Mental Health Care Cuts Could Affects fatalities

Money for mental health services is being cut on the centralized, state and even county level and it could hurt those suffering from an illness. Thomas Crocco suffers from mental health and is concerned that if cuts continue, his services and medication will be cut, too. Crocco said, "It would be detrimental. I could land in the hospital or even jail." It's been 10 years since he was last hospitalized for his illness and he doesn't want to take a pace back.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness in Cambria County lost $110,000 in financial support; now it relies on the United Way. NAMI Executive Director Wendy Stewart said, "Treatment and support can keep people well and by wounding mental health services, you are only going to see in the end an increase in hospitalizations and increased incarcerations. The things that cost so much more money."

Image Center provides opportunities for folks with mental illness

The Image Center, located at EFK Plaza in Herkimer, is a social organization operated by Upstate Cerebral Palsy. The Image Center provides an environment for individuals with a mental illness to gather and experience leisure and entertainment opportunities with specially trained staff on site. Individuals may enjoy a variety of leisure time activities with friends such as bingo, board games, trips and parties. The center is ready with a pool table, air hockey table, Nintendo Wii, big screen television and a Karaoke machine. In order to be eligible to receive services at the center, individuals must be over the age of 18, diagnosed with a mental illness living in Herkimer County and getting mental health services.

Joblessness Increases Chances Of Suicide

A new study released by the material Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), almost 20% of American adults in the United States have experienced mental illness over the past year. This translates to over 45 million people. The worst part is though is if you’re unemployed, you’re more likely to be among those people. According to the study, which looks at data from last year, unemployment can make one more likely to experience from several different mental health conditions.

County joins mental health services proceedings

Napa will be joining dozens of California counties asking for legal direction on how to provide mental health services that saw their support slashed by the governor’s line-item veto last October. Beginning in 1984, California state law required counties to provide mental health services to special-needs children who qualify for such backing.

In October, Gov. Schwarzenegger declared the authorization for such mental health services was suspended after using his line-item-veto authority to cut the $133 million used to fund the programs from the state’s budget. In Napa County, slightly more than 100 children receive services under the now-uncertain law. Such services were expected to cost the county $450,000 for the 2010-11 fiscal year, and county officials say the state currently owes Napa County about $4 million for previous reimbursements that were never established.

Mental health key to child defense

Better mental health services could reduce the number of Tasmanian children in the wellbeing system, according to the Mental Health Council. Council CEO Michelle Swallow has told a state parliamentary inquiry into child protection that a significant number of children in the system come from families affected by mental illness.

Ms Swallow says many of them experience depression, attachment nervousness and trauma."There has to be some strategies to allow people to say 'can somebody come and work with my family before it implodes'," Ms Swallow explained."I think supporting foster carers and providing them with ongoing training and appropriate payment is really important."

The mentally ill still face stigma

Glenn Close is right on when she speaks about the stigma of being diagnosed with a mental illness. The stigma so often linked with mental illness is a serious barrier to seeking help: Millions of individuals — children and adults — go without the critical services that can make a world of difference. The article is timely, as a recently released Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services. Administration survey shows that nearly one in five mature Americans has experienced mental illness in the past year, but only 38 percent received help or treatment.

Additionally, 2 million young people, ages 12 to 17, had a major depressive episode. The Mental Health Association of Westchester County Inc. and other groups are devoted to working to overcome this stigma, so that no one who has an emotional problem feels alone, and no one goes without the help that they need. We encourage anyone who has ever been touched by a mental illness to join us. As Ms. Close says, we need to "get over the fear of saying it out loud, get free of the shame."

Ministers 'continuing to focus on mental health of armed forces organization'

Further steps are being taken by members of the coalition government to try and enhance the mental health services which are on offer to workers who operate within the nation's armed forces division. Recommendations which were included in Andrew Murrison MP's Fighting Fit report will continue to be developed through partnership work between the Department for Health, Ministry of Defence and Combat Stress, it has been exposed.

Simon Burns, health minister for the government, has highlighted one step which is being taken already to help armed forces staff. He stated: "Work is already underway on delivering a dedicated 24-hour support line for veterans, and we are working closely with Combat pressure and other service charities to ensure that veterans receive the care that they deserve."Andrew Robathan, the coalition's minister for defence personnel, welfare and veterans, recently confirmed that the UK's armed forces are among the world's best at the moment.

Gov't review: 1 in 5 adults suffered mental illness last year

The government says 1 in 5 American adults suffered from mental illness through the past year. Most didn't receive treatment. A survey being released Thursday by the Substance ill-treatment and Mental Health services.

Administration found that 45 million experienced some form of mental illness in 2009, from major depression to more serious problems such as suicide attempts. Fewer than 4 in 10 received treatment for their mental health condition. the review found a strong link between mental health problems and alcoholism and drug abuse. Mental illness was also more likely among the out of a job, young adults and women. Overall, more than 8 million had serious thoughts of suicide, and 1 million tried to carry them out.

Council panel wants state to let city supporters raise taxes for mental health

The City Council Finance Committee today voted to back a state compute that would allow Chicago voters to approve higher property taxes in their neighborhoods to boost spending for local mental health services. In November 2008, Northwest Side residents by a wide margin approved such a referendum for the North River Mental Health Clinic, but the question was just advisory and led to no action.

The Coalition to Save Our Mental Health Centers now wants to allow compulsory referendums that would allow higher taxes without aldermen having to vote on them.“My neighborhood understood the upsetting effect mental illness can have on people’s lives, quite possibly because most of us have a family member or friend who suffers from mental illness,” said Carole Spreitzer, a volunteer with the coalition. The idea is to fill a gap in funding created as the state has called back financial support for mental health services, including $91 million cut in the current budget, aldermen said. If the full council approves the measure Wednesday, it lets state legislators know that city leaders back the effort.

WHO Takes Action for Millions with unprocessed Mental Disorders

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new simplified strategy to make it easier for health care professionals to recognize and take care of the millions of people with common, but untreated, mental, neurological and substance use disorders.

 

WHO estimates that more than 75 percent of people distress with mental, neurological and substance use disorders around the world don’t receive proper treatment or even minimal levels of care for those disorders. The programme will lead to nurses in Ethiopia recognizing people suffering with depression in their day to day work and providing psychosocial assistance.
 

WHO, in association with partners, will present technical support to countries to implement the guidelines. It has already started the program in the following six countries: Ethiopia, Jordan, Nigeria, Panama, Sierra Leone and Solomon Islands. Improvement in mental health services doesn’t require sophisticated and expensive technologies.

Public awareness of mental health in Iraq

People who suffer from mental illness, the professionals who luxury them, and indeed the actual concept of mental illness are all stigmatised in public perception and often receive very negative publicity. This paper looks at Iraq, which has a population of 30 million who are mainly Moslem.

Mental health services and professionals have historically been sparse in Iraq with 1 psychiatrist per 300,000 before 2003 falling to 1 per million until recently and 1 primary care centre (40 Healthcare Workers including 4 General Practitioners) to 35,000 population, compared with 1 GP per 1700 population in the UK.

Methods: We aimed to assess public attitudes and perceptions to mental illness. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire which was designed specifically for Iraqi contexts and was made available in 2 languages.
The survey was carried out in 500 participants 'homes across 2 districts of Baghdad.