AREALIBROS

Let’s talk about your mental health.

Note your initial reaction to that suggestion. What do you expect when someone wants to talk about your mental health? In our society, people often expect to hear some kind of criticism. The little man or woman inside may be accusing me of thinking you are crazy.

Pay attention—I want to talk about your mental health—your mental and emotional assets. I believe that discussions about anything “mental” in our society should begin with assets—so that all parties come to the table with the understanding that people are not labels. Any person, who has ever had a condition such as depression, bipolar, anxiety, schizophrenia etc., must separate the diagnosis from their definition of themselves.

So what is mental health?

This question has been a question of hot debate since people began thinking about their thinking. In the past, mental health, as well as health in general, was defined as the absence of a disease or illness. This definition would define someone who spends their day doing nothing more than watching television as “mentally healthy” when they have the capacity to do much more.

Current definitions of mental health involve behaviors of coping, productivity, and quality connections with others.

1. The World Health Organization definition (World Health Organization 2007):

“A state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

2. The Surgeon General of the United States definition (Department of Health and Human Services 1999):

“The successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people, and the ability to adapt to change and cope with adversity.”

What Can Mental Health Do?

Though mental health and health both involve our body, “mental health” generally refers to the effective functioning of our thoughts, moods, and behaviors (Public Health Service 2001). Effective thoughts, moods, and behaviors lead us to take care of ourselves, physically and mentally. We pay attention to what we eat, how we feel, how we interact. We are able to detect when something is “off” and make the necessary adjustments. We help build a world that facilitates the health and mental health of others.

Mental health is the foundation of our health. “There is no health without mental health” (World Health Organization 2007).

Do I Have Mental Health?

Everybody has mental health—thoughts, moods, and behaviors that work. The answers to the following questions can help you identify the mental health you possess:

What mental processes and behaviors can help me “keep going” every day, as well as during times of crisis?
How can I mobilize my effective mental processes and behaviors to recover from illness?
How can I use my effective mental processes and behaviors to have a more abundant life?
Do You Want to Know More?

Stay tuned to Moxie Mental Health, where stories of how real people have transformed themselves, their families, and the world around them are posted three times weekly: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

The next blog will discuss research from the field of Positive Psychology that has identified and classified specific mental strengths. The blog will help you identify several specific mental strengths that you own. Your strengths can be your means of encountering the difficulties you face with spirit and courage—enabling you to emerge from the fire as a grander, more magnificent person.

Katrina

Every month Anne LaFleur sends employees in her office a quiz about various wellness topics. When the topic was depression, she received twice as many responses as usual from co-workers.

When LaFleur, vice president of human resources at a credit union in Pawtucket, RI, took a Mental Health First Aid course in February, she quickly understood the reason for the high level of interest in mental health issues. The training also helped her identify people in her office who may be suffering a mental health problem and taught her how to provide help and refer people to self-help and professional resources. “The training made me realize that mental health issues are very common, yet one of the least talked about problems,” LaFleur says.

More than one in four people suffer from a diagnosable mental health problem in any given year. Mental illness likely costs businesses more than billion a year, billion of it in lost productivity. The statistics point to the significant need to incorporate mental health into burgeoning employee wellness programs, which have received a shot in the arm with the passage of federal healthcare reform legislation.

Mental Health First Aid has proved to be an ideal program to promote improved mental health in workplaces across the country.

LaFleur is one of more than 6,000 people certified in Mental Health First Aid since the training was introduced in the United States two years ago by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare along with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Those who participate in the 12-hour Mental Health First Aid course learn a five-step process to assess a situation, select and implement appropriate interventions and help a person developing signs and symptoms of mental illness or in crisis receive appropriate care. Participants also learn about the risk factors and warning signs of specific illnesses such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, and addiction. Read more… »

Mental health is a term used in reference to a person’s emotional and psychological well-being. Mental health problems may include serious depression, anxiety, hallucinations, violent behavior or suicidal thoughts. A person with a serious mental health problem is unable to cope adequately with life and cannot be coaxed into ‘snapping out of it’.

Approximately 60 million people in the United States experience mental health problems each year. One in seventeen lives with serious mental health conditions and less than a third seek treatment. Here are five reasons why you should learn about mental health.

The first step in fighting mental illness is education. Mental health problems, as stated above, are common. If you learn about symptoms and warning signs and familiarize yourself with different diagnoses and treatments you will be better able to cope with any mental health issues that arise in your life or in the lives of those people you care about. Early identification is the key to recovery. Mental health treatment can involve a combination of medication and therapy. Diet, exercise, sleep and social support also plays a role in recovery. Being able to recognize the symptoms of various mental health problems is crucial in the early identification and subsequent treatment of any mental health problem.

Mental health awareness and subsequent treatment reduces medical costs. Numerous studies have shown that when people seek mental health care, their use of medical services declines. People with untreated mental health problems visit a medical doctor twice as often as people who receive care for their mental health problems.

Untreated mental health issues negatively affect one’s overall health. Excessive anxiety and stress can greatly contribute to physical problems including, high blood pressure, heart disease and ulcers. Living under the strain of anxiety and stress can also weaken the immune system – making people much more vulnerable to all types of physical ailments ranging from the common cold to cancer. Improving your understanding of mental illness is the most effective way of battling stigma towards those who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. Mental illness can be very hard for some people to understand which can very easily lead to prejudice and discrimination. People who have friends or family members with mental illnesses benefit from learning about mental health because it helps them to understand the causes of the problem and the suitable treatment options available.

Just as people can have physical problems, so can they have mental health problems. It is very important that we as a society accept this fact and teach our children from a young age that not feeling well psychologically or emotionally is ‘OK’ and that there is help available. Mental illness is a part of life as millions of people are affected each year. Education is the key to bringing mental health issues out of the shadows. De-stigmatizing mental health problems will help those who suffer from emotional and psychological problems in getting the help they need so that they can lead healthy and happy lives.

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There is a lot of prospect in community-based mental health careers both in the state of Maryland and all over the country. This is because for years now, there has been a lot of emphasis on prevention and reduction of inpatient hospitalization for all illnesses, including mental illness. This might primarily have been intended for cost control, it has also facilitated quality and access. The second reason why career prospects in community mental health are many is that there is currently a severe shortage of mental health workers in all sectors. The 2007 Maryland Mental Health Workforce White Paper revealed that the number and complexity of mental health problems experienced by children and their families have increased over the past decade. It further said, “At least one in five children and youth, or 20%, experience a mental health disorder. The crisis of mental health in the United States is such that 75-80% of youth with mental health diagnoses receive no services, and services received are often inadequate”. Thirdly, there is inadequate diversity among the few mental health workforce. For example, 28% of Maryland population is of ethnic minority but only 12% of mental workforce is of ethnic minorities. Furthermore, there is an acute shortage of African American males in mental health workforce.

1. Outpatient Mental Health Clinics (OMHC)

Outpatient mental health clinics provide therapy, counseling, medication management, social skills teaching, and case management services to individuals with severe and chronic mental health problems. Career prospects available in OMHC include:

Therapists and Counselors: New regulations require therapists and counselors in OMHC to have a minimum of a Masters degree and a license (such as LGSW, LCSW, LCSW-C, LGPC, LCPC, RNC, APRN/PMHN) in nursing, social work, psychology, counseling, or psychiatric rehabilitation. Also, an RN without a Masters degree but with an RNC from ANCC can be employed as a therapist. Salaries are very attractive.

2. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Programs (PRP)

PRP programs are an extension of the services provided to the patient in the OMHC. A PRP may stand alone or be an additional service to an OMHC. The purpose of PRP is to promote the rehabilitation, integration and improved quality of life for the patient at home, school, work and community. It aims at helping the patient to function at his or her optimum best in life. The counseling can be done at the Program office (onsite) or at the patient’s home (offsite). PRP counseling could be about a wide range of topics, including anger management skills, social skills, assertiveness skills, medication compliance, coping with symptoms, managing peer pressure, taking a bus, determining bus route, drug and alcohol, gang prevention, sex education, STD education, accessing community resources such as food stamps, affordable housing, bus pass, ID card, driver’s license, job search, preparing for job interview, keeping a job, improving attention in school, Read more… »

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Due to greater understanding of how many Americans live with mental illnesses and addiction disorders and how expensive the total healthcare expenditures are for this group, we have reached a critical tipping point when it comes to healthcare reform. We understand the importance of treating the healthcare needs of individuals with serious mental illnesses and responding to the behavioral healthcare needs of all Americans. This is creating a series of exciting opportunities for the behavioral health community and a series of unprecedented challenges Mental health organizations across the U.S. are determined to provide expertise and leadership that supports member organizations, federal agencies, states, health plans, and consumer groups in ensuring that the key issues facing persons with mental health and substance use disorders are properly addressed and integrated into healthcare reform.

In anticipation of parity and mental healthcare reform legislation, the many national and community mental health organizations have been thinking, meeting and writing for well over a year. Their work continues and their outputs guide those organizations lobbying for government healthcare reform. .

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY

1. Mental Health/Substance Use Health Provider Capacity Building: Community mental health and substance use treatment organizations, group practices, and individual clinicians will need to improve their ability to provide measurable, high-performing, prevention, early intervention, recovery and wellness oriented services and supports.

2. Person-Centered Healthcare Homes: There will be much greater demand for Read more… »