Facing
death, a plea for the dignity of psychiatric patients
Interview by Carey Goldberg:
"NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US." That is the motto of a grass-roots
movement that has carried various names over the last generation, but has always
revolved around a single principle: self-determination for people diagnosed with
mental illness. Call them psychiatric patients or consumers or survivors, they
are fighting together to gain more control over their treatment, and more say in
the mental health system overall. And they have won some striking successes in
recent years, gaining more input into official policy and creating new jobs for
people who, 12-step-style, have recovered from the worst of their illness and
now want to help others in crisis.
The mother of that movement, many people would say, is Judi Chamberlin of
Arlington. [Click
to view Judi's page]
NEW AT THE NEC WEBSITE:
Listening to Madness
Why some mentally ill patients are rejecting their medication
and making the case for 'mad pride.'
We don't want to be normal," Will Hall tells me. The 43-year-old has been
diagnosed as schizophrenic, and doctors have prescribed antipsychotic medication
for him. But Hall would rather value his mentally extreme states than try to
suppress them, so he doesn't take his meds. Instead, he practices yoga and
avoids coffee and sugar. He is delicate and thin, with dark plum polish on his
fingernails and black fashion sneakers on his feet, his half Native American
ancestry evident in his dark hair and dark eyes. Cultivated and charismatic, he
is also unusually energetic, so much so that he seems to be vibrating even when
sitting still. [Click to view full NEWSWEEK article published May 2, 2009]
Unique Job Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities
The Social Security Administration has recently received funding to hire a
significant number of employees throughout the country. This hiring initiative
offers a unique opportunity for individuals with disabilities who may want to
get a job with SSA. These jobs will be at various skill levels including a
number of entry-level positions throughout the United States. For more
information and resources about this hiring opportunity, please visit
www.cessi.net/ttw/SSAHires/index.html
Consumer-Directed Medicaid Services more Effective than
Professionally-Directed Services
The above SAMHSA funded study by Ce Shen, Ph.D. and others published in
the November 2008 Psychiatric Services found that self-directed care
works well for persons with mental illnesses. [Read
more...]
New research study finds unlocked, mental health consumer-managed, crisis residential program produce better
results than locked, inpatient psychiatric facilities
For adults with severe psychiatric problems, consumer-managed residential
programs may be the way to go, a new study suggests. A recent American Journal
of Community Psychology study compared the effectiveness of an unlocked, mental
health consumer-managed, crisis residential program (CRP) to a locked, inpatient
psychiatric facility (LIPF) for adults for severe psychiatric problems.
Participants in the CRP experienced significantly greater improvement on
interviewer-rated and self-reported psychopathology than did participants in the
LIPF condition; service satisfaction was dramatically higher in the CRP
condition.
Title of Study: A Randomized Trial of a Mental Health
Consumer-Managed Alternative to Civil Commitment for Acute Psychiatric Crisis. [Click
for more]
Jonathan Delman Receives Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Prize for
Local Innovation in Improving Health and Health Care
Jonathan Delman, Executive Director, Consumer Quality Initiatives, Roxbury,
Massachusetts and nine others were selected because they "dedicated themselves
to tackling some of the most intractable problems affecting the health of their
communities". They join a distinguished list of 150 previous award recipients. [Click
for more including links to articles at Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the
Boston Globe]
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is sponsoring: Ladder to Leadership: Developing the Next Generation of Community Health Leaders. [More info at www.laddertoleadership.org]
Bazelon Offers Model Policy for Addressing Student Mental Health - The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has released a model policy to help colleges and universities develop a non-discriminatory, non-punitive approach to students in crisis because of mental health problems. It is available as a free download at www.bazelon.org/pdf/SupportingStudents.pdf (518 kb, 10 pages)
Intervoice launches new web site about hearing voices - www.intervoiceonline.org. Intervoice is an international organization dedicated to changing society's perception of people who hear voices.
National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations (NCMHCSO.org) is launched...
Terrific Interview with two of our heroes, Sally Zinman and Jay Mahler
Conducted
by the Rev. Barbara F. Meyers the producer of a public access TV show called Mental
Health Matters - Alameda County. The half-hour shows focus on various
aspects of mental health. In June 2008 they focused on the Consumer
Movement. [Click
to view video]
Hope and Recovery in Australia
I spent three very busy, exciting days in Melbourne, Australia, in connection with a conference on recovery. From May 7 through May 9, 2008, I was immersed in the world of the Australian consumer movement as it is gaining its voice of recovery.
[More on Dan Fisher's trip to Melbourne]
Kennedy Center staff learns about hallucinations
The voices were distracting her. O'Rourke, counseling services coordinator at the Kennedy Center, was one of many center employees who participated in "Hearing Voices," a workshop designed to show the center's staff what life is like for someone with auditory hallucinations. [Click for more on Hearing Voices]
Anne Beales Receives Member of the British Empire for Services to Mental Health- [more on Anne Beales]
Mental patients find understanding in therapy led by peers
Years ago, Jess Zaller came to the Pathways mental health program as a day patient. In and out of institutions, he had fought mental illness since childhood. His life felt like a nightmare of chaos and despair.
Zaller, 45, was back in a Pathways therapy group last week, but this time as a leader, listening carefully as members laid bare the pain of their fears and compulsions. When he delicately pointed the way, it was often in the first person, using his own hard lessons learned:
"Our lives are at stake," he told members. "It takes a lot of courage to walk a path of recovery, and each one of us develops our own path."
Vermont was a great innovator in community mental health in the 50's and 60's. That was described as the Vermont Story. Now with the appointment of a new commissioner, Mr. Micheal Hartman and deputy commissioner , Beth Tanzman, with deep roots in community mental health and the recovery movement, we may be seeing the dawn of the New Vermont Story. They both are outstanding leaders with excellent values and should greatly assist Vermont in its historic shift to a recovery-based, consumer- and family-driven system as advocated by the New Freedom Commission for Mental Health. [more]
The evidence base for consumer-run services
"Grading the Evidence for Consumer-Driven Services." The UIC National Research and Training Center is offering this workshop as part of its National Web-Based Education Program. [more]
The National Empowerment Center is funded in part by:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Center for Mental Health Services www.samhsa.gov
Voices of Hope and Recovery: Our Stories, Our Lives
Alternatives
2009 will be held October 29 - November 1, 2009 in Omaha, Nebraska
Facing
death, a plea for the dignity of psychiatric patients
Jonathan Delman, Executive Director, Consumer Quality Initiatives, Roxbury,
Massachusetts and nine others were selected because they "dedicated themselves
to tackling some of the most intractable problems affecting the health of their
communities". They join a distinguished list of 150 previous award recipients. [
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
