DP
2013-08-14 20:47:09 UTC
***The offer still stands, if I was in charge of the FBI, there would be
no mental illness in the United States within 30 days.***
(FBI director Robert Mueller in this YouTube Video
[For what I do, I suppose I maybe in some people's "kill" list for
wanting to destroy the mental illness scam which has a large group of
people (dangerous people) who benefit greatly from it, but do remember I
offer a solution that works for those with mental illness]
__________________________________________________________________
[1] Mentally ill flood ER as states cut services -When I offer to end
mental illness?
CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - On a recent shift at a Chicago emergency
department, Dr. William Sullivan treated a newly homeless patient who
was threatening to kill himself.
"He had been homeless for about two weeks. He hadn't showered or eaten a
lot. He asked if we had a meal tray," said Sullivan, a physician at the
University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago and a past president of
the Illinois College of Emergency Physicians.
Sullivan said the man kept repeating that he wanted to kill himself. "It
seemed almost as if he was interested in being admitted."
Across the country, doctors like Sullivan are facing a spike in
psychiatric emergencies - attempted suicide, severe depression,
psychosis - as states slash mental health services and the country's
worst economic crisis since the Great Depression takes its toll.
This trend is taxing emergency rooms already overburdened by uninsured
patients who wait until ailments become acute before seeking treatment.
"These are people without a previous psychiatric history who are coming
in and telling us they've lost their jobs, they've lost sometimes their
homes, they can't provide for their families, and they are becoming
severely depressed," said Dr. Felicia Smith, director of the acute
psychiatric service at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Increased demand in mental health services
Full Article
<http://news.yahoo.com/mentally-ill-flood-er-states-cut-services-131133880.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/mentally-ill-flood-er-states-cut-services-131133880.html
__________________________________________________________________
[2] Even Today, the Stigma of Mental Illness Won't Fade -When I offer to
end mental illness?
HURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- People with a mental illness
struggle with symptoms ranging from crushing depression and crippling
anxiety to powerful delusions and hallucinations that force them to
actively sort out the real from the imagined.
And if that weren't enough, they also have to deal with the way the rest
of the world perceives their inner struggle.
Stigma associated with mental illness remains widespread in U.S.
society, despite some progress made in demystifying these medical
conditions, said Michael J. Fitzpatrick, executive director of the
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
"It's pervasive, but it's nuanced, too," Fitzpatrick said. "Most
Americans understand that mental illnesses are treatable illnesses. I
think people basically understand depression. Depression is talked about
in the media and is considered a treatable disease. But when you reach
psychosis and schizophrenia, there's still a lot of misunderstanding and
fear."
Full Article
<http://news.yahoo.com/even-today-stigma-mental-illness-wont-fade-170406384.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/even-today-stigma-mental-illness-wont-fade.html
__________________________________________________________________
[3] Brain analysis can help predict psychosis: study -When I offer to
end mental illness?
LONDON — Computer analysis of brain scans could help predict how serious
or long term a psychotic patient's illness may become and help doctors
make more accurate decisions about how best to treat them, researchers
said on Monday.
In a study in the journal Psychological Medicine, scientists from King's
College London's Institute of Psychiatry and University College London's
computer science department found that using computer algorithms to
analyze MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scans can predict a
patient's outcome.
Full Article
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45192653/ns/health-mental_health/#.Tv6qlfmO3WA>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Brain-analysis-can-help-predict-psychosis-study.html
__________________________________________________________________
[4] Drugs Used for Psychotics Go to Youths in Foster Care-When I offer
to end mental illness?
By BENEDICT CAREY
Foster children are being prescribed cocktails of powerful antipsychosis
drugs just as frequently as some of the most mentally disabled
youngsters on Medicaid, a new study suggests.
The report, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, is the first to
investigate how often youngsters in foster care are given two
antipsychotic drugs at once, the authors said. The drugs include
Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa — among other so-called major
tranquilizers — which were developed for schizophrenia but are now used
as all-purpose drugs for almost any psychiatric symptoms.
Full Article
<https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/health/research/study-finds-foster-children-often-given-antipsychosis-drugs.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Drugs-Used-for-Psychotics-Go-to-Youths-in-Foster-Care.html
__________________________________________________________________
[5] More U.S. kids in hospital for mental illness -When I offer to end
mental illness?
NEW YORK — American kids are increasingly likely to be admitted to the
hospital for mental problems, although rates of non-psychiatric
hospitalizations have remained flat, a new study shows.
From 1996 to 2007, the rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by
more than 80 percent for 5-13-year-olds and by 42 percent for older teens.
"This occurs despite numerous efforts to make outpatient services for
the more vulnerable kids more widely available," said Joseph C. Blader
of Stony Brook State University of New York, whose findings appear in
the Archives of General Psychiatry.
He said hospitalization is the last resort, because it's so disruptive
for normal life.
"It's a pretty traumatic thing for a family when your child is admitted
to a psych unit," he told Reuters Health.
Overall, short-term hospital admissions for mental illness rose from 156
to 283 per 100,000 children per year over the ten-year study period,
based on data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey.
Full Article <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44010025/ns/health-mental_health/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/More-US-kids-in-hospital-for-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[6] Head trauma may boost schizophrenia risk -When I offer to end mental
illness?
By Rachael Rettner
Head trauma may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia, a new
study says.
The results show people who have suffered from a traumatic brain injury
(TBI) are 1.6 times more likely to develop schizophrenia compared with
those who have not suffered such an injury.
The risk was particularly high in those with a family history of
schizophrenia.
Previous studies regarding TBI and schizophrenia have yielded mixed
results as to whether the conditions are linked. The new study is one of
the first to pool information from past research in a systematic way to
get an indication of the risk.
While the new findings suggest the link does exist, they don't prove
that brain injuries cause schizophrenia. And it could be that patients
were already developing the psychiatric condition when their injury
occurred, the researchers said. More work needs to be done to find
exactly what's behind this relationship, they said.
Full Article <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44202899/ns/health-mental_health/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Head-trauma-may-boost-schizophrenia-risk.html
__________________________________________________________________
[7] Brain memory region finding could help schizophrenia study-When I
offer to end mental illness?
By Rajan
Some people have a superior memory of veracity than other because of a
variation in the particular region of the brain. The study of those
regions could improve the understanding of brain disorders such as
schizophrenia, say researchers. Schizophrenia is a severe mental
disorder which affects twenty-four million people globally, shows
statistics of the World Health Organization.
Up till now comparatively little is known about causes of the disease.
For their study researchers from Cambridge University tested fifty-three
study participants. The study participants first had brain scans which
showed if they had either a clear presence or absence of PCS in the left
or right part of the brain.
Then study participants were shown the well-known word pairs such as
Laurel and Hardy, which were sometimes complete and sometimes had the
second word blanked out. The study subjects were then asked to remember
whether they had seen a completed pair, or whether they had completed
the pair in their own mind.
Full Article
<http://www.thehealthage.com/2011/10/brain-memory-region-finding-could-help-schizophrenia-study/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Brain-memory-region-finding-could-help-schizophrenia-study.html
__________________________________________________________________
[8] Bill for Mental-Health Beds Garners Bipartisan Support-When I offer
to end mental illness?
by SCOTT McCAFFREY, Staff Writer
The General Assembly session hadn’t even begun, and strange bedfellows
already are cropping up.
Example 1: The political odd couple of incoming state Senate members
Barbara Favola and Dick Black, who are teaming up on legislation to
restore funding for additional beds to serve those with mental illness
in Northern Virginia.
“These beds are critical,” said Favola, whose position on the left side
of the political spectrum is far removed from Black’s right-leaning
political philosophy.
In November, Democrat Favola was elected to represent a district
stretching from Arlington up the Potomac River through parts of Fairfax
County and into Loudoun County. Republican Black was elected to
represent swaths of Loudoun and Prince William counties. Their districts
each include portions of Loudoun, but that’s where the similarities end.
Favola was asked to patron the legislation by the region’s Community
Services Boards, and when she asked those organizations to find her
supporters in the legislature, Black’s name cropped up. Part of the
reason: Loudoun County is among jurisdictions where there are more
people who need government mental-health services than there are spaces
available, and many of those clients find themselves sent downstate,
where beds are available.
Full Article
<http://www.sungazette.net/arlington/news/bill-for-mental-health-beds-garners-bipartisan-support/article_7d1bc3a4-36d1-11e1-a678-001871e3ce6c.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Bill-for-Mental-Health-Beds-Garners-Bipartisan-Support.html
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[9] Woman killed by deputies in Rosemead had long history of mental
illness -When I offer to end mental illness?
By Brian Day, Staff Writer
ROSEMEAD - A 40-year-old Rosemead woman fatally shot by a sheriff's
deputy while allegedly attacking him with a hammer had a long history of
mental illness, officials said Thursday.
Jazmyne Ha Eng died at the scene of Tuesday's 3:40 p.m. deputy-involved
shooting at the Asian Pacific Family Center, 9353 Valley Blvd., Los
Angeles County Department of Coroner's Chief of Operations Craig Harvey
said. Sheriff's officials said she was a Rosemead resident.
Lt. Dave Dolson of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said Eng was known to
the facility staff prior to Wednesday's incident.
"She had been a patient there suffering from a few maladies relating to
mental illness," the lieutenant said. "She'd been dealing with her
mental health for many years." He declined to give more details on her
conditions.
Full Article <http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19679896>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Woman-killed-by-deputies-in-Rosemead-had-long-history-of-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[10] LA arson suspect was diagnosed with mental disorders, doctor says
-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Stan Wilson and Alan Duke, CNN
Los Angeles (CNN) -- A medical doctor in Vancouver, British Columbia,
said Thursday that California arson suspect Harry Burkhart suffered from
severe mental illness in 2010, when she examined him as part of a team
of doctors.
Dr. Blaga Stancheva, a family physician and specialist in obstetrics,
said both Burkhart and his mother, Dorothee, were her patients in
Vancouver while both were applying for refugee status in Canada.
"I was asked to diagnose and treat Harry to support a claim explaining
why he was unable to show up in a small-claims court case," Stancheva
told CNN in a phone interview. She declined to cite the case or
Burkhart's role in it.
Stancheva said she and other doctors including a psychiatrist diagnosed
Burkhart with "autism, severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder
and depression." The diagnosis was spelled out in a letter she wrote for
the small-claims court case, Stancheva said.
Stancheva, citing doctor-patient confidentiality, would not elaborate
further, nor would she identify the psychiatrist involved in the diagnosis.
Full Article
<http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/05/justice/california-arson/?hpt=us_c1>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/LA-arson-suspect-was-diagnosed-with-mental-disorders.html
__________________________________________________________________
[11] Half of Americans have mental illness in lifetime-When I offer to
end mental illness?
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Nearly half of all people in the
United States will experience a mental illness during their lifetimes,
but the stigma remains, researchers say.
However, a Web site, developed in collaboration among researchers at the
University of Virginia, Harvard University and University of Washington,
allows visitors to examine and gain insight into their associations
about mental health topics that may exist outside their conscious
awareness or conscious control.
Visitors at the Web site Project Implicit Mental Health can discover
their automatic associations relating to anxiety, depression, alcohol,
eating disorders and persons with mental illness, using tasks such as
the Implicit Association Test.
Full Article
<http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/12/18/Half-of-Americans-have-mental-illness-in-lifetime/UPI-86341324248960/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Half-of-Americans-have-mental-illness-in-lifetime.html
__________________________________________________________________
[12] State agrees to spend $5.6M a year help mentally ill inmates-When I
offer to end mental illness?
By Matt Murphy/State House News Service
A settlement between the state and the Disability Law Center that has
resolved a federal lawsuit is expected to cost the Department of
Correction $5.6 million a year to improve its treatment of prisoners
with severe mental illness and at a higher risk of suicide.
The lawsuit brought by the Disability Law Center against the Department
of Correction in March 2007 alleged cruel and unusual punishment against
inmates with mental illness stemming from the practice of placing
problem prisoners in isolation units.
Filed just after Gov. Deval Patrick came into office and naming many
Romney-era prison officials, the lawsuit contended that the conditions
imposed by segregated confinement in Bay State prisons “exceed the limit
of human endurance” for prisoners with severe mental illness.
Segregation, used as a punishment for prisoners who have violated prison
rules, can in some cases include isolation and sensory deprivation,
forcing prisoners to spend up to 23 hours a day in solid, concrete cells
with only a narrow slot in the door through which meals are delivered,
according to court documents.
Suicides in Massachusetts’ medium and maximum security prisons have been
a persistent problem, with the suicide rate in Department of Correction
facilities more than double the national average between 2007 and early
2011, according to department documents.
Full Article
<http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1481469235/State-agrees-to-spend-5-6M-a-year-help-mentally-ill-inmates>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/State-agrees-to-spend-help-mentally-ill-inmates.html
__________________________________________________________________
[13] Deep Brain Stimulation for Mental Illness -When I offer to end
mental illness?
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) may be useful for treating mentally ill
patients who haven't responded to other therapies. DBS utilizes a
pacemaker-type device that delivers small, steady electrical charges to
brain circuits that control mood. Before treatment, surgeons implanted
battery-powered electrodes in brains of patients. Researchers, reporting
in Archives of General Psychiatry, found that after 24 weeks of
treatment with DBS, 41 percent of patients had a positive response, and
18 percent were in remission. After two years of treatment, 92 percent
had a positive response, and 58 percent were in remission. The study
included 10 patients with major depressive disorder and seven with
bipolar II disorder. DBS is already used for movement disorders like
Parkinson's disease and dystonia.
Full Article
<http://calorielab.com/labnotes/20120102/deep-brain-stimulation-mental-illness-treatment-dbs/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Deep-Brain-Stimulation-for-Mental-Illness.html
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[14] How century-old brains in jars could help researchers treat mental
illness-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Claire Bates
A museum housing 19th century brains may seem like a strange place to
find a breakthrough, but one scientist says they could provide the key
to new treatments for mental illness.
Dr George Sandusky, from Indiana University, has developed a technique
to extract usable DNA from the collection of preserved brains despite
their extreme age.
Dr George Sandusky with brain samples on display at the Indiana Medical
History Museum. He has developed a technique that could help find
'markers' to diagnose mental disorders in the future
Dr George Sandusky with brain samples on display at the Indiana Medical
History Museum. He has developed a technique that could help find
'markers' to diagnose mental disorders in the future
The brains came from patients who suffered from mental disorders who
died at Central State Hospital - an asylum established in the mid-1800s.
Full Article
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2084637/Century-old-brains-jars-help-researchers-treat-mental-illness.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/How-century-old-brains-in-jars-could-help-researchers-treat-mental-illness.html
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[15] Virginia is doing too little to address mental illness among
prisoners-When I offer to end mental illness?
Mental illness among the incarcerated has not received the attention due
such a grave social problem. Mental illness is two to four times higher
among prisoners than it is in the general population. Solitary
confinement exacerbates the problem, as noted in The Post’s article:
Many experts argue it leads to higher suicide rates, increased
depression, decreased brain function and hallucination.
In a study of more than 20,000 adults entering five local jails,
researchers documented serious mental illness in 16.9 percent of those
studied (14.5 percent of the men and 31 percent of the women). These
rates are three to six times those found in the general population.
Full Article
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/virginia-is-doing-too-little-to-address-mental-illness-among-prisoners/2012/01/09/gIQAzc9mrP_story.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/virginia-is-doing-too-little-to-address-mental-illness-among-prisoners.html
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[16] Chicago, Big Ten universities commit to veterans’ mental
health-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Marshall Cohen
Medical schools at five Chicago universities and almost all Big Ten
institutions committed Wednesday to establish a "new generation" of
health care for veterans as part of an initiative spearheaded by first
lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.
Local medical schools participating in the Joining Forces initiative
include Midwestern University, Loyola University Chicago, Rush
University, The Chicago Medical School and the University of Chicago,
according to a White House news release issued Wednesday.
Additionally, medical schools at the University of Iowa, University of
Illinois, University of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania State University, Ohio
State University, University of Nebraska, University of Minnesota,
University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Indiana University
all committed to the program.
The medical school at Southern Illinois University in Springfield will
also participate.
Full Article
<http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/city/chicago-big-ten-universities-commit-to-veterans-mental-health-1.2684877#.Tw674mHLdAc>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/chicago-big-ten-universities-commit-to-veterans-mental-health.html
__________________________________________________________________
[17] State convicts arrive in L.A. County with costly mental
illnesses-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times
As California begins shifting supervision of thousands of newly released
state prisoners to local probation agencies, ex-convicts are arriving
with incomplete medical records and more serious mental illnesses than
anticipated. And mental health officials are scrambling to provide
appropriate — and often costly — treatment.
"At the start, every day ... there was a crisis," said Dr. Marvin
Southard, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental
Health. "There was somebody we didn't know what to do with."
In some cases, he said, released inmates have had to be immediately
transferred to hospitals or residential centers for psychiatric care.
A new state law designed to reduce prison crowding and cut costs
requires that certain nonviolent convicts serve their time in county
lockups rather than state prisons. It also makes counties — rather than
the state parole agency — responsible for supervising such inmates after
their release.
Full Article
<http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-prisoners-mentalhealth-20120109,0,4970554.story>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/la-me-prisoners-mentalhealth.html
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[18] America’s “Mental Health Gulag”-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Matthew T. Mangino
They say justice is blind. It must be to ignore the plight of the
mentally ill in America’s prisons.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s recent two-part series on serious
mental illness highlights the shortcoming inherent in a failed system.
Wisconsin is far from the only state to push the mentally ill off on the
criminal justice system.
An internal review of conditions inside a North Carolina prison,
recently obtained by the Associated Press, found that inmates held in
solitary confinement were often locked in cells for extended periods
without being let out for meals, recreation time or even showers.
This past February, a North Carolina inmate being secured in solitary
confinement had a doctor’s order requiring one hour of exercise per day
in the prison’s day room. A review of prison records found that the
inmate had not left his cell for 78 days consecutive days.
This is not an isolated case.
According to research published in the Harvard University Civil
Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, the mentally ill typically account
for as much as one-half of the population in solitary confinement. In
Wisconsin, a 2010 audit of three state prisons reported that “between 55
percent and 76 percent of inmates in segregation [solitary confinement]
are mentally ill,” according to a report published in The Crime Report.
Full Article
<http://www.thecrimereport.org/archive/2012-01-americas-mental-health-gulag>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/americas-mental-health-gulag.html
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[19] An elusive childhood disorder: Linking strep to mental illness-When
I offer to end mental illness?
DAVE NORDSTRAND
The most painful of journeys, that of a parent struggling to guide a
seriously ill child back to health, began suddenly when William Van Nes,
11, came down with a seemingly innocent cold.
"Runny nose, sore throat, light fever," said William's mother,
Jacqueline Van Nes.
Nothing apparently unusual, said Van Nes, who, with her husband,
Dominic, lives in the Salinas area.
"William was always in good health," Van Nes said. "He never had any
medical issues."
Yet, within two or three weeks after his cold — that was in January 2011
and William was 10 — he began displaying strange behaviors, behaviors
that suggested sudden-onset mental illness brought on by a medical
condition called "PANDAS."
PANDAS stands for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder
associated with streptococcus.
It is thought to be caused by antibodies that go into action in the face
of an infection, most often strep. Such antibodies normally battle the
invaders.
Full Article
<http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20120111/LIFESTYLE/201110303/An-elusive-childhood-disorder-Linking-strep-mental-illness>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/la-he-ocd-strep.html
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[20] A silent epidemic of mental illness-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Ron Thornburg Standard-Examiner
One year ago, our nation was shocked when a mentally ill young man
opened fire as Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was meeting with her constituents
outside a grocery store in Tucson.
Six people were killed and Rep. Giffords was shot in the head.
The 23-year-old shooter has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is
being forcibly medicated in prison in an effort to make him mentally
ready for trial.
Just days ago, residents of Northern Utah awoke to news of another
tragedy. While attempting to serve a search warrant in Ogden, six
policemen were shot, one fatally.
The father of the 37-year-old man arrested in connection with this
carnage said his son may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
What has been called a "silent epidemic" of mental illness is sweeping
the country as the United States struggles to pull itself out of the
Great Recession of 2008. Sadly, Northern Utah is not immune from this
epidemic.
Of course, only a small percentage of the mentally ill ever become
violent. But the effects of untreated mental illnesses are devastating
to individuals and their families just the same. Students are unable to
learn and become frustrated and disruptive. Couples are torn apart and
may resort to violence. Individuals are no longer able to hold down a job.
So as the Family Counseling Service prepares to celebrate its 46th year
of service to Northern Utah, let me share with you some of my thoughts
on the mental health of our community.
Full Article
<http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/01/17/silent-epidemic-mental-illness>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/silent-epidemic-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[21] State’s new mental-health funding policy angers Franklin
County-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Alan Johnson
Ohio counties will have to work together to get $10.6 million for local
mental-health services this year.
Ohio Mental Health Director Tracy J. Plouck’s collaboration strategy,
which will kick in on July 1, is praised by many smaller and midsize
counties, but it is panned by David A. Royer, head of the Alcohol, Drug
and Mental Health Board of Franklin County.
“What concerns me about the new method is it still ignores the
inequities of the old method,” Royer said.
He was considerably more blunt in a recent letter to the editor in The
Dispatch. He called state policy “flawed,” “offensive” and “inexcusable”
because it downplays “disparities and inequities for minorities and
mental-health care.”
“The proposed policy is not innovative; it is highly regressive toward
people with mental illness in our largest cities,” Royer wrote.
He is upset because Franklin County, which is Ohio’s second-largest
county and home to the state’s largest city, might get nothing from the
$59 million total earmarked for non-Medicaid funding for community
mental-health services. Of that, $10.6 million is from Plouck’s new
funding method, and $48.5 million is from the older county-by-county
funding system.
Full Article
<http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/01/16/states-new-mental-health-funding-policy-angers-county.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/states-new-mental-health-funding-policy-angers.html
__________________________________________________________________
[22] Mentally ill suffer effects of government cutbacks-When I offer to
end mental illness?
By CATHY RICHARDS
Because confusion has arisen lately regarding federal and state budget
cuts and their effect on our ability to adequately care for the mentally
ill, I thought I should clarify a few important issues. Many changes
have been made during the past three years, and Missouri’s 2012 mental
health budget calls for another funding cut of $21.2 million in services.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, has been specific in
outlining how budget cuts in every state have affected the mentally ill
during the past few years and how budget cuts will continue to affect
the mentally ill in the future. Without rehashing the numerical data and
the dire prophesies about what might occur in Missouri if these trends
continue, I’ll point out a few of the most disturbing trends in Boone
County during my first term.
The University of Missouri took over what used to be the Mid-Missouri
Mental Health Center. It is now called the Missouri Psychiatric Center,
or MUPC, and focuses primarily on stabilization and short-term care.
Because many of the mentally ill wards my office serves suffer severe
ongoing problems, when emergencies arise, acute care is rarely an
acceptable or viable option.
Full Article
<http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/jan/08/budgetary-disorder/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Mentally-ill-suffer-effects-of-government-cutbacks.html
__________________________________________________________________
[23] Judge commits teen in Waukesha County ax killing-When I offer to
end mental illness?
Waukesha - A Fox Point teen who killed his grandfather with an ax in May
pleaded guilty Thursday but was found not mentally responsible for the
crime and committed to state treatment for life.
Richard B. Wilson, 17, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia last year,
but he didn't always take his medications. Two psychiatrists who
examined him recently concluded that at the time of the killing, Wilson
was suffering a mental condition that prevented him from appreciating
the wrongfulness of his conduct, or conforming his actions to the law.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge William Domina relied on and adopted the
reports and the agreement of both the prosecutor and Wilson's attorney,
in finding Wilson not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
Thursday's disposition of the case came as a bit of a surprise; the
hearing had been scheduled only for a return of the doctors' reports.
But attorney Michael Steinle said he and District Attorney Brad Schimel
had been discussing the possible outcome for weeks and were prepared to
go forward, and Domina said he believed it might help the family to get
the matter settled before the holidays.
Wilson appeared handcuffed and shackled in orange jail clothing, and
looked out at his family gathered in the courtroom but did not seem to
communicate. He did not look back at family members during or after the
hearing.
Full Article
<http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/teen-accused-in-ax-murder-changes-plea-to-guilty-7q3f3ft-135669038.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/teen-accused-in-ax-murder-changes-plea-to-guilty.html
__________________________________________________________________
[24] ECT and psychosurgery reflect ignorance in psychiatry today-When I
offer to end mental illness?
Harold Mandel
The use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) therapy for mental illness is
very controversial because of consideraitons of its effectiveness vs.
the side effects. There are concerns about permanent memory loss and
confusion related to ECT treatment. Mental Health America reports that
ECT is nevertheless administered to an estimated 100,000 people a year,
primarily in general hospital psychiatric units and in psychiatric
hospitals.
And a majority of people think psychosurgery, or lobotomy, is not done
anymore. Unfortunately, this is not at all true. In fact as pointed out
by Lawrence Stevens, JD in a commentary, "The Brain-Butchery Called,
Psychosurgery", New York University School of Medicine psychiatry
professors Harold I. Kaplan and Benjamin J. Sadock say in their textbook
Clinical Psychiatry, published in 1988, "interest in psychosurgical
approaches to psychiatric disorders has only recently been rekindled."
It is Stevens assessment that "just as bloodletting said something about
incorrect theory and the state of ignorance in health care in the past,
brain damaging "therapies" such as "psychosurgery", electroshock, and
psychiatric drugs reveal much about incorrect theory and ignorance in
psychiatry today."
Full Article
<https://www.examiner.com/health-in-national/ect-and-psychosurgery-reflect-ignorance-psychiatry-today>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/ect-and-psychosurgery-reflect-ignorance-psychiatry.html
________________________________________________________________
[25] 1 in 5 Americans mentally ill in past year, study finds-When I
offer to end mental illness?
One in five adults in the United States, or nearly 50 million people,
suffered mental illnesses in the past year with women and young adults
suffering disproportionately, a government report released on Thursday
found.
The survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration found women were more likely than men (23 percent to 16.8
percent) to have experienced a mental illness, while the rate of mental
illness among people aged 18 to 25 was twice that of those aged 50 and
older.
The administration defined mental illness among adults as diagnosable
mental, behavioral or emotional disorders, excluding developmental
disorders and substance use.
The survey found that 5 percent of American adults, or 11.4 million
people, had suffered a serious mental illness in the past year that
substantially interfered with their lives.
The report found that about 8.7 million American adults had serious
thoughts of suicide in the past year, with 2.5 million making suicide
plans and 1.1 million attempting to take their own lives.
Full Article
<http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/19/1-in-5-americans-mentally-ill-in-past-year-study-finds/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/1-in-5-americans-mentally-ill-in-past-year-study.html
__________________________________________________________________
[26] Kadner: No state plan to treat mentally ill -When I offer to end
mental illness?
Phil Kadner
Illinois is once again planning to close the Tinley Park Mental Health
Center.
This is the hospital that treats severely mentally ill people who don’t
have health insurance or Medicaid. We’re talking about people who are
potentially dangerous to themselves and others.
And the state doesn’t have a plan in place to treat those people once
Tinley Park is closed.
Mental health officials for Illinois say a plan will be in place by the
time Tinley Park closes in early July.
During a telephone conference call with the SouthtownStar editorial
board last week, state officials basically said, “Trust us.”
Actually, they said the mentally ill will be better served than ever
because the state is going to invest in community treatment programs,
which are now “the thing” when it comes to treating the mentally ill.
Many experts believe they are far more effective than institutional
settings.
But Illinois really isn’t going to be investing a lot of money in
community treatment programs.
The state spends about $20 million a year to keep the Tinley Park Mental
Health Center running. It plans on spending $9.8 million of that money
to shift the responsibility to community-based programs.
Full Article
<http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/news/10186547-418/kadner-no-state-plan-to-treat-mentally-ill.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/kadner-no-state-plan-to-treat-mentally-ill.html
__________________________________________________________________
[27] MY TAKE — Meeting the challenge of mental illness -When I offer to
end mental illness?
By Robin and Nathan Klay
Mental illness is responsible for more suffering than any other health
problem in America. It accounts for about one-third of all disability.
Over their lifetimes, one in four Americans can expect to experience a
severe mental illness.
For Ottawa County, these statistics suggest that 44,000 people will
experience major depressive disorder; 74,000 an anxiety disorder; and
31,000 PTSD, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. The last figure is
approximately equal to the entire population of the city of Holland,
while the others are multiples thereof.
At the same time, mental illness is the most invisible of all illnesses.
When was the last time your church organized meals for a family whose
parent or child was hospitalized for mental illness? When, for that
matter, did you ever hear a pastoral word or public prayers offered for
members of the congregation and their families dealing with mental illness?
Full Article
<http://www.hollandsentinel.com/opinions/x924343347/MY-TAKE-Meeting-the-challenge-of-mental-illness>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/MY-TAKE-Meeting-the-challenge-of-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[28] SAMHSA Statistics Ignore 500,000 Mentally Ill -When I offer to end
mental illness?
DJ Jaffe
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Agency's most recent and
widely-quoted report on the prevalence of 'any' mental illness and
'serious' mental illness in America failed to count the 300,000
individuals with serious mental illness in jails and prisons, the 200,00
who are homeless and the 51,000 mentally ill who are in hospitals.
Excluding these individuals led SAMHSA to understate the incidence of
serious mental illness and overstate the percentage who receive treatment.
The new report acknowledges in the introduction and methodology sections
that they ignored the incarcerated, institutionalized and homeless, but
did not do so in their press release which is what most media apparently
worked off of. Excluding these populations led to understating the
number with serious mental illness, and since the chances of homeless or
incarcerated receiving good treatment is next to nil, also understating
the percentage who receive treatment.
Full Article
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dj-jaffe/samhsa-statistics-ignore-_b_1222144.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/samhsa-statistics-ignore.html
__________________________________________________________________
[29] State pays high price for incarcerating mentally ill -When I offer
to end mental illness?
By Keith M. Phaneuf
Spurred by a new study showing the high costs of treating the mentally
ill in prison, the Malloy administration is searching for ways to treat
nonviolent offenders outside the prison system.
It costs Connecticut nearly double to both incarcerate and treat an
offender with serious mental illnesses, compared with the price of
treatment alone, according to a new academic study that analyzed social
service and correction trends in 2006 and 2007.
The report, prepared by four academic institutions and the state
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, also found that
nearly half of those with mental illnesses who were incarcerated or
otherwise involved with the criminal justice system were arrested for
minor, nonviolent offenses.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's criminal justice policy adviser said that by
continuing to search for ways to treat nonviolent offenders with serious
mental illnesses outside of the prison system, Connecticut can continue
to reduce its correction budget.
"Many times these people will enter the system because we really don't
have any other option," Michael P. Lawlor said, noting that the homeless
and others struggling with poverty and mental illness don't receive any
treatment until after they are convicted of a crime. "By default, the
prison system becomes a new version of the state mental health hospitals."
Full Article
<http://www.ctmirror.org/story/15199/state-pays-high-price-incarcerating-large-numbers-mentally-ill>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/state-pays-high-price-incarcerating-large-numbers-mentally-ill.html
__________________________________________________________________
[30] L. A. County jailers more likely to use force on mentally ill
inmates-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Jack Leonard and Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles County jailers are more likely to use force against mentally
ill inmates than other prisoners, according to a new Sheriff's
Department report that acknowledges the lockups need specially trained
staff to reduce the violence.
Roughly a third of the 582 deputy use-of-force cases in the jail system
last year involved inmates with mental health histories, according to an
analysis released Tuesday. About 15% of the jail's 15,000 inmates are
classified as mentally ill.
The numbers provide a more detailed picture of the confrontations
between deputies and inmates, an issue that has sparked intense scrutiny
over the last few months and prompted a heated debate Tuesday between
Sheriff Lee Baca and some L.A. County supervisors.
Full Article
<http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sheriff-jails-20120111,0,2284536.story>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/la-me-sheriff-jails.html
__________________________________________________________________
[31] Genes May Be Missing Link Between Creativity, Mental Illness-When I
offer to end mental illness?
Joan Arehart-Treichel
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have been linked with creativity. The
relationship may occur because some of the genes that contribute to
schizophrenia and bipolar disorder also contribute to creativity.
Since creative individuals and mentally ill individuals often view the
world in unusual ways, it would probably not be surprising if the former
and latter were often the same people.
Indeed, structured diagnostic interviews with eminent creative people,
retrospective analyses of famous creative people from the past,
anecdotal evidence, and some smaller studies have suggested that this
might be the case (Psychiatric News, July 1, 2011).
Now a large Swedish population study strengthens the hypothesis as well.
It found an increased likelihood for individuals with schizophrenia or
bipolar disorder to work in a creative occupation compared with
individuals who do not have these illnesses.
The lead investigator was Simon Kyaga, M.D., of the Department for
Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Karolinska Institute in
Stockholm. The results were published in the November 2011 British
Journal of Psychiatry.
Full Article
<http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsArticle.aspx?articleid=334891>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Genes-Link-Creativity-Mental-Illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[32] Mental health proves growing concern for college students-When I
offer to end mental illness?
By RACHEL PERKINS
Recent studies from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention show
suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, putting
suicide rates at an all time high. One million people attempt suicide
annually and every 14.2 minutes, someone in the United States dies by
suicide.
In Mississippi, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young
people between the ages of 10 and 24. The vast majority of people who
take their own lives have a diagnosable and treatable mental illness.
With the rate of suicide among college students rising each year,
studies are now showing an increase in the numbers of diagnosed mental
illnesses among young people in college.
According to the American Psychological Association, more young people
are arriving on campuses with pre-existing conditions than they were 10
years ago, and 1-in-4 college students is on psychiatric medication.
According to Camilla Williams, staff psychologist at Mississippi State
University's Student Counseling Services, college is an especially
vulnerable time for a young person's mental health.
"Students are facing everything from problems they've never faced
before, and they're on their own for the first time. People
underestimate the pressure on college students," Williams said. "Any
time you have change, you're more susceptible to mental illness."
Full Article
<http://www.reflector-online.com/life/mental-health-proves-growing-concern-for-college-students-1.2692607>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/mental-health-proves-growing-concern-for-college-students.html
__________________________________________________________________
[33] Virus Ruled Out as Cause of Mental Illness-When I offer to end
mental illness?
By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Virus Ruled Out as Cause of Mental IllnessA viral disease long suspected
of possibly causing mental illness has apparently been acquitted, as a
blinded case-control study found no association between the Borna
disease virus (BDV) and mental health disorders.
Prior studies have linked the virus to mental illnesses such as bipolar
disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and dementia. Investigators
were open-minded to the possibility as genetic fragments and antibodies
to this RNA virus causes behavior disorders in a range of mammals and birds.
Moreover, although the results have been inconclusive, traces of the
virus have been found to be prevalent in psychiatric patients.
Full Article
<http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/02/01/virus-ruled-out-as-cause-of-mental-illness/34338.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/virus-ruled-out-as-cause-of-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[34] Does Borna disease virus cause mental illness?-When I offer to end
mental illness?
Over the past 30 years, numerous studies have linked Borna disease virus
(BDV) with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia,
anxiety disorder, and dementia. Genetic fragments and antibodies to this
RNA virus, which causes behavior disorders in a range of mammals and
birds, have been found to be prevalent in psychiatric patients, but
study results have been inconsistent. Now, the first blinded,
case-control study to examine this issue finds no association between
the virus and psychiatric illness. The study, conducted by researchers
at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's
Mailman School of Public Health and collaborators at seven other
institutions in the U.S., Germany and Australia, can be found online at
Molecular Psychiatry.
The scientists evaluated 198 patients in California with schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder, carefully matched each
one of them with a healthy control of the same sex, age, region, and
socio-economic status, and tested blood of patients and controls for the
presence of BDV genetic material and antibodies to BDV.
Full Article
<http://esciencenews.com/articles/2012/02/02/does.borna.disease.virus.cause.mental.illness>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/does-borna-disease-virus-cause-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[35] Mentally ill need treatment, not jail-When I offer to end mental
illness?
Christine Lee, 22News State House Correspondent
BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Law enforcement officers say they’re trained to
arrest, not handle people with mental illness. They’re joining mental
health advocates to say that needs to change, in lieu of the staggering
number of people in jail suffering from mental illness.
“The incidence of people who are incarcerated who have mental illness is
high enough that we know that there’s a significant problem,” said the
Association for Behavioral Healthcare President Vicker DiGravio III.
According to the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association, 42 percent of
inmates in the county jail system have a form of mental illness and 26
percent have major mental illness.
“It’s really not the appropriate response for these folks,” said
Framingham Deputy Police Chief Craig Davis. “They don’t belong in a
jail cell. It’s just a waste of resources, there’s nothing that ever
comes as a result of it. The person isn’t offered any treatment.”
Full Article
<http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/politics/state_politics/Mentally-ill-need-treatment-not-jail>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Mentally-ill-need-treatment-not-jail.html
__________________________________________________________________
[36] How PTSD took over America-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Alice Karekezi
In the past 30 years, post-traumatic stress disorder has gone from
exotic rarity to omnipresent. Once chiefly applied to wartime veterans
returning from combat, it is now a much more common diagnosis, still
linked to traumatic events but now including those occurring outside the
battle zone: the death of a loved one on a hospital bed, a car crash on
the highway, an assault in the neighborhood park. Many would argue that
this is a good thing: greater recognition of psychologically distressing
events will lead to more people seeking treatment and a decrease in the
preponderance of PTSD – a win-win.
Stephen Joseph disagrees. In his new book, “What Doesn’t Kill Us,” the
professor of psychology, health and social care at the University of
Nottingham (in the U.K.) warns that our culture’s acceptance of PTSD has
become excessive and has led to an over-medicalization of experiences
that should be considered part of ordinary, normal, human experience.
This has kept us from proactively working through our grief and anxiety:
We’ve become too quick to go to the shrink expecting him to fix us,
rather than allowing ourselves the opportunity to grow and find new
meaning in our lives as a result of painful, but common, events. Joseph
advocates for a push toward post-traumatic growth as therapy to treat
the stress of trauma, which he distinguishes as being different from the
hokey, blue skies and rainbows, pop psychology that he claims has
exploded in our culture in the past decade.
Joseph spoke to Salon over the phone to discuss our misunderstanding of
the disorders, the meaning and usefulness of suffering, and if some
cultures are more prone to PTSD than others.
Full Article
<http://www.salon.com/2011/11/15/how_ptsd_took_over_america/singleton/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/how_ptsd_took_over_america.html
__________________________________________________________________
[37] Environment affects mental illness genes-When I offer to end mental
illness?
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Genes linked to schizophrenia and autism are
members of a select club of genes regulated during environmentally
sensitive times, U.S. researchers said.
Researchers at the National Institute of Health said a regulatory
mechanism that turns genes on and off in the brain's executive hub are
among the most environmentally responsive.
The mechanism, called DNA methylation -- a biochemical process that is
important for normal development in higher organisms -- abruptly
switches from off to on within the human brain's prefrontal cortex
during this pivotal transition from fetal to post-natal life. As
methylation increases, gene expression slows down after birth.
This mechanism leaves chemical instructions that tell genes what
proteins to make -- what kind of tissue to produce or what functions to
activate.
Full Article
<http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2012/02/03/Environment-affects-mental-illness-genes/UPI-12061328329125/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Environment-affects-mental-illness-genes.html
__________________________________________________________________
[38] S.A. volunteers help study treatment for Hispanics with bipolar
disorder-When I offer to end mental illness?
by Wendy Rigby / KENS 5
SAN ANTONIO -- Bipolar disorder is a highly disruptive mental illness
that if left untreated often leads to suicide. Now, local patients are
volunteering for a study to improve outcomes, particularly for Hispanics.
Teresea Wagner, 64, of San Antonio is doing well these days after she
was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder six years ago and treated.
But before that?
“I was more on the manic side than the depressive side,” she noted.
“Though when I was depressed, I was locked in a closet rocking on my knees.”
Wagner is not alone. Several million Americans suffer from bipolar
disorder. Hispanics in particular often don’t seek treatment because of
cultural stigma.
Full Article
<http://www.kens5.com/news/San-Antonio-volunteers-help-study-new-ways-to-treat-Hispanics-with-bipolar-disorder-138874849.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/San-Antonio-volunteers-help-study-new-ways-to-treat-Hispanics-with-bipolar-disorder.html
__________________________________________________________________
[39] Wash. Lawmaker Pushes 'Evidence-Based' Treatments For Mentally Ill
Youth-When I offer to end mental illness?
Austin Jenkins
OLYMPIA, Wash. – "Talk therapy" may work in some cases. But a Washington
state lawmaker says it's time to invest in evidence-based programs to
treat mentally ill youth. This past fall we brought you a series of
stories on failures in how the Northwest treats young people with
serious mental health issues.
State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson is blunt when it comes to how
Washington treats kids with mental illness. "We are wasting a lot of
money right now on ineffective programs," she says.
Dickerson specifically points to one-on-one counseling sessions known as
"talk therapy." She says, instead, the state should spend its money on
mental health programs that are proven to work. The term is
"evidence-based." And make these programs available to kids before they
end up in the juvenile justice system.
Full Article <http://kuow.org/northwestnews.php?storyID=146377693>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Evidence-Based-Treatments-For-Mentally-Ill-Youth.html
__________________________________________________________________
[40] Mother Blames Cops For Son's Death; Police Say Victim Had 'Mental
Illness' -When I offer to end mental illness?
By Sandy McGee
The mother of a 25-year-old Tiverton man, who died after an apparent
struggle with Portsmouth police officers Friday, is now blaming police
for her son's death.
Brenda Raposa of Portsmouth says authorities are at fault in the death
of her son, Craig Raposa, reports The Newport Daily News.
She also told The Newport Daily News that her son was bipolar. A phone
message left for Brenda Raposa was not returned Tuesday.
State Police are now investigating the incident and what led to Craig
Raposa's death Friday. The Office of the State Medical Examiner is
conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Full Article
<http://portsmouth.patch.com/articles/mother-blames-cops-for-son-s-death-police-say-victim-had-mental-illness>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/mother-blames-cops-for-son-s-death-police-say-victim-had-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[41] Does Abortion in First Trimester Raise Risk of Mental Ills'
Return?-When I offer to end mental illness?
MONDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Women with a history of mental
illness do not seem to be at increased risk of readmission to a
psychiatric hospital after having an abortion in their first trimester,
a new study suggests.
The findings, which appear in the February issue of the Archives of
General Psychiatry, support several previous studies showing that women
who undergo abortion do not face a higher risk of mental health problems
afterwards.
But anti-abortion advocates say the psychological risks of abortion are
still not fully understood.
"The take-home message from our study is that having a first-time,
first-trimester induced abortion does not influence readmission risk,
since risk of readmission is similar before and after the abortion
procedure," said study author Dr. Trine Munk-Olsen, an epidemiologist at
Aarhus University in Denmark.
Full Article
<http://www.ivillage.com/does-abortion-first-trimester-raise-risk-mental-ills-return/4-a-425612>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/does-abortion-first-trimester-raise-risk-mental-ills-return.html
__________________________________________________________________
[42] City leaders worried that mental health services may run out of
cash-When I offer to end mental illness?
Meg Farris / Eyewitness News
NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans city leaders are concerned about what will
happen with public safety if mental health and drug detoxification beds
run out of funding.
So they've called an emergency meeting to figure out what to do.
The city is wasting no time to talk about how serious it will be if
treatment of mental illness, including drug addiction, runs out of money.
"The mayor has sent a very strong letter to the state, to the governor,
to LSU President Lombardi, indicating his extreme concern about how
these cuts to mental health and substance abuse will impact public
safety as well as people's lives," said New Orleans Health Commissioner
Dr. Karen DeSalvo.
"I'm telling them we're having to do less with less. Crime is our number
one priority. And I know a lot of people want to call in the National
Guard, but it would be a lot better to fight crime to have more
probation and parole officers, or fund the DA's office, or fund indigent
defenders, which are all state responsibilities, and to make sure that
we fund mental health," said Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Full Article
<http://www.wwltv.com/news/health/City-leaders-worried-if-mental-health-services-run-out-of-cash-138898874.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/City-leaders-worried-if-mental-health-services-run-out-of-cash.html
__________________________________________________________________
[43] Mental illness: the trillion-dollar elephant in the workplace-When
I offer to end mental illness?
By Kim Covert, Postmedia News
In a knowledge-based economy, brains matter and not taking care of our
mental health has a negative impact on the bottom line, according to a
recent report from the Global and Business Economic Roundtable on
Addiction and Mental Health, a group of scientists, medical and business
professionals established to raise awareness of the economic impact of
mental illness.
Depression has a fairly high profile these days — you can see TV ads
for pills to treat it; Olympic speed skater Clara Hughes has gone public
about her experience with it. A viral video campaign, begun in response
to the suicide of a depressed gay teenager, features celebrities
reassuring depressed teens that things will get better. Recent reports
from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and
Toronto's Center for Addiction and Mental Health, among others, have
drawn attention to the need to deal with it.
Full Article
<http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Mental+illness+trillion+dollar+elephant+workplace/6132917/story.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Mental-illness-trillion-dollar-elephant-workplace.html
__________________________________________________________________
[44] New mental disorders guide stirs debate-When I offer to end mental
illness?
By Thane Burnett ,QMI Agency
You'll stand around the bar on Valentines Day, nursing a drink and
speaking to no one but the waitress refilling your warm glass.
As if you don't already have enough on your mind, your painfully awkward
shyness -- despite reports -- may not soon be labelled a mental disorder.
Experts are now in trial testing of the next version of the Manual of
Mental Disorders, a new reference book shortened to DSM5.
And there are worries common quirks like shyness or children being
stubborn with parents may suddenly come with a mental health warning.
As well, reportedly, newer habits, including Internet addiction, could
find themselves among the treatable mental disorders listed in DSM5 when
it's released next year.
Full Article
<http://www.torontosun.com/2012/02/10/new--mental-disorders-guide-stirs-debate>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/new--mental-disorders-guide-stirs-debate.html
__________________________________________________________________
[45] Ex-marine took his life in mental illness battle-When I offer to
end mental illness?
A FORMER Royal Marine who served in the Falklands and Northern Ireland
took his own life after a prolonged battle with mental illness, an
inquest heard.
Timothy Mark Waspe, of Coachmans Cottage, Thwaites, was found hanged in
his workshop by his wife Macrina Waspe, on October 18.
His watch and glasses were found placed on a work bench before he took
his own life.
His wife had arranged to do some cleaning for a friend and left Mr Waspe
at home just after 11am.
When she later returned home she found him hanged at around 2pm.
Mrs Waspe said her husband had seemed particularly low that morning but
had no reason to suspect he would take his own life.
Full Article
<http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/ex-marine-took-his-life-in-mental-illness-battle-1.925071>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/ex-marine-took-his-life-in-mental-illness-battle.html
__________________________________________________________________
[46] Mentally ill residents sue state over lack of care-When I offer to
end mental illness?
By GARRY RAYNO
CONCORD —Six individuals with serious mental illness believe they are
needlessly being forced into New Hampshire Hospital and the Glencliff
Home, when they should be receiving services in their communities.
The individuals, through the Disabilities Rights Center and other
advocacy organizations, filed a class- action lawsuit Thursday in U.S.
District Court in Concord Thursday claiming the state is violating the
federal American with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the
Nursing Home Reform Act by failing to provide community-based care.
The suit seeks to force the state to expand community-based services
plaintiffs need to avoid future institutionalization.
Amy Messer, legal director for the Disabilities Rights Center said the
individuals' lives have been interrupted, disrupted and even destroyed
by their prolonged and needless stays at state institutions. “They share
a common goal to be integrated into community life and not segregated
from their peers,” she said at a press conference Thursday announcing
the suit.
Full Article <http://www.unionleader.com/article/20120209/NEWS12/702109985>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Mentally-ill-residents-sue-state-over-lack-of-care.html
__________________________________________________________________
[47] Eden Prairie dad who killed son says he's no danger-When I offer to
end mental illness?
ABBY SIMONS , Star Tribune
Less than a year after he was deemed mentally ill when he drowned his
infant son in a laundry tub, an Eden Prairie man testified Monday that
he's not the same man who, in a fog of delusion, believed that he had no
other option because he couldn't support the baby.
At a trial to determine whether he should be indefinitely committed as
mentally ill and dangerous, Randel Richardson, 38, testified that
intense therapy and medication have vastly improved his condition. "I
feel good. I've been symptom-free for 18 months," said Richardson, whose
wife testified that she supports him.
When his attorney, Chris Petros, asked what would happen if he didn't
take his medication, Richardson was straightforward.
"I don't want to find out."
After a trial that will include medical records, testimony from
Richardson, his wife, Karen, and psychiatrists, Judge Jay Quam will
determine Richardson's future. The Hennepin County Attorney has
requested that he be committed at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St.
Peter, Minn., indefinitely. Richardson's attorney contends he should be
placed on a less restrictive six-month commitment elsewhere with likely
extensions before he transitions back into society.
Full Article <http://www.startribune.com/local/west/139260563.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Eden-Prairie-dad-who-killed-son-says-he-no-danger.html
__________________________________________________________________
[48] Ky. woman pleads guilty but mentally ill to killing expectant
mother, removing baby from body-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Associated Press,
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — An infant born prematurely in a violent attack on
his mother 10 months ago is learning to walk, beginning to talk and
bears a bittersweet resemblance to the slain woman.
Friday was a sad but important date for the boy’s family: His mother’s
killer pleaded guilty but mentally ill to cutting him from the womb and
leaving the woman dead beside a rural road. Prosecutors say 21-year-old
Jamie Stice was shocked with a stun gun before having her wrists and
throat cut last April. Kathy Coy of Morgantown faces life in prison
without parole at her sentencing March 1.
Before Friday’s hearing, the boy’s grandmother proudly showed off a
photo of her chubby, smiling grandson atop his father’s shoulders.
Isaiah Allen Stice Reynolds lives with his father and is said to be
thriving despite being born about five weeks early.
Full Article
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ky-woman-pleads-guilty-but-mentally-ill-to-killing-expectant-mother-removing-baby-from-body/2012/02/17/gIQA8R74JR_story.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Woman-faces-life-sentence-for-taking-boy-from-womb.html
__________________________________________________________________
[49] RI panel: mental health cases overburden ERs-When I offer to end
mental illness?
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A task force in Rhode Island says the state must
find an alternative to emergency rooms for people struggling with acute
mental illness and substance abuse.
The Senate Commission on Emergency Department Diversion says mental
health cases strain hospital resources, increase Medicaid costs for
taxpayers and often leave patients without the care they need.
In its final report, the commission says the state should work with
mental health facilities to ensure they can accept patients that
otherwise would go to emergency rooms.
Full Article
<http://www.necn.com/02/17/12/RI-panel-mental-health-cases-overburden-/landing_politics.html?&apID=0f333d78d6a54d27937ca5e11645d607>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/mental-health-cases-overburden-ER.html
__________________________________________________________________
[50] Computer Program IDs Teens at Risk of Mental Illness-When I offer
to end mental illness?
Computer programs may be able to identify teenagers most at risk of
mental disorders such as anxiety and depression by analyzing brain
scans, researchers say.
When it comes to mental illnesses, spotting those at high risk early in
life is critical for treatment.
"Anxiety and mood disorders can have a devastating effect on the
individuals concerned and on their families and friends," said
researcher Mary Phillips at the University of Pittsburgh. "If we are
able to identify those individuals at greatest risk early on, we can
offer early and appropriate interventions to delay, or even prevent,
onset of these terrible conditions."
Full Article
<http://www.livescience.com/18499-teen-mental-health-computer-program.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/teen-mental-health-computer-program.html
__________________________________________________________________
[51] Alabama Plans to Close Most Hospitals for Mentally Ill-When I offer
to end mental illness?
By ROBBIE BROWN
ATLANTA — Alabama will shut down most of its mental health hospitals by
the spring of 2013 in a sweeping plan to cut costs and change how the
state’s psychiatric patients receive treatment, state officials
announced on Wednesday.
The decision to close four hospitals and lay off 948 employees is a
bleak reminder of Alabama’s shrinking budget. But it is also the latest
example in a longstanding national effort among states to relocate
mentally ill patients from government hospitals to small group homes and
private hospitals.
Mental health advocates believe patients often get better care in
smaller, less isolating facilities. Since the 1990s, Alabama has closed
10 other mental health treatment centers.
Full Article
<https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/us/alabama-plans-to-shut-most-mental-hospitals.html?_r=1>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/alabama-plans-to-shut-most-mental-hospitals.html
__________________________________________________________________
[52] Good Grief! Psychiatry’s Struggle to Define Mental Illness Goes
Awry-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Maia Szalavitz
The editors of the forthcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual — psychiatry’s diagnostic handbook — are having a
hard time. They’ve been attacked by autism advocacy groups for proposing
to eliminate the Asperger’s diagnosis. They’ve been slammed for adding a
diagnosis, or “prediagnosis,” for people determined to be “at high risk”
of developing schizophrenia. And, now, they’re being pummeled for
introducing a provision to diagnose grief as depression.
It has not gone unnoticed that the illnesses for which proposed
definitions have been expanded are mainly those that are treatable by
drugs — antipsychotics or antidepressants, for which manufacturers seek
increased marketing opportunities — while the contractions tend to be in
conditions for which no specific medication is available.
Full Article
<http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/17/good-grief-psychiatrys-struggle-to-define-mental-illness-goes-awry/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/good-grief-psychiatrys-struggle-to-define-mental-illness-goes-awry.html
__________________________________________________________________
[53] Rural Health: S.D. volunteer group fights mental illness stigmas
-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Barry Amundson
Community mental health centers dot South Dakota as well as surrounding
states.
"They cover every inch of the state," said Phyllis Arends, executive
director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of South Dakota.
The 11 state-run centers, a part of the rural health care system,
provide case workers to help those suffering from brain disorders and
are found in Aberdeen, Brookings, Huron, Lemmon, Mitchell, Pierre, Rapid
City, Sioux Falls, Watertown, Winner and Yankton.
However, Arends and her small army of volunteers for NAMI, which she
calls "South Dakota's Voice for Mental Illness," know there is a lot of
work to do outside of the mental health centers to try to improve the
lives of the mentally ill in the state.
Full Article
<http://www.tristateneighbor.com/news/regional/article_d8e04934-5ccf-11e1-a170-001871e3ce6c.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/SD-volunteer-group-fights-mental-illness-stigmas.html
__________________________________________________________________
[54] MAINE COMPASS: People with mental illnesses risk losing parity they
have attained -When I offer to end mental illness?
James H. Maier, M.D.
Some victories fought on behalf of patients with mental illnesses take
years to win.
One cause for celebration has been the passage of a national "parity"
bill to end discrimination in insurance policies, which offer far less
adequate coverage for psychiatric illnesses than for other medical
illnesses.
True parity should be a moral imperative guaranteeing equal insurance
treatment for all illness at both state and national levels.
Many individuals and organizations, including the American Psychiatric
Association and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, have worked
for decades to end unfair treatment by health insurers.
People with psychiatric illness and their families are made to feel like
second-class citizens who are being placed at greater risk for medical
bankruptcy.
Full Article
<http://www.onlinesentinel.com/opinion/columnists/people-with-mental-illnesses-risk-losing-parity-they-have-attained_2012-02-20.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/people-with-mental-illnesses-risk-losing-parity-they-have-attained.html
__________________________________________________________________
[55] Antipsychotics death risk charted in dementia patients -When I
offer to end mental illness?
By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News
Some antipsychotic medication may increase the risk of death in patients
with dementia more than others, according to US research.
The drugs have a powerful sedative effect so are often used when
dementia patients become aggressive or distressed.
A study, published on the BMJ website, argued that antipsychotics should
not be used "in the absence of clear need".
Experts said better alternatives were needed to antipsychotics.
A study in 2009, suggested 180,000 people with dementia were taking
antipsychotic medication in the UK and said the drugs resulted in 1,800
additional deaths.
Full Article <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17138683>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Antipsychotics-death-risk-charted-in-dementia-patients.html
__________________________________________________________________
[56] Euthanizing the Mentally Ill in the Netherlands -When I offer to
end mental illness?
By Wesley J. Smith
The latest report from the Netherlands on euthanasia practice includes a
case study of a woman killed by her psychiatrist solely due to mental
illness, specifically, depression. From the Regional Committees Annual
Report 2010:
“More than four years before the patient died she was diagnosed with
vital depression. Her medical history reveals recurring episodes of
depression, which were difficult to treat, from 1980 onwards. Apart from
a period of several months, she was in hospital from 2005 until she
died. Since her depression failed to respond to the various treatments,
a psychiatrist working at a teaching hospital was asked for a second
opinion. He examined the patient himself, and on his advice she was
given treatment based on anti-depressant medication, assistance in
finding ways to keep her mind occupied during the day, assistance in
keeping her as independent as possible and use of physiotherapy to
improve her mobility.
Full Article
<http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2012/02/euthanizing-the-mentally-ill-in-the-netherlands/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/euthanizing-the-mentally-ill-in-the-netherlands.html
__________________________________________________________________
More articles on Mental Illness
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/mentalnews.html
no mental illness in the United States within 30 days.***
(FBI director Robert Mueller in this YouTube Video
[For what I do, I suppose I maybe in some people's "kill" list for
wanting to destroy the mental illness scam which has a large group of
people (dangerous people) who benefit greatly from it, but do remember I
offer a solution that works for those with mental illness]
__________________________________________________________________
[1] Mentally ill flood ER as states cut services -When I offer to end
mental illness?
CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - On a recent shift at a Chicago emergency
department, Dr. William Sullivan treated a newly homeless patient who
was threatening to kill himself.
"He had been homeless for about two weeks. He hadn't showered or eaten a
lot. He asked if we had a meal tray," said Sullivan, a physician at the
University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago and a past president of
the Illinois College of Emergency Physicians.
Sullivan said the man kept repeating that he wanted to kill himself. "It
seemed almost as if he was interested in being admitted."
Across the country, doctors like Sullivan are facing a spike in
psychiatric emergencies - attempted suicide, severe depression,
psychosis - as states slash mental health services and the country's
worst economic crisis since the Great Depression takes its toll.
This trend is taxing emergency rooms already overburdened by uninsured
patients who wait until ailments become acute before seeking treatment.
"These are people without a previous psychiatric history who are coming
in and telling us they've lost their jobs, they've lost sometimes their
homes, they can't provide for their families, and they are becoming
severely depressed," said Dr. Felicia Smith, director of the acute
psychiatric service at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Increased demand in mental health services
Full Article
<http://news.yahoo.com/mentally-ill-flood-er-states-cut-services-131133880.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/mentally-ill-flood-er-states-cut-services-131133880.html
__________________________________________________________________
[2] Even Today, the Stigma of Mental Illness Won't Fade -When I offer to
end mental illness?
HURSDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- People with a mental illness
struggle with symptoms ranging from crushing depression and crippling
anxiety to powerful delusions and hallucinations that force them to
actively sort out the real from the imagined.
And if that weren't enough, they also have to deal with the way the rest
of the world perceives their inner struggle.
Stigma associated with mental illness remains widespread in U.S.
society, despite some progress made in demystifying these medical
conditions, said Michael J. Fitzpatrick, executive director of the
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
"It's pervasive, but it's nuanced, too," Fitzpatrick said. "Most
Americans understand that mental illnesses are treatable illnesses. I
think people basically understand depression. Depression is talked about
in the media and is considered a treatable disease. But when you reach
psychosis and schizophrenia, there's still a lot of misunderstanding and
fear."
Full Article
<http://news.yahoo.com/even-today-stigma-mental-illness-wont-fade-170406384.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/even-today-stigma-mental-illness-wont-fade.html
__________________________________________________________________
[3] Brain analysis can help predict psychosis: study -When I offer to
end mental illness?
LONDON — Computer analysis of brain scans could help predict how serious
or long term a psychotic patient's illness may become and help doctors
make more accurate decisions about how best to treat them, researchers
said on Monday.
In a study in the journal Psychological Medicine, scientists from King's
College London's Institute of Psychiatry and University College London's
computer science department found that using computer algorithms to
analyze MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scans can predict a
patient's outcome.
Full Article
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45192653/ns/health-mental_health/#.Tv6qlfmO3WA>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Brain-analysis-can-help-predict-psychosis-study.html
__________________________________________________________________
[4] Drugs Used for Psychotics Go to Youths in Foster Care-When I offer
to end mental illness?
By BENEDICT CAREY
Foster children are being prescribed cocktails of powerful antipsychosis
drugs just as frequently as some of the most mentally disabled
youngsters on Medicaid, a new study suggests.
The report, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, is the first to
investigate how often youngsters in foster care are given two
antipsychotic drugs at once, the authors said. The drugs include
Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa — among other so-called major
tranquilizers — which were developed for schizophrenia but are now used
as all-purpose drugs for almost any psychiatric symptoms.
Full Article
<https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/health/research/study-finds-foster-children-often-given-antipsychosis-drugs.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Drugs-Used-for-Psychotics-Go-to-Youths-in-Foster-Care.html
__________________________________________________________________
[5] More U.S. kids in hospital for mental illness -When I offer to end
mental illness?
NEW YORK — American kids are increasingly likely to be admitted to the
hospital for mental problems, although rates of non-psychiatric
hospitalizations have remained flat, a new study shows.
From 1996 to 2007, the rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by
more than 80 percent for 5-13-year-olds and by 42 percent for older teens.
"This occurs despite numerous efforts to make outpatient services for
the more vulnerable kids more widely available," said Joseph C. Blader
of Stony Brook State University of New York, whose findings appear in
the Archives of General Psychiatry.
He said hospitalization is the last resort, because it's so disruptive
for normal life.
"It's a pretty traumatic thing for a family when your child is admitted
to a psych unit," he told Reuters Health.
Overall, short-term hospital admissions for mental illness rose from 156
to 283 per 100,000 children per year over the ten-year study period,
based on data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey.
Full Article <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44010025/ns/health-mental_health/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/More-US-kids-in-hospital-for-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[6] Head trauma may boost schizophrenia risk -When I offer to end mental
illness?
By Rachael Rettner
Head trauma may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia, a new
study says.
The results show people who have suffered from a traumatic brain injury
(TBI) are 1.6 times more likely to develop schizophrenia compared with
those who have not suffered such an injury.
The risk was particularly high in those with a family history of
schizophrenia.
Previous studies regarding TBI and schizophrenia have yielded mixed
results as to whether the conditions are linked. The new study is one of
the first to pool information from past research in a systematic way to
get an indication of the risk.
While the new findings suggest the link does exist, they don't prove
that brain injuries cause schizophrenia. And it could be that patients
were already developing the psychiatric condition when their injury
occurred, the researchers said. More work needs to be done to find
exactly what's behind this relationship, they said.
Full Article <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44202899/ns/health-mental_health/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Head-trauma-may-boost-schizophrenia-risk.html
__________________________________________________________________
[7] Brain memory region finding could help schizophrenia study-When I
offer to end mental illness?
By Rajan
Some people have a superior memory of veracity than other because of a
variation in the particular region of the brain. The study of those
regions could improve the understanding of brain disorders such as
schizophrenia, say researchers. Schizophrenia is a severe mental
disorder which affects twenty-four million people globally, shows
statistics of the World Health Organization.
Up till now comparatively little is known about causes of the disease.
For their study researchers from Cambridge University tested fifty-three
study participants. The study participants first had brain scans which
showed if they had either a clear presence or absence of PCS in the left
or right part of the brain.
Then study participants were shown the well-known word pairs such as
Laurel and Hardy, which were sometimes complete and sometimes had the
second word blanked out. The study subjects were then asked to remember
whether they had seen a completed pair, or whether they had completed
the pair in their own mind.
Full Article
<http://www.thehealthage.com/2011/10/brain-memory-region-finding-could-help-schizophrenia-study/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Brain-memory-region-finding-could-help-schizophrenia-study.html
__________________________________________________________________
[8] Bill for Mental-Health Beds Garners Bipartisan Support-When I offer
to end mental illness?
by SCOTT McCAFFREY, Staff Writer
The General Assembly session hadn’t even begun, and strange bedfellows
already are cropping up.
Example 1: The political odd couple of incoming state Senate members
Barbara Favola and Dick Black, who are teaming up on legislation to
restore funding for additional beds to serve those with mental illness
in Northern Virginia.
“These beds are critical,” said Favola, whose position on the left side
of the political spectrum is far removed from Black’s right-leaning
political philosophy.
In November, Democrat Favola was elected to represent a district
stretching from Arlington up the Potomac River through parts of Fairfax
County and into Loudoun County. Republican Black was elected to
represent swaths of Loudoun and Prince William counties. Their districts
each include portions of Loudoun, but that’s where the similarities end.
Favola was asked to patron the legislation by the region’s Community
Services Boards, and when she asked those organizations to find her
supporters in the legislature, Black’s name cropped up. Part of the
reason: Loudoun County is among jurisdictions where there are more
people who need government mental-health services than there are spaces
available, and many of those clients find themselves sent downstate,
where beds are available.
Full Article
<http://www.sungazette.net/arlington/news/bill-for-mental-health-beds-garners-bipartisan-support/article_7d1bc3a4-36d1-11e1-a678-001871e3ce6c.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Bill-for-Mental-Health-Beds-Garners-Bipartisan-Support.html
__________________________________________________________________
[9] Woman killed by deputies in Rosemead had long history of mental
illness -When I offer to end mental illness?
By Brian Day, Staff Writer
ROSEMEAD - A 40-year-old Rosemead woman fatally shot by a sheriff's
deputy while allegedly attacking him with a hammer had a long history of
mental illness, officials said Thursday.
Jazmyne Ha Eng died at the scene of Tuesday's 3:40 p.m. deputy-involved
shooting at the Asian Pacific Family Center, 9353 Valley Blvd., Los
Angeles County Department of Coroner's Chief of Operations Craig Harvey
said. Sheriff's officials said she was a Rosemead resident.
Lt. Dave Dolson of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said Eng was known to
the facility staff prior to Wednesday's incident.
"She had been a patient there suffering from a few maladies relating to
mental illness," the lieutenant said. "She'd been dealing with her
mental health for many years." He declined to give more details on her
conditions.
Full Article <http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19679896>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Woman-killed-by-deputies-in-Rosemead-had-long-history-of-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[10] LA arson suspect was diagnosed with mental disorders, doctor says
-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Stan Wilson and Alan Duke, CNN
Los Angeles (CNN) -- A medical doctor in Vancouver, British Columbia,
said Thursday that California arson suspect Harry Burkhart suffered from
severe mental illness in 2010, when she examined him as part of a team
of doctors.
Dr. Blaga Stancheva, a family physician and specialist in obstetrics,
said both Burkhart and his mother, Dorothee, were her patients in
Vancouver while both were applying for refugee status in Canada.
"I was asked to diagnose and treat Harry to support a claim explaining
why he was unable to show up in a small-claims court case," Stancheva
told CNN in a phone interview. She declined to cite the case or
Burkhart's role in it.
Stancheva said she and other doctors including a psychiatrist diagnosed
Burkhart with "autism, severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder
and depression." The diagnosis was spelled out in a letter she wrote for
the small-claims court case, Stancheva said.
Stancheva, citing doctor-patient confidentiality, would not elaborate
further, nor would she identify the psychiatrist involved in the diagnosis.
Full Article
<http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/05/justice/california-arson/?hpt=us_c1>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/LA-arson-suspect-was-diagnosed-with-mental-disorders.html
__________________________________________________________________
[11] Half of Americans have mental illness in lifetime-When I offer to
end mental illness?
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Nearly half of all people in the
United States will experience a mental illness during their lifetimes,
but the stigma remains, researchers say.
However, a Web site, developed in collaboration among researchers at the
University of Virginia, Harvard University and University of Washington,
allows visitors to examine and gain insight into their associations
about mental health topics that may exist outside their conscious
awareness or conscious control.
Visitors at the Web site Project Implicit Mental Health can discover
their automatic associations relating to anxiety, depression, alcohol,
eating disorders and persons with mental illness, using tasks such as
the Implicit Association Test.
Full Article
<http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/12/18/Half-of-Americans-have-mental-illness-in-lifetime/UPI-86341324248960/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Half-of-Americans-have-mental-illness-in-lifetime.html
__________________________________________________________________
[12] State agrees to spend $5.6M a year help mentally ill inmates-When I
offer to end mental illness?
By Matt Murphy/State House News Service
A settlement between the state and the Disability Law Center that has
resolved a federal lawsuit is expected to cost the Department of
Correction $5.6 million a year to improve its treatment of prisoners
with severe mental illness and at a higher risk of suicide.
The lawsuit brought by the Disability Law Center against the Department
of Correction in March 2007 alleged cruel and unusual punishment against
inmates with mental illness stemming from the practice of placing
problem prisoners in isolation units.
Filed just after Gov. Deval Patrick came into office and naming many
Romney-era prison officials, the lawsuit contended that the conditions
imposed by segregated confinement in Bay State prisons “exceed the limit
of human endurance” for prisoners with severe mental illness.
Segregation, used as a punishment for prisoners who have violated prison
rules, can in some cases include isolation and sensory deprivation,
forcing prisoners to spend up to 23 hours a day in solid, concrete cells
with only a narrow slot in the door through which meals are delivered,
according to court documents.
Suicides in Massachusetts’ medium and maximum security prisons have been
a persistent problem, with the suicide rate in Department of Correction
facilities more than double the national average between 2007 and early
2011, according to department documents.
Full Article
<http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1481469235/State-agrees-to-spend-5-6M-a-year-help-mentally-ill-inmates>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/State-agrees-to-spend-help-mentally-ill-inmates.html
__________________________________________________________________
[13] Deep Brain Stimulation for Mental Illness -When I offer to end
mental illness?
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) may be useful for treating mentally ill
patients who haven't responded to other therapies. DBS utilizes a
pacemaker-type device that delivers small, steady electrical charges to
brain circuits that control mood. Before treatment, surgeons implanted
battery-powered electrodes in brains of patients. Researchers, reporting
in Archives of General Psychiatry, found that after 24 weeks of
treatment with DBS, 41 percent of patients had a positive response, and
18 percent were in remission. After two years of treatment, 92 percent
had a positive response, and 58 percent were in remission. The study
included 10 patients with major depressive disorder and seven with
bipolar II disorder. DBS is already used for movement disorders like
Parkinson's disease and dystonia.
Full Article
<http://calorielab.com/labnotes/20120102/deep-brain-stimulation-mental-illness-treatment-dbs/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Deep-Brain-Stimulation-for-Mental-Illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[14] How century-old brains in jars could help researchers treat mental
illness-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Claire Bates
A museum housing 19th century brains may seem like a strange place to
find a breakthrough, but one scientist says they could provide the key
to new treatments for mental illness.
Dr George Sandusky, from Indiana University, has developed a technique
to extract usable DNA from the collection of preserved brains despite
their extreme age.
Dr George Sandusky with brain samples on display at the Indiana Medical
History Museum. He has developed a technique that could help find
'markers' to diagnose mental disorders in the future
Dr George Sandusky with brain samples on display at the Indiana Medical
History Museum. He has developed a technique that could help find
'markers' to diagnose mental disorders in the future
The brains came from patients who suffered from mental disorders who
died at Central State Hospital - an asylum established in the mid-1800s.
Full Article
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2084637/Century-old-brains-jars-help-researchers-treat-mental-illness.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/How-century-old-brains-in-jars-could-help-researchers-treat-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[15] Virginia is doing too little to address mental illness among
prisoners-When I offer to end mental illness?
Mental illness among the incarcerated has not received the attention due
such a grave social problem. Mental illness is two to four times higher
among prisoners than it is in the general population. Solitary
confinement exacerbates the problem, as noted in The Post’s article:
Many experts argue it leads to higher suicide rates, increased
depression, decreased brain function and hallucination.
In a study of more than 20,000 adults entering five local jails,
researchers documented serious mental illness in 16.9 percent of those
studied (14.5 percent of the men and 31 percent of the women). These
rates are three to six times those found in the general population.
Full Article
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/virginia-is-doing-too-little-to-address-mental-illness-among-prisoners/2012/01/09/gIQAzc9mrP_story.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/virginia-is-doing-too-little-to-address-mental-illness-among-prisoners.html
__________________________________________________________________
[16] Chicago, Big Ten universities commit to veterans’ mental
health-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Marshall Cohen
Medical schools at five Chicago universities and almost all Big Ten
institutions committed Wednesday to establish a "new generation" of
health care for veterans as part of an initiative spearheaded by first
lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.
Local medical schools participating in the Joining Forces initiative
include Midwestern University, Loyola University Chicago, Rush
University, The Chicago Medical School and the University of Chicago,
according to a White House news release issued Wednesday.
Additionally, medical schools at the University of Iowa, University of
Illinois, University of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania State University, Ohio
State University, University of Nebraska, University of Minnesota,
University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Indiana University
all committed to the program.
The medical school at Southern Illinois University in Springfield will
also participate.
Full Article
<http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/city/chicago-big-ten-universities-commit-to-veterans-mental-health-1.2684877#.Tw674mHLdAc>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/chicago-big-ten-universities-commit-to-veterans-mental-health.html
__________________________________________________________________
[17] State convicts arrive in L.A. County with costly mental
illnesses-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times
As California begins shifting supervision of thousands of newly released
state prisoners to local probation agencies, ex-convicts are arriving
with incomplete medical records and more serious mental illnesses than
anticipated. And mental health officials are scrambling to provide
appropriate — and often costly — treatment.
"At the start, every day ... there was a crisis," said Dr. Marvin
Southard, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental
Health. "There was somebody we didn't know what to do with."
In some cases, he said, released inmates have had to be immediately
transferred to hospitals or residential centers for psychiatric care.
A new state law designed to reduce prison crowding and cut costs
requires that certain nonviolent convicts serve their time in county
lockups rather than state prisons. It also makes counties — rather than
the state parole agency — responsible for supervising such inmates after
their release.
Full Article
<http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-prisoners-mentalhealth-20120109,0,4970554.story>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/la-me-prisoners-mentalhealth.html
__________________________________________________________________
[18] America’s “Mental Health Gulag”-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Matthew T. Mangino
They say justice is blind. It must be to ignore the plight of the
mentally ill in America’s prisons.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s recent two-part series on serious
mental illness highlights the shortcoming inherent in a failed system.
Wisconsin is far from the only state to push the mentally ill off on the
criminal justice system.
An internal review of conditions inside a North Carolina prison,
recently obtained by the Associated Press, found that inmates held in
solitary confinement were often locked in cells for extended periods
without being let out for meals, recreation time or even showers.
This past February, a North Carolina inmate being secured in solitary
confinement had a doctor’s order requiring one hour of exercise per day
in the prison’s day room. A review of prison records found that the
inmate had not left his cell for 78 days consecutive days.
This is not an isolated case.
According to research published in the Harvard University Civil
Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, the mentally ill typically account
for as much as one-half of the population in solitary confinement. In
Wisconsin, a 2010 audit of three state prisons reported that “between 55
percent and 76 percent of inmates in segregation [solitary confinement]
are mentally ill,” according to a report published in The Crime Report.
Full Article
<http://www.thecrimereport.org/archive/2012-01-americas-mental-health-gulag>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/americas-mental-health-gulag.html
__________________________________________________________________
[19] An elusive childhood disorder: Linking strep to mental illness-When
I offer to end mental illness?
DAVE NORDSTRAND
The most painful of journeys, that of a parent struggling to guide a
seriously ill child back to health, began suddenly when William Van Nes,
11, came down with a seemingly innocent cold.
"Runny nose, sore throat, light fever," said William's mother,
Jacqueline Van Nes.
Nothing apparently unusual, said Van Nes, who, with her husband,
Dominic, lives in the Salinas area.
"William was always in good health," Van Nes said. "He never had any
medical issues."
Yet, within two or three weeks after his cold — that was in January 2011
and William was 10 — he began displaying strange behaviors, behaviors
that suggested sudden-onset mental illness brought on by a medical
condition called "PANDAS."
PANDAS stands for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder
associated with streptococcus.
It is thought to be caused by antibodies that go into action in the face
of an infection, most often strep. Such antibodies normally battle the
invaders.
Full Article
<http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20120111/LIFESTYLE/201110303/An-elusive-childhood-disorder-Linking-strep-mental-illness>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/la-he-ocd-strep.html
__________________________________________________________________
[20] A silent epidemic of mental illness-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Ron Thornburg Standard-Examiner
One year ago, our nation was shocked when a mentally ill young man
opened fire as Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was meeting with her constituents
outside a grocery store in Tucson.
Six people were killed and Rep. Giffords was shot in the head.
The 23-year-old shooter has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is
being forcibly medicated in prison in an effort to make him mentally
ready for trial.
Just days ago, residents of Northern Utah awoke to news of another
tragedy. While attempting to serve a search warrant in Ogden, six
policemen were shot, one fatally.
The father of the 37-year-old man arrested in connection with this
carnage said his son may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
What has been called a "silent epidemic" of mental illness is sweeping
the country as the United States struggles to pull itself out of the
Great Recession of 2008. Sadly, Northern Utah is not immune from this
epidemic.
Of course, only a small percentage of the mentally ill ever become
violent. But the effects of untreated mental illnesses are devastating
to individuals and their families just the same. Students are unable to
learn and become frustrated and disruptive. Couples are torn apart and
may resort to violence. Individuals are no longer able to hold down a job.
So as the Family Counseling Service prepares to celebrate its 46th year
of service to Northern Utah, let me share with you some of my thoughts
on the mental health of our community.
Full Article
<http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/01/17/silent-epidemic-mental-illness>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/silent-epidemic-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[21] State’s new mental-health funding policy angers Franklin
County-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Alan Johnson
Ohio counties will have to work together to get $10.6 million for local
mental-health services this year.
Ohio Mental Health Director Tracy J. Plouck’s collaboration strategy,
which will kick in on July 1, is praised by many smaller and midsize
counties, but it is panned by David A. Royer, head of the Alcohol, Drug
and Mental Health Board of Franklin County.
“What concerns me about the new method is it still ignores the
inequities of the old method,” Royer said.
He was considerably more blunt in a recent letter to the editor in The
Dispatch. He called state policy “flawed,” “offensive” and “inexcusable”
because it downplays “disparities and inequities for minorities and
mental-health care.”
“The proposed policy is not innovative; it is highly regressive toward
people with mental illness in our largest cities,” Royer wrote.
He is upset because Franklin County, which is Ohio’s second-largest
county and home to the state’s largest city, might get nothing from the
$59 million total earmarked for non-Medicaid funding for community
mental-health services. Of that, $10.6 million is from Plouck’s new
funding method, and $48.5 million is from the older county-by-county
funding system.
Full Article
<http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/01/16/states-new-mental-health-funding-policy-angers-county.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/states-new-mental-health-funding-policy-angers.html
__________________________________________________________________
[22] Mentally ill suffer effects of government cutbacks-When I offer to
end mental illness?
By CATHY RICHARDS
Because confusion has arisen lately regarding federal and state budget
cuts and their effect on our ability to adequately care for the mentally
ill, I thought I should clarify a few important issues. Many changes
have been made during the past three years, and Missouri’s 2012 mental
health budget calls for another funding cut of $21.2 million in services.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, has been specific in
outlining how budget cuts in every state have affected the mentally ill
during the past few years and how budget cuts will continue to affect
the mentally ill in the future. Without rehashing the numerical data and
the dire prophesies about what might occur in Missouri if these trends
continue, I’ll point out a few of the most disturbing trends in Boone
County during my first term.
The University of Missouri took over what used to be the Mid-Missouri
Mental Health Center. It is now called the Missouri Psychiatric Center,
or MUPC, and focuses primarily on stabilization and short-term care.
Because many of the mentally ill wards my office serves suffer severe
ongoing problems, when emergencies arise, acute care is rarely an
acceptable or viable option.
Full Article
<http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/jan/08/budgetary-disorder/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Mentally-ill-suffer-effects-of-government-cutbacks.html
__________________________________________________________________
[23] Judge commits teen in Waukesha County ax killing-When I offer to
end mental illness?
Waukesha - A Fox Point teen who killed his grandfather with an ax in May
pleaded guilty Thursday but was found not mentally responsible for the
crime and committed to state treatment for life.
Richard B. Wilson, 17, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia last year,
but he didn't always take his medications. Two psychiatrists who
examined him recently concluded that at the time of the killing, Wilson
was suffering a mental condition that prevented him from appreciating
the wrongfulness of his conduct, or conforming his actions to the law.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge William Domina relied on and adopted the
reports and the agreement of both the prosecutor and Wilson's attorney,
in finding Wilson not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
Thursday's disposition of the case came as a bit of a surprise; the
hearing had been scheduled only for a return of the doctors' reports.
But attorney Michael Steinle said he and District Attorney Brad Schimel
had been discussing the possible outcome for weeks and were prepared to
go forward, and Domina said he believed it might help the family to get
the matter settled before the holidays.
Wilson appeared handcuffed and shackled in orange jail clothing, and
looked out at his family gathered in the courtroom but did not seem to
communicate. He did not look back at family members during or after the
hearing.
Full Article
<http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/teen-accused-in-ax-murder-changes-plea-to-guilty-7q3f3ft-135669038.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/teen-accused-in-ax-murder-changes-plea-to-guilty.html
__________________________________________________________________
[24] ECT and psychosurgery reflect ignorance in psychiatry today-When I
offer to end mental illness?
Harold Mandel
The use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) therapy for mental illness is
very controversial because of consideraitons of its effectiveness vs.
the side effects. There are concerns about permanent memory loss and
confusion related to ECT treatment. Mental Health America reports that
ECT is nevertheless administered to an estimated 100,000 people a year,
primarily in general hospital psychiatric units and in psychiatric
hospitals.
And a majority of people think psychosurgery, or lobotomy, is not done
anymore. Unfortunately, this is not at all true. In fact as pointed out
by Lawrence Stevens, JD in a commentary, "The Brain-Butchery Called,
Psychosurgery", New York University School of Medicine psychiatry
professors Harold I. Kaplan and Benjamin J. Sadock say in their textbook
Clinical Psychiatry, published in 1988, "interest in psychosurgical
approaches to psychiatric disorders has only recently been rekindled."
It is Stevens assessment that "just as bloodletting said something about
incorrect theory and the state of ignorance in health care in the past,
brain damaging "therapies" such as "psychosurgery", electroshock, and
psychiatric drugs reveal much about incorrect theory and ignorance in
psychiatry today."
Full Article
<https://www.examiner.com/health-in-national/ect-and-psychosurgery-reflect-ignorance-psychiatry-today>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/ect-and-psychosurgery-reflect-ignorance-psychiatry.html
________________________________________________________________
[25] 1 in 5 Americans mentally ill in past year, study finds-When I
offer to end mental illness?
One in five adults in the United States, or nearly 50 million people,
suffered mental illnesses in the past year with women and young adults
suffering disproportionately, a government report released on Thursday
found.
The survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration found women were more likely than men (23 percent to 16.8
percent) to have experienced a mental illness, while the rate of mental
illness among people aged 18 to 25 was twice that of those aged 50 and
older.
The administration defined mental illness among adults as diagnosable
mental, behavioral or emotional disorders, excluding developmental
disorders and substance use.
The survey found that 5 percent of American adults, or 11.4 million
people, had suffered a serious mental illness in the past year that
substantially interfered with their lives.
The report found that about 8.7 million American adults had serious
thoughts of suicide in the past year, with 2.5 million making suicide
plans and 1.1 million attempting to take their own lives.
Full Article
<http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/19/1-in-5-americans-mentally-ill-in-past-year-study-finds/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/1-in-5-americans-mentally-ill-in-past-year-study.html
__________________________________________________________________
[26] Kadner: No state plan to treat mentally ill -When I offer to end
mental illness?
Phil Kadner
Illinois is once again planning to close the Tinley Park Mental Health
Center.
This is the hospital that treats severely mentally ill people who don’t
have health insurance or Medicaid. We’re talking about people who are
potentially dangerous to themselves and others.
And the state doesn’t have a plan in place to treat those people once
Tinley Park is closed.
Mental health officials for Illinois say a plan will be in place by the
time Tinley Park closes in early July.
During a telephone conference call with the SouthtownStar editorial
board last week, state officials basically said, “Trust us.”
Actually, they said the mentally ill will be better served than ever
because the state is going to invest in community treatment programs,
which are now “the thing” when it comes to treating the mentally ill.
Many experts believe they are far more effective than institutional
settings.
But Illinois really isn’t going to be investing a lot of money in
community treatment programs.
The state spends about $20 million a year to keep the Tinley Park Mental
Health Center running. It plans on spending $9.8 million of that money
to shift the responsibility to community-based programs.
Full Article
<http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/news/10186547-418/kadner-no-state-plan-to-treat-mentally-ill.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/kadner-no-state-plan-to-treat-mentally-ill.html
__________________________________________________________________
[27] MY TAKE — Meeting the challenge of mental illness -When I offer to
end mental illness?
By Robin and Nathan Klay
Mental illness is responsible for more suffering than any other health
problem in America. It accounts for about one-third of all disability.
Over their lifetimes, one in four Americans can expect to experience a
severe mental illness.
For Ottawa County, these statistics suggest that 44,000 people will
experience major depressive disorder; 74,000 an anxiety disorder; and
31,000 PTSD, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. The last figure is
approximately equal to the entire population of the city of Holland,
while the others are multiples thereof.
At the same time, mental illness is the most invisible of all illnesses.
When was the last time your church organized meals for a family whose
parent or child was hospitalized for mental illness? When, for that
matter, did you ever hear a pastoral word or public prayers offered for
members of the congregation and their families dealing with mental illness?
Full Article
<http://www.hollandsentinel.com/opinions/x924343347/MY-TAKE-Meeting-the-challenge-of-mental-illness>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/MY-TAKE-Meeting-the-challenge-of-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[28] SAMHSA Statistics Ignore 500,000 Mentally Ill -When I offer to end
mental illness?
DJ Jaffe
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Agency's most recent and
widely-quoted report on the prevalence of 'any' mental illness and
'serious' mental illness in America failed to count the 300,000
individuals with serious mental illness in jails and prisons, the 200,00
who are homeless and the 51,000 mentally ill who are in hospitals.
Excluding these individuals led SAMHSA to understate the incidence of
serious mental illness and overstate the percentage who receive treatment.
The new report acknowledges in the introduction and methodology sections
that they ignored the incarcerated, institutionalized and homeless, but
did not do so in their press release which is what most media apparently
worked off of. Excluding these populations led to understating the
number with serious mental illness, and since the chances of homeless or
incarcerated receiving good treatment is next to nil, also understating
the percentage who receive treatment.
Full Article
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dj-jaffe/samhsa-statistics-ignore-_b_1222144.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/samhsa-statistics-ignore.html
__________________________________________________________________
[29] State pays high price for incarcerating mentally ill -When I offer
to end mental illness?
By Keith M. Phaneuf
Spurred by a new study showing the high costs of treating the mentally
ill in prison, the Malloy administration is searching for ways to treat
nonviolent offenders outside the prison system.
It costs Connecticut nearly double to both incarcerate and treat an
offender with serious mental illnesses, compared with the price of
treatment alone, according to a new academic study that analyzed social
service and correction trends in 2006 and 2007.
The report, prepared by four academic institutions and the state
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, also found that
nearly half of those with mental illnesses who were incarcerated or
otherwise involved with the criminal justice system were arrested for
minor, nonviolent offenses.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's criminal justice policy adviser said that by
continuing to search for ways to treat nonviolent offenders with serious
mental illnesses outside of the prison system, Connecticut can continue
to reduce its correction budget.
"Many times these people will enter the system because we really don't
have any other option," Michael P. Lawlor said, noting that the homeless
and others struggling with poverty and mental illness don't receive any
treatment until after they are convicted of a crime. "By default, the
prison system becomes a new version of the state mental health hospitals."
Full Article
<http://www.ctmirror.org/story/15199/state-pays-high-price-incarcerating-large-numbers-mentally-ill>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/state-pays-high-price-incarcerating-large-numbers-mentally-ill.html
__________________________________________________________________
[30] L. A. County jailers more likely to use force on mentally ill
inmates-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Jack Leonard and Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles County jailers are more likely to use force against mentally
ill inmates than other prisoners, according to a new Sheriff's
Department report that acknowledges the lockups need specially trained
staff to reduce the violence.
Roughly a third of the 582 deputy use-of-force cases in the jail system
last year involved inmates with mental health histories, according to an
analysis released Tuesday. About 15% of the jail's 15,000 inmates are
classified as mentally ill.
The numbers provide a more detailed picture of the confrontations
between deputies and inmates, an issue that has sparked intense scrutiny
over the last few months and prompted a heated debate Tuesday between
Sheriff Lee Baca and some L.A. County supervisors.
Full Article
<http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sheriff-jails-20120111,0,2284536.story>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/la-me-sheriff-jails.html
__________________________________________________________________
[31] Genes May Be Missing Link Between Creativity, Mental Illness-When I
offer to end mental illness?
Joan Arehart-Treichel
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have been linked with creativity. The
relationship may occur because some of the genes that contribute to
schizophrenia and bipolar disorder also contribute to creativity.
Since creative individuals and mentally ill individuals often view the
world in unusual ways, it would probably not be surprising if the former
and latter were often the same people.
Indeed, structured diagnostic interviews with eminent creative people,
retrospective analyses of famous creative people from the past,
anecdotal evidence, and some smaller studies have suggested that this
might be the case (Psychiatric News, July 1, 2011).
Now a large Swedish population study strengthens the hypothesis as well.
It found an increased likelihood for individuals with schizophrenia or
bipolar disorder to work in a creative occupation compared with
individuals who do not have these illnesses.
The lead investigator was Simon Kyaga, M.D., of the Department for
Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Karolinska Institute in
Stockholm. The results were published in the November 2011 British
Journal of Psychiatry.
Full Article
<http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsArticle.aspx?articleid=334891>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Genes-Link-Creativity-Mental-Illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[32] Mental health proves growing concern for college students-When I
offer to end mental illness?
By RACHEL PERKINS
Recent studies from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention show
suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, putting
suicide rates at an all time high. One million people attempt suicide
annually and every 14.2 minutes, someone in the United States dies by
suicide.
In Mississippi, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young
people between the ages of 10 and 24. The vast majority of people who
take their own lives have a diagnosable and treatable mental illness.
With the rate of suicide among college students rising each year,
studies are now showing an increase in the numbers of diagnosed mental
illnesses among young people in college.
According to the American Psychological Association, more young people
are arriving on campuses with pre-existing conditions than they were 10
years ago, and 1-in-4 college students is on psychiatric medication.
According to Camilla Williams, staff psychologist at Mississippi State
University's Student Counseling Services, college is an especially
vulnerable time for a young person's mental health.
"Students are facing everything from problems they've never faced
before, and they're on their own for the first time. People
underestimate the pressure on college students," Williams said. "Any
time you have change, you're more susceptible to mental illness."
Full Article
<http://www.reflector-online.com/life/mental-health-proves-growing-concern-for-college-students-1.2692607>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/mental-health-proves-growing-concern-for-college-students.html
__________________________________________________________________
[33] Virus Ruled Out as Cause of Mental Illness-When I offer to end
mental illness?
By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Virus Ruled Out as Cause of Mental IllnessA viral disease long suspected
of possibly causing mental illness has apparently been acquitted, as a
blinded case-control study found no association between the Borna
disease virus (BDV) and mental health disorders.
Prior studies have linked the virus to mental illnesses such as bipolar
disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and dementia. Investigators
were open-minded to the possibility as genetic fragments and antibodies
to this RNA virus causes behavior disorders in a range of mammals and birds.
Moreover, although the results have been inconclusive, traces of the
virus have been found to be prevalent in psychiatric patients.
Full Article
<http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/02/01/virus-ruled-out-as-cause-of-mental-illness/34338.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/virus-ruled-out-as-cause-of-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[34] Does Borna disease virus cause mental illness?-When I offer to end
mental illness?
Over the past 30 years, numerous studies have linked Borna disease virus
(BDV) with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia,
anxiety disorder, and dementia. Genetic fragments and antibodies to this
RNA virus, which causes behavior disorders in a range of mammals and
birds, have been found to be prevalent in psychiatric patients, but
study results have been inconsistent. Now, the first blinded,
case-control study to examine this issue finds no association between
the virus and psychiatric illness. The study, conducted by researchers
at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's
Mailman School of Public Health and collaborators at seven other
institutions in the U.S., Germany and Australia, can be found online at
Molecular Psychiatry.
The scientists evaluated 198 patients in California with schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder, carefully matched each
one of them with a healthy control of the same sex, age, region, and
socio-economic status, and tested blood of patients and controls for the
presence of BDV genetic material and antibodies to BDV.
Full Article
<http://esciencenews.com/articles/2012/02/02/does.borna.disease.virus.cause.mental.illness>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/does-borna-disease-virus-cause-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[35] Mentally ill need treatment, not jail-When I offer to end mental
illness?
Christine Lee, 22News State House Correspondent
BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Law enforcement officers say they’re trained to
arrest, not handle people with mental illness. They’re joining mental
health advocates to say that needs to change, in lieu of the staggering
number of people in jail suffering from mental illness.
“The incidence of people who are incarcerated who have mental illness is
high enough that we know that there’s a significant problem,” said the
Association for Behavioral Healthcare President Vicker DiGravio III.
According to the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association, 42 percent of
inmates in the county jail system have a form of mental illness and 26
percent have major mental illness.
“It’s really not the appropriate response for these folks,” said
Framingham Deputy Police Chief Craig Davis. “They don’t belong in a
jail cell. It’s just a waste of resources, there’s nothing that ever
comes as a result of it. The person isn’t offered any treatment.”
Full Article
<http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/politics/state_politics/Mentally-ill-need-treatment-not-jail>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Mentally-ill-need-treatment-not-jail.html
__________________________________________________________________
[36] How PTSD took over America-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Alice Karekezi
In the past 30 years, post-traumatic stress disorder has gone from
exotic rarity to omnipresent. Once chiefly applied to wartime veterans
returning from combat, it is now a much more common diagnosis, still
linked to traumatic events but now including those occurring outside the
battle zone: the death of a loved one on a hospital bed, a car crash on
the highway, an assault in the neighborhood park. Many would argue that
this is a good thing: greater recognition of psychologically distressing
events will lead to more people seeking treatment and a decrease in the
preponderance of PTSD – a win-win.
Stephen Joseph disagrees. In his new book, “What Doesn’t Kill Us,” the
professor of psychology, health and social care at the University of
Nottingham (in the U.K.) warns that our culture’s acceptance of PTSD has
become excessive and has led to an over-medicalization of experiences
that should be considered part of ordinary, normal, human experience.
This has kept us from proactively working through our grief and anxiety:
We’ve become too quick to go to the shrink expecting him to fix us,
rather than allowing ourselves the opportunity to grow and find new
meaning in our lives as a result of painful, but common, events. Joseph
advocates for a push toward post-traumatic growth as therapy to treat
the stress of trauma, which he distinguishes as being different from the
hokey, blue skies and rainbows, pop psychology that he claims has
exploded in our culture in the past decade.
Joseph spoke to Salon over the phone to discuss our misunderstanding of
the disorders, the meaning and usefulness of suffering, and if some
cultures are more prone to PTSD than others.
Full Article
<http://www.salon.com/2011/11/15/how_ptsd_took_over_america/singleton/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/how_ptsd_took_over_america.html
__________________________________________________________________
[37] Environment affects mental illness genes-When I offer to end mental
illness?
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Genes linked to schizophrenia and autism are
members of a select club of genes regulated during environmentally
sensitive times, U.S. researchers said.
Researchers at the National Institute of Health said a regulatory
mechanism that turns genes on and off in the brain's executive hub are
among the most environmentally responsive.
The mechanism, called DNA methylation -- a biochemical process that is
important for normal development in higher organisms -- abruptly
switches from off to on within the human brain's prefrontal cortex
during this pivotal transition from fetal to post-natal life. As
methylation increases, gene expression slows down after birth.
This mechanism leaves chemical instructions that tell genes what
proteins to make -- what kind of tissue to produce or what functions to
activate.
Full Article
<http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2012/02/03/Environment-affects-mental-illness-genes/UPI-12061328329125/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Environment-affects-mental-illness-genes.html
__________________________________________________________________
[38] S.A. volunteers help study treatment for Hispanics with bipolar
disorder-When I offer to end mental illness?
by Wendy Rigby / KENS 5
SAN ANTONIO -- Bipolar disorder is a highly disruptive mental illness
that if left untreated often leads to suicide. Now, local patients are
volunteering for a study to improve outcomes, particularly for Hispanics.
Teresea Wagner, 64, of San Antonio is doing well these days after she
was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder six years ago and treated.
But before that?
“I was more on the manic side than the depressive side,” she noted.
“Though when I was depressed, I was locked in a closet rocking on my knees.”
Wagner is not alone. Several million Americans suffer from bipolar
disorder. Hispanics in particular often don’t seek treatment because of
cultural stigma.
Full Article
<http://www.kens5.com/news/San-Antonio-volunteers-help-study-new-ways-to-treat-Hispanics-with-bipolar-disorder-138874849.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/San-Antonio-volunteers-help-study-new-ways-to-treat-Hispanics-with-bipolar-disorder.html
__________________________________________________________________
[39] Wash. Lawmaker Pushes 'Evidence-Based' Treatments For Mentally Ill
Youth-When I offer to end mental illness?
Austin Jenkins
OLYMPIA, Wash. – "Talk therapy" may work in some cases. But a Washington
state lawmaker says it's time to invest in evidence-based programs to
treat mentally ill youth. This past fall we brought you a series of
stories on failures in how the Northwest treats young people with
serious mental health issues.
State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson is blunt when it comes to how
Washington treats kids with mental illness. "We are wasting a lot of
money right now on ineffective programs," she says.
Dickerson specifically points to one-on-one counseling sessions known as
"talk therapy." She says, instead, the state should spend its money on
mental health programs that are proven to work. The term is
"evidence-based." And make these programs available to kids before they
end up in the juvenile justice system.
Full Article <http://kuow.org/northwestnews.php?storyID=146377693>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Evidence-Based-Treatments-For-Mentally-Ill-Youth.html
__________________________________________________________________
[40] Mother Blames Cops For Son's Death; Police Say Victim Had 'Mental
Illness' -When I offer to end mental illness?
By Sandy McGee
The mother of a 25-year-old Tiverton man, who died after an apparent
struggle with Portsmouth police officers Friday, is now blaming police
for her son's death.
Brenda Raposa of Portsmouth says authorities are at fault in the death
of her son, Craig Raposa, reports The Newport Daily News.
She also told The Newport Daily News that her son was bipolar. A phone
message left for Brenda Raposa was not returned Tuesday.
State Police are now investigating the incident and what led to Craig
Raposa's death Friday. The Office of the State Medical Examiner is
conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Full Article
<http://portsmouth.patch.com/articles/mother-blames-cops-for-son-s-death-police-say-victim-had-mental-illness>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/mother-blames-cops-for-son-s-death-police-say-victim-had-mental-illness.html
__________________________________________________________________
[41] Does Abortion in First Trimester Raise Risk of Mental Ills'
Return?-When I offer to end mental illness?
MONDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Women with a history of mental
illness do not seem to be at increased risk of readmission to a
psychiatric hospital after having an abortion in their first trimester,
a new study suggests.
The findings, which appear in the February issue of the Archives of
General Psychiatry, support several previous studies showing that women
who undergo abortion do not face a higher risk of mental health problems
afterwards.
But anti-abortion advocates say the psychological risks of abortion are
still not fully understood.
"The take-home message from our study is that having a first-time,
first-trimester induced abortion does not influence readmission risk,
since risk of readmission is similar before and after the abortion
procedure," said study author Dr. Trine Munk-Olsen, an epidemiologist at
Aarhus University in Denmark.
Full Article
<http://www.ivillage.com/does-abortion-first-trimester-raise-risk-mental-ills-return/4-a-425612>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/does-abortion-first-trimester-raise-risk-mental-ills-return.html
__________________________________________________________________
[42] City leaders worried that mental health services may run out of
cash-When I offer to end mental illness?
Meg Farris / Eyewitness News
NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans city leaders are concerned about what will
happen with public safety if mental health and drug detoxification beds
run out of funding.
So they've called an emergency meeting to figure out what to do.
The city is wasting no time to talk about how serious it will be if
treatment of mental illness, including drug addiction, runs out of money.
"The mayor has sent a very strong letter to the state, to the governor,
to LSU President Lombardi, indicating his extreme concern about how
these cuts to mental health and substance abuse will impact public
safety as well as people's lives," said New Orleans Health Commissioner
Dr. Karen DeSalvo.
"I'm telling them we're having to do less with less. Crime is our number
one priority. And I know a lot of people want to call in the National
Guard, but it would be a lot better to fight crime to have more
probation and parole officers, or fund the DA's office, or fund indigent
defenders, which are all state responsibilities, and to make sure that
we fund mental health," said Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Full Article
<http://www.wwltv.com/news/health/City-leaders-worried-if-mental-health-services-run-out-of-cash-138898874.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/City-leaders-worried-if-mental-health-services-run-out-of-cash.html
__________________________________________________________________
[43] Mental illness: the trillion-dollar elephant in the workplace-When
I offer to end mental illness?
By Kim Covert, Postmedia News
In a knowledge-based economy, brains matter and not taking care of our
mental health has a negative impact on the bottom line, according to a
recent report from the Global and Business Economic Roundtable on
Addiction and Mental Health, a group of scientists, medical and business
professionals established to raise awareness of the economic impact of
mental illness.
Depression has a fairly high profile these days — you can see TV ads
for pills to treat it; Olympic speed skater Clara Hughes has gone public
about her experience with it. A viral video campaign, begun in response
to the suicide of a depressed gay teenager, features celebrities
reassuring depressed teens that things will get better. Recent reports
from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and
Toronto's Center for Addiction and Mental Health, among others, have
drawn attention to the need to deal with it.
Full Article
<http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Mental+illness+trillion+dollar+elephant+workplace/6132917/story.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Mental-illness-trillion-dollar-elephant-workplace.html
__________________________________________________________________
[44] New mental disorders guide stirs debate-When I offer to end mental
illness?
By Thane Burnett ,QMI Agency
You'll stand around the bar on Valentines Day, nursing a drink and
speaking to no one but the waitress refilling your warm glass.
As if you don't already have enough on your mind, your painfully awkward
shyness -- despite reports -- may not soon be labelled a mental disorder.
Experts are now in trial testing of the next version of the Manual of
Mental Disorders, a new reference book shortened to DSM5.
And there are worries common quirks like shyness or children being
stubborn with parents may suddenly come with a mental health warning.
As well, reportedly, newer habits, including Internet addiction, could
find themselves among the treatable mental disorders listed in DSM5 when
it's released next year.
Full Article
<http://www.torontosun.com/2012/02/10/new--mental-disorders-guide-stirs-debate>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/new--mental-disorders-guide-stirs-debate.html
__________________________________________________________________
[45] Ex-marine took his life in mental illness battle-When I offer to
end mental illness?
A FORMER Royal Marine who served in the Falklands and Northern Ireland
took his own life after a prolonged battle with mental illness, an
inquest heard.
Timothy Mark Waspe, of Coachmans Cottage, Thwaites, was found hanged in
his workshop by his wife Macrina Waspe, on October 18.
His watch and glasses were found placed on a work bench before he took
his own life.
His wife had arranged to do some cleaning for a friend and left Mr Waspe
at home just after 11am.
When she later returned home she found him hanged at around 2pm.
Mrs Waspe said her husband had seemed particularly low that morning but
had no reason to suspect he would take his own life.
Full Article
<http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/ex-marine-took-his-life-in-mental-illness-battle-1.925071>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/ex-marine-took-his-life-in-mental-illness-battle.html
__________________________________________________________________
[46] Mentally ill residents sue state over lack of care-When I offer to
end mental illness?
By GARRY RAYNO
CONCORD —Six individuals with serious mental illness believe they are
needlessly being forced into New Hampshire Hospital and the Glencliff
Home, when they should be receiving services in their communities.
The individuals, through the Disabilities Rights Center and other
advocacy organizations, filed a class- action lawsuit Thursday in U.S.
District Court in Concord Thursday claiming the state is violating the
federal American with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the
Nursing Home Reform Act by failing to provide community-based care.
The suit seeks to force the state to expand community-based services
plaintiffs need to avoid future institutionalization.
Amy Messer, legal director for the Disabilities Rights Center said the
individuals' lives have been interrupted, disrupted and even destroyed
by their prolonged and needless stays at state institutions. “They share
a common goal to be integrated into community life and not segregated
from their peers,” she said at a press conference Thursday announcing
the suit.
Full Article <http://www.unionleader.com/article/20120209/NEWS12/702109985>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Mentally-ill-residents-sue-state-over-lack-of-care.html
__________________________________________________________________
[47] Eden Prairie dad who killed son says he's no danger-When I offer to
end mental illness?
ABBY SIMONS , Star Tribune
Less than a year after he was deemed mentally ill when he drowned his
infant son in a laundry tub, an Eden Prairie man testified Monday that
he's not the same man who, in a fog of delusion, believed that he had no
other option because he couldn't support the baby.
At a trial to determine whether he should be indefinitely committed as
mentally ill and dangerous, Randel Richardson, 38, testified that
intense therapy and medication have vastly improved his condition. "I
feel good. I've been symptom-free for 18 months," said Richardson, whose
wife testified that she supports him.
When his attorney, Chris Petros, asked what would happen if he didn't
take his medication, Richardson was straightforward.
"I don't want to find out."
After a trial that will include medical records, testimony from
Richardson, his wife, Karen, and psychiatrists, Judge Jay Quam will
determine Richardson's future. The Hennepin County Attorney has
requested that he be committed at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St.
Peter, Minn., indefinitely. Richardson's attorney contends he should be
placed on a less restrictive six-month commitment elsewhere with likely
extensions before he transitions back into society.
Full Article <http://www.startribune.com/local/west/139260563.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Eden-Prairie-dad-who-killed-son-says-he-no-danger.html
__________________________________________________________________
[48] Ky. woman pleads guilty but mentally ill to killing expectant
mother, removing baby from body-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Associated Press,
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — An infant born prematurely in a violent attack on
his mother 10 months ago is learning to walk, beginning to talk and
bears a bittersweet resemblance to the slain woman.
Friday was a sad but important date for the boy’s family: His mother’s
killer pleaded guilty but mentally ill to cutting him from the womb and
leaving the woman dead beside a rural road. Prosecutors say 21-year-old
Jamie Stice was shocked with a stun gun before having her wrists and
throat cut last April. Kathy Coy of Morgantown faces life in prison
without parole at her sentencing March 1.
Before Friday’s hearing, the boy’s grandmother proudly showed off a
photo of her chubby, smiling grandson atop his father’s shoulders.
Isaiah Allen Stice Reynolds lives with his father and is said to be
thriving despite being born about five weeks early.
Full Article
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ky-woman-pleads-guilty-but-mentally-ill-to-killing-expectant-mother-removing-baby-from-body/2012/02/17/gIQA8R74JR_story.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Woman-faces-life-sentence-for-taking-boy-from-womb.html
__________________________________________________________________
[49] RI panel: mental health cases overburden ERs-When I offer to end
mental illness?
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A task force in Rhode Island says the state must
find an alternative to emergency rooms for people struggling with acute
mental illness and substance abuse.
The Senate Commission on Emergency Department Diversion says mental
health cases strain hospital resources, increase Medicaid costs for
taxpayers and often leave patients without the care they need.
In its final report, the commission says the state should work with
mental health facilities to ensure they can accept patients that
otherwise would go to emergency rooms.
Full Article
<http://www.necn.com/02/17/12/RI-panel-mental-health-cases-overburden-/landing_politics.html?&apID=0f333d78d6a54d27937ca5e11645d607>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/mental-health-cases-overburden-ER.html
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[50] Computer Program IDs Teens at Risk of Mental Illness-When I offer
to end mental illness?
Computer programs may be able to identify teenagers most at risk of
mental disorders such as anxiety and depression by analyzing brain
scans, researchers say.
When it comes to mental illnesses, spotting those at high risk early in
life is critical for treatment.
"Anxiety and mood disorders can have a devastating effect on the
individuals concerned and on their families and friends," said
researcher Mary Phillips at the University of Pittsburgh. "If we are
able to identify those individuals at greatest risk early on, we can
offer early and appropriate interventions to delay, or even prevent,
onset of these terrible conditions."
Full Article
<http://www.livescience.com/18499-teen-mental-health-computer-program.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/teen-mental-health-computer-program.html
__________________________________________________________________
[51] Alabama Plans to Close Most Hospitals for Mentally Ill-When I offer
to end mental illness?
By ROBBIE BROWN
ATLANTA — Alabama will shut down most of its mental health hospitals by
the spring of 2013 in a sweeping plan to cut costs and change how the
state’s psychiatric patients receive treatment, state officials
announced on Wednesday.
The decision to close four hospitals and lay off 948 employees is a
bleak reminder of Alabama’s shrinking budget. But it is also the latest
example in a longstanding national effort among states to relocate
mentally ill patients from government hospitals to small group homes and
private hospitals.
Mental health advocates believe patients often get better care in
smaller, less isolating facilities. Since the 1990s, Alabama has closed
10 other mental health treatment centers.
Full Article
<https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/us/alabama-plans-to-shut-most-mental-hospitals.html?_r=1>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/alabama-plans-to-shut-most-mental-hospitals.html
__________________________________________________________________
[52] Good Grief! Psychiatry’s Struggle to Define Mental Illness Goes
Awry-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Maia Szalavitz
The editors of the forthcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual — psychiatry’s diagnostic handbook — are having a
hard time. They’ve been attacked by autism advocacy groups for proposing
to eliminate the Asperger’s diagnosis. They’ve been slammed for adding a
diagnosis, or “prediagnosis,” for people determined to be “at high risk”
of developing schizophrenia. And, now, they’re being pummeled for
introducing a provision to diagnose grief as depression.
It has not gone unnoticed that the illnesses for which proposed
definitions have been expanded are mainly those that are treatable by
drugs — antipsychotics or antidepressants, for which manufacturers seek
increased marketing opportunities — while the contractions tend to be in
conditions for which no specific medication is available.
Full Article
<http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/17/good-grief-psychiatrys-struggle-to-define-mental-illness-goes-awry/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/good-grief-psychiatrys-struggle-to-define-mental-illness-goes-awry.html
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[53] Rural Health: S.D. volunteer group fights mental illness stigmas
-When I offer to end mental illness?
By Barry Amundson
Community mental health centers dot South Dakota as well as surrounding
states.
"They cover every inch of the state," said Phyllis Arends, executive
director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of South Dakota.
The 11 state-run centers, a part of the rural health care system,
provide case workers to help those suffering from brain disorders and
are found in Aberdeen, Brookings, Huron, Lemmon, Mitchell, Pierre, Rapid
City, Sioux Falls, Watertown, Winner and Yankton.
However, Arends and her small army of volunteers for NAMI, which she
calls "South Dakota's Voice for Mental Illness," know there is a lot of
work to do outside of the mental health centers to try to improve the
lives of the mentally ill in the state.
Full Article
<http://www.tristateneighbor.com/news/regional/article_d8e04934-5ccf-11e1-a170-001871e3ce6c.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/SD-volunteer-group-fights-mental-illness-stigmas.html
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[54] MAINE COMPASS: People with mental illnesses risk losing parity they
have attained -When I offer to end mental illness?
James H. Maier, M.D.
Some victories fought on behalf of patients with mental illnesses take
years to win.
One cause for celebration has been the passage of a national "parity"
bill to end discrimination in insurance policies, which offer far less
adequate coverage for psychiatric illnesses than for other medical
illnesses.
True parity should be a moral imperative guaranteeing equal insurance
treatment for all illness at both state and national levels.
Many individuals and organizations, including the American Psychiatric
Association and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, have worked
for decades to end unfair treatment by health insurers.
People with psychiatric illness and their families are made to feel like
second-class citizens who are being placed at greater risk for medical
bankruptcy.
Full Article
<http://www.onlinesentinel.com/opinion/columnists/people-with-mental-illnesses-risk-losing-parity-they-have-attained_2012-02-20.html>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/people-with-mental-illnesses-risk-losing-parity-they-have-attained.html
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[55] Antipsychotics death risk charted in dementia patients -When I
offer to end mental illness?
By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News
Some antipsychotic medication may increase the risk of death in patients
with dementia more than others, according to US research.
The drugs have a powerful sedative effect so are often used when
dementia patients become aggressive or distressed.
A study, published on the BMJ website, argued that antipsychotics should
not be used "in the absence of clear need".
Experts said better alternatives were needed to antipsychotics.
A study in 2009, suggested 180,000 people with dementia were taking
antipsychotic medication in the UK and said the drugs resulted in 1,800
additional deaths.
Full Article <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17138683>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/Antipsychotics-death-risk-charted-in-dementia-patients.html
__________________________________________________________________
[56] Euthanizing the Mentally Ill in the Netherlands -When I offer to
end mental illness?
By Wesley J. Smith
The latest report from the Netherlands on euthanasia practice includes a
case study of a woman killed by her psychiatrist solely due to mental
illness, specifically, depression. From the Regional Committees Annual
Report 2010:
“More than four years before the patient died she was diagnosed with
vital depression. Her medical history reveals recurring episodes of
depression, which were difficult to treat, from 1980 onwards. Apart from
a period of several months, she was in hospital from 2005 until she
died. Since her depression failed to respond to the various treatments,
a psychiatrist working at a teaching hospital was asked for a second
opinion. He examined the patient himself, and on his advice she was
given treatment based on anti-depressant medication, assistance in
finding ways to keep her mind occupied during the day, assistance in
keeping her as independent as possible and use of physiotherapy to
improve her mobility.
Full Article
<http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2012/02/euthanizing-the-mentally-ill-in-the-netherlands/>
http://www.destroypsychiatry.org/Articles/euthanizing-the-mentally-ill-in-the-netherlands.html
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More articles on Mental Illness
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