limited so it’s important to see what may be available off campus at a local counseling center or hospital. If you need help in finding out which is really good, call a nearby medical school with an associated Department of Psychiatry, and ask what facilities are recommended. If there is not a Department of Psychiatry, call the nearest teaching hospital for a medical school in the state, even if it’s not right near your college. Another good resource is the local chapters of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). 6. Don’t Worry About Stigma Of course there is stigma associated with psychiatric illness. Our culture will not change overnight. One in four people will have a psychiatric disorder during the course of life. Worrying that this will be a black mark on your child’s record is natural but there should be even greater worry if mental illness goes untreated. Many individuals who are highly successful have had psychiatric treatment and this does not interfere with success in their career or in relationships. Quite the contrary. Help may prove invaluable for functioning in life. 7. Talk With Your Kids About Mental Health and Illness It is one thing for us as parents to get the best information about psychiatric problems, relationship and drug issues. But your kids need this information too. They are living with this; they see their friends in trouble. Involve them in all of the tips described here. You will be surprised how much they want to know, what they have seen and their receptivity. Engage them. Let them know they’re not alone. Opening this door will serve them well, and is more likely to help them feel comfortable to talk about themselves and their experiences without feeling judged. 8. Get Help Early The earlier your kid gets services for any emotional, behavioral or learning problem the better. While mental illness is misunderstood and the system is very difficult to navigate even for the best educated (even by doctors), most psychiatric disorders can be successfully treated. The key is early intervention and prevention of complications. 9. Be Brave Colleges do their best, but are sorely lacking in resources, and frankly wary of putting such stigmatized problems on the front burner. You have to teach your child that it’s okay to ask for help and advocate for his or her own mental health needs. 10. Sleeping and Eating For Body & Mind This may seem banal and irrelevant but getting enough sleep and not living on ramen goes a long way in retaining sanity. Remind your kid that pulling frequent all-nighters to study may be harmful to their long-term well being. Getting into a daily exercise routine can also alleviate stress in a profound way. Readers, any specific questions lingering in your minds? Please post questions below, or tweet Dr. Beresin at @GeneBeresinMD. You can see his sources for this post here, here, here and here. Help Bring Good Samaritan Laws to Your State Accidental drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Some of these deaths could be prevented if the patient received medical care in a timely manner. The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids supports policies like Good Samaritan laws which encourage people to call 911 when someone is overdosing. Currently 35 states and the District of Colombia have such laws. We encourage every state to enact legislation which provides limited legal immunity for minor drug law violations for those who call for help as well as the person who is overdosing. There are currently 35 states plus DC with Good Samaritan Overdose Laws. If your state has not yet adopted this life saving policy (see list below), you can send the following suggested letter to your Governor urging the state to do so. Arizona Idaho Indiana Iowa Kansas Maine Missouri Montana Nebraska Ohio Oklahoma South Carolina South Dakota Texas Wyoming Wisconsin Suggested Letter Dear Governor Kate Brown: Accidental drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Some of these deaths could be prevented if the patient received medical care in a timely manner. Good Samaritan laws, which encourage people to call 911 when someone is overdosing, help to ensure that there is not an unnecessary delay in getting medical attention for the patient. Currently 35 states and the District of Colombia have such laws. I encourage you to fight for this law in our state to provide limited legal immunity for minor drug law violations for those who call for help as well as the person who is overdosing. Good Samaritan laws will save lives and prevent countless families from the heartache of losing a loved one. Source: drugfree.org/help-bring-good-samaritan-laws-to-your-state/ Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) was passed in 2008 but has yet to be readily implemented and enforced. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) have not provided consistent guidelines on how to enforce this legislation. Download this useful guide (a 103 page PDF) to better understand the legislation, and how you can more successfully appeal your health plan to provide needed coverage. The lack of enforcement has left too many families with inadequate health coverage for their child’s substance abuse treatment. We think this is unacceptable and are calling for the HHS and DOL agencies to sufficiently implement this law. Please write your Congressman and urge them to sign on to the below letter demanding action to enforce MHPAEA. *    *    * From: The Honorable Paul Tonko Sent By: jeff.morgan@mail.house.gov Date: 10/8/2015 Dear Colleague, We all know the statistics that are staggering. Over 41,000 Americans died from suicide in 2013 and suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds. 120 Americans a day are dying from drug overdoses, and overdose now exceeds vehicular accidents as a leading cause of death. Sadly, only 10 percent of individuals diagnosed with a substance use disorder receive any help for their illness and only 20 percent of children with a mental illness diagnosis receive care. Our system is broken. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) was passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate and signed into law in 2008 by President George W. Bush. Seven years have elapsed and final regulations are still not fully implemented. Unfortunately, the Departments of Health and Human Services and Labor have provided only limited guidance on how states must comply with MHPAEA and enforcement has been inconsistent. Not fully using MHPAEA to combat the twin public health crises of untreated mental illness and substance use disorders has led to a lack of access to care and the nearly 50,000 Americans annually who lose their lives because of untreated mental illness and addiction. These are needless tragedies that are creating devastating effects on individuals, families and communities. In April 2015, a National Alliance on Mental Illness report showed that consumers are unable to access provider lists before buying a health plan and are unable to access information they need to make informed decisions about which plan best serves their needs. As a result, we are circulating a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez asking them to take immediate action to implement and enforce the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Specifically, our letter urges HHS and DOL to report back to Congress on the following: 1. How many audits has your Department conducted to determine compliance with MHPAEA? What were the results of those audits? Will de-identified results of the audits be made available on your website? If audits have not been conducted, will your agencies be conducting them in the future? 2. Does your Department plan to issue additional parity guidance to health plans and issuers on what documents and analyses they must conduct and disclose in order to demonstrate compliance with MHPAEA? If so, by what date? 3. When will Medicaid parity final regulations be released? When will enforcement for parity under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program begin? For more information or to sign on, contact Scott Dziengelski with Rep. Murphy at scott.dziengelski@mail.house.gov or Jeff Morgan with Rep. Tonko at jeff.morgan@mail.house.gov. Please have your staff contact our staff with any questions. Thank you for your attention to this important issue. Sincerely, Tim Murphy Member of Congress Paul Tonko Member of Congress Source: drugfree.org/mental-health-parity/ The stigma that goes along with mental illness issues Over the last few months, I have had the privilege of writing about the Each Mind Matters Movement and trying to help take away some of the stigma that goes along with mental illness issues. The Each Mind Matters Movement is doing a great job of bringing prevention and early intervention to those in need, providing local programs & making sure that underserved audiences are a priority, because no matter what race you are, how much money you make or where you live, everyone can benefit from improved mental health! So often in the news, we hear about kids committing or attempting suicide for a variety of reasons. The ages of these kids keeps getting younger & younger, it seems. As adults, we not only need to be honest with kids about our own mental health struggles, but also to let our kids know that getting help for themselves is also OK and no matter what they have questions about in regards to their mental health, asking those questions and seeking help is ALWAYS better than not saying anything. Talking to kids about this kind of stuff isn’t always easy though. Every child is going to respond to different things & different approaches. A few years back, I heard a speaker at a conference for the charter school my kids were going to attend. I wish I could remember his name because I really like what he had to say. He was talking about the differences in boys and girls and how if you were to take a look at high school during lunch time, a lot of the times, you would see a group of girls all huddled together talking. But, a group of boys would usually be standing side by side, sometimes leaning against a wall but usually not looking at each other eye to eye. He said that that is how he talks to his kids and I’ve started doing that too. When I need to talk to my son, who is 15, I find it best to do so as we’re driving somewhere in the van. This way, we’re side by side and he seems to respond better. With my daughter (who is 11), I find that it’s better to go somewhere, away from the house, where we can sit and talk to each other face-to-face, without any disruptions. Again, every child is different but that is what works for us. Also, if there is a certain subject I need to talk to my kids about & it’s a sensitive matter, I try to collect my thoughts and wait a little bit until I have thought it out. Trust me when I say I am FAR from perfect when it comes to this but I’ve noticed that when I have calmed down or have my thoughts all together, my kids react better too. In the past when I have gone to therapy or been on medication for depression & anxiety, I don’t hide it from my kids. Obviously, I won’t tell them everything I talk about in counseling but I don’t let depression & anxiety stay a family secret. When I am anxious about something, say an important doctor appointment, I’ve let them know that I am anxious and why. They can sense it, they’re smart kids…telling them “everything is fine” or not letting them know anything, is pretty much telling them to lie & not be honest about their own mental health. We can end the stigma of mental health issues, not only for ourselves but for our kids as well. If you head on over to the Each Mind Matters website, you can find an area to pledge to join the movement. “ Ending the stigma associated with mental illness is a personal choice. We have to decide for ourselves that each mind really does matter. Each one of us must determine what we will do to make a difference. No proof that 85% of mental health apps accredited by the NHS actually work Depression Apps: in theory It’s an inconvenient reality that while demand for psychological services seems to be forever increasing, NHS resources designated for the treatment of mental health problems are going the other way. The unfortunate, but inevitable result is that unmet need for NHS mental health services has reached an unprecedented level (Cooper, 2014). To illustrate the situation, monthly referrals to community mental health teams increased over 13% in 2013, and 16% in the case of crisis services (The Mental Health Policy Group, 2015), yet roughly 200 full-time NHS mental health doctors, and 3,600 nurses were lost over the same period (Cooper, 2014). This has meant that despite the ‘new NHS standard’ whereby 95% of those with a mental health issue are to be seen within 18 weeks (NHS England, 2015), 1 in 10 are waiting over a year before receiving any form of treatment, with 1 in 2 waiting over 3 months (We Need To Talk Coalition, 2013). While this is a problem in itself, a seemingly much bigger problem is the reality that 1 in 6 of those on waiting lists for mental-health services are expected to attempt suicide, 4 in 10 are expected to self-harm and 6 in 10 will likely to see their condition deteriorate before having the opportunity to see a mental health professional (Cooper, 2014). So how should the NHS and its patients respond? With the widespread availability and increased reliance upon smart phones, one increasingly popular suggestion is the use of apps. Our own experiences can tell us that apps are relatively inexpensive and widely available, but probably most importantly, the use of an app by one person won’t prevent another using the same service at the same time. Given the history of long waiting lists for mental health services this is a highly desirable trait for future NHS services, which could result in flexible, user-led healthcare delivery. MIND have reported that just 50% and 13% of people currently have a choice as to when and where they receive therapy respectively (We Need To Talk Coalition, 2011), and as such, it’s also possible that the wider-spread use of apps could extend the reach of traditional mental-health services to those who, for one reason or another, are not currently able to engage with treatment. Examples may include the teenager who is too anxious or stigmatised to discuss his condition face-to-face, the armed forces serviceman for whom a desire for anonymity is paramount (Murphy & Busuttil, 2014), or the single-mother who struggles to schedule an appointment around her childcare and work commitments. With 1 in 10 people with a mental health problem waiting over a year for treatment, perhaps apps can help cut the queues? Depression Apps: in practice Regrettably, the reality is that there’s currently a considerable gap between the benefits that apps may provide in theory, and what they are likely to deliver in practice. Taking a look at the NHS Apps Library, there are currently 27 mental health apps accredited for use by patients, with a total of 14 designated for the treatment/management of the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Upon close inspection, terms such as ‘control stress’, ‘increase wellbeing’, ‘beat depression’ and ‘improve mood’ are frequently listed benefits from downloading, and often purchasing these apps. Worryingly though, just 4/14 are able to provide any tangible evidence of outcomes, as reported by real-world users, to substantiate their claims, while just 2/14 make use of NHS-validated performance measures including the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) questionnaire, which is routinely used to assess the effectiveness of other NHS-accredited treatments, including counselling and cognitive-behavioural therapy. As a result, we are currently facing an open question regarding the true-effectiveness of the remaining 85% (12/14) of NHS-accredited mental health apps. The majority of depression and anxiety apps accredited by the NHS Apps Library have no tangible evidence of outcomes to substantiate their claims. Room for concern? In 2013, a review of mHealth apps found that from 2003-2013 just 32 articles were published regarding depression apps, compared with a total of 1,536 available for download (Martínez-Pérez et al, 2013). While this finding of a high availability, but low underlying evidence-base is concerning, it could arguably be expected from the open and largely unregulated free-markets that are the app stores. In contrast, the apps under consideration here are the beneficiaries of a ‘seal of approval’ from a world-leading healthcare system, and as a result, the expectation is that they are of significantly greater quality. This is a worrying situation. Most of us would acknowledge that there is a perceived implicit level of quality that comes with accreditation or association with the NHS, with reputation and legitimacy of sources known to be highly correlated with app downloads (Dennison et al, 2013). Considering that 3 in 10 individuals with an untreated mental health issue currently opt to pay for treatments privately (We Need To Talk Coalition, 2011), the recommendation of, purchase and use of apps that are yet to demonstrate any objectively measurable benefits to users, is not only a potential waste of money, but could also potentially have a compounding and devastating effect on levels of anxiety in those with the greatest need and the least access to effective NHS-led mental health services. The NHS Apps Library has closed after just 2 years. Moving forward On the large part, the National Health Service provides a regulatory framework that is second to none, with the attention to detail, rigour and emphasis on safety, clinical quality and cost-effectiveness, seeing NICE tokened as the ‘4th hurdle’ to market access. Unfortunately it would appear that this same level of rigour has not been applied to the apps that the NHS has, until now, recommended to patients. Although the NHS is pushing for a 21st century approach to healthcare, it’s important that this isn’t achieved through a dilution of quality, and fortunately it would appear that the NHS are now taking this subject more seriously. As of October 16th, the NHS Choices Health Apps Library will officially cease to exist, with the National Information Board considering how alternative models for assessing and regulating health apps may be put in place, and ultimately how quality control can be improved. In the meantime, until such a framework exists, it’s imperative that those considering downloading mental health apps take a moment to weigh up the available evidence, in order to ensure that apps don’t result in more harm than good. Whilst the app store is often slim on technical information, and sifting through medical publications is far from ideal, there are some clear indications of quality to look out for: Firstly, apps supported by a mental health practitioner are on average more than twice as effective as those from non-practitioner led developers (Richards & Richardson, 2012) Secondly, apps with approval from other well-established regulatory bodies including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), can act as an intermediary quality control and help separate those apps which offer users hope, and those which offer real proven solutions Thirdly, are apps forthcoming with the information they provide? It’s easy enough to say ‘this app beats depression’ but do they offer any proof to turn this from what is essentially marketing into evidence of clinical effectiveness? Finally, it’s worth re-enforcing, that not all mental-health apps are created equally, and that some, designed with clinical quality and effectiveness in mind, are providing real solutions and support to their users. One such app, ‘Big White Wall’ boasts recovery rates of 58%, which contrasts with the 44% exhibited by the NHS’s flagship ‘Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies’ (IAPT) initiative over the same period, demonstrating that if done properly, apps really can improve people’s mental health, at a low cost and from the comfort of their own home. Primary paper Leigh S, Flatt S. App-based psychological interventions: friend or foe? Evidence Based Mental Health 2015 doi:10.1136/eb-2023-102203 Other references Cooper, C. (2014) Thousands attempt suicide while on NHS waiting list for psychological help. Independent, 16 Sep 2014. Guidance to support the introduction of access and waiting time standards for mental health services in 2015/16 (29 page PDF). NHS England, 2015. We still need to talk A report on access to talking therapies (40 page PDF). We Need To Talk Coalition, 2013. We need to talk: getting the right therapy at the right time (32 page PDF). We Need To Talk Coalition, 2011. Murphy D, Busuttil W. (2014) PTSD, stigma and barriers to help-seeking within the UK Armed Forces (6 ppage PDF). J R Army Med Corps 2014;0:1–5. doi:10.1136/jramc-2023-000344 Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD 7). Patient website, last accessed 12 Oct 2015. Martínez-Pérez B, de la Torre-Díez I, López-Coronado M. (2013) Mobile Health Applications for the Most Prevalent Conditions by the World Health Organization: Review and Analysis. J Med Internet Res 2013;15(6):e120 DOI: 10.2196/jmir.2600 Dennison L, Morrison L, Conway G, Yardley L. (2013) Opportunities and Challenges for Smartphone Applications in Supporting Health Behavior Change: Qualitative Study. J Med Internet Res 2013;15(4):e86 DOI: 10.2196/jmir.2583 Richards D, Richardson T. (2012) Computer-based psychological treatments for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev. 2012 Jun;32(4):329-42. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2012.02.004. Epub 2012 Feb 28. [PubMed abstract] Source: https://www.nationalelfservice.net/mental-health/depression/no-proof-that-85-of-mental-health-apps-accredited-by-the-nhs-actually-work/ What is Gaslighting? “You’re crazy – that never happened.” “Are you sure? You tend to have a bad memory.” “It’s all in your head.” Does your partner repeatedly say things like this to you? Do you often start questioning your own perception of reality, even your own sanity, within your relationship? If so, your partner may be using what mental health professionals call “gaslighting.” This term comes from the 1938 stage play Gas Light, in which a husband attempts to drive his wife crazy by dimming the lights (which were powered by gas) in their home, and then he denies that the light changed when his wife points it out. It is an extremely effective form of emotional abuse that causes a victim to question their own feelings, instincts, and sanity, which gives the abusive partner a lot of power (and we know that abuse is about power and control). Once an abusive partner has broken down the victim’s ability to trust their own perceptions, the victim is more likely to stay in the abusive relationship. There are a variety of gaslighting techniques that an abusive partner might use: Withholding: the abusive partner pretends not to understand or refuses to listen. Ex. “I don’t want to hear this again,” or “You’re trying to confuse me.” Countering: the abusive partner questions the victim’s memory of events, even when the victim remembers them accurately. Ex. “You’re wrong, you never remember things correctly.” Blocking/Diverting: the abusive partner changes the subject and/or questions the victim’s thoughts. Ex. “Is that another crazy idea you got from [friend/family member]?” or “You’re imagining things.” Trivializing: the abusive partner makes the victim’s needs or feelings seem unimportant. Ex. “You’re going to get angry over a little thing like that?” or “You’re too sensitive.” Forgetting/Denial: the abusive partner pretends to have forgotten what actually occurred or denies things like promises made to the victim. Ex. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” or “You’re just making stuff up.” Gaslighting typically happens very gradually in a relationship; in fact, the abusive partner’s actions may seem harmless at first. Over time, however, these abusive patterns continue and a victim can become confused, anxious, isolated, and depressed, and they can lose all sense of what is actually happening. Then they start relying on the abusive partner more and more to define reality, which creates a very difficult situation to escape. In order to overcome this type of abuse, it’s important to start recognizing the signs and eventually learn to trust yourself again. According to author and psychoanalyst Robin Stern, Ph.D., the signs of being a victim of gaslighting include: You constantly second-guess yourself. You ask yourself, “Am I too sensitive?” multiple times a day. You often feel confused and even crazy. You’re always apologizing to your partner. You can’t understand why, with so many apparently good things in your life, you aren’t happier. You frequently make excuses for your partner’s behavior to friends and family. You find yourself withholding information from friends and family so you don’t have to explain or make excuses. You know something is terribly wrong, but you can never quite express what it is, even to yourself. You start lying to avoid the put downs and reality twists. You have trouble making simple decisions. You have the sense that you used to be a very different person – more confident, more fun-loving, more relaxed. You feel hopeless and joyless. You feel as though you can’t do anything right. You wonder if you are a “good enough” partner. If any of these signs ring true for you, give us a call at 1-800-799-7233 or chat with us online from 7 a.m.-2 a.m. CT. Our advocates are here to support and listen to you. Tags: emotional abuse, Source: www.thehotline.org/2014/05/what-is-gaslighting/ When the Hospital Fires the Bullet More and more hospital guards across the country carry weapons. For Alan Pean, seeking help for mental distress, that resulted in a gunshot to the chest. When doctors and nurses arrived at Room 834 just after 11 a.m., a college student admitted to the hospital hours earlier lay motionless on the floor, breathing shallowly, a sheet draped over his body. A Houston police officer with a cut on his head was being helped onto a stretcher, while another hovered over the student. Blood smeared the floor and walls. “What happened?” asked Dr. Daniel Arango, a surgical resident at the hospital, St. Joseph Medical Center. The student, 26-year-old Alan Pean, had come to the hospital for treatment of possible bipolar disorder , accidentally striking several cars while pulling into the parking lot. Kept overnight for monitoring of minor injuries, he never saw a psychiatrist and became increasingly delusional. He sang and danced naked in his room, occasionally drifting into the hall. When two nurses coaxed him into a gown, he refused to have it fastened. Following protocol, a nurse summoned security, even though he was not aggressive or threatening. Soon, from inside the room, there was shouting, sounds of a scuffle and a loud pop. During an altercation, two off-duty Houston police officers, moonlighting as security guards, had shocked Mr. Pean with a Taser, fired a bullet into his chest, then handcuffed him. One Patient’s Story: ‘That’s a Kill Shot’ FEB. 12, 2016 “I thought of the hospital as a beacon, a safe haven,” said Mr. Pean, who survived the wound just millimeters from his heart last Aug. 27. “I can’t quite believe that I ended up shot.” Like Mr. Pean, patients seeking help at hospitals across the country have instead been injured or killed by those guarding the institutions. Medical centers are not required to report such encounters, so little data is available and health experts suspect that some cases go unnoticed. Police blotters, court documents and government health reports have identified more than a dozen in recent years. They have occurred as more and more American hospitals are arming guards with guns and Tasers, setting off a fierce debate among health care officials about whether such steps — along with greater reliance on law enforcement or military veterans — improve safety or endanger patients. The same day Mr. Pean was shot, a patient with mental health problems was shot by an off-duty police officer working security at a hospital in Garfield Heights, Ohio. Last month, a hospital security officer shot a patient with bipolar illness in Lynchburg, Va. Two psychiatric patients died, one in Utah, another in Ohio, after guards repeatedly shocked them with Tasers. In Pennsylvania and Indiana, hospitals have been disciplined by government health officials or opened inquiries after guards used stun guns against patients, including a woman bound with restraints in bed. Hospitals can be dangerous places. From 2012 to 2014, health care institutions reported a 40 percent increase in violent crime, with more than 10,000 incidents mostly directed at employees, according to a survey (17 page PDF) by the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety. Assaults linked to gangs, drug dealing and homelessness spill in from the streets, domestic disputes involving hospital personnel play out at work, and disruptive patients lash out. In recent years, dissatisfied relatives even shot two prominent surgeons in Baltimore and near Boston. To protect their corridors, 52 percent of medical centers reported that their security personnel carried handguns and 47 percent said they used Tasers, according to a 2014 national survey (88 page PDF). That was more than double estimates from studies just three years before. Institutions that prohibit them argue that such weapons — and security guards not adequately trained to work in medical settings — add a dangerous element in an already tense environment. They say many other steps can be taken to address problems, particularly with people who have a mental illness. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, for example, sends some of its security officers through the state police academy, but the strongest weapon they carry is pepper spray, which has been used only 11 times in 10 years. In New York City’s public hospital system, which runs several of the 20 busiest emergency rooms in the country, security personnel carry nothing more than plastic wrist restraints. (Like many other hospitals, the system coordinates with the local police for crises its staff cannot handle.) “Tasers and guns send a bad message in a health care facility,” said Antonio D. Martin, the system’s executive vice president for security. “I have some concerns about even having uniforms because I think that could agitate some patients.” But many hospitals say that with proper safeguards — some restrict armed officers to high-risk areas like emergency rooms and parking areas — and supervision, weapons save lives and defuse threatening situations. The Cleveland Clinic, which has placed metal detectors in its emergency room, has its own fully armed police force and hires off-duty officers as well. The University of California medical centers at Irvine and San Diego and small community hospitals are among the more than 200 facilities that use stun guns produced by Taser International, which has courted hospitals as a lucrative new market. “I’ve worked in systems where everyone has a firearm and an intermediate weapon, and I’ve worked in systems where a call to security meant the plumber and every able-bodied man would respond,” said David LaRose, past president of the health care security association. “How much has your system thought about safety and security? In some places that’s a 2 or 3; in some places it’s a 10.” After Mr. Pean’s shooting, St. Joseph’s chief executive, Mark Bernard, said the officers were “justified.” The hospital said it was reviewing its practices but declined to respond to questions. The Houston Police Department, citing an internal investigation, declined to comment or to make the officers available for interviews, and released only a heavily redacted version of its report on the shooting. This account is drawn from a review by federal health investigators, medical records, criminal complaints and interviews with medical personnel and family members. Mr. Pean had expected an apology after the shooting. Instead, during four days in intensive care, prosecutors charged him with two counts of felony assault on a police officer. They accused him of attacking with four “deadly weapons” — an unspecified piece of furniture, a wall fixture, a tray table and his hands. James Kennedy, a lawyer representing Mr. Pean, says his client disputes that he was the aggressor and other allegations by the police, but cannot discuss specifics until the charges are resolved. His family has filed complaints with the Justice Department and health care regulators, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which provides funding to most American hospitals. After an emergency investigation, the Medicare agency faulted St. Joseph for the shooting, saying it had created “immediate jeopardy to the health and safety of its patients.” Threatening to withdraw federal money, the agency demanded restrictions on the use of weapons. A family with Haitian and Mexican roots who settled in McAllen, Tex., the Peans were shocked that Mr. Pean’s effort to get medical aid ended so badly. Though his father, Harold Pean, and a half-dozen other relatives are physicians, they said they had no idea that guns could be used against patients. After watching the nation roiled by the shootings of unarmed black men by police officers over the last year or so, the family now wonders whether race contributed to Alan’s near-fatal encounter. “We never thought that would happen to us,” Dr. Pean said. ‘I’m Manic!’ In his family of high-achievers, Alan Pean (pronounced PAY-on) is the soft-spoken and mellow middle sibling, into yoga, video games and pickup football. Christian, 28, now a medical student at Mount Sinai in New York, is the Type A leader; Dominique, 24, is following his path, applying to medical school while pursuing a master’s degree. Alan, who had never been in any sort of trouble, is “probably the nicest of us three,” Dominique said. Like many people with mental health issues, he did not get a clear-cut diagnosis. After a brief delusional episode in 2008, he was hospitalized for a more severe recurrence the next year, at the end of his second year at the University of Texas. He was kept for a week and told that he had possible bipolar disorder, though his symptoms did not reappear for years even after he tapered off medication. He was prone to bouts of sadness and anxiety, he recalled in an interview, but had attended college, taking breaks from time to time, and worked for a while as a medical assistant back home in McAllen, near the Mexican border. Though he had smoked marijuana regularly to help tame his symptoms, he said in an interview, he quit last summer when he enrolled at the University of Houston to complete his bachelor’s degree. Just days into the semester, though, he barely slept and found himself increasingly agitated and delusional. On Aug. 26, he talked repeatedly on the phone with his parents and brothers, who tried to calm him but worried that he sounded disoriented. Christian had been concerned enough that he called the Houston police to do a “welfare check” on his brother at his apartment, though no one answered the door when officers arrived. When Mr. Pean sounded worse in the evening, his family summoned a fraternity brother in Houston to take him to an emergency room; his parents would fly in the next morning. But Mr. Pean did not wait. His mind vacillating between the knowledge that he needed psychiatric medication and encroaching delusions that he was a Barack Obama impersonator or a “Cyborg robot agent” who was being pursued by assassins, he said, he got into his white Lexus and drove at high speed to St. Joseph Medical Center, the only major hospital in downtown Houston. Turning into the parking lot just before midnight, he crashed, nearly totaling his vehicle. As Mr. Pean was helped into the emergency room and onto a stretcher by paramedics and nurses, he recalled, he yelled: “I’m manic! I’m manic!” Alan Pean’s white Lexus. He struck several cars after driving himself to St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment of possible bipolar disorder. Prosecutors later charged him with reckless driving. He was seen immediately by a doctor from the trauma team to assess his injuries (scans and exams showed none). The physician’s initial note, minutes after arrival, lists the young man’s history of bipolar disorder. His father and brother, in separate phone calls to the emergency room, and a family friend who came to the hospital, alerted the staff about his psychiatric issues, they recalled. Nonetheless, Mr. Pean was admitted for observation to Room 834 on a surgical floor. The diagnoses: hand abrasion, substance abuse , motor vehicle accident. His toxicology tests were negative for alcohol, opiates, PCP or cocaine, records show. (They did disclose some THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, but the chemical remains in the body for many weeks.) While St. Joseph does have a psychiatric ward, Mr. Pean was never seen by a psychiatrist or prescribed any psychiatric medicines before the shooting. Because he had complained of back pain, he was given Flexeril, a muscle relaxant, which can exacerbate psychotic symptoms. In interviews with the Medicare investigators and notations in medical records, the nurses who cared for Mr. Pean describe a man who had flashes of lucidity, but was increasingly restless and bizarre. He pulled out the IV in his arm. He thought it was 1989. He could not remember the car crash or why he was in a hospital. But even in the throes of his illness, he was polite. When a nurse told him to return to his room after he repeatedly emerged naked into the hall, he complied, she told investigators, with a “Yes ma’am, righty-o, O.K. ma’am.” ‘No Clear Guidance’ Though the trauma team had planned to discharge Mr. Pean that morning, his parents were so alarmed when they arrived about 10 a.m. that they insisted a psychiatrist see him. As they waited for doctors to discuss their concerns, the Peans went to their nearby hotel to try to rent a car and drive their son to a psychiatric facility. In their 30-minute absence, a nurse made the call to security. At St. Joseph Medical Center, the security force included armed off-duty police officers as well as unarmed civilian officers. Who responded to a call depended only on availability, according to the investigators’ interview with the chief nursing officer. The two men who arrived were Houston police officers. Roggie V. Law, 53, who is white, and Oscar Ortega, 44, who is Latino, each had decades on the force. They supplemented their base salaries of about $64,000 by moonlighting at the hospital. Their records were unremarkable. Both had some commendations, and Officer Ortega had one distant four-day suspension for failing to submit an accident report. Houston police officers get 40 hours of crisis intervention training, according to the department. The N.A.A.C.P. and the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice, a civil rights group, have complained that local officers too often use their weapons, and repeatedly requested the appointment of an independent police review board. From 2008 to 2012, there were 121 police shootings, in which a quarter of the victims were unarmed, according to an investigation by The Houston Chronicle. The two off-duty officers had signed on with Criterion Healthcare Security, a four-year-old staffing agency based in Tennessee whose executives had previously managed prisons and owned gyms. Their training at St. Joseph consisted of an orientation and online instruction, which investigators found inadequate. “The facility had no clear guidance for the role, duties and responsibilities of the police officers they employ to provide security services,” the Medicare investigators’ report said. Like many other security firms, Criterion encourages applications from those with law enforcement or military backgrounds, who are trained to use weapons and to deal with volatile situations. But working in health care settings requires a different mind-set, security experts emphasize. “If they come from law enforcement or the military, I ask them directly, ‘How would you respond differently here than if you encountered a criminal on a street in L.A. or when you are kicking down a door in Iraq?’” said Scott Martin, the security director at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center. “You have to send the message that these are patients, they’re sick, the mental health population has rights — and you need to be sensitive to that.” Many mental health professionals strongly object to weapons in hospitals, saying they have numerous other means — from talk therapy to cloth restraints and seclusion rooms to quick-acting shots of sedatives — to subdue patients if they pose a danger. State mental health facilities typically do not allow guns or Tasers on their premises; even police officers are asked to check weapons at the door. (Twenty-three percent of shootings in emergency rooms involved someone grabbing a gun from a security officer, according to a study by Dr. Gabor Kelen, director of emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical School.) Uniforms and weapons may, in fact, exacerbate delusions, since many psychotic patients are paranoid and, like Alan Pean, believe they are being pursued. Anthony O’Brien, a researcher at the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, said, “That’s not a good thing, pointing something that looks like a gun at a patient with mental health issues.” When the two Houston officers arrived on St. Joseph’s eighth floor, they headed for Room 834. Unannounced, and unaccompanied by doctors, nurses or social workers, they went in, the door closing behind them. Anxious Patient to Felony Suspect Racing upstairs to a Code Blue in Room 834, Dr. Arango found a cluster of about 20 Houston police officers in the hall, according to his interview with investigators. When he pulled back the sheet covering Mr. Pean, he saw that the patient was in handcuffs, his torso dotted with Taser probes and a bloody wound on his upper chest. It was only after the doctor noted the blood pooling around the young man, who began shouting that he was Superman as the physician tried to examine the wound, that someone mentioned he had not only been hit with the Taser, but also shot. “Take the damn handcuffs off!” Dr. Arango yelled, according to an employee. Mr. Pean’s X-ray, taken several days after he was shot, showing bruised lungs and bullet fragments scattered through his chest. Initially combative and flailing, Mr. Pean allowed a staff member to start an IV as she told him: “It’s O.K., Alan, I’m a nurse. We’re here to help.” Within minutes, doctors placed him on a ventilator, inserted a tube into his chest and whisked him away for a scan, which showed that the bullet had fractured his fifth and sixth ribs, scattering metal fragments and causing extensive bleeding as it ripped through his chest. According to a statement on the Police Department’s website, Alan struck one officer in the head, causing a laceration, when they arrived in the room. Officer Law shocked the patient with a Taser, to no apparent effect, and then Officer Ortega, fearing for their safety, shot Mr. Pean. After the shooting, his father said officers asked over and over if Alan had a criminal record. The next day, Christian Pean asked Sgt. Steve Murdock, a Houston police investigator, why the officers had to shoot his brother. In a phone conversation, Christian recalled, the sergeant replied, “Let’s just say the term ‘Tasmanian devil’ comes to mind.” “It was like a big whirlwind,” he went on. “Everything was fair game. Objects, chairs, eating trays, everything was being thrown.” An ambiguity in Medicare rules allowed Alan Pean’s conversion from delusional patient to felony suspect. If a patient throws a tray at a nurse and the staff responds with restraints, it can be considered a health care incident. If the same patient throws the same tray at a police officer, even one off-duty, who shoots in response, the encounter is subject to a criminal investigation. While Mr. Pean was in the intensive care unit, he was handcuffed to his bed, even though he was heavily sedated, with a Houston police officer standing guard. His family had to post $60,000 bail days later so he could be discharged from the hospital. Mr. Pean’s felony case is likely to go before a grand jury in the coming months. Under the care of a psychiatrist and on medication, Mr. Pean left Texas behind. Living with his brother in New York, he is finishing his degree at Hunter College and planning to go to graduate school in public health. But the day before Christmas, Mr. Pean learned that prosecutors had brought a new charge — reckless driving — against him, referring to his race to the hospital. Accompanied by his father, he flew to Houston. In five hours of processing at the Harris County Detention Center, Mr. Pean was interviewed by a detention officer, photographed for a mug shot and fingerprinted. “Being paraded around was really stressful,” he said. “Did they not understand what I’d gone through? I’d been shot in a hospital room by an officer.” A version of this article appears in print on February 14, 2016, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: When the Hospital Fires the Bullet. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe Source: www.nytimes.com/2016/02/14/us/hospital-guns-mental-health.html?_r=0 Take a Mental Health Test Online screening is one of the quickest and easiest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition. Mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, are real, common and treatable. And recovery is possible. Unsure which screen to take? The Depression Test is for individuals who are feeling overwhelming sadness. The depression test is also available in Spanish. Prueba de Depresion The Postpartum Depression Test is for new and expecting mothers who began feeling overwhelming sadness after becoming pregnant or giving birth. The Anxiety Test is for people who feel that worry and fear are affecting their ability to function day-to-day. The anxiety test is also available in Spanish. Prueba de Ansiedad The Psychosis Test is for young people (age 12-35) who feel like their brain is playing tricks on them (seeing, hearing or believing things that don't seem real or quite right). The Bipolar Test is for individuals who have mood swings - or unusual or extreme shifts in mood and energy. The Eating Disorder Test can help explore eating related concerns that have an impact on your physical health and overall well-being. The PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) Test is for those who are bothered by a traumatic life event. The Parent Test is for parents of young people to determine if their child’s emotions, attention, or behaviors might be signs of a problem. The Youth Test is for young people (age 11-17) who are concerned that their emotions, attention, or behaviors might be signs of a problem. The Addiction Test (Alcohol and substance use test) will help determine if your use of alcohol or drugs is an area to address. The Work Health Survey is not a mental health screening, but a survey meant to help us identify strategies to help companies do better. The survey is updated annually. You can find information about the results of last year's survey here. The Young People's Mental Health Survey is not a mental health screening, but a survey meant to help us understand and address the needs of young people, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following screening, you will be provided with information, resources and tools to help you understand and improve your mental health. Please note: Online screening tools are meant to be a quick snapshot of your mental health. If your results indicate you may be experiencing symptoms of a mental illness, consider sharing your results with someone. A mental health provider (such as a doctor or a therapist) can give you a full assessment and talk to you about options for how to feel better. If you provide us your information and are in need of support, we will do our best to respond. However, we are not a crisis support line. If you are in need of immediate assistance, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK, or text "MHA" to 741-741 to talk to a trained counselor from the Crisis Text Line. Warmlines are also an excellent place for support. For all other screening-related questions and non-emergency support, please contact screening@mhanational.org. Source: screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools Mental Health and Mesothelioma A mesothelioma diagnosis can affect mental health. Many patients in cancer treatment struggle with depressed mood and anxiety. Mental health issues do not cause cancer, but help is available if cancer is making life harder and more stressful. 01 Overview Mental Health After a Diagnosis A diagnosis of mesothelioma can be frightening and demanding. Learning you have cancer can overwhelm even your best coping skills. Mental health may not be at the top of your concerns after a mesothelioma diagnosis, but it’s important to take care of your mind and body. Understanding the level and type of psychological distress common among mesothelioma patients is a good place to start. Learning about the connection between cancer and mental health, along with ways to manage these challenges is another important step. This will put you on the path to finding the support you need. A focus on mental health awareness and self-care for mesothelioma patients should be a priority. Your doctors, nurses and caregivers know you’ll do better during treatment if your emotional needs are met. Tips for Living With Mesothelioma A diagnosis of mesothelioma or any type of cancer can be overwhelming. Many people experience denial about their condition. Moving forward can be challenging. Mesothelioma survivors and mental health experts share the following tips with The Mesothelioma Center for patients now living with mesothelioma: Acceptance: Once a second opinion confirms your diagnosis, it’s time to get to work. Focus: Whatever your treatment plan may include, prepare mentally for the fight of your life. Enjoyment: Treatments may limit your appetite. Between chemotherapy, for example, enjoy favorite foods and treat yourself when you can. Support: Find a group of fellow mesothelioma patients who understand the experiences you’re having, can offer support and share insights. Communication: Most people mean well, but don’t always know what to say. Be honest about your comfort level with topics and tones of conversation. Staying busy can help, but remember to be kind to yourself and let yourself rest when needed. Survivor Kasie Coleman shared, “Enjoy your life. You’ll view life and live life completely differently now because you truly understand how precious life really is, better than anyone. Accept your diagnosis, get focused, fight and win.” 02 What Do We Know What Do We Know About Mental Health and Mesothelioma? There are many studies of cancer and mental health, though only a small portion of these investigations focus on mesothelioma. In March 2018, the American Journal of Industrial Medicine published a review of the best research on this topic. One common theme emerged from the papers: Mesothelioma patients experience significant psychological distress. The study authors documented stress reactions among people who had received a mesothelioma diagnosis. Patients and families expressed shock, dismay, anxiety, depression, apathy, difficulty concentrating, anger and social dysfunction. If you’ve been through this, it may help to know you’re not alone in feeling this way. 03. How Does Cancer Affect It? How Does Cancer Affect Your Mental Health During Treatment? Research supports that health care professionals play an important role in the severity of distress among mesothelioma patients. In particular, health care providers with better communication skills lessened distress and trauma among patients. This finding supports the importance of seeing a mesothelioma specialist. The most knowledgeable doctors and nurses are in the best position to help you navigate treatment options. They can do this with skill and compassion. Knowing you’re in the hands of true mesothelioma experts will make cancer treatment more manageable. 04. Find the Right Treatment Facility Finding the Right Treatment Facility Many cancer treatment centers do not have a mesothelioma specialist on staff. This doesn’t mean patients should immediately go somewhere else for cancer care. It simply reflects the fact mesothelioma is rare. Only a small number of oncologists are considered experts in managing mesothelioma. If your current cancer doctor does not have much experience treating mesothelioma, ask for a second opinion. Don’t worry about offending your doctor. Oncologists are used to consulting with others. They request second opinions from other doctors themselves. Your cancer center can help you put the pieces in place to get a second opinion. This might include sending scans, medical records and blood tests to the consulting physician. A mesothelioma specialist also can be an important link to learning more about clinical trials. An experienced mesothelioma doctor may be conducting a study or have more awareness of ongoing trials appropriate for your diagnosis. All of this information can contribute to better mental health during chemotherapy, radiation therapy and other treatments you are considering. 05 Can Cancer Cause it? Can Cancer Cause Mental Illness? People diagnosed with cancer can develop depression and anxiety. According to the National Cancer Institute, up to 25% of cancer patients experience depression. The depression rate among the general public is around 7% of adults. These statistics suggest the stress of cancer contributes to some forms of mental illness. People studying the mental health of mesothelioma patients have documented something called “sickness behavior.” This is a set of nonspecific symptoms — fever, loss of appetite, depression, anxiety, trouble making decisions, poor concentration and heightened pain response — occurring in response to receiving the diagnosis. 06 Supportive Care Works Supportive Care Works There is good news: Quality of life improves, and distress decreases for mesothelioma patients who receive the help they need to cope with their diagnosis. Distress decreases in mesothelioma patients who participate in The Mesothelioma Center’s support group and seek counseling from a licensed mental health professional with expertise in cancer care. People also see significant benefits from physical therapy care to improve physical function, improved diet and palliative care. Many also find peace of mind from clear and accurate legal information on the possibility of compensation. Getting needed physical, emotional and financial support can help patients maintain strong overall health after a diagnosis. Get a Free Mesothelioma Guide Receive a 200-page mesothelioma guide overnight. Learn about your diagnosis, top doctors and how to pay for treatment. This Page Contains 3 Cited Articles The sources on all content featured in The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com include medical and scientific studies, peer-reviewed studies and other research documents from reputable organizations. 1. Bonafede, M. et al. (2018). The psychological distress and care needs of mesothelioma patients and asbestos-exposed subjects: A systematic review of published studies. Am J Ind Med, 61, 400-412. DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22831 2. National Cancer Institute. (2017, November 2). Depression (PDQ) — Health Professional Version. Retrieved from www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/feelings/depression-hp-pdq 3. National Institute of Mental Health. (2017, November). Major Depression. Retrieved from www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml Source: www.asbestos.com/support/mental-health/ Resources American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) 3615 Wisconsin Ave. NW Washington, DC 20016 800/333-7636 www.aacap.org American Psychiatric Association (APA) 1400 K Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 202/682-6220 www.psych.org Federation of Families 1101 King Street, Suite 420 Alexandria, VA 22314 703/684-7710 www.ffcmh.org National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Colonial Place 3 2107 Wilson Blvd. Suite 300 Arlington, VA 22201-3042 800/950-6264 www.nami.org National Mental Health Association (NMHA) 1021 Prince Street Alexandria, VA 22314-2971 800/969-6642 www.nmha.org   ©2007-2023 www.TheCitizensWhoCare.org/mental-health.html 011223