Tag Archive for 'mental illness'

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Healthy youth

Published on 23 June 2009 in Acting in, Acting out, ADHD, Assessment, Bi-polar, Conduct disorder, Delinquency, Depression, Families, Prevention, Research, The press and Treatment. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Even though many schools in the US have closed for the summer or are about to do so, I want to remind folks that this is not a good time to take a break from considering the mental health needs of children and youth. Although they are likely to wax and wane over time, mental health problems don’t take many vacations.

Learn more about US resources for individual children and youths who have emotional and behavioral disorders by surfing the rich resources assembled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services. Although some of the materials may be a tad out of date (e.g., prevalence figures have been updated for some disorders such as Autism), there are still plenty of valuable materials available from SAMHSA.

Go there! Compare what you see learn there with what’s available at other trustworthy sites. Learn what to do and from whom help is available.

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MHA celebrates centennial

Published on 11 February 2009 in Acting in, Acting out, Bi-polar, Causes, Depression, Families, News, Policy, Schizophrenia, The press and Treatment. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Mental Health America, a large and active US group that advocates for people with emotional and behavioral disorders, will focus its centennial celebration around the theme, “’Celebrating the Legacy; Forging the Future’ 1909 – 2009.”

Mental Health America is celebrating 100 years of advocacy, public education, and support for Americans with mental health conditions. Over the past century, we have transformed our nation’s approach to mental health by working to create a just, humane and healthy society in which all people are accorded respect, dignity and the opportunity to achieve their full potential free from stigma and prejudice.

These are the folks who famously recast as a bell the shackles that had been used to restrain people with mental illness. That bell now symbolize improved—but still not perfected—understanding and treatment for people with mental illness. In addition to offering many other valuable services (policy advocacy, hotlines, etc.), MHA educates the public about mental health and mental illness. It provides fact sheets about (to list just a few) anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and suicide.

Go learn more.

Mental Health America
2000 N. Beauregard Street, 6th Floor Alexandria, VA 22311
Phone (703) 684-7722
Toll free (800) 969-6642
TTY 800/433-5959
Fax (703) 684-5968

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Sci Am on paternal age

Published on 5 February 2009 in Autism, Causes, Families, News, Research, Schizophrenia and The press. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Under the title “The Father Factor: How Dad’s Age Increases Baby’s Risk of Mental Illness: Could becoming a father after age 40 raise the risks that your children will have a mental illness?” in Scientific American, Paul Raeburn reported on the association of paternal age with childhood schizophrenia and Autism. Using the birth of his own child as a springboard, Mr. Raeburn recounts some of the research on this topic. For example, he covers Dolores Malaspina’s epidemiological work as well as mouse-analog studies by Jay Gingrich. It’s a good introduction to the topic.

Read Mr. Raeburn’s article. Also, for additional resources, please see Leslie Feldman’s “Fathers’ Age as Contributor to Risk for Autism” from right here on EBD Blog.
by.

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Psychiatric advanced directives

Published on 29 September 2008 in Families, News and Treatment. 0 Comments Tags: , .

As some students with EBD grow older, their parents often are faced with critical decisions about ensuring that, as adults, they receive appropriate services. For individuals who may have sudden and substantial needs for psychiatric services, planning for ways to ensure that the person does get those services can be a bewildering problem. A psychiatric advanced directive may be helpful in such circumstances, and the UPenn Collaborative (a group to which I’ve referred previously on EBD Blog) has developed a guidebook and planning sheets for creating a mental health crisis plans or psychiatric advance directives.
Continue reading ‘Psychiatric advanced directives’

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Hearing on transition for youth

Published on 23 July 2008 in Families, News and Policy. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

The US Congress will hold a briefing on the transition to adulthood for youth with serious emotional illness. This is an excellent opportunity for people in the US who are concerned about children and youths with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and their families to reinforce public policies that are aimed at bringing some much-needed services to individuals with EBD who are making the transition for adolescence to adulthood.

Here’s an announcement from the Day Al-Mohamed, of the Public Interest Government Relations Office at the American Psychological Association:
Continue reading ‘Hearing on transition for youth’

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UPenn newsletter June 08

Published on 10 June 2008 in Assessment, Bi-polar, Depression, Families, News, Policy, Research, Schizophrenia, The press and Treatment. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

The University of Pennsylvania Collaborative on Community Integration has published its latest newsletter. To view this newsletter in fully formated form, click here. You can also find this issue and previous ones in the newsletter archive on the UPenn Collaborative Web site.

Continue reading ‘UPenn newsletter June 08′

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Mad Pride

Published on 11 May 2008 in Families, News and The press. 0 Comments Tags: .

In a New York Times article entitled “‘Mad Pride’ Fights a Stigma,” Gabrielle Glaser reports about efforts by individuals with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders to promote public understanding of their problems. Although I don’t usually cover adult issues on EBD Blog, I think this story merits mention.

Ms. Glaser leads with two cases:

IN the YouTube video, Liz Spikol is smiling and animated, the light glinting off her large hoop earrings. Deadpan, she holds up a diaper. It is not, she explains, a hygienic item for a giantess, but rather a prop to illustrate how much control people lose when they undergo electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, as she did 12 years ago.
Continue reading ‘Mad Pride’

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Pills for ills

Published on 11 February 2008 in News, The press and Treatment. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Although it’s not really about children and youths with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, there’s an article in the Washington (DC, US) Post that’s worth reading. In “Healing a Troubled Mind Takes More Than a Pill,” Charles Barber writes about his personal experiences and his professional observations about treating mental illness. Link to Mr. Barber’s repott.

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