PSYCH Ms. Wiley Mental Illness & Therapy,D___ Name

PSYCH ∙ Ms. Wiley ∙ Mental Illness & Therapy,D___ Name:

Pre-Reading Discussion Questions:

1. Based on your experiences, estimate the percentage of teens your age that have experienced a period of depression. What seems to cause depression in teens? Are there any stigmas attached to teens (or others) who are depressed?
   
2. If you could see a therapist for free once a week, would you? Why or why not?

Everyone Should Be in Therapy, byThomas Moore, from Huffington Post

One of the first things I learned after beginning to practice psychotherapy was that everyone is at least a little neurotic, and everyone, at one time or another, could do with a little therapy. I'm tempted, and yet I'm not going to broaden the notion of therapy to mean any kind of guidance and help from friends and family. When I say that everyone needs it, I'm referring to structured, formal psychotherapy. Everyone could benefit from it once in a while. We are not as rational as we might believe or act. Passions can get the better of the best of us. I have yet to meet a completely healthy, adjusted neurosis-free person. I include myself. I have clearly needed therapy on several occasions, and I still reflect on insights, dreams, stories and events from my experiences as a client in therapy.

It appears that the public doesn't always understand what therapy is all about. Still today some people avoid therapy because it could cost them their jobs and reputations. The public seems to think that if you can't maintain the illusion of mental health, then you are not fit to belong to normal society. You become what the Gospel calls a "leper," referring not to a physical disease but to a condition of exclusion. You are ostracized because you are not perceived as conventionally normal. Apparently there are two kinds of discourse about therapy: the public version that associates it with a Frankensteinian messing with a person's head, and the discourse of those who practice it or know it from experience, the version that sees its benefits and effectiveness.

Like all things humane and full of soul, in a mechanistic society people prefer pills to talk. It's popular in some circles today to pooh-pooh therapy as mere yakking, branding it laughably simplistic compared to pharmacology and hardware. Yes, talk is simple and yet sometimes more difficult than making a pill.If you are in good professional hands, therapy can help you get through your depression and grief, find work that you love, work out those marital strains and discover the fascinating universe of your soul.I know, some people don't like the soul word. But let me remind you that it has been around for thousands of years and has been explored with remarkable intelligence. In fact, the word "psychotherapy" comes from two key terms that Plato and other philosophers studied closely: psyche meaning soul, and therapy meaning attendant or servant. The word "psychotherapy" means literally "care of the soul."

In some training programs, students of therapy have to go through an intense course of therapy themselves. It helps them spot their main complexes and work through their past so they don't act out their own issues at the expense of their clients. I think this is a model that could spread to other professions and jobs; indeed, maybe all of them. I'd like to see doctors spend some time in therapy before practicing medicine. The same goes for lawyers, media personalities, business leaders and, of course, politicians. Imagine if our leaders had sorted out the main issues that make them neurotic on the job.

Many of our social problems are not as literal as the participants and media coverage would have us believe. Many of our leaders are clearly banging at windmills of their own when they make public decisions. We all act out our anxieties and past conflicts in our current affairs. But we have almost no opportunity for reflection.Now I'll allow some softening of the word therapy. Yes, it can take place in probing conversations among friends and in the quiet whisperings of intimate partners. Teachers and spiritual leaders can practice it and all of us can help each other cope. In a way we are all therapists and we're all patients. But I still think that formal therapy would be good for everyone.

1. Do you agree with the author’s position that everyone could benefit from structured, formal psychotherapy? Why or why not?
   
2. What Freudian ideas/arguments does the author seem to endorse? Be specific. (Revisit ‘Intro to Sigmund Freud’ document)

Mental Health Myths and Facts, from MentalHealth.gov

Can you tell the difference between a mental health myth and fact? Learn the truth about the most common mental health myths.

1. Myth: Mental health problems don't affect me.
   Fact: Mental health problems are actually very common. In 2011, about:

• One in five American adults experienced a mental health issue
• One in 10 young people experienced a period of major depression
• One in 20 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. It accounts for the loss of more than 38,000 American lives each year, more than double the number of lives lost to homicide. Learn more about mental health problems.

1. Myth: Children don't experience mental health problems.
   Fact: Even very young children may show early warning signs of mental health concerns. These mental health problems are often clinically diagnosable, and can be a product of the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Half of all mental health disorders show first signs before a person turns 14 years old, and three quarters of mental health disorders begin before age 24.Unfortunately, less than 20% of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need. Early mental health support can help a child before problems interfere with other developmental needs.

1. Myth: People with mental health problems are violent and unpredictable.
   Fact: The vast majority of people with mental health problems are no more likely to be violent than anyone else. Most people with mental illness are not violent and only 3%-5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness. In fact, people with severe mental illnesses are over 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population. You probably know someone with a mental health problem and don't even realize it, because many people with mental health problems are highly active and productive members of our communities.
   
2. Myth: People with mental health needs, even those who are managing their mental illness, cannot tolerate the stress of holding down a job.
   Fact: People with mental health problems are just as productive as other employees. Employers who hire people with mental health problems report good attendance and punctuality as well as motivation, good work, and job tenure on par with or greater than other employees.

When employees with mental health problems receive effective treatment, it can result in:

• Lower total medical costs
• Increased productivity
• Lower absenteeism
• Decreased disability costs

1. Myth: Personality weakness or character flaws cause mental health problems. People with mental health problems can snap out of it if they try hard enough.
   Fact: Mental health problems have nothing to do with being lazy or weak and many people need help to get better. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:

• Biological factors, such as genes, physical illness, injury, or brain chemistry
• Life experiences, such as trauma or a history of abuse
• Family history of mental health problems

People with mental health problems can get better and many recover completely.

1. Myth: There is no hope for people with mental health problems. Once a friend or family member develops mental health problems, he or she will never recover.
   Fact: Studies show that people with mental health problems get better and many recover completely. Recovery refers to the process in which people are able to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities. There are more treatments, services, and community support systems than ever before, and they work.
   
2. Myth: Therapy and self-help are a waste of time. Why bother when you can just take a pill?
   Fact: Treatment for mental health problems varies depending on the individual and could include medication, therapy, or both. Many individuals work with a support system during the healing and recovery process.
   
3. Myth: I can't do anything for a person with a mental health problem.
   Fact: Friends and loved ones can make a big difference. Only 38% of adults with diagnosable mental health problems and less than 20% of children and adolescents receive needed treatment. Friends and family can be important influences to help someone get the treatment and services they need by:

• Reaching out and letting them know you are available to help
• Helping them access mental health services
• Learning and sharing the facts about mental health, especially if you hear something that isn't true
• Treating them with respect, just as you would anyone else
• Refusing to define them by their diagnosis or using labels such as "crazy"

1. Myth: Prevention doesn’t work. It is impossible to prevent mental illnesses.
   Fact: Prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders focuses on addressing known risk factors such as exposure to trauma that can affect the chances that children, youth, and young adults will develop mental health problems. Promoting the social-emotional well-being of children and youth leads to:

• Higher overall productivity
• Better educational outcomes
• Lower crime rates
• Stronger economies
• Lower health care costs
• Improved quality of life
• Increased lifespan
• Improved family life

1. What two myths debunked above do you think are most important to come to terms with? Why?
   
2. Do you disagree or question any of the “facts” discussed above? If so, why? If not, why?

Madison Holleran’s Life Looked Ideal: Star Athlete, Bright Student, Beloved Friend, from ESPN, 2015 (video)

The Instagram account of Madison Holleran seemed to show a successful and happy college freshman. But behind the scenes, the University of Pennsylvania track athlete was struggling with her mental health.

Two interesting comments beneath the YouTube video:

Eddie Mush1 week ago:She was beautiful, popular, had friends and family. Depression does not discriminate. R.I.P :(

myuhdidas1 day ago:Why is her story so much more different from any other teen that commits suicide that it needed to be aired on espn?? Smh.

1. Record notes about Holleran’s story below. Discuss with group members and then record your reactions.
   

America’s Failing Mental Health System: Families Struggle to Find Quality Care, from Time Magazine, 2012

Parents of severely mentally ill children face a disjointed and incomplete system of care.

• SendtoKindle

When Paul Raeburn needed immediate help for his suicidal son, he had few good options. The teen had threatened to sit on nearby railroad tracks until a train came. Even though Raeburn, a leading health and science writer, was in a position to know more about the best available mental health services and treatment options for his son than most, when a crisis hit, he felt he only had one choice: to call the police and risk that his child would wind up incarcerated rather than hospitalized.“I tried to physically restrain him, but that’s not easy with a teenager,” Raeburn says, “I had no other option and this doesn’t seem like an ideal situation to take care of our sick kids.”

While it’s not clear whether mental illness— alone or in combination with a developmental disorder—played any role in the devastating tragedy in Newtown, CT, the shootings have triggered a much-needed discussion about how we care for psychiatric patients. The debate has thrown a harsh light on the piecemeal nature of America’s mental health system, which is leaving too many children and young adults, like Raeburn’s son, without the resources they need.

Experts agree that “system” isn’t even an appropriate descriptor for the state of services designed to treat mental illness: there is little coordination of care and various agencies in health, education, mental health, addiction, disability, child welfare and law enforcement, often work at cross-purposes. For example, a child’s school may recommend residential treatment while her psychiatrist supports in-home services; the juvenile justice system may mandate one type of placement while the parents and education team believe another is more appropriate. Behavior management techniques or medications that have been known to fail with a child may be used on him by professionals in a new setting or agency unfamiliar with the child’s history.

Families with out-of-control, suicidal or aggressive children have no central place to turn to for help, and no coordinated action plan for learning about and accessing services that could provide desperately needed support. And those who can provide help are in short supply; a recent government report showed that 7500 psychiatrists currently serve the needs of children and adolescents, while around 20,000 are needed. Reimbursement for mental health services, from both public and privates insurers, frequently falls short of providing the most-needed services, which typically involve continuous care that can extend for years.

About five million American children suffer mental illnesses — including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and other conditions — that are severe enough to cause significant life impairment such as being unable to live safely at home or attend and benefit from school. Nearly twice as many experience some type of developmental disorder, the category that includes autism and intellectual disability, and there is considerable overlap between the two categories; about half of the developmentally disabled also have at least some diagnosable mental illness. That distinction isn’t merely clinical. Since services for mental health issues are often offered based on the diagnosis, how doctors or other health officials label children’s disorders, and how they prioritize those that occur in concert, can have an indelible impact on whether that child finds the appropriate treatment in the health, education, child welfare, or legal systems.

Funding is also dramatically declining: states have lost some $4 billion in mental health funding over the past three years, the largest cuts since the de-institutionalization movement of the 1970s. And those cuts could get deeper. At least 10% of federal spending on mental health care is slated to be cut if Congress and the President don’t agree on a new budget before January, with advocates estimating that at least 1,300 severely emotionally disturbed children will lose access to care entirely. Some 320,000 will no longer receive early intervention and other services that can minimize the most severe symptoms of some cases of mental illness, which can require more expensive and lengthy in-patient care. Medicaid, which accounts for 50% of public mental health spending, may also be targeted, leaving thousands more without services.

Increasingly, the disjointed system is forcing well-intentioned parents like Raeburn to take more drastic measures, calling in law enforcement or even relinquishing custody of their children to the state in order to get the help they need. In 2001, the last year in which such custody transfers were measured, the parents of at least 12,000 children had taken this drastic step, though measures to address the problem may have lessened that number somewhat. Even so, the adult and juvenile correctional system has become America’s largest provider of mental health care, treating more people than hospitals or residential centers.“It’s a disaster,” says Dr. Bruce Perry, who helped lead the mental health response after the Columbine shooting in 1999. Perry frequently receives calls people across the socioeconomic spectrum—including the extremely wealthy— who cannot find appropriate, local help for their children.

“Even if do you have insurance, it’s very difficult to find the services and doctors and providers that you need,” says Raeburn, the author of Acquainted with the Night: A Father’s Quest to Understand Depression and Bipolar Disorder in His Children, who has two children who struggled with serious mental illness.Darcy Gruttadaro, director of the Child and Adolescent Action Center at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), notes that the severe child psychiatrist shortage means that most families who aren’t having an immediate mental health emergency have to wait three to six months to get an appointment and often have to travel far from home to get an assessment from the only doctors with specialized training in treating mental illness and emotional disturbance in youth.