The Collaborative on Community Integration at the University of Pennsylvania is seeking examples of people’s experienices with the mental health system. The UPENN Collaborative, which is connected with National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse, is hoping to use the stories as part of efforts to inform others about the problems people encounter along the way to addressing issues in mental health.
We are seeking stories from parents with mental illnesses and from students with mental illnesses regarding their experiences.
From parents, we seek personal stories regarding their experiences with the child welfare system, child custody issues, barriers to reunification associated with having a mental illness, and custody being used to encourage treatment compliance.
From students, we see stories from individuals – or family members of individuals – who were asked to take a leave of absence or withdraw from a college, university or other educational program because of a mental illness. Individuals who are or were undergraduate and graduate students from colleges or universities, vocational or other trade programs can submit their stories.
This information will be useful to us in developing training, policy and research initiatives to increase opportunities for parents with mental illnesses to have lasting, loving relationships with their children and for students with mental illnesses to successfully achieve their academic goals.
Please contact Pam Cousounis (pamelac2 [at] mail[dot]med[dot]upenn[dot]edu or at 215-746-1950) if you have a story and ideas that you would like to share with us. We look forward to hearing from you – thank you in advance for your contribution!
Links to the Web sites of the UPENN Collaborative on Community Integration and National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse.
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I went back to college after being a member of a psychosocial clubhouse because I became so bored with the program of work, menial work gets old and I believe many people not all but some can do that much more but aren’t being challenged to excel. I had been diagnoised with paranoid schiophrenia over thirty years ago and I struggled with making it in this world on my own. I couldn’t do it so I ended up in the hospital/community revolving door, until I got on the bus and went out to my local community college and enrolled. I did well and got my Bachelors degree and I paid for it with loans and grants, now i work full time and I have a much fuller life. I still see the doctor four times a year and I’ve learned the importance of keeping up with taking my meds on a regular basis but overall I am rather independent today compaired to before I went back to college.