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Challenges for the Treatment of Chemical Abusers with Mental Illness
People struggling with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders (SUDs) have unique problems that when addressed simultaneously will likely result in the most desirable outcomes. Historically, mental health services as a whole have not been prepared to deal with people who have both...
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Complete Care Integration: You Can Lead a Patient to the Doctor…
Every moment of a medical appointment is crucial to the wellbeing of an individual challenged by mental illness and treated with psychotropic medication. It is an opportunity to educate and intervene at the earliest possible stage, or to anticipate and alleviate issues that have already begun. For...
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From the Publisher – Declining Physical Health: The Other Side of the Recovery Process
When I was struggling through my 10-year battle with depression, the most prevalent thing in the back of my mind each and every day was a silent prayer to recover and no longer suffer with the daily feelings of hopelessness and despair that were the hallmarks of my illness. Nothing else...
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Healthy Living: A Self-Management Toolkit Promoting Full Recovery
If you have ever tried to quit smoking or lose weight, you might recall the difficulty you had sticking to your goal. Add the challenge of managing a serious mental illness (SMI) and these health goals can become daunting. However, the pursuit of these goals has become central to addressing the...
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Integrating Health and Behavioral Health Services: A Personal Perspective on One Agency’s Experience
In 1984, at the very first senior staff meeting I attended when I arrived at The Bridge (the non-profit mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation agency in New York City) the spotlight was on client healthcare issues. Our then part-time psychiatrist had recruited a heroic primary care...
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MHN Fall 2012 Issue
"Understanding and Addressing Our Medical Needs” Articles in This...
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Predicting Suicide: Difficulties for Treatment Professionals
A widely quoted clinical aphorism is that there are two kinds of therapists: those who have experienced the loss of a patient to suicide, and those who haven’t yet. Although the expression sounds a bit nihilistic, this adage conveys a warning to those clinicians who have not experienced a...
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Saving Real Lives in Virtual Space: Innovative Suicide Prevention Solutions
The Facebook safety team sees messages like the following every day: “I’m going to kill myself this is my last post ever ill will miss u all…” 1 Since there are more than 37,000 deaths by suicide every year,2 and more than 50% of Americans have a Facebook profile,3 it’s not surprising...
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Teen Suicide in Nassau County New York: Lifesaving Resources
The Nassau County Child Fatality Review Team (NCCFRT) is a multidisciplinary team that has functioned as a NYS approved child fatality review team as provided in Social Services Law (SSL) §422-b working under the supervision of the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) since December 2008....
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River Angel: Therapy and Loss in the Early Days of AIDS
It’s been 17 years since Keith Braverman* washed down a bottle of valium with a fifth of vodka, left his wallet and keys on his kitchen table, and jumped into the Hudson River. Keith wrote one suicide note, and it was addressed to me. He attached a postcard to the note: the two embracing angels...
