Mental illness and the magistrates

Mental health professionals have recognized for years that people who suffer from serious mental illnesses are often more likely to end up in jail than in some form of treatment. That's why a new program in the Baltimore City Circuit Court to divert some seriously ill defendants to mental health programs instead of jail is a worthy effort. But to succeed, the initiative will require not only an adequate supply of mental health treatment slots in Baltimore, but also increased access to stable, safe and affordable housing for the mentally ill defendants it serves — something that has been absent in the past.

The inventiveness, known as the Mental Health Case Management Docket, is aimed at the repeat offenders who commit crimes as a result of having a serious Mental illness rather than from criminal intent. People who suffer from lifelong psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or clinical depression are often unable of taking responsibility for their actions. Unless they get treatment that addresses their essential disorder, their behavior is unlikely to change and they may remain a danger to themselves and others, regardless of the sentence they receive.

Advocates shove to Keep Mental Health Court Funding

Six years ago, former corrections officer Mark Burchell was so ill from bipolar disorder that he imagined himself as a military general out to save the world. In reality, he was an unwashed, stubbly homeless man searching out bus shelters and still-warm car hoods to sleep on at night.

The habit earned him stay after stay in jail until he was admitted to Nevada's ground-breaking Mental Health Court system, which steered him to stability and ultimately, a post as president of the Nevada chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness. Burchell is now fighting to save the life of the program, which would be moved under Gov. Brian Sandoval's proposed budget from the state's authority and made the responsibility of cash-strapped counties who say they can't afford it.

Mental illness is topic of conversation

The program will focus on efforts to decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness. The specific focus will surround a national campaign called BringChange2Mind, created by actress Glenn Close. Glenn's sister, Jessie, has bipolar disorder and her nephew has schizophrenia. This prompted Glenn to launch an enormous mental illness anti-stigma campaign in 2009.

The mission of the campaign is twofold:
1. Provide people who have misconceptions about mental illness quick and easy contact to information that combats stigma, and
2. Provide people who have mental illness and those who know them, quick and easy way in to information and support.
Several short videos will be aired featuring people who have mental illnesses and these will be interspersed with an opportunity for conversation. Many local mental health professionals will be in attendance to answer questions. Area mental health resources will also be discussed and available as contributions.

NAMI free course dealing with mental illness

The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) will be submission a free 12-week course for families coping with mental illness. The Family-to-Family Education program is for people who have a close family member with a serious mental illness. Sponsored by NAMI, the program is facilitated by a team of trained family members who know what it’s like to have a loved one who is afflicted. The next Family-to-Family course will be offered on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, situated at 5200 Fannin.

The program will give current information about schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder (manic depression), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder and co-occurring brain disorders and addictive disorders, as well as up-to-date information about medications, side effects and strategies for medication adherence. Additionally, those who attend will learn, among other things, the current research related to the biology of brain disorders, the most effective treatments to promote recovery, problem solving, listening and communication techniques, strategies for handling crises and relapse, and guidance on locating appropriate support and services within the community. All instruction and course supplies are free to class participants.

Few youth with Mental Disorders Get Proper Care

A large percentage of young people who suffer from severe mental disorders are not receiving sufficient care, according to data from a survey of more than 10,000 teens (ages 13-18), funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The researchers tracked how often these teens reported having ever received services to treat their specific mental disorder, as well as what type of help they received and how often they received it. Specifically, only about 36 percent suffering with a lifetime mental disorder received help; only half of these teens who were considerably impaired by their mental disorder received professional mental health care.

Furthermore, 68 percent of the youth who were able to receive professional care visited a provider fewer than six times during their lifetime. Professional help was highest for teens with ADHD (60 percent), and behavior disorders such as conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder (45 percent). For those with mood disorders such as bipolar disorder or depression, 38 percent received services, and 18 percent of teens with an anxiety disorder received help. Fifteen percent of teens with a matter use disorder received care, and 13 percent with an eating disorder received services.

Symptoms of Schizoaffective disorder

Schizoaffective disorder is a psychiatric condition. It is a mental disorder that causes a victim to experience and display depressive mood, mood swings, and excessive excitement, which are generally accompanied with distorted perceptions.

The symptoms of this disorder become obvious before the age of fifteen. They are similar to those of psychotic features of bipolar disorder, recurrent depression, and schizophrenia.

The following are the top five symptoms of schizoaffective disorder:

1) Depression symptoms: Schizoaffective disorder symptoms include depression symptoms. These symptoms vary in severity from one person to another. Some of the symptoms are poor hunger, guilt, inability to focus, loss of interest in social activities, lack of energy, restlessness, sleeplessness or excessive sleeping, and suicidal thoughts.

2) Manic symptoms: Signs of schizoaffective disorder include manic symptoms such as puffed up self-esteem, excessive distraction, little or no sleep, excessive or rapid talking, and increased activity in social or sexual areas, and dangerous or reckless behaviors. These symptoms occur in schizoaffective bipolar disorder, which is a subtype of schizoaffective disorder.

3) Schizophrenia symptoms: A major part of schizoaffective symptoms are schizophrenia symptoms. These are disorganized thinking, hallucination, unusual behavior, delusions - thought patterns have no touch with truth, imaginary beliefs, slow movements, lack of expressions in speech or action, low motivation, and disinterest in most life activities.

4) Major depressive disorder symptoms: Constant depression, fatigue, indecisiveness, frequent agitation, recurrent suicidal thoughts or attempts, extreme or almost no sleep, feelings of being worthless, and frequent self-blame.

5) Schizoaffective disorder includes most of the symptoms of schizophrenia coupled with depression symptoms or manic symptoms or major depressive disorder symptoms. When the schizophrenia disorder symptoms are joined with manic disorder symptoms or mixed symptoms, it is diagnosed as schizoaffective bipolar disorder.

NAMI route to address mental illness issues

A local organization will offer a course for families big business with mental illness. The Houston Chapter of NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, is offering a free 12-week program to families who are coping with mental illness.

The classes, facilitated by trained volunteers, will combine scientific information and emotional support for those struggling to care for loved ones suffering from mental illnesses. According to the press release, topics roofed during the 12-week course include the symptoms and behavior of depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, OCD and borderline personality disorder.

Youth fake mental health issues

Youth are faking serious conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression and self-harming in an attempt to look cool and copy celebrity sufferers. The teens said stars such as Kerry Katona and Britney Spears, who have spoken about their problems, have been an influence. An alarming 34% admitted lying about having a mental illness in the past, according to online treatment service mentaline.com.

The website’s founder Jesper Buch said: “It’s shocking that so many young people think mental health problems are trendy. “It’s a very sensitive topic, so to see that many teenagers are blasé about the whole thing isn’t good at all. “Many young people are too quick to say ‘I’m depressed’ or try to gain attention by pretending to have some kind of personal issue. Your teenage years should be spent enjoying life, not persuasive people that you have issues that should be taken extremely seriously.”

Glenn Close opens up on the subject of mental health

Hollywood actress Glenn Close will open up about her family's history with mental illness at a future meeting. The star, who is famous for films such as 101 Dalmatians and TV series such as Damages, will speak at the upcoming Neuroscience 2010 episode. Close's sister suffers from bipolar disorder and her nephew Calen has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.

It is also thought she may touch on her own experiences with mental health issues, having admitted to suffering from mild depression in the past. The actress works with the contributions bringchange2mind.org which aims to remove the stigma from mental health disorders. She appears in a public service announcement for the charity, along with her sister Jessie. Neuroscience 2010 will take place in San Diego, US, between November 13th and 17th. Neuroscientists from around the world will be in attendance to discuss cutting-edge research into the brain and anxious system.

Bipolar Shambles

Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder, characterized by extreme mood swings which are beyond what most people experience. These extremes may include lows (depression) and highs (elation/mania) and it affects person’s daily activities in a bad way. If the fluctuation of the mood does not cause any problems in his/her daily activities, it is called cyclothymia and it is not an illness. But sometimes cyclothymia can go into full blown bipolar disorder. Features of bipolar disorder may change from one person to another or one episode to the next within the same patient. Classically patients present with prolonged depression alternating with mania.

Features of bipolar disorder
Elevated mood: - These patients have elevated mood that is out of keeping with the circumstances. They may be jovial and happy.
Increased energy: - Patients with mania usually gets up early in the morning and they say that they can do more work than usual. Their activity level is higher than the normal individuals.
Increased self-esteem:- They have overoptimistic ideas. Because of that they tend to overspend money.
Most of the patients can have social disinhibition. Due to that, they can become sexually promiscuous. In addition some patients may sing songs in inappropriate places