IN THE NEWS…

MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE NEWS

For More Click on following Link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-perkins-20120101,0,3376977.story

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NCR

What Does it mean to be declared

Not Criminally Responsible?

This term used by the courts too often causes citizens to think someone has “beaten the crime” by not getting jail time. But is being in a mental hospital really an escape?  Below is another way to advocate for the mentally ill.  You, too, can write Letters to the Editor.

The article below was published in The Capital (Annapolis, MD) on November 2, 2011. At the end of the article you will find some suggestions on writing Letters to the Editor.

Here are some NAMI tips on writing Letters to Editor.

A Letter to the Editor is a short letter sent to a newspaper or magazine to present NAMI’s position, make a correction or comment on a previous story-or a previous letter.

Letters appear on the editorial pages of newspapers. To submit a letter, call the newspaper and ask for the editorial page-then ask what the word limit should be for a letter and how it should be submitted.

• Depending on the newspaper, the word limit may be 150 to 250 words. Many newspapers have special e-mail addresses for submissions: e.g., letters@times.com
• For many papers, particularly large metropolitan dailies, there is strong competition among submissions. Your letter must be compelling in language and facts so that it stands out from others.
• Timing is important. Ideally, send a letter responding to a story the same day that it appears; otherwise within 24 or 48 hours.
• Don’t wear out your welcome. Try not to submit more than one letter a month. Some papers won’t publish more than one letter every three months from the same person or organization. (Letters from members sent independently are fine as long as they aren’t form letters; each writer needs to “make a letter their own.”)
• If writing in response to a specific story, reference the headline and date: e.g., “In the story ‘Governor Proposes Mental Health Cuts’ (2/5/10), little attention was paid to the high cost of cuts, which in the long run won’t save taxpayers money.”
• Include complete contact information at the top of the letter: full name, NAMI title, home address, all telephone numbers (cell, office and home) and e-mail addressees. Many publications will contact the writer to confirm authenticity and that it has not been submitted elsewhere-or to clear edits that they would like to make to what you have submitted.
• Focus on one or two key points that you want to make and be sure to highlight the local relevance. If room allows, reflect on broader state or national implications.
• If you are responding to an article or other letter to the editor, don’t attack the reporter or writer. Acknowledge points where you might agree, then tactfully address weaknesses or misleading information. Informed, respectful exchanges help build agreement and encourage others in the community to join the dialogue.

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Is Jail the Answer

for Lindsay Lohan???

In spite of her recent inappropriate appearance in a California court… members of the media, surprisingly, continue to back away from the possibility that actress Lindsay Lohan might be mentally ill.

The stigma of MENTAL ILLNESS continues, for example, when Yahoo blogger, Joseph Lynch, writes the following:

Lindsay Lohan Goes For a More Formal Court Look

By Joseph Brannigan Lynch | (10/19/2011) Yahoo Movie Talk

With a revocation of her probation and possible jail time on the line, Lindsay Lohan arrived in court today wearing surprisingly formal attire. Her immaculately white sleeveless, ’50s-style dress, matching billowy scarf and subdued silver stud earrings were marked contrast from her more revealing courtoom outfits of the past. In fact, her courtroom outfit looks like a perfect fit for a wedding reception–certainly more so than the low-cut dress she wore for Kim Kardashian’s nuptials. Lindsay’s heavy eye shadow and heavy blush stood out in comparison to her understandably pallid complexion.

THIS IS WHY ADVOCACY FOR THE MENTALLY ILL IS STILL NEEDED!

Lindsay Lohan is screaming for help.  Look at her! The media and an uneducated public make fun of her, rather than empathize or suggest an urgent need for a mental assessment. Just look at Yahoo comments about her in the Lynch article:

Did her 64 count Crayola Crayons explode and land on her face?

• she looks scary… Is it just me or does it appear that her make up is done in a way to almost appear like she has brusies on her cheeks and has been crying profusely!?

•  Seems like a bit of subliminal attempts to get the judge to see her as a beaten down person to have pity on. …

  Manny 3 minutes ago… She was probably on drugs to show up in court with a custom like that.. hahahahaha..

• American 1st 3 minutes ago… Some time in jail might get her dried out and then a few months in a serious rehab center. No one of those country club places where they are coddled. I think her life depends on it ans soft judges are not helping her

Here’s what I would write to the court.

Dear Judge…

Lindsay Lohan doesn’t need JAIL, she  needs a mental health court and/or Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT).  

According to the Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org), AOT is court-ordered treatment (including medication) for individuals with severe mental illness who meet strict legal criteria, e.g., they have a history of medication noncompliance. 

Typically, violation of the court-ordered conditions can result in the individual being hospitalized for further treatment.

If Lindsay Lohan has a Dual Diagnosis or co-occuring drug and mental health issues, then treatment of one or the other alone is not likely to work.   As Family2Family members and alumni know… it’s integrated treatment that is needed.  

Likewise, we also know why the actress doesn’t recognize or admit that she is sick.  As Dr. Amador points out in I AM NOT SICK, I DON’T NEED HELP! the brain can not recognize it is sick, when it is sick.  People with schizophrenia typically have “poor insight” about their condition. The lack of insight often displayed by those with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders is neurologically based AND is  called anosognosia. 

A good start for Lindsay Lohan’s family  and supporters, the courts, and health care workers involved with her is… to learn more about mental illness by getting in touch with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in California and other states.

REMEMBER Mental Illness Research Shows:  Treatment Works!

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FIRST AID OR FAMILY2FAMILY TRAINING?

The July 2011 newsletter for our NAMI affiliate (Anne Arundel County) features an article about a new mental health program being offered at Anne Arundel Community College. First, the article, which doesn’t include a by-line to tell us who wrote it, fails to tell us that the course will cost $80 at AACC. Second, the article does not tell us why that 12-hour program is being presented to NAMI members by NAMI members, when NAMI already offers, for free, an evidence-based and nationally recognized education program called Family2Family three times a year.

The question to ponder is: does anyone who has taken F2F think they need “first aid” tips on how to handle their loved ones?  Here’s what the Mental Health First Aid website says about its course.

Mental Health First Aid is a groundbreaking public education program that helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Mental Health First Aid USA is managed, operated, and disseminated by three national authorities — the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Mental Health First Aid is offered in the form of an interactive 12-hour course that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders in the U.S. and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews common treatments. Those who take the 12-hour course to certify as Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action plan encompassing the skills, resources and knowledge to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help care.

The 12-hour Mental Health First Aid USA course has benefited a variety of audiences and key professions, including: primary care professionals, employers and business leaders, faith communities, school personnel and educators, state police and corrections officers, nursing home staff, mental health authorities, state policymakers, volunteers, young people, families and the general public. See how you can get involved — find a 12-hour Mental Health First Aid course near you or learn how you can become a certified instructor to teach the 12-hour course in your community.

In February of this year, a reporter for the Arizona Daily Star wrote this about the program.

"It's like a CPR class. Mental health is like any other medical condition. If someone has diabetes or heart disease, they get better
when they receive treatment," Seaney said. "If we can train our community to recognize mental-health issues and have early
intervention skills, we're more likely to get people into treatment. And treatment can make a big difference." 

The key to mental health first aid, which is based on an Australian model, is a five-step action plan that involves assessing risk of
suicide or harm; listening non-judgmentally; giving reassurances and information; encouraging appropriate professional help and
encouraging self-help and other support strategies. 

The program takes into account the possibility that some people with mental health problems do not want any help."

While it is good to see others wanting to do something about the stigma of mental illness.  As a Family2Family co-teacher, I must say that the appearance of this new program in our NAMI AA Co. newsletter makes me wonder if we’re doing enough to raise awareness about the various free programs NAMI offers in our communities.

As usual, your comments are welcomed!

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IN THE NEWS…

July 2011 RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES…

Find out  more about the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center

(http://www.mprc.umaryland.edu)

Welcome

 

The Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC) is dedicated to providing treatment to patients with schizophrenia and related disorders, educating professionals and consumers about schizophrenia, and conducting basic and translational research into the manifestations, causes, and treatment of schizophrenia.

An internationally recognized research center, the MPRC is a division of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The MPRC operates as a joint program with the State of Maryland Mental Hygiene Administration and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The MPRC is located in Catonsville, Maryland, just south of Baltimore.

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NEW STUDY FINDINGS:  NAMI Family Education Program F2F “Significantly” Improves Coping with Mental Illness   

ARLINGTON, Va., June 14, 2011  PRNewswire-USNewswire/ —

 NAMI’s Family-to-Family Education  Program “significantly” improves coping and problem-solving abilities of family members of individuals living with mental illness, according to a landmark study published in the current issue of Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association.

Family-to-Family is a free 12-week self-help course offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in which trained instructors who have family members living with mental illness teach coping and supportive skills to other persons with family members diagnosed with major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other conditions.

 Led by Lisa B. Dixon, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the study found that the NAMI classes increase knowledge about mental illness and “empowerment within the family, the service system and the community.”

 NAMI’s Family-to-Family program offers “concrete practical benefits” and demonstrates the value of free, community-based self-help programs as a “complement” to professional mental health services, the study noted. The classes combine an instructional curriculum with a support group environment.

 “NAMI has long had confidence in Family-to-Family as a signature education program,” said NAMI Executive Director Michael J. Fitzpatrick. “The study reinforces the position of family advocates. It is a signal to the medical profession.”

 “Doctors and other mental health care workers are often unable to provide enough support to family members, even though families often play a critical role in the treatment and recovery of loved ones.”

 The study coincides with the 20th anniversary of NAMI’s Family-to-Family program. An estimated 250,000 family members have taken the classes to date.

Over 3,500 trained volunteers teach classes in the United States and Puerto Rico. In some communities, classes are offered to families of veterans through local Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities.

 Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the study evaluated the effectiveness of classes in five counties in the culturally diverse Greater Washington, D.C. and Baltimore area, involving 318 participants recruited between 2006 and 2009.

 The study was presented at NAMI’s annual convention in Chicago in July 2011.

SOURCE:   National Alliance on Mental Illness

http://www.facebook.com/officialNAMI

WHAT DO YOU Know About NAMI’s CONNECTION Support Group?

MENTAL HEALTH COURT Could Help when Jail

Isn’t The Right Answer 

EVERETT, WA — For reasons that are difficult to understand, he is compelled to talk to his ex-wife. He knows he shouldn’t. He knows he’s forbidden from calling her or showing up at her doorstep. He can’t seem to help himself.  A Snohomish County judge in March sentenced the Bellingham man to nearly four years in prison for violating a long-standing court order to stay away from his ex-wife.

He showed up at her house in December and asked to talk. She told him to leave. He did, but his actions landed him back in jail and earned him his twelfth conviction for violating the no-contact order.  Superior Court Judge Ellen Fair agreed with the man’s attorney — prison is not the best solution.

The 61-year-old man has been living with mental illness for years. He’s been in and out of jail and treatment centers. He does better when he takes medication and checks in with a community corrections officer. On his own, he falls apart.

Once he’s released from prison, he’ll likely contact his ex-wife again, his attorney predicted. Fair, however, also agreed with the prosecutor. The victim deserves some peace of mind, even if it’s only for a few years.

“There just aren’t any good answers here,” Fair said at the sentencing.

The man’s case is one of many that has motivated some public defenders, police officials, judges and advocates to research forming a mental health court in Snohomish County. They have been studying mental health courts around state and country, looking at ways to address a population of people who land in legal trouble because of untreated mental health issues.

“We’re under no illusion that we’re going to cure people. Instead the goal is helping them maintain a healthy productive lifestyle so they’re not stuck in the criminal justice system,” said Jason Schwarz, an attorney with the Snohomish County Public Defender’s Association.

Schwarz and others met earlier this year for a planning session to look at launching a mental health court.

“We have found a lot of support. There’s enough of a movement to try to bring a volunteer court to Snohomish County,” Schwarz said.

Other counties, including King and Skagit, have been using specialized courts for mentally ill defendants. The courts, similar to the county’s drug courts, offer incentives to defendants who are willing to seek treatment, find housing and work and undergo close monitoring by the court.

The criminal justice system often sees people living with mental illness who are caught up in a cycle, Skagit County deputy prosecutor Paul Nielsen said.

“Mental health court is a way to try to change their lives,” Nielsen said.

Nielsen has been the prosecutor for Skagit County’s mental health court for about 3 1/2 years. He acts as the gatekeeper, probing to find a nexus between the alleged crime and the person’s mental health issues. People accused of certain crimes are not eligible. Some are facing their first felonies. The majority not only have a mental illness but also some sort of drug or alcohol addiction.

“We see a difference when we get them off the bad drugs and get them on medication,” Nielsen said.

Defendants are required to participate for two years. During that time, they must meet with mental health treatment providers, pursue employment or schooling, secure housing and attend regular court hearings. A team reviews each case to make sure the participant is in compliance.

Defendants who break the rules face sanctions including jail time or being booted from the court. If that happens, they are once again exposed to the full weight of the justice system.

If a person successfully completes the four phases of the program, the charge against him is dismissed.

The goal is to promote and enhance public safety and reduce recidivism among mentally ill offenders, said Rebecca Clark, Skagit County’s mental health program coordinator.

“Instead of a prison sentence and no treatment, we get treatment for people,” Clark said. “It’s the right way to respond to an individual who has committed an offense as a result of their struggle with mental illness. It’s just the right thing to do.”

King County officials started a mental health court in 1999. The court arose out of the tragic death of retired Seattle Fire Department Capt. Stan Stevenson two years earlier. Stevenson was stabbed to death by a mentally ill offender who had been released from jail a couple of days before the attack.

King County’s court was the second of its kind in the nation. There are approximately 200 people enrolled in the court. About 60 percent of those are initially charged with a felony. The mental health court participants agree to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and enroll in the two-year program. Staff aim to provide wrap-around services, including substance abuse treatment and housing, King County District Court Judge Anne Harper said.

Harper, a former Snohomish County public defender, presides over King County’s mental health court.

Studies have found that court participants are less likely to reoffend and more stable even if they’re kicked out of the program. That reduces jail services and saves money, Harper said.

“It’s taking care of the gap between jail and the mental commitment hospital,” Harper said.

Snohomish Police Chief John Turner is all too familiar with that gap. For nearly a decade, Snohomish officers have been looking for ways to get help for a mentally ill man whom they’ve arrested dozens of times. They’ve taken him to jail for disorderly conduct and malicious mischief allegations. They’ve taken him to a local hospital for evaluations by mental health professionals. Under the law, he’s not sick enough to be committed.

The man, now 75, ends up back in the community.

“We’re already spending the resources on him and it hasn’t made a difference,” Turner said.

King County officials have found that treatment is cheaper than locking people up, Harper said.  Money already is being spent on these offenders, she said. It’s a matter of reallocating the funds for better results, the judge said.

Advocates in Snohomish County acknowledge that they’re up against a lack of funding. However, they point out that many mental health courts started small and on the backs of volunteer judges, lawyers and mental health providers.

Skagit County started its pilot program in 2004 with volunteers. Since then the court has secured permanent funding.

“We need to start out small and show that it works,” said Jim Bloss, president of Snohomish County National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Bloss sees the court’s potential. He turns to a parable to make his point. Think of somebody walking along a beach, finding beached starfish and tossing them back into the ocean.  The mental health court may not reach everyone, but it has the potential to make a big difference for some.  “Each starfish is important,” he said.

 Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 (Everett, Washington)

By Diana Hefley, Herald Writer: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com 

FYI…  

THE PROBLEM FOR mentally ill people in the criminal justice system is, as we continue to see, a national, state, and local problem.  In Anne Arundel County, for example, the Jennifer Road Detention Center (Annapolis) has one of the state’s only two isolated/segregated  units for people with mental health issues.  It was dedicated in July 2006 by County Executive Janet Owens.

A Capital Gazette article noted that while “speaking at the county’s Jennifer Road Detention Center in Parole, Ms. Owens talked about dozens of the inmates suffering from mental illnesses at the jail and how often they’re back behind its brick walls and wire fences within months, sometimes weeks, of their release.”

“(It’s) a revolving-door cycle of arrest, detention, release and re-arrest for people with mental illness,” Ms. Owens…  (Capital Gazette, 2/13/2006, HEATHER RAWLYK, Staff Writer)

According to the Maryland Gazette (2/11/2006), Frank Sullivan, executive director of the county’s Mental Health Agency,  described the new psychiatric unit as a “radical” change.  The paper went on to quote him saying the new unit would allow him to hire “an extra  therapist to join the two therapists, two case managers and one trauma therapist who already work at the jail.”

Today, however, the 20-bed unit remains short of staff.  According to staff at JRDC, there are still only two psychiatrists in 2011 available to conduct screenings for the general population of 300 inmates.  In fact, mental health services are often contracted out to PDG Rehabilitation Services which uses licensed mental health professionals to provide clinical assessments, develop treatment and discharge plans, and therapy.

Interestingly, during the last year while monitoring the court system, I have witnessed a JRDC inmate being declared “competent” for trial in the District Court BUT later  found “incompetent” for trial in the Circuit Court.  On both occasions the inmate had refused to take medicine while confined to the Psych unit in the detention center.  Anne Arundel County does not have a mental health court but a mental health docket on Tuesdays before Judge Megan Johnson in the District Court system. Not surprisingly, given that the bar for competency is set so low – “do you know where you are” – most inmates are ruled competent to stand trial, even when it is obvious something is going on with them.  But the efficient process leaves much to be desire when it comes to the rights of the mentally ill.