Florida and Texas, more veterans, less mental healthcare

For too many veterans this is a huge problem. Too many of them do not want to go to the VA for mental healthcare help for PTSD, if they go at all, but when they decide they want help, the VA can't take care of all of them as soon as they want it. They turn to civilian mental health workers. With Texas and Florida having so many veterans, being this low on mental healthcare spending, it increases the stress our veterans face when it comes to taking care of them.

Florida 48th among states in funding for mental health services
By Skyler Swisher
STAFF WRITER
Published: Sunday, December 23, 2012

Backlogs in hospital psychiatric wards, a lack of crisis services, shortages of boots on the ground and long wait times for help are the results of funding cuts to mental health in Florida, local advocates say.

As the nation reels from the shooting rampage in Newtown, Conn., mental health service providers and advocates are urging lawmakers to commit more dollars to behavioral health services, stressing the need for additional counselors, mental health beds and school psychologists.

Far too often, the mentally ill have to endure long waits to get the help they need or might not have access to services at all, said Pattie Hunt, whose 52-year-old son has had schizophrenia since he was 19.

"There is a total race to the bottom as far as mental health funding, and Florida wins all the time," said Hunt, a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness' Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns chapter. "They seem to take pride in cutting funding for mental health because it's not popular, and no one wants to talk about it. Our jails have become our mental health centers."
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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

NAMI Conference for Returning Veterans

NAMI-OC to Hold FRONT LINE Conference for Returning Veterans, Their Families and Community
IRVINE, Calif., April 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Saturday, April 25 from 9 a.m. until noon, the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Orange County (NAMI-OC) will bring together speakers, agencies and service providers who serve returning veterans and their families.


Front Line conferences provide important information on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression and suicide prevention. The conference is designed not only for those veterans and family members who are seeking assistance, but also includes information and resources for those who serve veterans, such as pastors, counselors, social workers and police officers.


The conference will be held on April 25 at Kaiser Permanente in Irvine (6650 Alton Pkwy). It will include presentations by Dr. Clayton Chau (of The OC Health Care Agency) on issues facing Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, representatives from Orange County Veterans' Court and a detailed discussion on accessing Veteran's Benefits.


Representatives from the newly developed Orange County Veterans Court will be presenting on how their collaboration with local agencies is working to establish viable options for a select group of offenders whose needs are better met through treatment interventions rather than incarceration.


Community Resource tables will be available and include: Project Return to Work, Long Beach VAMC, Veterans Service Organization, St. Jude's Brain Injury Network and NAMI-OC.
NAMI Conference for Returning Veterans

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

Don't abandon the mentally ill or their caregivers

Don't abandon the mentally ill or their caregivers
Deseret News - Salt Lake City,UT,USA

The billboard reads something like, "If you have cancer, nobody tells you to just get over it," and then lists a Web site to learn about depression, a mental illness about which well-meaning people might say, "Just get over it, exercise more, and eat right."

I recently attended a National Alliance on Mental Illness of Utah press conference asking legislators to maintain funding for the mentally ill. Those who spoke had been touched by the illness — individuals, fathers, mothers, siblings, loved ones. Mental illness had a human face, a community face. As I listened to their stories, they could have been the families of patients suffering from a physical disease, cancer, diabetes or other illnesses. Their responses were the same — they hurt and stand by helplessly wishing they could take away the pain. But unlike a physical illness that may be visible, mental illness is not, and those suffering often do so in silence; not to mention the stigma and stereotypes our society still has about it.

It's a growing problem, exacerbated by our modern society, where we are now more mobile and transient, unlike previous times when parents and family were geographically close by and could help out. The social and emotional ties important for the development and sustenance of meaningful life are vanishing. More people are homeless and jails are overcrowded. At a time when we have become increasingly sophisticated in our ability to diagnose and treat people, resources remain inadequate and many who are ill are left to the street or prisons.
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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

Battle Buddies and NAMI, it's a good thing

I have to tell you that I am very proud of the work being done by NAMI and the Veteran's Council. They should be all over the news for all the work they are doing for the sake of veterans.

October 22, 2008

Battle Buddies to aid veterans

Motorcycles and the military have become good buddies over the years.

When the National Alliance of Mental Illness wanted to raise awareness about issues veterans confront daily when returning home, Bumpus Harley-Davidson in Jackson jumped on board.

Before noon Oct. 11, supporters gathered for a road trip to Lakeside Behavioral Health on Brunswick Road in Bartlett for a walk-a-thon. They included Bonita Molbert, Will Norrid, Lloyd Smith and Carol Roy, who all work in the mental health field.

Richard Webb of Milan is an Army and Air Force veteran and avid rider who learned about the group's efforts during a visit to the Jackson motorcycle dealership. "I was drafted in 1966," he said. For about three years, Webb has been back in West Tennessee from the West Coast to care for his parents.

A Jackson Sun article the morning of the Rev Up! event focused attention on 28-year-old mother Aimee Sherrod, who served two tours of duty in Iraq in the Air Force and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Carol Roy, who is veterans liaison for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said about 20 percent of service people returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression.

NAMI is working to establish Battle Buddies, which will partner veterans with servicemen and women returning from overseas; and several other groups to address mental illness issues.

"There's the peer thing," Roy said. "They aren't going to tell peers, 'I'm having these nightmares.' It's all right to seek help. There's recovery support. There's help. There's hope."



http://www.marshalltribune.com/story/1471613.html

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.
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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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Don't deprive veterans of Montrose facility

Comment sent into Lower Hudson Journal news - West Harrison,NY,USA from member of NAMI

• September 29, 2008


Don't deprive veterans of Montrose facility
The decision on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs to turn over 100 acres of the 184 acres of the Montrose VA facility to developers is quietly "moving too fast and in the wrong direction," according to Cortlandt Town Supervisor Linda Puglisi and advocates for veterans rights. As the sister of a Vietnam veteran, I saw first-hand the devastating effects that war has on the human mind and spirit. I also believe that these facilities built to serve the needs of our veterans stand on sacred land bought and paid for with profound human suffering.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 500,000 veterans have a service-connected disability due to a mental illness. Other than orthopedic problems, mental health is the second largest area of need for veterans.


Understanding the crippling effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and the disproportionate percentage of substance abuse and suicides among veterans, it would seem that the Montrose VA would be expanding access to inpatient and outpatient treatment, housing, and supportive services that would enable these wounded warriors to partake of the American ideal that led them to serve in the first place.

Castle Point is not an acceptable alternative. How many Washington bureaucrats would sit still if their doctors expected them to travel 25 miles further from home for treatment?

I urge every citizen of Westchester County to speak out at the forum at the Montrose Complex on Oct. 14. Contact Sens. Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer and your local representatives.

Brigid E. Kenney

Ossining

The writer is a board member, National Alliance on Mental Illness of Westchester.
http://lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080929/OPINION/809290303/-1/SPORTS