Mental Health in the juvenile

Mental disorders can seriously affect even infants and toddlers, reveals a new study led by Joy D. Osofsky and Alicia F. Lieberman of the Universities of Louisiana State and California. The study is a part of a series that is looking into the lack of mental healthcare for children from birth to five years, and is jointly edited by Ed Tronick, University of Massachusetts, and Osofsky. It has been published by the American Psychological Association.

The researchers claim that because of a wrong notion that young children are not afflicted with Mental illness, the problem is not identified and treatment is not given which could lead to permanent damage. Rather than being “immune to the effects of early adversity and trauma because they are inherently resilient and 'grow out of' behavioral problems and emotional difficulties,” infants do react to the emotions and intentions of the people around them and make meaning about their own selves.

Help mentally sick

No one chooses to have a mental illness. There are good studies to show that the vast majority of people who live with mental illness are never aggressive and that most violent people are not mentally ill. Nevertheless, with the horrendous tragedy in Tucson there are some things we as a society should face. We do not provide enough care for people with mental illness.

The Downtown Eastside has hundreds of people who do not have sufficient care plans and who, by being in that environment, are severely addicted to drugs as they self-medicate. Whatever you think about police use of force, half the people shot by police turn out to be suffering from mental disorders. I understand we have limited resources and many competing demands for tax dollars, but we need to remember to care for those who need help and are often the last ones who will be able to ask for it. We need to fund supportive housing and adequate care plans so people with mental illness can live with respect and poise.

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.

Youth Wants More Admittance to Mental Health Services

The forum was participated by young people aged 15-25. They demanded more access to youth mental health services and spread of more awareness to eliminate the disgrace associated with mental health problems. There was discussion on topics including suicide prevention and psychologist waiting lists. One of the participants from Sydney uttered that he was never aware of what mental disorders were till the time his father got affected with depression and eventually committed suicide. He himself developed depression later on; while, his school had a support network, but they were not well-informed about the mental health problems.

“The main concerns he heard from the participants were negative perceptions of mental illness and a lack of education in schools”, said Mr. Butler. He added that young people were more anxious about stigma associated with mental health problems that they had to face in schools. At the forum, the young children expressed that the mental health needed to be a part of the school curriculum. Experts advise that three-fourth of mental illness commences before the age of 25 and just one in four such young people have access to mental health services.

Researchers Review Gay Youths' Mental Health

One third of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth have attempted suicide in their lifetime, but most of them are mentally strong, new U.S. research suggests. A team at the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted psychiatric interviews with 246 ethnically diverse LGBT youth, aged 16-20, to tax them for major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), conduct disorder and suicide attempts.

About 70 percent of the youth met no criteria for any mental disorders, but 15 percent met criteria for major despair and nearly 10 percent met criteria for PTSD. The study found that one-third of the youths had made a suicide attempt at some point in their life, and 6 percent had made a suicide attempt in the last year. The occurrence of mental disorders among LGBT youth was higher than that in the general population, but comparable to that of urban and alternative youth, the researchers noted."One of the most important findings from our work is that most of these [LGBT] youth are doing very well and are not experiencing mental health problems,

Mental Health Care Funding needs to be improved

Mental health care in Australia was yet again put under the scanner, with the Australian of the Year, Prof. Patrick McGorry calling for an increase in funding for mental health care. The advice made by McGorry was during a mental health summit being held by the Queensland Government.

While asking for an increase in the federal budget for mental health care, Professor McGorry said that rites for mental health in Australia were currently at $5-billion, and that they needed to be trebled to $15-billion. He also announced that the numbers of wounded because of mental disorders were 2,500 in the country and that an Australian killed them self every three to four hours.
The comments made by Professor McGorry have come after a Briton awaiting exile at a detention centre had died of a suspected suicide in his quarters. Prior to the Englishman, another prisoner awaiting deportation had died in the previous month at the Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney.

Talking about the increased incidences of people waiting to be deported killing themselves, Professor McGorry said that people seeking protection in Australia were already under enough mental pressure and the long wait of deportation further deteriorated their mental health, which resulted in them committing suicide.

Harmful Personality Disorder

Antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy, dissocial personality disorder and sociopathy are constructs that have usually been used to predict recidivism and dangerousness, alongside being used to exclude patients from treatment services. However, 'antisocial personality disorder'has recently begun to appear as a treatment diagnosis, a development reflected within cognitive behaviour therapy and mentalisation-based psychotherapy. Many of the behaviour character of antisocial personality disorder are, at the same time, being targeted by interventions at criminal fairness settings. A significantly higher proportion of published articles focusing on antisocial personality worry treatment when compared to articles on psychopathy.

Currently, the proposal for antisocial personality disorder for the Diagnostic and Statistical physical of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, suggests a major change in the criteria for this disorder. While the present definition focuses mainly on observable behaviours, the proposed amendment stresses interpersonal and emotional aspects of the disorder drawing on the concept of psychopathy. The present commentary suggests that developments leading to improvement in the diagnosis of this type of disorder should, quite than focusing exclusively on elements such as dangerousness and risk assessment, point us to ways in which patients can be treated for their problems.

Former first lady Rosalynn transporter to speak at mental health conference

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter will be the keynote speaker at an international conference focusing on women's mental health that is scheduled to happen from Oct. 27-30 at Sheraton Station Square Hotel in Pittsburgh.
About 500 researchers, clinicians and mental-health advocates are expected to attend the 2010 Marce Society International Conference: "Perinatal Mental Health Research: Harvesting the Potential." Research presentation and conversation topics will include the biology and genetics of psychiatric illness during pregnancy and postpartum and causes of perinatal mental disorders.
The conference is organism co-sponsored by Postpartum Support International and supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, Staunton Farm Foundation, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC, the UPMC Health Plan and Community Care Behavioral Health Organization, the Fine Foundation, and the Heinz Foundation.

WHO simplifies cure of mental and neurological disorders

Millions of people with common but untreated, mental, neurological and matter use disorders can now benefit from new simplified diagnosis and treatment rule released today by the World Health Organization. The guidelines are designed to facilitate the management of depression, alcohol use disorders, epilepsy and other common mental disorders in the primary healthcare. The intervention guide extends competence in diagnosis and management to non-mental health specialists including doctors, nurses and other health providers.

The WHO estimates that more than 75 per cent of people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders - including nearly 95 million people with sadness and more than 25 million people with epilepsy - living in developing countries did not receive any treatment or care. Improvement in mental health services does not require complicated and expensive technologies. An estimated one in four people globally will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. In the majority of countries, less than two per cent of health funds are spent on mental health. As a result, a large majority of people with these disorders receive no care at all.

Wellness center expands contributions

Health awareness is now more accessible with the development of Health Education, a component of the Wellness Center. In contrast to the Health Center's treatment of illnesses, the Wellness Center is dedicated to the support of health and the prevention of illness. Assistant Director of Student Wellness Amanda Smith said she is excited about the expansion of the Wellness Center.


Before the center was motivated to the Student Services Building health education couldn't be provided whenever Smith stepped out of the office. With the expansion of the Wellness Center UTD has been able to add a wellness coordinator, Kacey Luker, and an administrative assistant, allowing the center to stay open.

Along with Smith, Luker wants students to connect in more health and fitness activities across the campus. Luker will assist students who want to obtain a health and exercise program by fitting it just for them. The Wellness Center team has been increasingly requested to speak at different activities and events around campus Smith said. At these engagements they cover various topics ranging from women's and men's health to mental disorders. The Wellness Center also raises awareness about alcohol, drugs and sexual responsibilities.

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.

Illness Of Sick Leave

Mental health issues may not be a subject employees speak about as openly as heart problems or coming down with the flu, but research suggests they are using as much sick leave to address mental problems as any physical ailments. A recent study by the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health concluded mental illness resulted in more sick days among Canadians than any other chronic illness, costing the country's economy $51 billion annually in lost productivity.

Closer to home, a 2007 study appearing in the Archives of General Psychiatry found mental disorders account for more than 1.3 billion lost productivity days a year in the U.S., whether they mean taking time off from work, school or unable to perform functions at home. Major depression was the second leading cause of lost productivity, eclipsed only by back pain. Psychologists say society is more open to talking about mental health problems than it used to be. But a stigma still is attached to the health issue. People who admit to suffering from some sort of mental disorder may face significantly higher insurance rates even if they present relatively little risk, and there always is the concern they could be passed up for promotions or important tasks because employers believe they can't handle the stress.