Mental Health

Three months ago, people with mental illnesses arrested in Henry County for low level offenses like shoplifting or disorderly conduct might have gone directly to jail. But in November, the south metro community rolled out a national initiative that tries to keep non-violent offenders with mental illnesses who commit misdemeanors out of county lockup by getting them instead into treatment facilities. VIDEO: Previous coverage on this issue Channel 2 Investigates the plight of mentally ill inmates. The program, Stepping Up, has so far diverted 11 people to Pine Woods Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Griffin, a small dent in the 400 or so county inmates Henry officials believe suffer from everything from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Recommended for you Recommended for you Recommended for you “This is a national problem and it is certainly a problem in Henry County,” former State Court Judge James Chaffin, who is spearheading ...

Source: Free-Photos/Pixabay While there is no consensus on the exact definition of disability (especially psychological disability), there is greater recognition these days that, like physical disease, psychological conditions can cause functional impairment and dysfunction—some more so than others. In a paper, published in the November issue of Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology , Edlund et al. conclude that among the 15 mental health conditions examined, mood disorders (e.g., depression) are associated with the greatest functional impairment and disability . 1 The Mental Health Surveillance Study Data for the present research came from the Mental Health Surveillance Study (MHSS). The MHSS is a sub-sample of 2008-2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual survey of non-institutionalized US civilians 12 years or older. MHSS, however, includes only individuals aged 18 and over. For the Mental Health Surveillance Study, researchers condu...

***WARNING: The content and language within the videos are graphic and can be disturbing.*** Secret jail recording of a conversation between Donald Smith and his mother, Patricia Moore on July 19, 2013. Smith asks his mom to buy him a copy of the “DSM IV” – a guide to mental disorders -- so he knows how to act mentally ill. Published: 10:53 AM EST January 31, 2019 Updated: 1:01 PM EST January 31, 2019 https://fcnews.tv/2sWt7sY

Bundy's mental health and psychiatric state have long been called into question. When Bundy was on death watch in 1986 for three murders in Florida, his attorney Polly Nelson attempted to delay the death penalty by proving that Bundy was not mentally competent to stand trial. "We were hoping to find some clear mental illness that we could use as an issue in the case," she said on episode four in the Netflix documentary. So, they enlisted Dorothy Lewis , MD, a psychiatrist who specialised in "understanding the brain chemistry of violent men." https://r29.co/2SkpQSw

Starting next month, a Colorado Springs nonprofit is expanding its mental health services to Teller County. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a nationwide organization that has been in southern Colorado for more than 35 years. The Colorado Springs affiliate started as a support group created by two mothers who had sons living with mental illness. According to NAMI Colorado Springs Program and Volunteer Manager Lynn Shull, one in every five American adults will experience some sort of mental illness in a year. Twenty percent of children ages 13 to 18 live with a mental illness, and half of all chronic mental illnesses begin by the age of 14. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for youth ages 10 to 24. Despite such staggering numbers, Shull said many dealing with mental illness are unaware of how widespread it is. “The biggest thing about mental illness is that most families feel alone, and they feel like they’ve been living in secrecy, or that they...

Please enable Javascript to watch this video AMES, Iowa  --  In the next few weeks, the Iowa State Police Department will add a new mental health advocate position. It's something the Ames Police Department has had for nearly four years. Three years ago, the Ames Police Department had 1,400 mental health related calls, a year ago there were 1,600 and last year they had 2,000 mental health calls. This demonstrates the growing need for extra support for individuals with a wide variety of mental illnesses. “Severe anxiety, depression, psychosis, the onset of schizophrenia bipolar disorder so isolation, hearing voices, seeing things that are not there, feeling incredibly frightened,” Ames Police Department Mental Health Advocate Julie Saxton said. While all officers have mental health and crisis training, they are not always equipped to follow up on each and every call and individual. The Mental Health Advocate is able to follow up with each individual and act as a liai...

CINCINNATI — Chelse always thought she’d be dead or incarcerated by the time she was 35. The 27-year-old has post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and severe anxiety; she said things “spiraled” when someone close to her died by suicide in 2015. "The guy I was with at the time put a .45 in his mouth and pulled the trigger,” Chelse said. Methamphetamine use landed her in jail a few times, but an assessment allowed her to be a part of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Mental Health Court, a program that she says saved her life. The roughly two-year program, which the Hamilton County court system runs with counseling and addiction services from Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health, helps people with mental illness who are currently in the system. The program offers one-on-one psychiatric counseling and medication oversight to target mental illness. It requires regular drug tests and court appearances, and participants must have a diagnosis of severe mental i...

A Minneapolis man is suing the city and two police officers, saying he was shocked with a Taser stun gun in violation of the city police department's policies during a mental health crisis in 2017. Clifford Johnson alleges the tasing was excessive force and not in compliance with the department's policies on the use of Tasers and de-escalation. Officers Kevin Franek and Brian Cummings were responding to reports from a neighbor that Johnson has a mental illness and that he had been yelling in the street. The lawsuit says Johnson has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and other mental health issues. According to the lawsuit, Johnson cooperated with the officers, following orders and trying to calm himself down, and that the officers' behavior exacerbated Johnson's mental health crisis. "The use of the Taser caused Mr. Johnson to suffer a severe mental breakdown, which required hospitalization for approximately 10 days and then a prolonged period of outpatient ...

Bundy's mental health and psychiatric state have long been called into question. When Bundy was on death watch in 1986 for three murders in Florida, his attorney Polly Nelson attempted to delay the death penalty by proving that Bundy was not mentally competent to stand trial. "We were hoping to find some clear mental illness that we could use as an issue in the case," she said on episode four in the Netflix documentary. So, they enlisted Dorothy Lewis , MD, a psychiatrist who specialized in "understanding the brain chemistry of violent men." https://r29.co/2MEU9hH

Source: Shutterstock.com In non-affective psychosis, L-type calcium channel antagonists were associated with reduced rates of admission to hospital and self-harm, while metformin and statins were associated with a reduced rate of admission to hospital Existing medicines for physical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension could be used to treat serious mental illness (SMI), concluded the authors of a recent study in JAMA Psychiatry (9 January 2019) [1] . The researchers studied data from a Swedish national database to compare rates of psychiatric hospitalisation and self-harm in 142,691 individuals with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or non-affective psychosis during periods of exposure and non-exposure to statins, metformin or L-type calcium channel (LTCC) antagonists, such as verapamil. The results showed reduced rates of admission to hospital and self-harm during exposure to all three drug classes in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In non-affective psychosis, LTCC...

Source: Free-Photos/Pixabay While there is no consensus on the exact definition of disability (especially psychological disability), there is greater recognition these days that like physical disease, psychological conditions can cause functional impairment and dysfunction—some more so than others. In a paper, published in the November issue of Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology , Edlund et al. conclude that among the 15 mental health conditions examined, mood disorders (e.g., depression) are associated with the greatest functional impairment and disability . 1 The Mental Health Surveillance Study Data for the present research came from the Mental Health Surveillance Study (MHSS). The MHSS is a sub-sample of 2008-2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual survey of non-institutionalized US civilians 12 years or older. MHSS, however, includes only individuals aged 18 and over. For the Mental Health Surveillance Study, researchers conduc...

(WSAW) -- Ask anyone with a mental illness like depression or anxiety, and they'll tell you how much of a struggle it can be, especially since the symptoms don't push the pause button the minute you walk out the door. "Mental health will be with you day in and day out," said Judy Lemke, a licensed professional counselor at Behavioral Health Clinic of Wausau. "There is no shame in saying I have a medical condition and I need help." The days that find you at work can sometimes be the hardest. "Taking depression for example, oftentimes people are in a brain fog, and their thoughts are so heavy, so low. If you're anxious, oftentimes you're having ruminating thoughts that are just keeping you amped. You're body's reacting by being physically tense. Oftentimes you're not breathing correctly. It's pretty hard with those symptoms to be focused on what you're supposed to be doing at your job," Lemke added. But she said th...

FARMINGTON — “Risky Business,” a presentation led by Melissa Fernald of Safe Surroundings NE, will take place at the Henry Wilson Memorial School in Farmington on Wednesday, Jan. 30. At 6 p.m., a mock teenage bedroom will be open for viewing; inside will be hidden indicators of mental illness, bullying, self-harming behaviors, disordered eating, depression, anxiety, and other concerning adolescent behaviors. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. will be a presentation for parents and other community members to learn about the current local trends and warning signs to look out for. This interactive event is intended to increase community awareness, promote early detection of mental illness, provide tools and resources, and demonstrate communication techniques for engaging effectively with adolescents. This event is for adults only. Light refreshments and childcare will be available. Fernald is a dual licensed clinician with more than 20 years of field experience. She is a licensed clinical social ...

Dan and Louisa Carscadden moved to the Monument area in 2016, after retiring from careers as schoolteachers in California. Though they were done teaching for a paycheck, Louisa said they knew they were going to “give back to the organization that helped us,” the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Starting next month, NAMI is widening geographical offerings in Colorado Springs and nearby towns, including Monument, to reach more residents with its mental health education programs. The Carscaddens are on board, teaching a free program in Monument from 6:30-9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, from Feb. 6 through April 24. “(We) really want to teach in our own community,” Louisa said. “That’s important to us.” The couple has previously led a NAMI class; in that case, it was a faith-based program hosted at Woodmen Valley Chapel in northern Colorado Springs. “This is a class, it’s not a support group (and) you’ll go home with a huge binder’s worth of materials,” Louisa said, ad...

This week’s featured community group is Bridges Community Center. Grant and Development Director Mary Beth Lindqvist provided the answers. Q: What is the mission of your organization? A: The mission of Bridges Community Center is to provide peer-to-peer support for anyone living with a mental illness or substance abuse disorder. We believe that recovery is possible given the right support, and our goal is to be a safe, welcoming place where people who are seeking support for their recovery will find others who understand their journey and celebrate their success. We don’t focus on the negative — the relapse, the setbacks which are inevitable in both mental health and substance abuse recovery — but rather, we offer positive, caring support to keep people motivated to move forward to live their best lives. We are not a treatment facility. We are community center providing peer-run support groups and activities to support and teach skills to people who need it. Anyone who joins Bridge...

Actress Taraji P. Henson evokes a roar from a crowd as soon as she’s spotted entering Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, heading to a meet and greet with mental health advocates from across the northern, northwest and western suburbs. Henson, the Oscar-nominated star of both small and big screen — who gets her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday — found her calling in the mental health arena and is now an ambassador for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) . “Mental illness is tough. It’s something that people really find difficulty talking about, but it’s very real and affects a lot of us — more than we want to admit it,” said Henson, who has called Chicago her second home since taking the lead role of “Cookie” in FOX-TV’s “Empire” in 2015. Now in its 5th season, the musical drama is filmed at Cinespace Chicago. “NAMI does tremendous work on the ground, making sure people who suffer with mental illness feel safe somewhere, that they have somewhere to go to see...