We have two upcoming events to announce!
The first is MHAM’s education event Celebrating Recovery on October 5, 2010. This education event in recognition of Mental Illness Awareness week will provide you with information about self-care and advocacy and offer tips on how you can become a partner in your own care. We are also very excited to unveil our brand new Steps to Wellness kits. All attendees will receive a free kit. Lunch will be served and is included in the registration fee. Cost is $15 per person in advance, $20 per person at the door, and $40 to exhibit at the Wellness Fair (includes admission to the event and lunch). Location: Ramada Plaza Hotel, 1330 Industrial Boulevard NE, Minneapolis, MN.Click on the link for more information and to register online.
The second event is Proof by David Auburn, produced by the Phoenix Theater Project. After the death of her father, Catherine is left to pull together her own life; a life that was set aside to care for her ailing father, a famous mathematician. She must deal with his legacy; hundreds of notebooks that most likely hold the ramblings of a man slowly losing his genius, but may reveal the last great work of a brilliant mind. Now she is forced to face her own life and can no longer avoid her possible inheritance; genius or insanity. Proof will be playing weekends beginning Friday, September 10 and running through Saturday, September 25 at the People Center’s Theater, 425 20th Avenue South, Minneapolis. Tickets are $16. MHAM is working closely with Phoenix Theater Project to offer feedback on the portrayal of family relationships where a mental illness is involved, and we will be participating in a talk back session after the show on Sunday, September 12. Visit Phoenix Theater Project for more information on this Pulitzer Prize-winning play or to purchase tickets.
Minnesota will hold primary elections on August 10th.
MHAM and our partners in the Mental Health Legislative Network sent out some questions to candidates who are running for Governor. We don’t support or oppose any candidate, and we don’t grade their answers. But we’ve presented their replies here for your information.
Gubernatorial Candidate Questionnaire Responses
Several candidates responded and shared their views on some of the key issues that are important for mental health. If you don’t see your preferred candidate represented here, or simply want more information on where candidates stand: please contact their campaigns to ask your questions. We strongly encourage everyone to get involved.
You can go to The Secretary of State’s Office or call 1-877-600-VOTE (8683) to get more information on finding your polling place, registration and eligibility and more.
It’s been very hot in Minnesota, and we’ve heard from some people who have had concerns regarding staying safe.
Individuals on certain medications may be more vulnerable to heat stress. Persons taking regular medication should consult with their physician. Some medications cause an adverse reaction in hot weather, such as reducing a person’s ability to sweat. If you are on such a medication, or if you know someone who is, please take a look at these strategies for managing heat stress.
To avoid heat-related illness:
Non-emergency questions about how to stay cool—call 2-1-1 or visit the heat information at the Office of the Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.
For emergency heat-related health problems—please call 9-1-1
Since mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States, it is vitally important that people of all ages be aware of the signs, symptoms, and proper treatment options for mental disease. As explained by the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, and three quarters have begun by age 24. In Minnesota alone, approximately 56,000 children suffer from some mental disorder. These statistics support the proposition that mental illness is, unfortunately, a major problem for the youth of our country and for the state of Minnesota.
Mental illness is uncovered in many young people at the point in their lives when they are searching for independence from others. Because of this pursuit for independence it makes it hard for adolescents and young adults to seek help, and it makes it difficult for their friends and family to know if their irregular behavior is something serious, or perhaps just a passing phase.
It is particularly unfortunate that many lifelong afflictions go undiagnosed because they first manifest themselves during adolescence when so many changes in personality can mask underlying pathology. For example, the onset of bipolar disorder usually occurs during the late teen years or early adult years. Schizophrenia, although rare in children under 12, begins to increase dramatically in frequency in adolescence, with an average age of onset between 20 and 25.
Though there are effective treatments for youth suffering from a mental disorder, all to often there are long delays between the onset of symptoms and the beginning of treatment.
As outlined by the National Institute of Health, there are several signs seen in teenagers and adolescents that may suggest referral to a medical or mental health professional. Some of these signs are listed below:
Part of the goal of the Mental Health Association of Minnesota as well as public health systems and services is to provide people with the adequate resources and information needed to maintain a positive mental health throughout their lifespan. Several mental health promotion projects promote help-seeking behavior and also help to reduce the current stigma associated with mental illness.
Most importantly, learning strategies for self-care can help people suffering from mental illness overcome their disease on a day-to-day basis. Setting short term goals, staying in touch with friends, and seeking out resources in schools, faith communities, support groups and health centers can help provide people with the tools they need to work towards wellness.
This post comes from volunteer blogger Margo Tell.
According to a 2008 study conducted by the RAND Corporation, many returning veterans that had been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom had significant mental health issues. Of the 1,945 that were surveyed, 14% met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 14% met the criteria for major depression, and 19% had a probable traumatic brain injury (TBI). About one-third of these returning veterans had at least one of these conditions.
Last year, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) launched the Real Warriors Campaign directed towards service members, veterans, their families, and health professionals. The goal of the campaign is to reduce stigma associated with psychological health problems and traumatic brain injury. The campaign encourages and supports service members to seek help through the many resources that are available to them and their families. Along with helpful resources and a 24/7 information and help line, the Real Warriors campaign’s website draws upon the courageous stories of service members and veterans that found the strength to seek help and how it made a positive difference in their lives.
We recently saw an interesting article from Dr. Hyde, the administrator of SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). She talks about some of the various different terms that people use for talking about mental health issues and chemical dependency:
Is a person who uses mental health services a patient? a consumer? A survivor? Is recovery something you can define? Is it a process? Or should we be talking about wellness instead?
That article is found here, and the accompanying Q & A on language is found here.
We’d like to hear your thoughts on language and terms. How important is it to you? Is there a term you really prefer? One that you can’t stand? This is an on-going process, and we want to learn more about what people in Minnesota are thinking and feeling around these issues. What we’ve heard so far is that the language we use around mental health has a big impact on if people feel respected and empowered.
We’re planning on using your feedback to help write an article that we’ll publish in our newsletter. If you would not like your response to be used, or if you prefer to stay anonymous, just let us know, and we’ll honor those requests. Please send any feedback to Ben, who will be compiling your answers. We’ve already heard from some of our volunteers, and we look forward to getting responses from around the state.
CVS CarePlus conducted many of the blood draws required when a person is taking clozapine. On June 1, 2010 the company ended this service and those individuals using CVS CarePlus must find an alternative for the required blood draw.
There are several options available that can result in connecting with a provider that can conduct the necessary blood draws:
Without the blood draws, people will not be able to obtain refills on clozapine, so the blood draws are critical. If a person is not able to find an alternative provider for the blood draws, the advocacy program at the Mental Health Association of MN would assist the person in finding a workable solution.
Research suggests that peer support for persons with serious mental illnesses can improve psychological outcomes, such as empowerment, and can also improve clinical outcomes, such as reduced hospitalization. As of last year, Minnesota is now 1 of 26 states that cover peer support services. With a focus on recovery, the Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) is a compensated and trained member of a mental health services team. According to the Minnesota Department of Human Services website, the role of a certified peer specialist is to:
CPS Training is provided through the Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Network for individuals that work within an Assertive Community Treatment, Intensive Residential Treatment, Crisis Response and/or Adult Mental Health Rehabilitative program.
The Facing Us Clubhouse, a program of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), is a free online wellness tool for individuals living with mood disorders. The website offers a variety of tools and resources to help support and maintain a person’s health and well-being. These include:
Incorporating wellness into your life is just a click away!
The 2010 Legislative session was an extremely active and difficult session. While the primary goal was to pass a bonding bill for long-term projects, spending on health and human services came into sharp debate. Looking back at everything that happened, what will be the impact on mental health services?
We see four areas of major importance. GAMC was the big concern early and late in the session, and we expect more news to come soon. For more detailed history on what happened, you can read our previous entries here. Right now, letters are going out informing people that GAMC is changing and that they must select a hospital home for clinic care. Otherwise, they will be restricted to emergency only treatment. What we don’t know is how the proposed patient limits will affect this process, or how many previously eligible individuals will complete their paperwork. We suspect that this will be a major barrier. What we do know is that this is bad news for people living in outstate Minnesota. The four hospitals that agreed to this plan are all in the Metro area. People can still go to the ER, but only for emergency treatment. We are working to find other resources for people who need assistance with obtaining medication or other non-emergency care, but the outlook is not great.
Guardianship law was one of the few “wins” we had this session. You can read our summary here. This change introduces a basic level of accountability for guardians and protects the rights of individuals to make long-term choices about their health care. We believe that it is an important piece of working towards models of care that better involve and respect the person’s wishes. In addition, it showed that we can still make important policy changes, as long as they do not require funding.
MA expansion was brought up several times in the session, and has an uncertain future, even though it is strongly favored by providers. We view it as the best long-term solution to the GAMC issue and it is required to happen in 2014. At the end of session, the final compromise budget did not include early expansion of MA, but authorizes the Governor to trigger entry at a later time. Gov. Pawlenty has staked out a public position against federal health care reform and is unlikely to do so. However, the next Governor may not be opposed or simply not have any choice to refuse so much federal money. You can read about the candidates’ stances on MA expansion here.
Funding for basic mental health services came into jeopardy this session. When the state invested an additional $34 M in spending in the mental health system in 2007, it was seen as a major move forward. Yet, we are now seeing major cuts that will quickly dwarf that investment. It’s hard to interpret this as anything but a step backwards. Some of these cuts are set to expire in 2011, but we know that it will take a lot of political will in order to resist sustaining those cuts as the budget crisis deepens. State Operated Services will be redesigned and face cuts, despite delaying the inevitable by refusing to follow legislative and community input. MHAM is pleased to be included with other advocates and stakeholders in helping outline what SOS truly needs to deliver. While the cuts will be significant here, we are hopeful that an intelligent redesign process will limit the impact on consumers.
As these conversations continue through the election season and into the next session, we think that the State needs to face facts about budget cuts. We believe that many of these shifts and cuts do not really last. Property taxes are up sharply as counties try to recover from reduced aid from the state, and cuts to low-income health care typically raise the rates for those with insurance. Supportive housing, PCA services, drop-in centers, and other long term/lower intensity services have all been on the chopping block. But hospitalization, crisis response, and police involvement are far more expensive. When these services are cut, the trade-offs have both human and financial costs, and we will work hard to push back against the band-aid approach to budgeting in the state.
Working towards the next legislative session, a few things are going to be different.