CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Raising awareness on mental health

Florida Times Union - 7/10/2014

Jacksonville is not the only Florida city rallying attention to the cause of mental health. This is a nationwide issue that impacts many Americans.

Palm Beach County has been holding a series of discussions to raise awareness.

Alachua County has been holding a community read on the book "Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness" by Pete Earley.

The initial goal is simply to raise awareness of the size and scope of the issues involved in mental illness.

That was the goal of Mental Health America of Palm Beach, CEO Pam Gionfriddo told the JCCI study group.

"We've got to get out in front of this earlier rather than waiting for a crisis. We wouldn't wait for stage 4 to treat cancer or diabetes," she said.

"People understand something has to change."

In answer to a question from a Times-Union reporter, she said funding is the No. 1 issue.

"There is no way around that. The funding has not been put into our system of care, particularly on the prevention side. We can't get out in front of this problem ... there is nothing there."

But the news media must accept its share of responsibility. If the public does not understand the issues, then support for solutions will be slow in coming.

That's what has happened.MISCONCEPTIONS

Gionfriddo's website opens with misconceptions:

- Mental illness is treatable, contrary to the impression left by the news media.

- Most people with mental illness are victims of crime, not perpetrators.

Palm Beach's recommendations include this one: "Get the media interested in doing positive stories about successes, not just the sensational stories."

The problem is getting subjects involved in positive success stories to speak.

"The stigma, the silence, the barriers that keep families from speaking up, creates a cycle," the Palm Beach report stated.JCCI'S STUDY

Those examples were raised during JCCI's massive study on mental health. Informational sessions have concluded. The review recommendation phase is under way.

It's an awesome project that is fully deserving of JCCI's comprehensive approach. There are so many unmet needs affecting mental health that everything can't be addressed.

One example is eating disorders, which have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, reported a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

A major issue involves people who need treatment but refuse it. That is a symptom of the illness.

There should be a system of care that includes options, such as institutionalization, day treatment or outpatient visits.

One option includes mobile crisis teams that can intervene short of jail.

Police and first responders need training to deal assertively with people with mental illness.

Without a clear system of care for the mentally ill, patients grope for ways to navigate it. Patients often are unsuccessful without help.

They need coordination, communication and transportation. In a city the size of Jacksonville, simply making appointments may be a challenge.

Public education can be fostered by classes called Mental Health First Aid. This is an eight-hour course that includes risk factors and warning signs, builds understanding and surveys common treatments through the National Council for Behavioral Health.

Participants learn a single five-step strategy that includes assessing risk, active listening, supporting the individual in crisis and identifying appropriate professional help and other supports.

This should be the minimum training needed for law enforcement or anyone who regularly comes into contact with the mentally ill.MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID

1. Assess for risk of suicide or harm.

2. Listen non-judgmentally.

3. Give reassurance and information.

4. Encourage appropriate professional help.

5. Encourage self-help and other support strategies.

Examples of symptoms:

- Panic attacks.

- Suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

- Nonsuicidal self-injury.

- Acute psychosis (hallucinations or delusions, for example.)

- Overdose or withdrawal from alcohol or drug use.

- Reaction to a traumatic event.

One of the program's best services is to inform people about where to go to find help. That may include local mental health groups, national organizations, support groups and online tools.

For more information, go to this website: www.mentalHealthFirstAid.org,

From 2008 through 2013, more than 140,000 people have been trained in Mental Health First Aid.

There also is a Youth Mental Health First Aid course. Topics include anxiety, depression, substance abuse, psychosis, disruptive behavior disorders and eating disorders.A REPORTER'S STORY

Pete Earley is a professional journalist who had to cope with his son's bipolar disorder.

His journey included his son's stay in a psychiatric ward as well as reporting about the mentally ill in Miami-Dade County jail, one of the nation's largest.

Members of NAMI Gainesville praised both the book and Earley for his articulate descriptions of his son's illness. It was a journey that is all too familiar to families struggling with mental illness.

His book "Crazy" puts an outstanding journalist's skills together with a compelling story.

Using this book or something similar on mental illness as a community read could help drive public awareness in Jacksonville as it has done in Gainesville.

Awareness is the first step to solutions.