Showing posts with label mental health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mental health. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
SAMHSA Report on LGBT and Behavioral Health
The new report, “LGBT Populations: A Dialogue on Advancing Opportunities for Recovery from Addictions and Mental Health Problems,” identifies factors that promote or hinder recovery from mental illness or substance use for the LGBT population.
The publication is available for free from the SAMHSA store at http://store.samhsa.gov//product/SMA13-4774
Monday, April 22, 2013
Get Set! National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month 2013 is Just around the Corner
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Get Set! National Minority Mental Health Awareness
Month 2013 is Just around the Corner
This July, organizations across the country will be taking
part in this year's celebration. We come together this time of year in
recognition of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to keep
building awareness of the importance of mental health and supports in every
community. Don't be left out. To help you get ready to take part, the
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the National Network to
Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) are organizing a series of
planning webinars. These webinars are designed to help interested individuals
and organizations big and small plan a variety of community events.
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Please mark your calendar with the following dates and
watch for updates to come:
History and Highlights: Learn about National Minority Mental
Health Awareness Month
Wednesday, April 24, 2013 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
Learn about how Bebe Moore Campbell, loving mother, NAMI
member and respected author, inspired this special month to increase public
awareness of mental health among minority communities and increase access to
services and support. Now what can you do? The session will provide an
overview of available resources to help you plan your own event and celebrate
the month.
Presenters:
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Dr.
Linda Wharton Boyd, Special Assistant, DC Department of Health -- Was a
personal friend of the late Bebe Moore Campbell and played an active role in
the dedication of NMMHAM in Campbell’s honor.
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Elicia
Goodsoldier, NAMI Colorado Board of Directors -- Recipient of the 2012
Boulder County Multicultural Award.
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Are You Ready? Planning and Preparing for National Minority
Mental Health Awareness Month
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
Already have an idea or plan for July? Share it! You may find
some new ideas too. This webinar will provide customizable resources and
concrete examples of activities from previous years. Whether you plan to recognize
this month personally or with a group, this webinar will equip you with the
tools and suggestions for a successful endeavor.
Presenter:
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Cecily
Rodriguez, VA Department of Behavioral Health
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Our Strength and Support: Celebrating National Minority Mental
Health Awareness Month
Wednesday, July 17, 2013 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
A panel of inspiring presenters will share their perspectives
on mental health in minority communities, emphasizing the strengths of our
cultural communities to come together to find support and carry a banner of
hope for all individuals touched by mental illness.
Presenters:
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Bassey
Ikpi, The Siwe Project
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Ramey
Ko,Partner at Jung Ko, PLLC; Associate Judge at Austin Municipal Court
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Thursday, May 31, 2012
Depressed? Please seek affirming Support
LGBTIQ individuals are less likely to seek and less likely to receive culturally appropriate, patient centered support for depression and other mental health conditions. If you are experiencing depression or anxiety please seek help. On this website are resourses to refer you to affirming on-line or in person support across the country.
I lost my best friend in graduate school to suicide, because he did not have affirming support. It was devestating to lose a brilliant young man with such promise, because of sexual orientation issues. I think of him everyday.
If your friend expresses thoughts of suicide seek immediate assistance.
This is part of a Scottish National Campaign on mental health issues. This segment is targetinging the LGBTIQ community. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSKZNYHoW1I&feature=youtu.be
One in the series of short films that 'see me' has produced to raise awareness of mental health and the stigma still too often associated with mental health problems. This film explores mental health issues, sexual orientation and gender identity.
I lost my best friend in graduate school to suicide, because he did not have affirming support. It was devestating to lose a brilliant young man with such promise, because of sexual orientation issues. I think of him everyday.
If your friend expresses thoughts of suicide seek immediate assistance.
This is part of a Scottish National Campaign on mental health issues. This segment is targetinging the LGBTIQ community. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSKZNYHoW1I&feature=youtu.be
One in the series of short films that 'see me' has produced to raise awareness of mental health and the stigma still too often associated with mental health problems. This film explores mental health issues, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Friday, February 10, 2012
New Study Shows Sexual Minority Stress Jeopardizes Older Gay Men’s Mental Health
In a new study released by the Williams Institute and published in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers found that sexual minority stress jeopardizes the mental health of midlife and older gay men. The study also found that marriage equality for same-sex couples may provide a protective effect against poor mental health. “This study shines a light on the mental health of a generation of gay men who survived the early years of the AIDS crisis and came of age on the heels of the gay rights movement,” said lead author Richard G. Wight, MPH, PhD, Associate Researcher at the Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, and Visiting Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute at UCLA.
Reposted to http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com
Reposted to http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Social Support Improves Well-Being of Those Who Come Out
The level of support that people perceive in their surroundings when they come out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual is closely related to their mental health and overall well-being, according to a new study. That may mean that for some people coming out is less damaging than has been believed.
Researchers surveyed 161 people between the ages of 18 and 65 roughly evenly split between those who identified as gay, lesbian and bisexual. The participants anonymously answered questions about how out they were and the level of support they felt. The study found that students who had come out were less angry and depressed and had higher self-esteem, but only if they were in supportive environments. In controlling environments, coming out was not associated with any of these benefits. (Los Angeles Times, 6/21/11)
http://keystothecloset.blogspot.com
Researchers surveyed 161 people between the ages of 18 and 65 roughly evenly split between those who identified as gay, lesbian and bisexual. The participants anonymously answered questions about how out they were and the level of support they felt. The study found that students who had come out were less angry and depressed and had higher self-esteem, but only if they were in supportive environments. In controlling environments, coming out was not associated with any of these benefits. (Los Angeles Times, 6/21/11)
http://keystothecloset.blogspot.com
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Shop For A Psychotherapist To Avoid The Lemons
by Nancy Shute
May 16, 2011 NPR article posted at http://www.npr.org/2011/05/16/136283080/shop-for-a-pyschotherapist-to-avoid-the-lemons reposted at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mental-Health-America-of-Licking-County/123584317683400 and reposted here at keystothecloset.blogspot.com
Turn on a TV talk show, and you'll think that everyone in America is in need of mental health counseling. But there are hundreds of different kinds of therapy out there, and it's hard to know which ones work.
Researchers have put a lot of effort into testing different forms of psychotherapy, and they have solid evidence of what works, particularly for common mental problems like depression and anxiety.
But despite that, people can't presume they're going to get the right psychotherapy, according to Alan Kazdin, a clinical psychologist who directs the Yale Parent Center and Child Conduct Clinic. That's partly because therapies don't have a lot of marketing money behind them, unlike new pharmaceuticals. As a result, "The public doesn't know about them and isn't demanding them," he says.
In the past decade, there has been a big push in the mental health community to use evidence-based therapies to treat common mental health problems like depression, anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The STAR*D trial, for instance, found that cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy were as effective as antidepressants in treating major depression.
Shop For Therapy Like You Shop For A TV
But not all therapists have adopted these treatments, and with hundreds of different forms of therapy offered, it's difficult at best for people to figure out what kind of therapy they need, and then find it.
People should be as practical-minded when they shop for therapy as they are when they shop for a flat-screen TV, Kazdin says. And they should ask therapists: Do you use an evidence-based treatment, which one, and how often have you used it?
How To Find Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatment
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) runs a searchable registry of almost 200 tested treatments.
National Alliance on Mental Illness has information on what families need to know about evidence-based practices.
The National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists lists therapists that meet certain standards for this evidence-based treatment.
The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies also has a therapist finder.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance has a "Find A Pro" service with therapists recommended by peers.
Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology lists evidence-based treatment for children and teens.
The American Counseling Association has information on how to find a professional counselor.
"People are now much better shoppers when they seek surgery in hospitals," Kazdin says. "And all we need here is just that same informed nonprovocative questioning about, 'I'm paying for a service and I'm suffering. Am I getting the best I can get?' "
Web resources can help identify treatments that have been tested and proven effective. A searchable database from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) is a good place to start. So are advocacy groups like the National Alliance on Mental Illness or the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. Once you know what kind of therapies work, professional societies like the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists can help find therapists who have specialized training.
But shopping can be a challenge when you're suffering.
'I Wasn't Sure Where To Turn'
Janet Ohlsen found that out. Three years ago, she started to spiral downward into depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. She was dizzy and couldn't think straight. Once, she told her husband she was going to do laundry; instead, she disappeared into the woods near her home in Erieville, N.Y.
Her physician prescribed antidepressants, but she reacted badly to them and more than once ended up in the emergency room. She diligently researched her various diagnoses and discussed them with her doctor but still had a hard time finding treatment.
"I wasn't sure what was wrong with me," Ohlsen, 54, says. "I wasn't sure where to turn."
A friend who was a clinical social worker recommended a therapist who does psychodynamic therapy. "I was lucky in getting a good therapist right off the bat," Ohlsen says.
Ohlsen has assembled a team to help her manage her mental health: her primary care physician; a psychiatrist who prescribes medication; and her psychotherapist, whom she sees twice a week.
"Counseling is the biggest part of this whole recovery — finding someone you trust, someone you click with," Ohlsen says. She and the psychotherapist have been working together on negative thinking, which is a hallmark of depression.
The Art Of Persuasion
Some therapists fear that the push for evidence-based techniques will restrict their ability to connect with their clients on a deeply human level, that they'll be doing cookbook therapy.
Scott Lilienfeld, a clinical psychologist at Emory University, says a good psychotherapist can do both. He's the author of the book 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior and a frequent critic of ineffective or dangerous therapy. "Most good therapists are good listeners," he says.
That's critical, because psychotherapy done right is hard work. "A lot of psychotherapy is difficult," Lilienfeld says. "It involves getting people to change and try hard things, try new things that people have often been resisting. Part of the role of a good psychotherapist is persuasion. It's getting a person to understand why they should change."
May 16, 2011 NPR article posted at http://www.npr.org/2011/05/16/136283080/shop-for-a-pyschotherapist-to-avoid-the-lemons reposted at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mental-Health-America-of-Licking-County/123584317683400 and reposted here at keystothecloset.blogspot.com
Turn on a TV talk show, and you'll think that everyone in America is in need of mental health counseling. But there are hundreds of different kinds of therapy out there, and it's hard to know which ones work.
Researchers have put a lot of effort into testing different forms of psychotherapy, and they have solid evidence of what works, particularly for common mental problems like depression and anxiety.
But despite that, people can't presume they're going to get the right psychotherapy, according to Alan Kazdin, a clinical psychologist who directs the Yale Parent Center and Child Conduct Clinic. That's partly because therapies don't have a lot of marketing money behind them, unlike new pharmaceuticals. As a result, "The public doesn't know about them and isn't demanding them," he says.
In the past decade, there has been a big push in the mental health community to use evidence-based therapies to treat common mental health problems like depression, anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The STAR*D trial, for instance, found that cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy were as effective as antidepressants in treating major depression.
Shop For Therapy Like You Shop For A TV
But not all therapists have adopted these treatments, and with hundreds of different forms of therapy offered, it's difficult at best for people to figure out what kind of therapy they need, and then find it.
People should be as practical-minded when they shop for therapy as they are when they shop for a flat-screen TV, Kazdin says. And they should ask therapists: Do you use an evidence-based treatment, which one, and how often have you used it?
How To Find Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatment
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) runs a searchable registry of almost 200 tested treatments.
National Alliance on Mental Illness has information on what families need to know about evidence-based practices.
The National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists lists therapists that meet certain standards for this evidence-based treatment.
The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies also has a therapist finder.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance has a "Find A Pro" service with therapists recommended by peers.
Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology lists evidence-based treatment for children and teens.
The American Counseling Association has information on how to find a professional counselor.
"People are now much better shoppers when they seek surgery in hospitals," Kazdin says. "And all we need here is just that same informed nonprovocative questioning about, 'I'm paying for a service and I'm suffering. Am I getting the best I can get?' "
Web resources can help identify treatments that have been tested and proven effective. A searchable database from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) is a good place to start. So are advocacy groups like the National Alliance on Mental Illness or the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. Once you know what kind of therapies work, professional societies like the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists can help find therapists who have specialized training.
But shopping can be a challenge when you're suffering.
'I Wasn't Sure Where To Turn'
Janet Ohlsen found that out. Three years ago, she started to spiral downward into depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. She was dizzy and couldn't think straight. Once, she told her husband she was going to do laundry; instead, she disappeared into the woods near her home in Erieville, N.Y.
Her physician prescribed antidepressants, but she reacted badly to them and more than once ended up in the emergency room. She diligently researched her various diagnoses and discussed them with her doctor but still had a hard time finding treatment.
"I wasn't sure what was wrong with me," Ohlsen, 54, says. "I wasn't sure where to turn."
A friend who was a clinical social worker recommended a therapist who does psychodynamic therapy. "I was lucky in getting a good therapist right off the bat," Ohlsen says.
Ohlsen has assembled a team to help her manage her mental health: her primary care physician; a psychiatrist who prescribes medication; and her psychotherapist, whom she sees twice a week.
"Counseling is the biggest part of this whole recovery — finding someone you trust, someone you click with," Ohlsen says. She and the psychotherapist have been working together on negative thinking, which is a hallmark of depression.
The Art Of Persuasion
Some therapists fear that the push for evidence-based techniques will restrict their ability to connect with their clients on a deeply human level, that they'll be doing cookbook therapy.
Scott Lilienfeld, a clinical psychologist at Emory University, says a good psychotherapist can do both. He's the author of the book 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior and a frequent critic of ineffective or dangerous therapy. "Most good therapists are good listeners," he says.
That's critical, because psychotherapy done right is hard work. "A lot of psychotherapy is difficult," Lilienfeld says. "It involves getting people to change and try hard things, try new things that people have often been resisting. Part of the role of a good psychotherapist is persuasion. It's getting a person to understand why they should change."
Monday, April 11, 2011
Disparities: Illness More Prevalent Among Older Gay Adults
By RONI CARYN RABIN Published: April 1, 2011
Older lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in California
Related :U.S. Panel Suggests Research Into Causes and Prevalence of Health Issues Facing Gays (April 1, 2011)
The research brief was based on data from the California Health Interview Survey gathered in 2003, 2005 and 2007 by the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Older gay and bisexual men — ages 50 to 70 — reported higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and physical disability than similar heterosexual men. Older gay and bisexual men also were 45 percent more likely to report psychological distress and 50 percent more likely to rate their health as fair or poor. In addition, one in five gay men in California
Older lesbian and bisexual women experienced similar rates of diabetes and hypertension compared with straight women of their age, but reported significantly more physical disabilities and psychological distress and were 26 percent more likely to say their health was fair or poor.
More than one in four lived alone, compared with only one in five heterosexual women.
Steven P. Wallace, associate director of the U.C.L.A. Center for Health Policy Research and lead author of the brief, said it was important to raise awareness of these disparities. “The gay culture tends to be youth-driven, and the aging community network doesn’t usually think about gay and lesbian elders,” he said.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 5, 2011, on page D7 of the New York
Monday, February 7, 2011
Peer Support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT) Individuals
by Ronald E. Hellman, M.D., FAPA, Director,
LGBT Affirmative Program of South Beach
The LGBT Affirmative Program (LGBTAP) of South Beach Psychiatric Center was initiated in 1996 as one of several multicultural services provided by this large, public sector community mental health center in New York City South Beach
Several years into the program, we observed that our sexual minority population, much like our general psychiatric population with significant disabilities, had great difficulty reintegrating within the larger LGBT community and the general community at large, despite the provision of LGBT–affirmative therapies. We came to believe that it was incumbent upon us to facilitate the creation of a socio-cultural component within a recovery model, in addition to the psychosocial and medical services already offered.
This resulted in the creation of an affiliated membership program, the Rainbow Heights Club (RHC). As members, individuals did not have to be enrolled at the clinic, and this allowed LGBT patients from all over the New York
LGBT individuals with major mental illnesses can be reluctant to engage in psychiatric treatment and adhere to treatment regimens over time, because they are less likely to identify with mainstream settings. They are a minority in these settings, and are also subject to stigma in the LGBT community because of their mental illness and in psychiatric settings because of their sexual minority status. And, unlike other ethnic and racial minorities, their families typically do not share their sexual identity. Thus they can be particularly prone to a lack of affirmation and supports.
LGBT patients have to adapt to largely heterosexual, cisgendered (those comfortable in their gender of birth) mental health settings in virtually all areas of service delivery. Well-intentioned, “integrated” settings fall short when they do not provide safe, culturally relevant opportunities for the alienated LGBT patient. Culturally appropriate programming, fostered at all organizational levels, has the power to transform these patients into LGBT persons in recovery.
A crucial component of recovery for the LGBT consumer is peer support. LGBT peer support allows for a process of authentic identification with others like oneself. It promotes forms of socialization, role modeling, and individuation not otherwise available in the generic setting. Mainstream cultural settings often inadvertently rob the LGBT patient of their experience as a sexual minority person with a different, yet valid, worldview. LGBTAP and RHC were organized to facilitate peer support by bringing a “proto-community” of individuals together that had never previously connected.
Separation from the dominant heterosexual, cisgendered world and connection with sexual minority peers is a common step in the healthy psychological development of sexual minority individuals. Major mental illness can tear people away from that process, and mainstream psychiatric settings typically provide no substitute. LGBTAP and RHC created the conditions and opportunities for these individuals to connect with each other, thereby creating a unique cultural community in which pride, place, self-esteem, support, and hope could be nurtured, as the weight of mental illness became merely a shared part of that larger process.
As a unique, regional program, RHC has served almost 500 members. Collaborating with staff and peer specialists, members have made their needs and interests known, the result being an ever-evolving program of groups, support, skills training, and advocacy. An outcome study of this recovery model found that participants attributed significant improvement in adherence with treatment regimens, reduction in psychiatric symptoms, enhanced self-esteem, improved stress tolerance and hopefulness to the program, despite an average of 16 years of previous psychiatric treatment.1 To appreciate the depth of this program, please visit http://www.rainbowheights.org.
1 Hellman, R.E.; Huygen, C.; Klein, E.; Chew, M.; & Uttaro, T. (2010.) A study of members of a support and advocacy program for LGBT persons with major mental illness. Best Practices in Mental Health: An International Journal, 6(2), 13–26.
From "Recovery to Practice (RTP) Weekly Highlights" Volume 2, Issue 4, Feb. 4, 2011. To access the RTP Weekly Highlights and other RTP materials, please visit http://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/resources.html. |
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
New Reports available online
The National Coalition for LGBT Health has published a new report on Federal government response to Homeless LGBTIQ Youth,
New LGBT-Inclusive Federal Guidelines on Multiple Chronic Conditions Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services issued its new Strategic Framework on Multiple Chronic Conditions, “an innovative private-public sector collaboration to coordinate responses to a growing challenge.” According to the report, “More than one in four Americans have multiple (two or more) concurrent chronic conditions (MCC), including, for example, arthritis, asthma, chronic respiratory conditions, diabetes, heart disease, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and hypertension.” In response to comments submitted by the National Coalition and several of its partners on the draft framework, the final version includes recognition of HIV as a chronic condition and notes, “It is likely that as racial and ethnic, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, age, geographic, and socioeconomic disparities of access to care and health outcomes exist in the total population, those disparities also exist in the MCC population.” For a link to the report and supporting information, please see http://www.hhs.gov/ash/initiatives/mcc/
Center for American Progress Releases New Reports on Mental Health Services for LGBT Youth
The Center for American Progress, with the support of the National Coalition for LGBT Health, has released new fact sheets on mental health services for LGBT youth. The two fact sheets, “Providing a Lifeline for LGBT Youth: Mental Health Services and the Age of Consent” and “How to Improve Mental Health Care for LGBT Youth: Recommendations for the Department of Health and Human Services,” detail the obstacles LGBT youth face in accessing appropriate mental health services and offer recommendations for advocates working to connect LGBT youth with vital mental health resources. The fact sheets can be found on the website.
New LGBT-Inclusive Federal Guidelines on Multiple Chronic Conditions Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services issued its new Strategic Framework on Multiple Chronic Conditions, “an innovative private-public sector collaboration to coordinate responses to a growing challenge.” According to the report, “More than one in four Americans have multiple (two or more) concurrent chronic conditions (MCC), including, for example, arthritis, asthma, chronic respiratory conditions, diabetes, heart disease, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and hypertension.” In response to comments submitted by the National Coalition and several of its partners on the draft framework, the final version includes recognition of HIV as a chronic condition and notes, “It is likely that as racial and ethnic, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, age, geographic, and socioeconomic disparities of access to care and health outcomes exist in the total population, those disparities also exist in the MCC population.” For a link to the report and supporting information, please see http://www.hhs.gov/ash/initiatives/mcc/
Center for American Progress Releases New Reports on Mental Health Services for LGBT Youth
The Center for American Progress, with the support of the National Coalition for LGBT Health, has released new fact sheets on mental health services for LGBT youth. The two fact sheets, “Providing a Lifeline for LGBT Youth: Mental Health Services and the Age of Consent” and “How to Improve Mental Health Care for LGBT Youth: Recommendations for the Department of Health and Human Services,” detail the obstacles LGBT youth face in accessing appropriate mental health services and offer recommendations for advocates working to connect LGBT youth with vital mental health resources. The fact sheets can be found on the website.
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