Social Workers. Help Starts Here. Help Starts Here Collage
 
     
Posts Tagged ‘ mental illness ’

Addictions – Your Options: What to Do When You Suspect Your Adult Child May Be Mentally Ill

Introduction

Anna M. Scheyett, PhD, MSW, LCSW is associate dean at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. She received her PhD in social work from Memorial University and her MSW from UNC. Her major area of interest, both clinically and in research and teaching, is working with adults with serious mental illnesses.

Dr. Scheyett is  on the Board of  Directors of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).   She has been active in NASW for 25 years; she served on the NASW North Carolina Chapter  Board as member-at-large, secretary, chair of the Social Work/Criminal Justice practice unit, member of the Legislative Committee, and president.   Dr. Scheyett is also involved in the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Council on Social Work Education, and the Society for Social Work and Research. In 2005, Dr. Scheyett received a NC Heroes in the Fight award for community mental health advocacy, and in 2007, she was named NC Social Worker of the Year.  

Q.   Dr. Scheyett, what options does a family have when they believe an adult loved-one is mentally ill?  

This can be a very frightening and painful time for families.   The first thing to remember is that ignoring your concerns won’t make them go away.   If you have concerns that an adult loved-one has a mental illness, and they are able to listen and talk with you, it is important to talk directly and gently with your loved-one.   Let them know about your concerns, that you are there for them, and that you want to help them get help.   Talk with them about how mental illnesses are just that, illnesses, not weaknesses or flaws. Provide them with information, particularly about how and where to get help.   Offer to go with them.   The most important thing is to let them know you want to support them and that you are going to be lovingly persistent in helping them get help.

The situation gets much more difficult if your loved one has symptoms that interfere with their ability to be aware of their mental illness.   You cannot force your adult loved one into treatment unless they are a danger to themselves or others; at that point, you can petition the court to have your loved one committed to a hospital.   You can consult with a social worker, another mental health professional, or a support and advocacy group such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).   A book that some family members have found helpful is “I Am not Sick, I Don’t Need Help” by Xavier Amador.

In all cases, it is important that you get some support and education for yourself as well.   Find a professional you trust or a support group, learn about mental illnesses, and have a safe space where you can take care of yourself too.

Q.   Is this situation doubly complicated if the loved-one appears to be self-medicating with alcohol or illegal drugs?

Yes, it can be much more complicated.   Substances can cloud judgment and make it even more difficult for your loved one to be able to hear you.   If the self-medicating is with an illegal substance, there are concerns and risks regarding the law as well.    In addition,  the health risks increase with substance use as well, so treatment becomes even more crucial.

Q.   How can a social worker help?

Social workers can help families in a number of ways.   They can be excellent sources of information about mental illnesses, about laws and policies, about resources for treatment and about benefits and entitlements.   They can help families advocate for good services for their loved one.   Social workers can also play huge roles in helping families deal with the feelings of grief and fear and guilt that families may experience when they have a loved one with a mental illness.    

In addition, social works  can advocate for policies that provide fair and adequate treatment for people with mental illnesses and that protect their rights and autonomy.   Perhaps most importantly, social workers can convey a message of hope and recovery.   With support, education, respect, and choice, people do recover from mental illnesses and have meaningful lives–support and education are essential and social workers can play key roles.

###

To find a social worker in your area, please click here.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Addictions, Your Options | 1 Comment »

Schizophrenia Resources

The Meninnger Clinic
Menninger is the international psychiatric center of excellence, restoring hope to each person through innovative programs in treatment, research and education.  The Menninger Clinic’s Hope Adult Program treats patients with schizophrenia.
www.menningerclinic.com

National Alliance on  Mental Illness
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness and their families. Founded in 1979, NAMI has become the nation's voice on mental illness, a national organization including NAMI organizations in every state and in over 1100 local communities across the country who join together to meet the NAMI mission through advocacy, research, support, and education.
www.nami.org

National Institutes of Health
Founded in 1887, the National Institutes of Health today is one of the world’s foremost medical research centers, and the Federal focal point for medical research in the United States. The NIH, comprising 27 separate Institutes and Centers, is one of eight health agencies of the Public Health Service which, in turn, is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Simply described, the goal of NIH research is to acquire new knowledge to help prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat disease and disability, from the rarest genetic disorder to the common cold.
www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/schizophreniamenu.cfm

National Schizophrenia Foundation
The National Schizophrenia Foundation (NSF) is a not-for-profit consumer-based education and support agency. Incorporated in 1999, the NSF focuses on public awareness, information, and peer support. Its consumer focus is partially grounded in the Foundation's administration of the national consumer network, Schizophrenics Anonymous (SA). SA self-help support groups, currently numbering 175 throughout the United States, utilize a Six Step, recovery-based program developed by an individual diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Through its public awareness programming, the NSF attempts to reduce the painful stigma that still surrounds people affected by this devastating illness. The NSF sponsors Schizophrenia Awareness Week during the last week of May (Sunday through Saturday) before Memorial Day each year.
www.NSFoundation.org

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Schizophrenia | No Comments »

Schizophrenia – Current Trends

Introduction

More than two million adults have schizophrenia, or over 1 percent of the American population. The most disabling of the severe mental illnesses, schizophrenia typically appears in men in their late teens or early 20s and in women in their 20s and 30s. Other statistics show that:

  • Only one in five people with the illness recovers
  • One out of 10 eventually commits suicide
  • Less than half receive adequate treatment, including appropriate medication dosage and use of various therapies
Searching for a Cause
  • Research shows that schizophrenia may be a developmental disorder from impaired migration of neurons in the brain during fetal development.
  • Scientists have found a link between epilepsy and schizophrenia. A history of epilepsy more than doubles the risk of developing schizophrenia or similar psychosis.
  • Imaging of live brains indicates that people with schizophrenia have enlarged ventricles, which are fluid-filled cavities located deep within the brain.
  • Scientists are using new molecular tools to identify and isolate genes that might make people more susceptible to schizophrenia by affecting brain development.
Medication Management Trends
  • Medications developed in the past decade cause fewer side effects, but symptoms such as social withdrawal and lack of motivation are still unaffected by drugs.
  • New long-acting, injectable antipsychotic medications are available that eliminate the need to take pills every day. The medication treatment adherence rate among people with schizophrenia is low because they often believe that they are not ill, or are bothered by side effects, among other reasons.
  • Antipsychotic medications significantly improve symptoms for a majority of people with the illness, but not for everyone.
  • An individualized treatment regimen is critical since people vary on how much medication is needed to eliminate symptoms without producing side effects.
Additional Therapies
  • Recent studies show that reality-oriented individual psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral approaches can be beneficial for people with schizophrenia.
  • Rehabilitation programs often provide social and vocational training, counseling, job training, money management, and social skills training. Even when hallucinations are managed with medication, people with schizophrenia may still have difficulty with communication, self-care, motivation, and developing relationships.
  • Education helps family members understand the illness and develop coping strategies and problem-solving skills.

Sources:

National Institute of Mental Health
Reuters Health News

Related Articles:

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Current Trends, Schizophrenia | No Comments »

Schizophrenia Tip Sheet – Facts About Schizophrenia

Introduction
  1. Here are some interesting facts about the illness: 
  2. It is estimated that more than 2.7 million Americans now have schizophrenia. There are more Americans with schizophrenia than there are residents of North Dakota and Wyoming combined. 
  3. One of every hundred Americans will fall victim to schizophrenia. 
  4. Three-quarters of persons with schizophrenia develop the illness between 16 and 25 years of age. Initial onset before age 14 and after age 30 is unusual. 
  5. Schizophrenia is not the same as “split personality.” The illness depicted in The Three Faces of Eve” and “Sybil” is multiple personality disorder, or dissociative disorder — different from schizophrenia. 
  6. Perhaps the most familiar symptoms of schizophrenia are hallucinations and delusions. Three-quarters of all persons with schizophrenia have these symptoms, although not all people who exhibit these symptoms have schizophrenia. 
  7. The most common form of hallucinations are auditory experiences such as “voices.” Other forms of hallucinations include visions that cannot be externally validated, or certain perceptions of touch, smell or taste. 
  8. Another “mistaken belief’ of a person with schizophrenia is a paranoid delusion in which a person may feel that he or she is being persecuted, when there is no basis for this in reality. Examples include a mistaken belief that the FBI or CIA is tapping one’s phone or that the Mafia is arranging for a hit man to “put one away.” 
  9. Sometimes persons with schizophrenia have “delusions of grandeur” in which they may believe that they are exalted persons, such as Jesus or Moses, or that they have been given some special message for humanity. 
  10. Studies have indicated that 25 percent of those having schizophrenia recover completely, 50 percent are improved over a ten-year period, and 25 percent do not improve over time. Recent advances in medication treatment have decreased the percentage of people who previously were deemed as unimproved. 
  11. Scientists do not have unanimous agreement as to the cause of schizophrenia. Evidence indicates that the brains of persons with schizophrenia, as a group, are different than those who do not have the illness, and persons with schizophrenia have an overabundance of the brain chemical dopamine. 
  12. By far the most effective treatments to date for schizophrenia are antipsychotic medications. Studies indicate that these drugs are highly effective for 70 percent of persons with schizophrenia. 
  13. More mental health hospital beds are occupied by persons with schizophrenia than any other illness.
Related Articles:

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Schizophrenia, Tip Sheets | No Comments »