Advocate Support Blog

Government to Boost Funding for Suicide Prevention

Government to boost funding for suicide prevention, Mental Health Articles...
By Kathleen Blanchard RN 
According to a new release from the American Psychological Association (APA), the government is boosting funding to suicide prevention hotlines across the nation.
Emaxhealth - http://www.emaxhealth.com/

Maryland Economic Woes Means No Medicaid Inflation Increase for Community Mental Health & Substance Abuse Providers

Following is a video of Maryland's Governor Martin O'Malley, from July 21, 2009, in which he announces that he is seeking $4 billion in cuts to Maryland's budget by this Labor Day. 

br>

However, a July 22, 2009 article in the Baltimore Business Journal, Maryland Board of Public Works approves O'Malley budget cuts, by Ryan Sharrow, reported, "Maryland’s Board of Public Works unanimously approved Wednesday Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposal to slash $280 million from the state’s current budget. The cuts are the first step in trimming more than $700 million of the state’s $14 billion budget, a move precipitated by plunging tax revenue. O’Malley plans to introduce the remaining cuts by Labor Day."

The Baltimore Sun reported, "Among the hardest hit in this round of budget cuts would be Medicaid providers. The governor plans to save $24 million by paying only for hospital stays of a certain length under Medicaid, $23 million by reducing Medicaid rates for nursing homes and $13 million by taking away an inflation increase for providers of community mental health, substance abuse and other services." $280M in state budget cuts approved At least $420 million in further reductions planned before Labor Day, By Julie Bykowicz, July 22, 2009

Maryland's Board of Public Works is a three-member board which is comprised of Governor Martin O'Malley, Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp and Comptroller Peter Franchot.

Marijuana Debate

I have noticed that there has been a lot of talk about marijuana in the last week. I watched the following news story the other morning on NBC's Today Show.

I thought that using California's current financial problems as an excuse to expand legalization as pretty week, but it appears that it may work.

Out of curiosity I signed up for Google Alerts for "Marijuana" last Friday. This service sends me emails of all news stories on a particular topic and I chose the "as it occurs" option. My email exploded over the past three days and I will need to delete the alerts as soon as I am done with this post to regain control of my email account.

As someone who was not very informed about the subject, and the current debate, I have learned a lot and I am surprised about how divisive this issue is. I found the current marijuana debate in the United States to be similarly charged as debates on abortion and homosexuality. 

Even if California doesn't succeed in legalizing marijuana in the next year, medical marijuana seems to be gaining greater acceptance. 

New Hampshire's Governor vetoed a medical marijuana bill on Friday and then CBS reported on Sunday that 41% of American's now support legalization.

The conversation is heating up. Please share your views. I would like to hear your views.

Annual Maryland Schizophrenia Conference - 2008

Maryland will be holding its' annual Schizophrenia Conference on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at the BWI Airport Marriott.

This event is sponsored by:
• The Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, Mental Hygiene Administration
• Mental Health Services Training Center, University of Maryland
• Spring Grove Hospital Center
• Maryland Psychiatric Research Center
• Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland
• NAMI Maryland
• Community Behavioral Health Association of Maryland
• VA Capitol Health Care, Network
• Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center
• Sheppard Pratt Health System

The contact for this event is Wendy Baysmore, 410-646-7758

On-Line Registration will begin mid September

Check their web site for updates: http://trainingcenter.umaryland.edu/

Download Schizophrenia.2.pdf

Mental Health & Poverty

I found this video, "UK MEET ON CHILD MENTAL HEALTH IN AFRICA". Africa was the main theme at a medical conference held this month in the UK. Professionals discussed how to best improve mental health treatment of children across Africa.

Poverty causes mental health problems and mental health problems cause poverty. This is as true in Africa as it is everywhere, but Africans have some unique views of mental health symptoms.

Who does your Psychiatrist work for?

Does your psychiatrist make you feel that he/she works for you? You should. If you don't, you should bring this up to him/her.

Homeless People Using Drugs?

I just read a post on Mental Health Update, "Homelessness and drug use", which was posted by John Gale this morning.

Here's an excerpt:

"Homelessness and drug and/or alcohol abuse often go hand-in-hand. Homeless people who abuse drugs and alcohol are more likely to demonstrate ineffective coping skills, low levels of self-efficacy and to end up in prison. They are also vulnerable to hepatitis and HIV, victimization, sexually-transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, depression and suicidality. A focus-group study of 54 homeless and drug-using people between the ages of 18 and 24 looked into their attitudes to drugs and what they saw as the facilitators of and barriers to good-quality health care. Participants saw substance abuse as a health risk and a barrier to care but also as an adaptive response to psychological pain and survival on the streets."

I am glad that people are studying these issues because they need attention.

It is more than apparent to me that someone who is homeless would abuse alcohol and other drugs.

Homeless people are worried about shelter, the weather, food, bathing, clothes, what little belongings they have, the police, people they encounter, and many other issues. It is extremely stressful to be homeless. They become stuck in poverty and can not see a way out. They begin living moment by moment. Their future prospects, hopes and aspirations begin to fade as the pressures of their situation bear down upon them and eventually they loose hope as they begin the process of acceptance and survival.

Homeless people, like most people, use alcohol and other drugs to reduce stress, escape and to feel better or different.

Why wouldn't they?

Can you honestly say that you wouldn't?

Mental Health Patients Die Prematurely!?

In a story written by Ed Yeates for KSL Television & Radio, Salt Lake City UT, on August 18, 2008, the headline reads, "Statistics show many mental health patients die prematurely".

People undergoing treatment for mental illness are dying prematurely in epidemic proportions. The stats are so alarming, Utah is adopting new monitoring guidelines to redefine the definition of wellness and recovery.

Dr. Joseph Parks, with the Council of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, said, "It's a shocking number. It's 25 years earlier than the general population."

"The majority of deaths are due to heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or stroke or respiratory illness. The majority of deaths are not due to suicide," he said.

One reader commented: "Did they ever stop to think that if you are not healthy in general causes early death, maybe these people that are mentally unhealthy may also happen to have other problems making it more likely for them to die early. I just think this is more natural than they are trying to make it out to be."

Another responded to the first comment: "Agreed. I don't want to write people off, because people are someone's son or daughter, husband, wife, father mother. But it seems like nature has a way of cleansing itself of diseased organisms, and this may be one of those ways. If I am born with a certain genetic disease that will shorten my lifespan, that's terrible, but it's the way nature strengthens a species. Until medicine learns to actually cure the underlying genetic material so that it is not passed on to future generations, medicine will simply be allowing many more diseases to permeate the whole species. I know it sounds harsh, and I hope that soon we will be able to cleanse terrible diseases out of the gene pool. But that's simply the way nature has always done it and does it today in just about everything."

UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE!

As someone who has had daily contact with many individuals, with many different types, and varying degrees, of mental illnesses over the past 20 years, I am quite certain that people with mental illnesses aren't genetically predisposed to die 25 years before everyone else.

The real contributing factors are:
1. Poverty
2. Long term effects of some Psychotropic Medications
3. The U.S. health care system, lack of coordination of care, difficulty accessing services, etc.
4. Public apathy

Let me know what you think and what your experiences are.

I will be following up on this issue over the next few weeks.