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From the Publisher – There are “No Old Topics” When it Comes to Mental Health Education
I was recently asked “Why do you keep revisiting the same old topics over again in Mental Health News?” I did not have a cute or definitive answer at the moment. However, as I sit here writing this column, I am convinced that it is because you can never cover a good topic often enough. Each...
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Point of View – Schizophrenia, The Mortality Gap, and Suicide
People with serious mental illness have a much lower life expectancy than the general population; estimates range from 9 to 32 years. Recent recognition of this mortality gap has led to increasing efforts to improve the health of these people by improving their access to health care and by...
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One Agency’s (and the System’s) Pathway to Recovery
Here’s a prescription for how to approach treatment of people with schizophrenia: “mental illness can be alleviated if the person is treated in a considerate manner, if he has the opportunity to talk about his trouble, if his interest is stimulated and if he is kept actively involved in...
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Providing a Second Chance for People with Schizophrenia
Despite advances in psychopharmacology, many individuals with schizophrenia remain too impaired to be discharged from the state hospitals. One response to this problem in New York State was the establishment of a unique partnership among a private hospital, the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Payne...
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MHN Winter 2010 Issue
"Schizophrenia: Current Research and Treatment” Articles in This...
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An Organization’s Multidimensional Response to the Economy
When I reflect on the impact of the economy on mental health services, I find it impossible to describe the effect beyond the organization that I manage in Bethlehem, Connecticut. Wellspring is a nonprofit multi-service mental health organization that serves children, adolescents, young adults and...
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From the Publisher – The Economy’s Impact on People and Community Services
As we all watched on TV and felt firsthand when we pay our monthly bills, we have been in the midst of an economic meltdown not seen since the Depression of the 1930’s. The Stock Market tanked, the housing market crashed, foreclosures reached all-time highs, and many people lost their homes and...
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The Economy’s Effect on People: A Peer Perspective
With the current economic recession our society has developed more fears about day to day life and what the future may hold than in recent memory. This translates into volumes for people who may require mental health treatment as well as community support services. Mental health services are...
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The Economy’s Impact on Vocational Services
Traditionally, behavioral health patients have been referred for vocational counseling because their illness has formed a barrier to obtaining and maintaining employment. Patients may have presented with ambivalence about entering the work force, or fears that their treatment may interfere with the...
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What to Say When Your Friend is Fired
Given the current economic climate, most of us know someone who has lost a job since the start of the recession. Last January, the Washington Post reported that 2.1 million workers were fired last year in massive layoffs (affecting 50 or more workers), the second-highest figure since U.S....
