Nonprofit groups receive $916,000 to help military personnel, families

Nonprofit groups receive $916,000 to help military personnel, families

Posted On: Tuesday, Sep. 1 2009 03:41 PM
Special to the Hood Herald

DALLAS — Fifteen nonprofit organizations were awarded $916,000 to aid in the growing needs of military personnel who are serving or have served in Iraq or Afghanistan through The Dallas Foundation's Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment (TRIAD) Fund.

"Our troops and their families need help now more than ever," said Philip Ritter, vice chair of The Dallas Foundation's TRIAD Fund Advisory Committee. "The TRIAD Fund provides aid to our military men and women so their rising needs don't fall through the cracks, especially during these tough times."

Military personnel today have to deal with new difficulties including longer tours, multiple deployments and limited resources. With record suicide rates, rising divorce rates and homelessness among veterans, the TRIAD Fund continues to help grantees address these issues, and many others, facing military families.

Among the recent grant recipients is USO Dallas/Fort Worth, which received $100,000 from The Dallas Foundation.

The following are the most recent recipients of TRIAD Fund grants:

$32,000 to Families in Crisis will provide support for a casework manager at a shelter in Killeen for victims of domestic violence.

$27,029 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Waco will provide peer-to-peer counseling and support group sessions in the Waco and Fort Hood areas.

$15,638 to Ride on Center for Kids will provide equine-assisted therapy sessions for people with cognitive and physical challenges from Fort Hood at no charge.

$10,640 to the Texas National Guard Family Support Foundation will expand the emergency financial assistance and short-term interest-free loan program to increase both the number served and the amount of funding available per request from $600 to $1,000. The other initiative is Young Heroes Youth Summer Camps for children of National Guard members.
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=35542

Coos Bay NAMI Project aims to help troubled veterans

Project aims to help troubled veterans
By Jolene Guzman, Staff Writer


COOS BAY — They are warriors. They see themselves as strong. They don’t realize — or don’t want to believe — they need help.

Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder discover months or years later it takes more than time and a few drinks to chase their problems away. A group of local organizations and volunteers wants to be there for those vets and their families when they ask for a helping hand.

Veteran and retired physician John Mesquita said many vets are brought back home and dropped into society without much of a transition. They go through a period when they feel they just need to “man up” and handle service-related problems on their own. Family and friends are more likely to notice the signs of PTSD before the vet.

“The common denominator is do they ask for help,” he said.

Mesquita helped built a partnership between the Coos County National Alliance on Mental Illness, local Department of Veterans’ Affairs mental health professionals and the Nancy Devereux Center to start weekly PTSD group counseling sessions in Coos Bay. The sessions are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The goal of the sessions is to offer a comfortable place for vets and their families to find helping and understanding.

“We want to give more than lip service,” Mesquita said. “We want this to be a step up, stand up and do the right thing kind of service.”

Monday sessions are for all veterans seeking counseling. Wednesday sessions are directed at vets who have served and returned in the last 10 years, and each Friday special support groups are scheduled for families of vets suffering from PTSD.
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Project aims to help troubled veterans

Act Now to Prevent the Incarceration of People with Mental Illness

Trust me on this. If Fred Frese is involved with this, it is a big issue. We've read about Veterans Courts because they take into account the unique issues veterans have coming back from combat. They are not just doing this for the newer generation of veterans, but for all veterans. Mental illness is not a crime and should never be treated like one.

Act Now to Prevent the Incarceration of People with Mental Illness

June 12, 2009

The criminalization of people with mental illness is a growing problem that devastates many members of our community. A study released this month in the journal Psychiatric Services shows that the prevalence of people with serious mental illness in jails is increasing.

The study, which was presented June 1st at a Senate briefing featuring NAMI National board member Fred Frese, found that overall, 16% of jail inmates have a serious mental illness.

Even more alarming, 31% of female jail inmates have a serious mental illness. These numbers suggest that up to 2 million jail bookings every year involve an individual with serious mental illness. In light of this study, it is more important now than ever before to support programs that help people stay out of jail.

This week, the House Appropriations committee approved the FY 2010 budget for Commerce, Justice and Science programs, which includes $12 million for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA). MIOTCRA grants support communities working on crisis intervention teams (CIT), mental health courts, and similar programs that are proven to help break the cycle of incarceration.

The bill also includes $100 million in funding for the Second Chance Act, which supports re-entry programs to help people get the services and support they need to successfully reintegrate into society. The full House is expected to vote on the bill the week of June 15.

Act Now!Let your Representatives in the House know that people with mental illness should not be in jail.

Write a letter today telling them to support funding for MIOTCRA and the Second Chance Act as part of the 2010 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill.

Learn MoreVisit the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project Web site to learn more about the study.

Visit the House Appropriations Committee Web site to read a summary of the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill.

Read more about the briefing on the prevalence study hosted by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

NAMI Montana executive director Mat Kuntz nominated to All Stars

Sent from member of NAMI

Here is a chance to help raise both NAMI’s profile and public awareness of the mental health needs of veterans-- in PEOPLE magazine.

NAMI Montana executive director Mat Kuntz, who is featured in the latest NAMI Advocate cover story www.nami.org/obama has been nominated to be one of PEOPLE Magazine’s “All-Stars Among Us,” representing Americans who have gone “above and beyond to serve their community.”

Earlier this year, he was selected to ride President’s Obama’s inaugural train as an “ordinary American” who has done “extraordinary things,” through advocacy for veterans.

Nominees for PEOPLE’s “All-Stars Among Us” are grouped under the names of major league baseball teams. The top vote-getter for each team will be honored at the MLB 2009 All-Star Game, July 13-15, in St. Louis. The person with the most votes overall will be featured in PEOPLE Magazine. To cast your ballot:

Visit the PEOPLE All-Star Web site.
Select the Pittsburgh Pirates emblem
Vote for Matt.

It’s that simple. Please spread the word to your networks. Each person can also vote up to 25 times in multiple visits (Yes, it’s allowed). Balloting ends on June 24. Mattt may be a long-shot, but someone has to win!

Visions for Tomorrow, Prince William County NAMI giving hope and understanding

Disorders Class Aims To Help Parents
Group Gives Chance To Cope, Connect
By Ian Shapira
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 5, 2009; Page PW03

Jeri Weeks remembers the disorienting feeling of learning for the first time that her son had schizophrenia. He was 18, and she couldn't track down enough information about the brain disorder that was hampering her son's reasoning and making him withdraw socially.

Weeks called a hotline for the Arlington County-based nonprofit National Alliance on Mental Illness, and over time and with plenty of help, the disarray receded.

"I was very distraught, but NAMI led me to a support group, and that led me to start my own support group, and after all these years, my son is doing well," Weeks said.

Weeks is doing well herself; she's a vice president of Prince William County's chapter of NAMI and this month will begin co-teaching a weekly session aimed at helping Prince William parents or caregivers of children with brain disorders.

The "Visions for Tomorrow" course, in its ninth year, will cater to a large swath of adults whose children suffer in a significant way from behavioral or mental health problems such as depression, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism and several others. The free course, every Wednesday night beginning April 22 at Penn Elementary in Woodbridge, is intended to aid parents who lack support networks or are in denial that their child will suffer for a long time, school and NAMI officials said.
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Disorders Class Aims To Help Parents

Florida needs Mental Health Parity Bill's passage

HB 19 – The Florida Mental Health Parity Bill

>Mental illnesses affect nearly 25% of Americans.

>Over 50 million adults -- at least 22 percent of the U.S. adult population -- suffer from mental disorders or substance abuse disorders on an annual basis.



>Individuals with mental illnesses face blatant health insurance discrimination.

>Nearly 98% of private sector health insurance plans impose some form of unfair, discriminatory limits on mental illness treatment, such as higher copayments, fewer allowable outpatient visits and inpatient days, and lower annual and lifetime benefits caps than are provided for other medical illnesses.



>The high costs to society of untreated and undertreated mental illnesses are well-documented.

> A National Institute of Mental Health sponsored-study revealed that mental and addictive disorders cost over $300 billion annually. This includes productivity losses of $150 billion, health care costs of $70 billion and other costs (e.g., criminal justice) of $80 billion.



>Advances in medical science have yielded successful and cost-effective treatments for mental disorders in the last two decades.

>Florida is one of only a few states that does not require insurance parity for mental health and substance abuse services



>Parity is fair and can save tax dollars by decreasing overall medical costs and reducing the number of people forced to seek publicly-funded treatment



>Adequate mental health and substance abuse benefit coverage has been shown to improve a person’s health, provides people with greater financial protection against unforeseen costs and reduces workplace absences and employee disabilities



SUPPORT THE PASSAGE OF HB 19 – THE FLORIDA MENTAL HEALTH PARITY ACT


Judith Evans, Executive Director
NAMI Florida, Inc.
316 E. Park Ave.
Tallahassee, Florida 32301
jevans9062@aol.com


Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can
change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
~Margaret Meade

Almost 150,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans already in VA mental health care

I am a member of NAMI, (not that they'd ever listen to me either,) and I trust this information. Think about these numbers for a bit after you read the following. Now, those are some really huge numbers but what you also need to think about is the fact two thirds of the American public still do not know what PTSD and in those numbers are more veterans suffering but without a clue what's wrong with them. 750,000? There's really a lot more than that. As outreach work keeps reaching them, letting them know why they have flashbacks and nightmares, why they think differently than they did, there will be a lot more seeking help but the VA cannot even keep up with the numbers they have now.

Today I was at the Orlando VA Clinic, which is the size of a hospital. Security had to direct traffic because there were over 3,000 cars there already. The patients had to park behind the building. They were parking on the grass spots under trees, usually used for motorcycles as well. Were they all there for mental health? No but it's a clear sign there will be many, many more seeking help from the VA. When it comes to PTSD, it's not something that can be put off. They need help as soon as they are ready to get it. Same with substance abuse. When they are ready to take back their lives and stop self-medicating, the treatment needs to be ready for them, but that doesn't happen either.

Issue Brief: Veteran’s Affairs

NAMI places the highest priority on the nation meeting the treatment and community-support needs of individuals with severe mental illness who have protected our freedoms through military service. According to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest unified provider of mental health services in the United States.



• Nearly one-half million veterans are service-connected for a mental illness.



• 150,000 veterans are service-connected for psychotic illnesses – chronic, severely debilitating brain disorders that often manifest during or shortly following military service.



• VA has positively adjudicated claims of 150,000 veterans for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – a disorder most often correlated with both acute and chronic stress reactions from combat exposure.



• In 2008, more than 750,000 veterans received mental health services from the VA, including almost 150,000 veterans of combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan.



NAMI endorses implementation of integrated services for veterans living with mental illness including access to physician services, effective therapies, state-of-the-art medications, family education and involvement, inpatient and outpatient care, residential treatment, supported housing, assertive community treatment (ACT), psychosocial rehabilitation, peer support, vocational and employment services, and integrated treatment for co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders.

NAMI endorses the Independent Budget (IB) FY 2010 recommendations for funding overall VA health care, for reforming that funding system to ensure advance appropriations, and for providing comprehensive VA mental health care; NAMI fully endorses the IB FY 2010 policy recommendations to improve VA care and services to veterans with mental health needs.



1. Oversight: VA must provide meaningful oversight of its mental health service programs. Congress should enhance its efforts to provide oversight for VA’s mental health transformation and implementation of VA’s National Mental Health Strategic Plan and Uniform Mental Health Services delivery initiative.





2. VA National Mental Health Strategic Plan: Medical Services funding to support the Mental Health Enhancement Initiative should be provided on a recurring “earmarked” basis, outside of the VERA system, until such time that VA is confident that the programs within the initiative are sustainable. Given the urgency of ensuring the implementation of the Uniform Mental Health Services package, consideration should be given to holding Congressional oversight hearings as soon as possible on the implementation strategy employed by VACO for this initiative. Congress should require VA to provide an assessment of resource requirements, as well as a completion date for full implementation of the Uniform Mental Health Services package.





3. Family-Centered Services: VA must increase access to veteran and family-centered mental health care programs including family therapy and marriage counseling. These programs should be available at all VA health care facilities. Veterans and Family Consumer Councils should become routine standing committees at all VAMCs. These Councils should include the active participation of veteran health care consumers, their families and their representatives.

National Alliance on Mental Illness 2107 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300 ▪ Arlington, VA ▪ 22201 ▪ 703.950.6264 Page 17 of 21



4. Performance Measures: VA and DOD should track and publicly report performance measures relevant to their mental health and substance use disorder programs. VA should focus intensive efforts to improve and increase early intervention and the prevention of substance abuse in the veteran population.



Mental Health Needs of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) Veterans

Evidence grows ever stronger that the health care burden for OIF/OEF veterans will be heavy, and the legacy of their war will be a long one. Utilization rates for health care and mental health services of these veterans predict an increasing requirement for health services in the future. Since 2002, over 300,000 OEF/OIF veterans have contacted VA following their service in these war zones. The devastating effects of poly-trauma, PTSD, traumatic brain injury (TBI), blindness, multiple limb loss, burns, sexual assaults and other injuries with mental health consequences that are not so easily recognizable, and can lead to serious health catastrophes, family dissolution, and even suicide, if they are not adequately addressed.

The DoD and VA have taken the first steps toward improving mental health services for active duty members and veterans of OIF/OEF, but are still far from meeting the mental health needs of OIF/OEF veterans and achieving the universal goal of “seamless transition.”

NAMI endorses the Independent Budget (IB) FY 2010 recommendations to VA and DoD for improving care and services for veterans of OIF/OEF, caregivers of the severely injured among this population, including parent caregivers; and to reinforce programs for peer counseling in the VA’s Readjustment Counseling Service’s “Vet Center” program, its substance-use disorder programs and its programs for co-morbid disorders involving a mental health diagnosis and substance-use disorder.

VA and DOD must ensure that veterans and service members receive adequate screening for mental health needs, including post-deployment mental health issues such as PTSD, anxiety, depression and alcohol and other substance use disorders. When problems are identified with screening, providers should use non-stigmatizing approaches to enroll all veterans in early treatment in order to mitigate the development of chronic illness and disability.

For more information please contact:

Andrew Sperling, NAMI Director of Legislative Affairs (703-516-7222 / andrew@nami.org)

February 2009

Fighting for soldier's lives

Fighting for soldier's lives
BJ Allen
Issue date: 11/17/08

Addressing the affects of war on all involved, Avila University hosted, "The War Within: An Exhibit Revealing the Veteran Suicide Epidemic and the Hidden Wounds of War" last Tuesday.

Key speakers at the forum included Army Infantry Sergeant Michael Pruitt, Army combat medic from 1992-2000 Amanda Cherry-Haus and Marine veteran Valarie Fletcher, but the floor was open for all to engage in the conversation.

The conversation centered around the affects of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on veterans, the suicide epidemic that has ensued and how to provide medical care to veterans.

"The suicides and psychiatric mortality of this war (Iraq and Afghanistan) could trump the combat deaths," Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), said.

As of Nov. 13, 2008, the total number of soldiers lost to the war in Iraq was 4,196 and in Afghanistan, 555.

These numbers do not include the suicides of soldiers after returning home.

In 2007, there were a total of 2,100 attempts of suicide by active duty soldiers compared to 350 suicide attempts by the enlisted in 2002.

"The scope of the problem (the increasing suicide rate) is scary when you think about it," Vietnam veteran and retired police officer Nikk Thompson said.

Thompson, an MS Crisis Team Coordinator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, talked about a comrade he had spoken with on the phone upon his return from Vietnam. The comrade was distraught after returning from war and committed suicide shortly after their conversation.
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The War Within: Eyewitness News investigates PTSD, Part V

The War Within: Eyewitness News investigates PTSD, Part V
By By Kurt Rivera, Eyewitness News
Video

* Editor's Note: This is the final installment in an Eyewitness News special report on post-traumatic stress disorder. For months, Eyewitness News has been documenting personal accounts of the devastating disorder. Many military veterans have never spoken publicly about their agonizing problems.

By the time all troops in Iraq and Afghanistan finally come home, thousands will face a different battle: post-traumatic stress disorder. So how are veterans and their families getting help? And, is the Department of Veterans Affairs prepared for the expected onslaught of cases? Amber Allen is married to a Bakersfield Marine veteran diagnosed with PTSD."You want to throw in the towel all the time. You really do. Like I quit, I'm done," says Amber Allen.

"My marriage is starting, hopefully it doesn't, to go down the drain. I don't want it to," says Marine veteran Mike Allen.

Mike Allen and wife Amber are opening-up at a counseling session at Good Samaritan Hospital in southwest Bakersfield."It comes firmly out of his mouth. Nothing will make me happy," says Amber referring to husband Mike.

The Allens who have known each other since they were thirteen.

"I served eight and a half years in the Marine Corp and I was diagnosed with severe PTSD," say Mike Allen surrounded by his family in a cozy conference room.This is ground zero in their desperate attempt to save a close knit marriage deeply impacted by Mike's struggle from within.

"Takes a lot of courage to just be free enough to take the risk, just to talk," says Russ Sempell who leads the counseling session.

Russ Sempell and Patrice Maniaci are co-founders of the counseling session called "Frontline."

"It's a unique "National Alliance on Mental Illness" or "NAMI" support group geared towards counseling family and friends of veterans with PTSD."Have you accepted I've got a different deck of cards to play with this time?" says Sempell speaking directly to Amber Allen.Sempell is a clinical psychologist and licensed family & marriage therapist at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Maniaci is a recovering survivor of PTSD learning to understand a father who developed the disorder in World War Two and Korea."I saw that he wasn't that crappy old drunk that we all hated or that I did. He was a veteran suffering with the trauma he suffered while he was in the war," says Maniaci.

"We had a veteran last night that was excited about getting help for the first time in fifty years.

Our motto is we're trying to save lives and save families," says a beaming Sempell.
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http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/34495484.html

Combat May Cause Long Term Problems for Veterans

http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/10776

Combat May Cause Long Term Problems for Veterans
SOUTHERN MARYLAND - 11/11/2008
By Pete Hurrey

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has released a new 14-page brochure on post-traumatic stress disorder, treatment and recovery. It is available online at www.nami.org/PTSD and is intended to help individuals experiencing symptoms or diagnosed with the illness, along with their families and caregivers.

The sad reality of our nation’s current military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is that an increasing number of troops returning from those conflicts experience some level of PTSD. Symptoms can include poor concentration, sleeplessness, nightmares, flashbacks, heightened fear, anxiety and disassociation – feeling “unreal” or cut off from emotions.

“PTSD affects individuals and families,” said NAMI medical director Ken Duckworth, M.D. “Traumatic events produce biological responses that affect the mind, brain, and body. Those changes involve everyone.”

“Over a lifetime, approximately five percent of men and 10 percent of women in the general population are diagnosed with PTSD,” Duckworth said. “Risk factors include the type of trauma, degree of exposure and any prior history of trauma. In most cases, there is a direct physical impact. Proximity in witnessing violent, life-threatening events also makes a difference.”

PTSD sufferers are not limited to military veterans. The disorder was acutely evident, especially in children after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the gulf coast. In that case, affected children displayed the same symptoms as soldiers returning from armed conflict.

In her advocacy work on behalf of Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, Connie Walker, Capt., USN (Ret.) and the president of NAMI Southern Maryland, has observed the devastation unresolved PTSD can bring to returning Veterans and families of Veterans. In a recent interview, she described PTSD as “an invisible wound that is often misunderstood by family members, and by Veterans themselves."

Walker went on to state that Veterans often pull within themselves when they suffer from the disorder. “Telling them to get a grip or shake it off only makes the situation worse,” said Walker.

She went on to explain that family members find the situation difficult to understand when they discover their loved ones are different after returning from armed conflict.

“Many times, active duty service members and Veterans who have served in combat experience feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, or depression. Between serving in a military culture where historically, disclosing a mental health problem has hurt servicemembers' careers, and their awareness of the stigma that surrounds mental health issues in our society even now,
these men and women are often reluctant or refuse to seek help," said Walker.

NAMI’s new brochure on PTSD addresses these areas: Psychological Trauma & PTSD , Risk Factors for Developing PTSD, The Neurobiology of PTSD, What is PTSD?, PTSD & Co-occurring Disorders, Combat Veterans & Trauma, Children & Trauma, Trauma & the Mental Health System, Family Impact of PTSD, Recovery and Coping, Treatment for PTSD, Medications, and Resources -- including NAMI’s Family-to-Family Education Program and NAMI Connection Recovery Support Groups.

It notes that treatment for PTSD for returning service members and combat veterans can involve several methods depending on the individual and the severity of the problem; and can range from individual therapy, to group therapy, to a combination of therapy and medication. Like any other mental health condition – the sooner a mental health issue is diagnosed and effective treatment can begin, the better.

In discussing resources available, Walker noted that Dr. Mary Vieten (St. Mary’s County) and Dr. Al Brewster (Calvert County) are local specialists in PTSD and combat PTSD. She also said that through this year’s passage of the Maryland Veterans Behavioral Health Act (SB-210), Southern Maryland now has a Regional Resource Coordinator to assist Veterans and family members in connecting with VA services for these issues and other areas of VA assistance. The RRC’s role includes facilitating connections with local providers when timely and regular access to VA services is impeded by distance from VA Medical Centers in Washington and Baltimore. Southern Maryland’s RRC is Arianna Hammond and can be reached at (410) 725-9993.

In recognition of the need for increased services for Veterans and families, earlier this year, NAMI launched a Veterans Resources Center Web link on their Web site at www.nami.org Whether Veterans and families are looking for information on PTSD, mental illness, or how to obtain VA benefits – the Veterans Resources Center provides an extensive list of sites online to find information.

NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by serious mental illnesses. For more information about NAMI Southern Maryland and programs available in our region, visit their website at www.namisomd.org.

====================

Constance A. Walker, CAPT, USN (Ret)
President, NAMI Southern Maryland
P.O. Box 25
46940 S. Shangri-La Drive, Ste 101
Lexington Park, Maryland 20653

Matt Kuntz of Montana NAMI took up PTSD cause after death of stepbrother

Fighting for proper care - State NAMI head took up cause after losing stepbrother to PTSD, suicide
By MARTIN J. KIDSTON of the Helena Independent Record



HELENA - As a child, Matt Kuntz lost a friend to an eating disorder. When he entered Capital High School as a teen, he lost classmates to suicide.

Mental illness had always been there; it was always something he'd seen. But it wasn't an issue Kuntz stopped to consider for very long.

Then last spring, he watched helplessly as his stepbrother, Chris Dana, lost a battle with post-traumatic stress disorder and ended his life in suicide. That, Kuntz said, changed everything.

More than 17 months into his unplanned but energetic campaign to improve mental health care in Montana, Kuntz is working to change the way mental illness is perceived by the public.

“We've got an opportunity right now to help develop a system that takes better care of Montana's mentally ill,” he said recently at a downtown Helena cafe. “I think there are a lot of challenges that need to be met. But people are working hard. There's no doubt about that.”

The former Army infantry officer who became a lawyer but quit his practice to serve as executive director of the Montana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness admits his road has been a strange one.

He adds that his new position with NAMI wasn't something he saw coming. Yet the timing was right and change was needed, and since last March, change is what he's been fighting to achieve.

Kuntz praised the system implemented by the Montana National Guard this summer in response to Dana's death. In less than two years, the Guard revamped its entire post-combat environment and adjusted the way it works with soldiers returning from deployment.

That effort began in March 2007, when Dana shot himself after returning home with the Montana National Guard from Iraq.

In the day's following his death, Kuntz began pushing for change within the service. He met with the press, wrote several op-ed pieces for newspapers, called the governor's office and stayed abreast of the progress.

“The night before I wrote my first letter, I felt really sad and defeated,” Kuntz said. “I didn't want Chris to die in vain, and I didn't want to read about other people in the paper. I just hoped the people would respond.”

During a Memorial Day celebration at Fort Harrison last summer, a service member approached Kuntz and told him not to worry - told him the problems would be fixed. It was then, he knew, that things would finally begin to change.
go here for more
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/10/06/news/local/news05.txt

Mental health treatment is focus of Weeki Wachee vigil

Mental health treatment is focus of Weeki Wachee vigil
By Gail Hollenbeck, Times Correspondent
In print: Saturday, October 4, 2008


WEEKI WACHEE — One of the unheralded yet integral parts of recovery for those dealing with mental illness is prayer, local ministers and mental health advocates believe.

"We pray for others to understand,'' said Darlene Linville, president of the Hernando chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. "We pray for adequate treatment during the early phases of an illness instead of later, when the illness has had a chance to cause immeasurable heartache. We pray for the families and individuals living with this devastating disease."

As part of that effort, NAMI in Hernando County will kick off Mental Illness Awareness Week with a candlelight vigil at Nativity Lutheran Church from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

The event will run simultaneously with similar events across the nation where candles will be lit and people will be praying together.
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http://www.tampabay.com/news/religion/article838232.ece

Post-Hurricane Efforts Raise Profile Of Mental Disorders

Post-Hurricane Efforts Raise Profile Of Mental Disorders
It is the storm damage that people often don't talk about--mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder that strike in the wake of a catastrophic experience.

Post-trauma mental conditions are one of many mental disorders that affect some 57.7 million Americans in any given year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which is observing Mental Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 5-11, 2008. Organizations, including Allsup, which represents people nationwide for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, are helping to raise awareness about mental illnesses and the help available to people and their families.

Anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder and phobias, affect about 40 million people, NAMI reports. One in five veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan (almost 300,000 troops) will experience major depression or PTSD when they return home. Other types of mental disorders also affect millions of people, including 5.7 million with bipolar disorder and 2.4 million who have schizophrenia.

"People living with mental illnesses often are among the most vulnerable in our society. Unfortunately, they also are often overlooked during disasters," said NAMI executive director Michael J. Fitzpatrick, who recently announced the creation of a NAMI Hurricane Relief Fund to help individuals and families affected by hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
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Post-Hurricane Efforts Raise Profile of Mental Disorders

Post-Hurricane Efforts Raise Profile of Mental Disorders
Hurricanes Gustav, Ike and other disasters have long-reaching affects; 57.7 million Americans experience a mental health disorder in any given year; the National Alliance on Mental Illness and other organizations, including Allsup, are raising awareness during Mental Illness Awareness Week

Belleville, IL (Vocus/PRWEB ) September 25, 2008 -- It is the storm damage that people often don't talk about--mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder that strike in the wake of a catastrophic experience.


Post-trauma mental conditions are one of many mental disorders that affect some 57.7 million Americans in any given year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which is observing Mental Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 5-11, 2008. Organizations, including Allsup, which represents people nationwide for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, are helping to raise awareness about mental illnesses and the help available to people and their families.

Anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder and phobias, affect about 40 million people, NAMI reports. One in five veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan (almost 300,000 troops) will experience major depression or PTSD when they return home. Other types of mental disorders also affect millions of people, including 5.7 million with bipolar disorder and 2.4 million who have schizophrenia.

"People living with mental illnesses often are among the most vulnerable in our society. Unfortunately, they also are often overlooked during disasters," said NAMI executive director Michael J. Fitzpatrick, who recently announced the creation of a NAMI Hurricane Relief Fund to help individuals and families affected by hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
go here for more
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/9/prweb1382844.htm

NAMI and MTV looking for PTSD veterans

Received from email

MTV True Life: I Have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

This hour-long MTV documentary will chronicle the lives of three young veterans of the Iraq War who have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. It will follow them for approximately five months as they attempt to treat or live with the disorder.
We will film and tell these stories with the utmost respect for the veterans and their families. The documentary has no political agenda whatsoever; our goal is to describe PTSD to our young audience and inform them through our subjects' stories.
About True Life:
True Life is a documentary series that's been on MTV for 10 years. Each episode of "True Life" is about a different topic. Most of the topics have some global, social or personal importance, like this one. Some of them are about youth culture, like episodes about gamers or cheerleaders. All episodes aim to tell deeply personal stories. There is no host, reporter or narrator. The young people tell their own stories in their own voices.
Our goal is to put young people across the country in our subjects' shoes. We hope that by portraying our subjects' lives, we will help young people understand complex issues.
Who We're Looking For
We're looking for veterans of the Iraq War who appear to be 28 years old or younger and have either been diagnosed with PTSD or have symptoms of PTSD. We're looking for veterans who are willing to share their struggle with PTSD with a national audience.
How We Make "True Life" & How We'll Film This Episode
Once we've determined whom we're going to follow, we begin filming them at moments and events that are important to their story. We don't film them all the time and everywhere – we try to select dates that are relevant to their struggle with PTSD. We try to be as unobtrusive as possible by filming with only a two-person crew and a small digital video camera. Our goal is for people to forget we're even there. We don't influence our subject in any way. We typically film between 25 and 35 hours of each person we're following. We'll get those hours two or three days at a time over the course of three to four months. Our subjects can stop filming if they're uncomfortable or if there's a problem. We edit the stories ourselves, with input from executives at MTV. The executives never ask us to include anything that isn't thoroughly fact-checked.
Punched in the Head Productions
We are a small independent production company that's been contracted by MTV to produce certain episodes of "True Life." We're usually asked to produce the more "weighty" episodes, like "I'm Home from Iraq," "I Have Autism" and "I Have Schizophrenia." Many of our previous episodes are online at truelife.mtv.com in the "Videos" section of the site.
Contact Information
If you or someone you know is interested in speaking with us about participating in this documentary, please contact us at:
ptsd@mtvn.com or tlptsd@gmail.com
718-422-0706
Please include your name, contact information, and a description of your story. Please tell us about your military experience and your current military status. Please tell us if you've been diagnosed or treated for PTSD.


Christine Armstrong
Media Relations Associate
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

christinea@nami.org

AMVETS, NAMI PARTNER TO ASSIST VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Commander John P. "JP" Brown III, signs a memorandum of understanding that solidifies a partneship between the National Alliance on Mental Illness and AMVETS, June 24.

AMVETS, NAMI PARTNER TO ASSIST VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Offer education and guidance for veterans coping with mental illness

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2008—AMVETS, one of the nation’s leading veterans’ service organizations, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) signed a memorandum of understanding this morning at the NAMI National Headquarters in Arlington, Va. The memorandum will allow both AMVETS and NAMI to share resources in assisting veterans and their families to identify and cope with mental illness through more than 1,300 AMVETS Posts and 1,200 NAMI affiliates nationwide.

“When troops come home from war, they just want to go home. They often don’t want to admit that they’re having issues readjusting,” said AMVETS National Commander John P. “JP” Brown III. “By partnering with NAMI, AMVETS will help teach families about some of the warning signs of mental illness and show them where to get help for their loved ones.”

A recent report by the RAND Corporation found that nearly 300,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with 320,000 more potentially suffering from traumatic brain injuries. The VA has also acknowledged gaps in available care for veterans living outside the commuting range VA health care facilities. While the VA is taking steps to fill in these gaps, AMVETS and NAMI are taking steps of their own to provide assistance.

The NAMI partnership, which developed out of AMVETS’ National Symposium on the Needs of Young Veterans, will help families of deployed service members to identify warning signs of potential mental health problems once their loved ones return from combat. AMVETS is uniquely poised to offer assistance to service members and their families through a 2005 memorandum of understanding with the National Guard Bureau, which allows AMVETS posts and departments to work directly with National Guard units across the country.

To date, AMVETS has provided thousands of man hours in support of the National Guard. The new partnership with NAMI will augment the kind of support that AMVETS offers to recently returned veterans facing a potentially difficult transition.

AMVETS will also work with NAMI to dispel the negative stigma surrounding post-combat mental health issues. RAND also suggests that many veterans are afraid to seek treatment for mental health. However, AMVETS is looking to teach that the human reaction to combat experience is natural and can be addressed through proper mental health channels.

NAMI fighting to stop stigma of mental illness

In this issue...
What’s In a Name? A Letter from the ADS Center
Online Resources
Research
Models, Programs, and Technical Assistance Tools… NAMI’S In Our Own Voice
In My Experience…Learning From a Troubled Genius by: Miriam Davis
What’s In a Name?
Nearly two months ago, we announced a change to the ADS Center’s name, from SAMHSA's Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma to SAMHSA's Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity and, Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health. The change demonstrates a new perspective for The ADS Center. We’re focusing on recovery, wellness, and the power of individuals with mental illnesses to chart their own recovery courses, based on their strengths and goals. These elements have always been part of our work, but now they’re at the forefront.

Many of you have shared your comments and feedback about the new change, and we thank you for taking the time to write. While we had a few emails questioning the new name, the majority expressed view like these:

Fabulous! Language structures experience and intention. I love your name change and applaud the awareness and consciousness out of which it grew.
I really like the positive and “do it” attitude that the new name presents!!!!!
The new name reflects a shift in society's view of mental illness from exclusion to inclusion.
The name change is powerful. Thank you very much for your foresight and thoughtfulness in doing this. It will make a difference.
I like the way the new name stresses the positive strengths and attributes as opposed to a negative focus.

We also received emails that challenged us to go further with the name change, like this one: The name change is great. But I note that the website still is called Stopstigma and also this email. It seems a little redundant.

We agree. From now on, we have a new Web site:

http://promoteacceptance.samhsa.gov/ and a

new email address: mailto:promoteacceptance@samhsa.hhs.gov

Please bookmark the site and use that new email address to stay in touch. Thank you for helping us Promote Acceptance, Dignity and, Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health.
Sincerely, The ADS Center
Online Resources
Guidance of Transformational Language

Transformation in services and supports for adults, and children and youth with mental health problems, requires a complementary transformation in the language we use to describe the people we serve. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration developed this guide to provide examples of transformational, people-first language.

Guidelines for non-handicapping language in APA journals:

Committee on disabilities issues in psychology This fact sheet provides guidelines for the use of appropriate language regarding people with disabilities.

Mind your language: Media guidelines for mental health issues

This booklet, part of the 'see me' mental health public education campaign of Scotland, provides guidelines when addressing mental illness in the media.

Module Two: Defining the Illnesses

This is a teaching module on the proper uses of psychiatric terminology. Learners understand how inaccurate portrayals and stereotypes of mental illnesses create barriers to medical treatment. This brochure is also available in its entirety from the American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

Stigma and discrimination: Aspects of stigma

Prejduice and discrimination towards people with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, and even towards their families, is a huge problem. This Web site contains ideas put together from conferences and other academic discussions about language.

Stigma and Mental Illness

This fact sheet about labels and stereotyping demonstrates the ways in which words can hurt and the ways in which they can affirm people with mental illnesses. By juxtaposing the ways that 'words can be poison' and the ways that 'words can heal,' the document sets ups do's and don't for the appropriate use of language.

Stigma: Language matters

A fact sheet created by On Our Own of Maryland outlining appropriate and nonstigmatizing language to use when speaking about people who have mental illnesses. The fact sheet is available at onourownmd.org

Words matter

This fact sheet provides examples of appropriate and inappropriate language when discussing mental illness.

Research
Corrigan, P. Language and Stigma. Psychiatric Services. August 2006; 57:1218.
Covell, N.H., McCorkle, B.H., Weissman, E.M., Summerfelt, T. and S.M. Essock. What's in a Name? Terms preferred by service recipients. Administration and Policy in Mental Health. September 2007; 34(5):443-7. Epub 2007 Apr 27.
Folsom et al. A Longitudinal Study of the Use of Mental Health Services by Persons With Serious Mental Illness: Do Spanish-Speaking Latinos Differ From English-Speaking Latinos and Caucasians? The American Journal of Psychiatry. 2007; 164: 1173-1180
Hamilton, B. and E. Manias. 'She's manipulative and he's right off': A critical analysis of psychiatric nurses' oral and written language in the acute inpatient setting. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. June 2006; 15(2):84-92.
Levav, I., Shemesh, A.A., Kohn, R., Baidani-Auerbach, A., Boni, O., Borenstein, Y., Dudai, R., Lachman, M., and A. Grinshpoon. What is in a name? Professionals and service users' opinions of the Hebrew terms used to name psychiatric disorders and disability. The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences. 2005; 42(4):242-7.
Rose, D., Thornicroft, G. Pinfold, V., and A. Kassam. 250 labels used to stigmatise people with mental illness. BMC Health Services Research. 2007; 7: 97.
Sharma, V., Whitney, D., Kazarian, S.S., and R. Manchanda. Preferred terms for users of mental health services among service providers and recipients. Psychiatric Services. February 2000; 51(2):203-9.
Simmoons, T., Novins, D.K., and J. Allen. Words have power: (Re)-defining serious emotional disturbance for American Indian and Alaska Native children and their families. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, The Journal of the National Center. 2004 11(2): 59-64.
Models, Programs, and Technical Assistance Tools
Listening Well for Mental Health

Paula Comunelli a 2008 SAMHSA Voice Award Winner for Consumer Leadership is the founder and CEO of Listening Well, an organization that provides personal and professional development for individuals, organizations, and communities using the power of storytelling. Her diverse background includes social change advocate, entrepreneur, corporate manager, government contractor, and transformational leader. A mental health consumer in recovery, Paula works to remove prejudice and discrimination that comes from ignorance and brings different cultures and ethnicities regardless of age and gender together.

Listening Well uses a recovery philosophy to both empower consumers of mental health services, family members, and service providers, and reduce negative public perceptions of people with mental disorders through unique community storytelling retreats and mental health monologue events.

Listening Well’s goals include:
Facilitating consumers of mental health services to step further into their personal power and potential by taking them on a retreat to go through a process of helping them uncover and prepare to present the essence of their story of recovery and
Promoting transformation in members of the public or mental health system who witness these stories (at a monologue event) by impacting perceptions about the recovery capacity of people regardless of where they lie on the continuum of mental health and by reducing negative attitudes surrounding mental health issues.

Listening Well accomplishes its goals through programs that include:
The Listening Well Experience (LWE)This personal exploration is designed to deepen self-knowledge, enhance leadership capacity, and further the human experience. This workshop is for those committed to their inner and outer journey and who seek balance and wholeness in their lives. Because storytelling is a universal language, the Listening Well Experience can be delivered in any language, to any age group, and with any population. Of particular interest is developing bi-lingual, bicultural facilitators to serve monolingual populations. Along with a wellness and recovery story, some key outcomes are reclaimed lives, the realization that one is not alone, and increased personal empowerment.

Inspired Leadership This program focuses on strengths (Appreciative Inquiry) and has been successfully used with corporations, not-for-profits, government systems, groups, and individuals. Some key outcomes are discovered strengths, enhanced relationships, clarified intentions, and defined next steps to create the work, life, and world desired.

LWE Group Facilitator Certification (Train-the-Trainer)This program develops the ability to facilitate the Listening Well Experience in a group format. Participants learn the basics of modeling leadership, using self as an instrument of change, and applying cross-cultural teachings and Appreciative Inquiry. Some key outcomes are a developed and sustained learning environment, improved language and story development, and enhanced co-facilitation and feedback skills. LWE Group Facilitator Certification is provided at the close of the workshop based upon successful demonstration of core competencies.

For more information on Listening Well contact the organization at 831-421-9393 or contact@listeningwell.net You may also access the Listening Well Web site at http://www.listeningwell.net/

In My Experience… Learning From a Troubled Genius
Originally published in The Washington Post on Tuesday, December 18, 2001When 25 Years Ago the Author Met John Nash, the Nobel-Winning Schizophrenic, She Behaved Badly. She's Beginning to Understand Why.1By Miriam DavisHis shorts were a bright plaid, glaringly different from the pattern on his shirt. On his feet he wore red sneakers. On the self-consciously earth-toned Princeton campus of 1976, he stood out. "Who's that?" I asked my friends in the math department about the odd-looking figure who hung around the math area, which faced the biology lab where I'd begun working on my doctorate."Oh, that's Nash," came the reply."Who's he?" I persevered."He's crazy, but he won't hurt you." End of discussion.That was my introduction to math genius John Nash -- years before he was awarded his Nobel prize in economics, years before his recovery from schizophrenia, years before the release of the film version of his biography, "A Beautiful Mind," which is scheduled to arrive in theaters in January. And years before I began to care about the stigma of mental illness.

I didn't question my friends' dismissiveness. Nash's illness reduced him to insignificance for me, as it did for so many others.

Like them, I grew accustomed to seeing "The Ghost of Fine Hall," as he was known, in and around the math department where he had been a fixture for years -- a department in which he no longer had any formal affiliation but where all knew of his former glory. Outside Princeton, many academics assumed he was dead.The trouble was that I saw this dead man walking everywhere on campus. He could hardly be missed. Hunch-shouldered, arms hanging, he wandered the grounds wearing a vacant expression and the same mismatched plaids in all weather, regardless of season. He muttered to himself and made no eye contact. His appearance was so unsettling that I never said hello or bothered with a half-smile. I never wondered who he really was beneath the off-putting exterior, why he was there, whether he had a family, what his background was. I simply tried to steer clear.

It took me 20 years to realize that in writing him off as almost subhuman, I'd fallen into the smug ignorance of most Americans. Sixty percent of them, according to one comprehensive national survey, want to distance themselves from people with schizophrenia.
As a grad student in the 1970s, I was, as they say, part of the problem.

Keep reading Miriam Davis’ story by clicking here.

1 The author used the term “schizophrenic” in the original publication but the ADS Center advocates for use of the phrase “person with schizophrenia.” Person-first language helps us to look at an individual, not his illness.

Subscribe to receive this update by visiting the ADS Center Web Site or by calling an ADS Center representative at 800-540-0320.

NAMI New Mexico has free video for veterans mental health issues

Posted on Friday, Jun. 27, 2008
National Alliance on Mental Illness New Mexico Offers Free Video to Help Veterans Identify and Manage Mental Health Issues

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New Mexico announced today that it is offering a free educational video to help returning soldiers in New Mexico identify and manage mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. With the support of a grant from OptumHealth, NAMI New Mexico will make the video available to returning soldiers, family members and others in the community who work with veterans from current and past conflicts.

"Many soldiers coming home may be facing mental health issues that can be treated.

Unfortunately, we know that some soldiers and family members do not seek help because they may not understand a soldier's condition, are not aware of the resources available, or might be afraid to seek help," says Becky Beckett, president of NAMI New Mexico. "With New Mexico's strong ties to the military, this national problem is also a local one. The 'Coming Home: Supporting Your Soldier' video will help our local soldiers understand that they are not alone and that help is available."

The Veteran's Health Administration projects that by September of this year, New Mexico will be home to more than 175,000 veterans, 45,000 of them from the Gulf War and other recent conflicts(1).
Read More...

As soon as I have a chance to watch it, I'll have more to post on this.

Advocates Want Mandatory Health Insurance Coverage For PTSD

Received by email


NYAPRS Note: Following is today's piece in the Legislative Gazette
regarding last Tuesday's Albany new conference pressing a top priority
of members of NYAPRS and our state advocacy partners: extension of
Timothy's Law parity protections to include those with post traumatic
stress disorders, most notably returning veterans, victims of sexual
abuse and domestic violence and disasters.



Advocates Want Mandatory Health Insurance Coverage For Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder

By ARAMIS M. GRANT Legislative Gazette April 21, 2008



The number of soldiers returning home from war with mental health
problems is among the reasons advocates in Albany last week were pushing
for an expansion of Timothy's Law.



A coalition of mental health advocacy groups calling themselves the
Timothy's Law Campaign are lobbying the Legislature to broaden the scope
of the legislation, which was signed into law by Gov. George E. Pataki
in December 2006 to mandate parity in the private insurance industry's
coverage of physical and mental health illnesses.



The campaign wants an amendment that would include posttraumatic stress
disorder among the biologically based mental illnesses Timothy's Law
requires insurance companies provide coverage for.



The amendment (A.10078/S.6818) is being sponsored by the chairmen of the
Senate and Assembly's mental health committees: Sen. Thomas Morahan,
R,C,I,WF-New City, and Assemblyman Peter Rivera, D-Bronx, who met with
the coalition in Albany last week to speak about the importance of
coverage for posttraumatic stress disorder.



"Timothy's Law has significantly advanced access to mental health
treatment," said Morohan. "However, the exclusion of posttraumatic
stress disorder negatively impacts returning veterans, children and
adults who have suffered sexual abuse and trauma," he said.



"This is a great first step to expanding Timothy's Law to a population
who needs it," said Rivera. The assemblyman said the amendment could
help society deal with the problems suffered by troops returning home
from Iraq.



Timothy's Law was named for Timothy O'Clair, who in 2001 committed
suicide at the age of 12 after his parents reached the limit on what
their insurance carrier would cover for their son's treatments.



Timothy's Law covers major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia
(psychotic) disorders, delusional disorders, panic disorder,
obsessive-compulsive disorders, anorexia and bulimia. The proposed
amendment would add posttraumatic stress disorder to the list.



The campaign argues that posttraumatic stress disorder was not
originally included into Timothy's Law, even though its inclusion was
proposed, due to the belief that treatment for soldiers would be covered
under benefits they receive from the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs.



But only 35 percent of veterans seek help from Veterans Affairs,
according to John Javis, chairman of the Veterans Health Alliance of
Long Island.



Javis said veterans are reluctant to seek help from the federal agency
for a number of reasons, including a concern that information about
their mental health problems will wind up on their personal records. And
Javis said there are also problems with access because the agency's
office hours usually conflict with veterans' work schedules and because
they might have to travel long distances to get to an office.



Javis also said women may be reluctant to visit a Veterans Affairs
facility because of sexual abuse experiences that may have taken place
during their time of service, making them fearful of personal
interactions.



The coalition said for individuals in the acute phases of posttraumatic
stress disorder, the base mental health benefit required by Timothy's
Law might not cover all of their treatment needs. The proposed amendment
would cover treatment past the currently mandated 20 outpatient and 30
inpatient visits for insured individuals and cover all treatment for
posttraumatic stress disorder sufferers, even if they are only in an
acute phase of the condition, when more intensive inpatient and
outpatient treatment is medically necessary to help the person reach a
state of stability.



According to Shelly Nortz, deputy executive director for policy at the
Coalition for the Homeless, there are about 20,000 to 25,000 people in
New York who would be covered by the amendment.



Nortz estimated it would cost insurance companies an additional $500,000
annually should the amendment pass. The amount is so small, she
explained, because few people require treatment past the 30 inpatient
visits already covered by Timothy's Law.



But the New York Health Plan Association, which represents 27 managed
care health plans it says provide comprehensive health care services to
nearly 6 million New Yorkers, is opposed to the proposed expansion of
Timothy's Law expansion proposal and said in a press release that the
inclusion of posttraumatic stress disorder would be costly and
unnecessary.



"This bill appears to be a solution in search of a problem," said Paul
Macielak, Health Plan Association president. He said the majority of the
proposed amendment is aimed at helping returning soldiers and survivors
of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, who already have access to services.



In addition to the cost-free health care services provided to veterans,
including reservists and National Guard members, the association pointed
out that in 2005, New York passed the World Trade Center disability law
to "provide that any injury or illness directly related to terrorist
attack on September 11, 2001, be presumptively eligible for an
accidental disability."



Also noted by the association was that in the crafting of Timothy's Law,
posttraumatic stress disorder was ultimately not included in the final
draft because "the Legislature made a decision to limit the scope of
covered conditions specifically so as to not require coverage of every
condition listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental
Disorders-IV" - a section of a handbook for mental health professionals
that lists different categories of mental disorders and the criteria for
diagnosing them.



Also, the association argues that a provision of Timothy's Law requires
the state Department of Insurance and the Office of Mental Health to
study the legislation's effectiveness.



"This study is to encompass two years of experience with the new law and
is not scheduled to be insued until April 1, 2009. Expanding the scope
of the law's coverage to include PTSD undermines the value of a
meaningful analysis," Macielak said.



Dr. Frank Dowling, a professor of psychiatry at the State University of
New York at Stony Brook, said posttraumatic stress disorder is a
treatable illness that develops after being witness to or victim of a
traumatic event. "The event stays with them ... reminders may trigger
thoughts of the event," said Dowling.



Dowling said that just like depression and panic disorders,
posttraumatic stress disorder is a common response to traumatic events.
"It should be covered just the same," Dowling argued. "It's all the same
spectrum and a response to the same types of events," he said.



Pat Purdie, who said she was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress
disorder a year ago after being sexually abused by family members, said
her abuse affected her significantly.



Purdie said she has tried to take her life on more than one occasion and
still experiences flashbacks, frustration and anger. She said treatment
for the illness has given her a "will to live," which Purdie said she
lost after her abuse and after experiencing the symptoms of
posttraumatic stress disorder.



"Who wouldn't want to add PTSD into the Timothy's Law today?" Purdie
asked. "Because without treatment, we couldn't make it out there ... I
wouldn't know where I would be today if I hadn't gotten treatment," she
said.



The Assembly's version of the bill was referred from the Mental Health
Committee to the Ways and Means Committee on March 11, and the Senate
bill advanced to a third reading on Feb. 26.




------- End of forwarded message -------

Returning Veterans Conference

Returning Veterans Conference
Paving the Road Home: The National Behavioral Health Conference and Policy Academy on Returning Veterans and Their Families
Conference Date: August 11, 2008

Location: Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, MD
Registration begins June 16, 2008
This national conference and policy academy sponsored by SAMHSA will help Federal, State, and local partners improve and enhance mental health and substance abuse services for returning veterans and their families. The conference/policy academy will facilitate nationwide sharing of information on mental health and substance abuse services and supports across multiple health care delivery systems. Attendees will be provided science-based information to assist veterans and their families in building resiliency and preventing and/or treating complex conditions, including mental disorders (e.g., TBI, PTSD) substance use disorders, suicide, homelessness, domestic violence, and co-occurring disorders.
Visit the Conference Web site and Register