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Baltic Street in NYC Shows the Power of Peer Support
The power of peer-led mental health services is at work at Baltic Street AEH in New York City, and is making a real difference. Baltic’s mission is to achieve full social inclusion for all persons living with mental illness. Its integrated network encompasses vocational, educational, social and...
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Clothes Make the Man
Stigma means “a mark of infamy.” In ancient times they used to literally brand criminals and slaves. Now we talk about the stigma of mental illness. We know how we are marked by others; that’s obvious. We’re marked by the media, the medical establishment, the ignorant and the uninformed....
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Eight Links to Recovery
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I was no stranger to the symptoms of bipolar disorder when I began having sleepless nights and racing thoughts at age 44. I worked as a counselor for adults with mental illness at a residential program and I was teaching daily living skills to clients, some who...
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Helping My Fellow Consumers in Their Recovery
When I was diagnosed with depression, I was devastated. I thought that this could not be happening. However, I accepted it. I knew that if I could just keep holding on, this too would pass. Somehow, I knew that I would get better. I enlisted into a partnership with a great psychiatrist, took...
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Care Coordination Takes an Innovative Approach to Case Management at the Mental Health Association of Westchester
A 62-year-old woman named “Mary” from White Plains, New York has been diagnosed with a serious mental illness. During her lifetime, Mary had experienced a 20-year incarceration and multiple psychiatric hospitalizations. She was referred to The Mental Health Association of Westchester’s (MHA)...
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Family Support is Key When a Member is Hospitalized
Enduring a hospitalization as a result of a mental illness can be a traumatic experience not only for the patient, but for the family, as well. This is true whether it is a first hospital stay or one of many. In an effort to assist caregivers in their roles, Federation of Organizations, in...
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From the Publisher – Some Essentials on Surviving a Mental Illness During and Following Hospitalization
I am very pleased that we are addressing the topic Providing Essential Care and Services Following Psychiatric Hospitalization in this issue of Mental Health News. I want to thank the many people and organizations who helped make this issue possible. According to the National Alliance on Mental...
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It Takes A Village
My philosophy as a clinical social worker has always been that families with children suffering from mental health problems need the appropriate skills, tools, and services to effectively help their child. These families often encounter deficit-based delivery systems and somehow get stuck. I never...
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Mental Illness Presents Challenges to Individuals, Families and Communities
Mental illness presents great challenges for individuals, families and communities. From stress disorders and depression among an over-stressed military, to incidents of school violence, to the $193 billion in wages lost annually in the United States because of mental illness, mental health issues...
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Providing Essential Care & Services Following Psychiatric Hospitalization
In this article we will address the discharge planning process. Affecting a proper discharge plan is an important continuation of the care rendered during the inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. This observation is especially true as the length of inpatient stays has become briefer. What an...
