Wednesday, April 29, 2009

In My Own Words

Dear NAMI-Tyler,
I joined the NAMI organization in 1993.
I was still a patient in Terrell State Hospital serving a 2 year commitment. I had been admitted to Terrell in 1990 following a suicide attempt and several months of severe unremitting illness including psychosis and suicidal/homicidal thoughts.
I asked to be sent to Terrell. I realized I had no insurance and my mother was footing the expensive costs of a private local hospital. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. The first time I was attacked was by a staffperson for throwing my cigarette lighter down the hallway of the women's side of the acute ward. Evidently this was part of their "treatment". I had already gone totally wild in the seclusion room without my meds. Before I got in Terrell I had gotten out in the middle of the highway trying to either get hit or get help. Fortunately, someone stopped and rendered aid.
But, unfortunately, for me, Terrell back then practiced a treatment called PMAB. It consisted of restraints of out-of-control patients. So, several times without knowing why I would act out and would be restrained by the muscular young men and women staffpeople who would physically restrain me by pinning me down. Other patients felt sorry for me. I now realize I was being picked on for some reason. Why I don't know. Now I realize I repressed those memories from my mind but that they recently surfaced so that finally I could deal with them. Their repression is what cause a great deal of trouble in my life for the last 19 years. Just yesterday I read in the NAMI-California Connection newsletter that restraint and seclusion have zero therapeutic value and may cause "great harm and even death". And California is trying to do something about it. I think it is about time. And I can finally deal with the problems that those repressed memories had caused me all those years .
The reason I joined NAMI in 1993? So future Terrell State Hospital patients would not have to go through the horrid treatment that I suffered at the hands of people that were supposedly there to help me.
Sincerely yours,
Karma Conaway

Saturday, April 25, 2009

What is Schizophrenia?



NAMI Medical Director Ken Duckworth, MD, discusses Schizophrenia.


The Soloist is an emotionally soaring drama about lost dreams and the redemptive power of music. In the film, which was based on a true story, Journalist Steve Lopez (Oscar® nominee Robert Downey Jr.) discovers Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx), a former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets of L.A. As Lopez endeavors to help the homeless man find his way back, a unique friendship is formed, one that transforms both their lives.

The film explores such issues as homelessness and mental illness, as well as the healing nature of music. The social action campaign for the film will focus on these issues with educational and legislative initiatives to help guide audience members who are interested in getting involved.

Arlington, VA— The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched a new Web site, www.nami.org/soloist, as part of a social action campaign with Participant Media surrounding Friday’s release (April 24) of The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr.

Thursday, April 23, 2009



The Released: Frontline Investigates What Really Happens To Mentally Ill Offenders When They Leave Prison
PBS
April 28, 2009

Five years ago, FRONTLINE’s groundbreaking film, The New Asylums, went deep inside the Ohio prison system as it struggled to provide care to thousands of mentally ill inmates. This year, FRONTLINE filmmakers Karen O’Connor and Miri Navasky return to Ohio to tell the next chapter in this disturbing story: what happens to mentally ill offenders when they leave prison. The Released—airing on Tuesday, April 28, at 9 P.M. on PBS (check local listings), is an intimate look at the lives of the seriously mentally ill as they struggle to remain free.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/released/

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Want more Information?

About what? you say.

Anything about Mental Health or Substance Abuse.

The Texas Comission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse built an extensive research and reference collection in the area of substance abuse prevention and treatment. Upon our merger with Mental Health in September 2004, we began collecting materials in that field.

The Information Center collection includes not only books and journals, but an extensive video collection that circulates to individuals within Texas to aid them with their instructional training and educational programs.

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/sa/salibrary.shtm

and

http://www.mhtransformation.org/clearinghouse/consumer-resources.asp

Thursday, April 16, 2009

The Right Prescription for Crime

The Right Prescription for Crime April 16, 2009

By Marc Levin
Mental illness is a key factor in driving up correctional costs in Texas.

There are 42,556 offenders with a mental health diagnosis in prison, 55,276 on probation, and 21,345 on parole. Additionally, some 170,000 mentally ill inmates are admitted into Texas county jails every year.

Mentally ill inmates cost more to house and they stay longer. They are also more likely to recidivate.

Fortunately, there are policies that can reduce both the recidivism and cost associated with the mentally ill in the criminal justice system.

First, counties can divert mentally ill offenders from jail through programs that protect public safety while saving taxpayer dollars.

Bexar County has established a successful three-pronged jail diversion program that can serve as a model for other Texas counties.

First, it employs specially trained law enforcement personnel called Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT). These teams are often able to defuse incidents involving the mentally ill without an arrest. Participants in CIT programs spent on average two more months out of jail than non-diverted individuals, resulting in significant jail cost savings. While the largest Texas metropolitan police departments have CIT personnel, smaller police departments can create a CIT program through cooperatives with other nearby departments.

With Bexar County’s second prong, arrested offenders are screened for mental illness and, if not a threat to public safety, released on a mental health bond or to a treatment center. Screenings are conducted at the Crisis Care Center, a 24-hour facility that provides significantly quicker service at a lower cost than the emergency room. Once stabilized, offenders are released on a mental health bond. Because the wait for a trial date can be as long as six months, outpatient monitoring significantly reduces the utilization of county jail space.

Finally, Bexar County diverts such misdemeanants from jail through an initiative called MANOS, which includes intensive case management that consists of outpatient medication management and counseling.

Of the 371 offenders admitted to the MANOS Program, only 6.2 percent were re-incarcerated. This compares to a re-incarceration rate of 67 percent for mentally ill offenders without the intensive case management services offered by the jail diversion program.

Savings from Bexar County’s jail diversion program are estimated at between $3.8 million and $5.0 million per year.

The state can also take steps to address the impact of mental illness on the criminal justice system. About 2,500 probationers and 800 parolees participate in a state-funded initiative involving intensive case management and a smaller caseload with a specially trained officer.

The three-year re-incarceration rate is 15.1 percent for participating probationers is and 16.0 percent for parolees. In contrast, there is a 52 percent re-incarceration rate for mentally ill probationers and parolees who do not receive treatment. Increasing the number of probationers and parolees in this program could more than pay for itself through lower recidivism.

Another way to address mental illness in the criminal justice system is through mental health courts. Several Texas counties -- including Bexar, El Paso, Tarrant, and Dallas -- have established mental health courts in which a judge orders the defendant to obtain treatment and supervises his progress. A RAND Institute study found significant cost savings from mental health courts due to lower jail utilization.

Finally, defendants who are mentally incompetent to stand trial can be diverted from a state hospital. In 2008, the state launched outpatient competency restoration pilot programs. Taking Travis, Tarrant, Bexar, and Dallas Counties together, some 427 offenders are projected to be served in 2009. The total cost of these four programs is $2.16 million compared with the state hospital cost of $14.95 million based on an average cost of $35,000 per offender. Accordingly, it makes sense to expand these pilot programs to additional sites.

Mentally ill offenders will always pose a substantial challenge in the criminal justice system. But through initiatives like these, we can achieve our goals of enhanced public safety and reduced costs to taxpayers.

Marc A. Levin is Director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

One Year Evaluation Findings for the Crisis Services Redesign

Read the report here.

In 2007, the 80th Texas Legislature appropriated $82 million to the Department of State Health
Services (DSHS) to address problems in the state’s mental health and substance abuse crisis service
delivery system. Texas A&M University was selected to serve as an independent, external evaluation
team to examine the impact of Crisis Service Redesign (CSR). This report contains the initial
evaluation findings regarding the first year of CSR.
Utilizing a combination of visits to selected Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHAs), interviews with
law enforcement officers, judges, and emergency room staff, statewide online surveys of key
stakeholder groups, and satisfaction surveys of users of CSR-funded services, the evaluation team
has generated 6 findings regarding the impact of CSR.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Decriminalization of the Mentally Ill

FOUND ON STIR CRAZY IN TEXAS:
NAMI Board Advocates for Decriminalizing Mental Illness
In a move designed to draw attention to the critical problem of criminalization of people with mental illnesses, the NAMI National Board of Directors has released a report calling for more jail diversion, improved services for people at risk of criminal justice involvement, and better collaboration between criminal justice and mental health professionals. The report, entitled "Decriminalizing Mental Illness: Background and Recommendations," provides a concise analysis of the history and scope of criminalization, and includes public policy recommendations to address these critical problems. Go online to access the full report and an executive summary.

Mental Health Consumer Providers: A Guide for Clinical Staff

A technical report by Rand Corporation.
Consumer providers (CPs) are individuals with serious mental illness who are trained to use their experiences to provide recovery-oriented services and support to others. There are several demonstrated benefits to employing CPs: They can serve as role models, voice and broker the needs of consumers, provide information and motivation, and mentor others (including potential CPs). CPs can have a variety of roles, including, among other things, assisting clients, providing support services (such as skills assistance and transportation), providing liaison services, dispelling possible stigma or bias toward clients, and augmenting overburdened mental health systems. Despite these roles and benefits, there are also challenges to and misconceptions about employing CPs, such as staff concerns, organizational issues, and perceived barriers related to the abilities and competence of CPs. As mental health providers turn to CPs to augment current services, it is useful to review these issues through the lens of hiring and integrating CPs into provider teams. This guide is intended to be an easy-to-use reference for agencies that are seeking to strengthen or expand consumer involvement, employers who are considering hiring CPs, consumers who are interested in applying for CP positions, and advocates for CP involvement in mental health care. The information and recommendations presented here are the result of interviews with relevant stakeholders at Lamp Community, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit serving the mental health needs of the homeless and formerly homeless; interviews with national experts; and a review of current literature on the subject.

Priced Out in 2008

Priced Out in 2008: Study Finds That Rents For Modest Studio and 1-Bedroom Housing Units Are Higher Than Monthly Income For People With Disabilities


Read the report (pdf)

Across the United States in 2008, people with disabilities with the lowest incomes faced an extreme housing affordability crisis as rents for moderately priced studio and one-bedroom apartments soared above their entire monthly income. This crisis is documented in Priced Out in 2008 - a study of the severe housing affordability problems of people with disabilities who must survive on incomes far below the federal poverty line. The study compares the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments of people with serious and long-term disabilities to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents for modestly priced rental units. Priced Out is published every two years by the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force to shine a spotlight on our nation's most compelling – and least understood – housing affordability crisis. Priced Out in 2008 is the latest edition.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Free Easter Dinner

EASTER DINNER
FREE AT
EAST TEXAS RESCUE MISSION
1023 N Glenwood Blvd.
Tyler, TX
903-592-9400

Sunday
April 12, 2009
1:00 PM
Join us for a Ham and Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings.
Come and be blessed.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

TEXAS PEER SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION PROCESS

ATTENTION:
Your ideas, opinions and experiences are needed!

Please join this important discussion on building
a coordinated, robust mental health
peer specialist certification process in Texas.

Consumers, family members, peer specialists and
other stakeholders in mental health are invited
to participate in person or by phone.

DATE: Saturday, April 18, 2009

TIME: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

PLACE: Austin State Hospital Conference Room
(behind the Nifty Fifty Diner)
4110 Guadalupe Street
Austin, TX 78751

CALL-IN INSTRUCTIONS:
Dial toll-free 1-877-226-9790 to participate in the meeting by phone. You will be asked to provide the following access code: 5976805.

FACILITATOR:
Lynda Frost, Associate Director
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health


Please bring your own lunch and beverage.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Click here to listen to the story





From FineLine

In My Head; Living My Life With Bi-Polar

I wrote my book, "In My Head; Living My Life With Bi-Polar", to bring more awareness and understanding to mental illness. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of twenty-six years old. I wrote explicit details of my horrific thoughts, out of the ordinary behavior, and my treatment. I had a severe episode with depression when I was twenty-two years old, and at that time I had suicidal thoughts, and thought the only way I could get relief was to take all the medication I had been prescribed for my depression and end my life. I was convinced that my children would be better off without me. I did not know what was wrong with me, and I didn't think I would ever get better. I was afraid everyone would label me as "crazy". I had a severe episode with mania at the age of twenty-six, and at that time was when I was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. I had symptoms of schizophrenia, paranoia schizophrenia. I also had psychotic behavior, and delusions. I came to the point where I was living out of reality. At the age of thirty-six years old I reached the extreme high of mania once again, and I was not able to function day to day on my own. I lived for years plagued by the lows of depression, and highs of mania. I overcame the denial, and the anger of having bipolar disorder, and I continue my treatment by seeing my psychiatrist on a regular basis, and staying on my medication. I was buried under my illness for so many years. I have become more stable in the past four years, and I have been living a more fulfilling, happy life than I ever thought was possible. God has blessed me tremendously!

Websites to purchase my book:
www.xlibris.com, www.amazon.com, www.bn.com, and www.borders.com

My passion is to do all that I can to help people by sharing my story, having the East Texas Bi-Polar Support Group, being a connection facilitator for NAMI Tyler, and continuing my goal to have the non-profit Bipolar Awareness Foundation I organized in March 2008 to be successful. My mission for the Foundation is to have educational information available, provide support, resources of where people with a mental illness, and their families can go to seek help. I hope to have a web site for the foundation soon so that people will be aware of it, and also so that people can share their own stories. My hope is that the foundation will grow from donations, so that funds can be used to help people whom are not able to afford their medications, or their treatment, and also to be able to give towards research for mental illness.

There is Hope! May God bless you!
Melody Hope Stroud
Author name: Melody Hope

Upcoming April Autism Awareness Conference in East Texas

Subject: Upcoming April Autism Awareness Conference in East Texas
April Autism Awareness Conference
Sponsored By: Parents of Autistic Children of Texas and Tyler Junior College

Date: April 22 - 23, 2009
Time: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Where: Tyler Junior College West Campus
1327 South Baxter Avenue
Tyler, Texas 75701

Day 1 Part 1 – Functional Behavior Assessment, Behavior Intervention Plans
Presenter: Cara Brown, BCABA

Day 1 Part 2 – Writing Observable and Measurable IEP Goals;
And A Complete Behavioral Approach to Potty Training Children with Special Needs
Presenter: Gail Wayman, M.Ed., BCBA

Day 2 Full Day – Texas Autism Supplement – November 2007 Commissioner’s Rules for Special Education Services (this presentation was given at the State Autism Conference)
Presenter: Susan J. Sheridan, ED.D., FAAMR

Registration Fees: $50.00
Fee includes attendance for both days.

Discount available for Parents/Caregivers and districts currently participating in the Trainer of Trainers Program . Cost will be $35.00

To Register:

Please call 903-780-5437 or email poactx@gmail.com . Please give the name for each person attending, teacher or parent, address, phone number, and email. You may also visit www.poactx.org for more information.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009