Well, why not? It has worked for the self-esteem and public regard of many groups to flaunt pride in their own circumstances or achievements -- especially when the group has been stigmatized. Some folks are proud to be women, some to be black, some to be gay and some to be seniors. It's not as though most people involved in the mad pride movement are saying they're proud of how they feel or what they experience or do when they're in episodes of mental disorder. It seems to be more often about pr…
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Added by Jolyn on May 12, 2008 at 5:00pm —
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I'm a strong proponent of self-help, as well as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medications for people with depression and anxiety disorders. In my last blog and some I wrote a couple of weeks ago, I discussed psychiatric rehabilitation too, but that's really for people with recurrent and severe forms of these and other mental health disorders. The key to self-help is setting goals and following them. Sounds easy, right? Wrong, but you might do best with some help with your self-help.
La…
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Added by Jolyn on April 27, 2008 at 12:00am —
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The world of psychiatric, or psychosocial, rehabilitation is very different than the one most of us know. It's a place where people with recurring and serious depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders -- usually referred to as people with psychiatric disabilities -- are encouraged and supported to develop their dreams and follow them. There's very little, if any, stigma in this universe. The emphasis is on personal strengths, not illness.
It's where people with these conditions cour…
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Added by Jolyn on April 26, 2008 at 7:00pm —
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There are more than
50 causes of
panic, more than
100 causes of
depression and
284 causes of
anxiety listed on the Wrong Diagnosis web site. These numbers don't even include potential medication side effects and drug interactions that may be causing one of these cond…
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Added by Jolyn on April 25, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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Mental health practitioners tend to believe that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or other psychotherapies, together with antidepressants make up the best treatment combination for people with
moderate to major depression. Some practitioners prefer to provide information and encourage patient/client/consumer choice of what therapy, or therapies, they want. But wait -- here's
information on a…
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Added by Jolyn on April 25, 2008 at 12:44am —
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Hope is a wonderful thing when it's applied to finding what will work for your depression. I heard somewhere that a person with depression has to try three different antidepressants, on average, before finding the one that works. From my work in the mental health field, I've known many people who've tried far more than that. Yet, a percentage of people
don't find that antidepressant work for them, or the side effects can't be tolerated. There are new treatments and alternative treatments,…
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Added by Jolyn on April 24, 2008 at 1:00am —
3 Comments
Should I see a doctor, psychiatrist or therapist for depression? This is a startling question if you've ever been depressed and treated successfully for it, or if you're employed in the mental health field. The answer seems so obvious. It's always yes -- if you think you might be depressed or someone you love thinks you might be depressed. We don't always see it in ourselves. Some of the most famous people in history suffered from depression, but most people can be treated successfully for it no…
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Added by Jolyn on April 23, 2008 at 12:00am —
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Mental health systems in other countries range from nonexistent to highly developed, but every country has some manner -- for better or worse -- of responding to people with severe forms of the major mental illnesses. Some developing countries have humane and helpful traditions. The extended family and emphasis on community belonging in many African villages is one such beneficial custom. Some developing countries practice traditional healing methods that may be somewhat helpful to not at all. S…
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Added by Jolyn on April 20, 2008 at 2:16pm —
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Doctors and therapists may not put sex on a depression treatment plan, but maybe they should. Safe sex between consenting adults, especially people in love, improves the quality of life and has positive physiological effects, but it's easier said than done when you or your partner are depressed.
Depression decreases the body's systemic activities, and for most people that includes brain and other physical functioning. This usually affects sexual activity. The worst thing you can do is get down…
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Added by Jolyn on April 17, 2008 at 4:18pm —
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Depression could just as well be called inertia disorder. If you're depressed or in an intimate relationship with someone who's depressed, you probably already know that depression and some antidepressants can negatively affect libido and sexual performance. Here's one poor
guy's experience on the Mental Health Matters web site. Yet, does it really have to be that way?
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI…
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Added by Jolyn on April 17, 2008 at 3:30pm —
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Many men tend to handle depression differently than women. They're less likely than women to seek help for it and commit suicide at three times the rate of women. There are cultural reasons that men, in particular, have difficulty recognizing their own depression, admitting it and getting treatment. Some of the gender stereotypes of men are described on this
Psybersquare web page.
The societal view of males as strong, self-assured, n…
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Added by Jolyn on April 15, 2008 at 11:50pm —
2 Comments
I was involved in an ancillary way for several years with a unique and exciting project that combined the idea of peer-run with
supported education. You can see the
book my colleague and I wrote on that experience on Amazon.com. Unfortunately, only
one of the programs s…
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Added by Jolyn on April 15, 2008 at 3:05am —
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Why would anyone choose a peer-run program for a serious mental health issue? Well, because for many people with long-term major depression and other severe mental health disorders, peer-run programs provide hope, empowerment and role models with practical experience in survival and recovery -- within non-stigmatizing environments. These programs have become popular in the publicly funded mental health field, in many regions. You can skim through this…
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Added by Jolyn on April 15, 2008 at 2:37am —
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In the past 15 years or so, we've seen the emergence of a number of peer-run programs and peer services for people with depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and other major mental health disorders. This includes the hiring of mental health service consumers -- who will be referred to here as consumer-survivors -- as case managers and crisis service providers.
Although there are some strictly peer case management programs, consumer-survivors are often integrated into existing teams. More…
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Added by Jolyn on April 13, 2008 at 2:30pm —
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PACT (Program of Assertive Community Treatment) has been somewhat controversial. Yet, it has been replicated hundreds of times. PACT is a treatment model for people with severe and long-term forms of the major mental health disorders -- including major depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and more. It incorporates housing, clinical care, vocational and other services. See this
description.
Sounds good, right? Well, th…
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Added by Jolyn on April 12, 2008 at 4:02pm —
2 Comments
There are probably more flavors of psychiatric rehabilitation programs as there are of ice cream. Rather than try to describe them all, I'll talk about them from the viewpoint of their purposes. A good place to start is with supported housing for people with severe depression, anxiety and other major mental health disorders. After all, without decent housing, it's almost impossible for most people with these disorders to attain any kind of mental health stability. See this…
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Added by Jolyn on April 11, 2008 at 9:30pm —
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Psychiatric, or psychosocial, rehabilitation is a broad term for many program models and services designed to meet the needs and choices of people with depression, anxiety disorders and other major mental illnesses. Many states have adopted this approach.
Certain values guide psychiatric rehabilitation. Here are just a few:
Services should be delivered in the least restrictive and most normal environment for the particular activity;
Consumer and family involvement is critical to effectiveness;…
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Added by Jolyn on April 10, 2008 at 12:26am —
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"He's just such a downer." "She's the hysterical type." "If she'd only do something about her problems, she wouldn't be depressed." "Everybody gets upset or feels depressed sometimes, but there's no reason to let it get the better of you." "Well, she's crazy. What can you expect?" These are just a few comments people who have depression or an anxiety disorder hear, but biases toward people with depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders are largely based on myths.
See this list of…
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Added by Jolyn on April 9, 2008 at 12:30am —
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What's a clubhouse program for people with mental illness? See the
International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD) web site to learn about this unique rehabilitation program that's far more than a program to thousands of people with major mental illnesses.
I was trained at Fountain House many years ago and worked in clubhouses. I saw the incredible differences that clubhouses, where people are needed, wanted and expected, make in t…
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Added by Jolyn on April 7, 2008 at 4:00pm —
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It's still a shock for some that enough people with major mental illnesses have been able to organize a virtual overhaul of the mental health system culture. Consumer rights, individualized services, consumer voice and consumer choice, as examples, are now cornerstones of this new culture. There's much more to do, but it was primarily consumers in the mental health system who initiated and continue to lead this far-reaching, anti-stigmatizing and rights-oriented campaign. To understand more abou…
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Added by Jolyn on April 6, 2008 at 1:30am —
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