tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64348153822488771692024-03-19T05:36:04.168-07:00Supporting Our Siblings: Advocating and EducatingSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-82445736078832765902011-07-14T10:57:00.000-07:002011-07-14T10:57:00.564-07:00Loughner Video and NAMI Schizophrenia ReportPlease check out this news <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/07/14/arizona.loughner.documents/index.html?iref=NS1">clip</a> from Anderson 360 with Dr. Drew and Sunny Hostin.<br />
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Also, NAMI released the results from a survey on attitudes and awareness among the general adult public, as well as among caregivers and individuals living with illness. <br />
Please read the report on the NAMI website. <a href="http://www.nami.org/sstemplate.cfm?section=SchizophreniaSurvey">Shizophrenia: Public Attitudes, Personal Needs</a>Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-7783796535911723942011-07-05T19:05:00.000-07:002011-07-05T19:05:38.569-07:00An EMS Call - Is it really so 'crazy'?Hi Readers,<br />
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I'll start by telling you a quick story:<br />
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Last night while riding with a friend to her house, I glanced in the side mirror of her car and watched a homeless woman fall from the curb into the middle of a crowded intersection in Austin. If anyone knows Austin you know that when I say crowded, I mean crowded. It was late but there were certainly a fair amount of cars on the road. I instantly felt a terrible sinking feeling and thought I might be sick. I saw car lights coming around the curve quickly and noticed that the woman had a heavy backpack on her back (unable to get up) and two dogs in tow. I did what I assumed anyone would do - I got out of the car, helped her out of the street and posted her up in an area that was further from the curb. The woman quickly confessed, "Sorry, I've had too much wine." Who am I to judge? I told her it didn't matter to me and that I just wanted her and the dogs safe and far from the street. When I felt like the woman was in a safe location, I jumped back into the car with my friend and went along my way. "What next?" I asked my friend. "Call 911" she responded. I thought to myself, well sure, what else am I supposed to do? They teach you that you should render aid in the event you think someone is in trouble, right? Regardless if she was intoxicated, I didn't think it was appropriate not to call. As far as I was concerned her and the dogs being in the middle of the street wasn't safe for anyone.<br />
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Fast forward to 8:15 am this morning. Here I was, in the car again, ironically, on the same path that I was last night when the above encounter happened. Then, I changed the radio station. I'll admit, I love a good talk radio. The hosts were discussing one of the top stories of the day as seen in the Austin American Statesman - "Austin-Travis County EMS aims to match habitual 911 callers to social services." My ears perked up as the program host said "well, rest assured the majority of these habitual callers are those crazies that think someone is in their attic or there are ghost footsteps outside their bedroom door." I'll be honest, I'm already a bad driver. This, folks, this did NOT help make the streets of Austin any safer. If I wouldn't have been so close to work, they would've heard from me. Tonight, I dove into the story a little more and will share with you some of the details they were discussing.<br />
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A new program hit Austin in 2009 that hopes to to cut down on unnecessary EMS calls by matching the aforementioned frequent callers with the social service that best fits their need. The article elaborates, "EMS officials are trying to cure it with help from mental health professionals, clinics, nonprofits and hospitals interested in reducing the strain on their emergency rooms. But just one Austin-Travis County EMS paramedic among 352, Cmdr. Andy Hofmeister, is assigned to a program to tackle it.<br />
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The Community Health Paramedic Program, begun in December 2009, mirrors efforts around the country to match frequent EMS callers to services that address their needs. After an ambulance responds to a frequent 911 caller, Hofmeister will follow up — at the person's home or the hospital — to try to get to the nub of the trouble.<br />
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Usually, it's a combination of mental, physical and social ills. A diabetic has missed doses of her medicine. She also has schizophrenia and can't afford the right foods. Now she needs to go to the emergency room, but a hospital trip could have been prevented." From what EMS officials can tell, the program is doing its job. Officials followed 10 frequent users since the beginning of the program and noticed that after the appropriate service was provided to the user their EMS calls dropped by 79%. No doubt, this is fantastic. Where my concern comes from is that these individuals with mental health issues are expected to get services from mental health programs that will likely see a budget cut of $134 million dollars. So tell me this readers, how can these individuals seek help from programs that are seeing budget cuts. State hospitals already lack bed space for many with mental health issues in Texas but we expect them to house more. I understand, I really do. We desperately need to find a solution, but if no one will take them, if no one has the budget to help them, then, what now?<br />
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You can see why I felt so angry listening to the radio hosts this morning. I understand that there is no fixing the world, but isn't it evident that if you fix one part of the machine, you're breaking another? Readers, I pose this question to you - If our family members or friends shouldn't be calling 911 and can't be checked into an institution because there is no vacancy, what should we instruct them to do?<br />
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Best,<br />
becca<br />
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Sources:<br />
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"Mental health programs hit hard in proposed budget cuts" http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/mental-health-programs-hit-hard-in-proposed-budget-791351.html<br />
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"Austin-Travis County EMS aims to match habitual 911 callers to social services" http://www.statesman.com/news/local/austin-travis-county-ems-aims-to-match-habitual-1582075.htmlSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-26297594971156338892011-06-20T10:03:00.000-07:002011-06-20T10:03:19.057-07:00Summer ReadI just finished reading a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Room-Journey-Torment-Madness/dp/0446671339">The Quiet Room</a> – A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness. This book gives you a very intimate look in to the life of <a href="http://www.schizophrenia.com/family/schiller.htm">Lori Schiller</a> who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her late 20’s and spent a total of four years in the hospital. Lori has been through cocaine addiction, suicide attempts, and multiple medication changes. Her symptoms began to surface during college at Tufts University.<br />
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The Quiet Room was different from other books of an individual’s account of mental illness because it had writings from Lori’s parents, brothers, former roommates, and doctors that treated Lori in the hospital. As a sibling of a mentally ill individual, it was important for me to read about other family members experiences. Lori’s younger brother was constantly scared that someday he too may be in the same place Lori was, that someday his mind might become sick. I know that these are feelings that I have had before and that my younger brother has experienced or will experience.<br />
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The book also gives you a patient’s perspective of her relationship with her parents. While in the hospital Lori struggled with having her parents visit. Lori says: <br />
“much as I loved my parents, I felt like I was on stage for them too. I fought so hard to seem normal before them. I didn’t want them to know how sick I was. I didn’t want them to see me out of control. From the moment they arrived my struggle to keep control battled with my fear of losing control. I knew how much my illness hurt them. I knew how much they suffered for me. As much as I could, I wanted to keep the worst of it from them. I wanted them to be proud of me. I didn’t want to cause them heartache.”<br />
I can imagine that other patients feel this way too. This passage reiterates to me the need for strong family support and letting the patient know that as a mother, father, sister, or brother you will be there for them no matter what. <br />
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Lori’s parents offer another perspective when they were struggling with separating drug addiction from illness. Lori’s mom Nancy writes: <br />
“We couldn’t separate out her illness from anything else that might be affecting her. Lori’s moods were so unstable that she had initially been diagnosed as manic-depressive. She slept so little that her eyes were often bloodshot. And she was taking so much prescription medicine that there was hardly a time when her hands didn’t shake.” <br />
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Finally, Lori’s doctor who helped get her stabilized gives the reader a good description of schizophrenia, a disease that can be difficult to understand. “Schizophrenia is like a persons brain breaking. For the thing that has broken is the person’s ability to relate to another person. The thing that breaks is whatever it is that connects people to their environment, that allows them to recognize another person as someone outside of themselves.”<br />
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“People with schziophrenia are locked out of the outside world, and locked inside their heads with nothing but these wild, out-of-control thoughts emotion and thoughts. In people with schizophrenia the normal emotions – or push back into the recesses of our minds – run amok. Emotions that would normally be comfortably catalogued as unacceptable take on a life of their own as voices that seem more real than the real world outside.”<br />
Throughout The Quite Room Lori struggles to accept the fact that she is sick. She also struggles to realize that she will never be the same person she was before her illness began. Doctors work with her not to get her back to where she was but to get her to a place where she can function.<br />
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I will not spoil the book and reveal what the quite room actually is but I encourage anyone looking for a summer read to get this book.Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-40395247803177908572011-04-19T17:36:00.000-07:002011-04-19T17:36:37.458-07:00You Give Me Peace LoveWhile I was avoiding studying last week and reading Yoga Journal magazine I stumbled upon an ad for Peace Love Studios. The ad featured a watch and said <a href="www.peacelovestudios.com">PeaceLove</a> Changing The Face Of Mental Illness. I immediately went to the website to learn more about PeaceLove. PeaceLove is “a growing community of mental health advocates and artists creating conversations of acceptance, understanding, and hope.” Everyone at PeaceLove has “found common purpose in spreading understanding around mental illness.” PeaceLove uses creative expression to spread understanding of mental illness. They are using art to build a symbol of hope and acceptance. Founder of PeaceLove, Jeff Sparr,and artist does not put a face on his paintings because he says “that is mental illness, it has no face, it could happen to anyone.”<br />
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Find your own peace!<br />
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This video is very moving and tells a lot of different stories. I encourage all readers to check it out and share with your family and friends.<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JikRdUefms&feature=player_embeddedSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-56932548589419527252011-03-09T09:01:00.000-08:002011-04-06T20:15:23.052-07:00A GoatHi Readers<br />
Sorry our posts have been so sporadic lately. School and work have been very busy for me and Becca. <br />
Wanted to share a new campaign with all of you called<a href="http://dearworld.me/?page_id=2"> Dear World</a> and the Story of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/opinion/03kristof.html?_r=4&scp=2&sq=arkansas&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&tr=y&auid=3799679&oref=slogin">Beatrice Biira</a> from Uganda. Dear world is a platform for individuals no matter what race or background to write our future. You are in charge of your own future and we can all help write the future of this world. Supporting Our Siblings is going to take part in writing the future of mental illness. <br />
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Beatrice Biira credits a <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E2D61F39F936A15752C0A9629C8B63&fta=y">goat</a> her family received when she was 9 years old to the reason she was able attend school and Uganda, earn a highschool scholarship, and to come to the U.S. for college. Although a goat might not have gotten you where you are today, you are here. Now you can continue to mold the future and change our world. Check out the websites, read Beatrice's story, and take inspiration from her goat. <br />
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Dear World: WE WORK TO FIGHT THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS.<br />
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Thanks AnnaSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-83472147252206814432011-02-27T13:02:00.000-08:002011-02-27T13:02:31.189-08:00Danger of a Single StoryA few weeks ago, Bring Change 2 Mind blogger Marc Peters posted a video from TED talks by <a href="http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4536885/k.A99E/Chimamanda_Adichie.htm">Chimamanda Adichie</a>. I wanted to share this <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html">video</a> and more importantly the message the video presents to our readers. Chimamanda Adichia is a novelist and MacArthur Fellow. Her work is inspired by events in her native Nigeria. In the TED talk Chimamanda discusses the danger of the single story. Her discussion of the single story relates very closely to the experiences of the mentally ill. Chimamanda’s messages is that a single story about a person or culture creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is NOT that they are untrue but that they are incomplete and make one story the ONLY story. A single story shows a group of people as only one thing over and over again and that in turn is what they become. We risk a critical misunderstanding when we only hear a single story about a person or a culture.<br />
So when we only have a single story about mental illness that is what the mentally ill become. If we only know mental illness as violence than every mentally ill individual is perceived as violent. This in turn leads to more stigma associated with mental illness. This is why we also must share our stories about mental illness. Please share your story on our blog. Or if you don’t feel comfortable sharing on the blog then email Becca and I at sosiblings@gmail.com. Keep Reading. Keep Learning. Keep Advocating.Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-63778767873780026332011-02-18T21:37:00.001-08:002011-02-18T21:37:50.667-08:00Talk Therapy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><link href="file://localhost/Users/andreakoenig/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Jacob Berelowitz a graduate of NYU Master of Social Work and created a TV network called Talk Therapy Television. “<a href="http://www.talktherapytv.org/about-the-host.html">Talk Therapy Television </a>was created to disseminate information about mental illness and its treatment options to the public through media and thereby promote the treatment of mental illness.” Talk therapy television is working to promote the treatment of mental illness. Everyone at Supporting Our Siblings, Becca, readers, our followers, and myself are all working towards decreasing the stigma associated with mental illness and educating the public about mental illness. Talk Therapy Television is just one example of an amazing effort being made to enhance the lives of those suffering form a mental illness.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Talk Therapy Television is not the only thing <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2010/12/03/2010-12-03_new_shopping_tips_mental_health_facts_on_receipts.html">Berelowitz</a> has created. He also came up with the idea to put mental health facts on the back of grocery receipts, a Mental Health Quick Facts Campaign. This idea then emerged into a Quick Facts website. The facts about mental illness are now on receipts in major grocery stores in New York City. “An average of 25,000 shoppers every day are handed receipts with Quick Facts printed on them.”</div><div class="MsoNormal">The New York Daily News then wrote an article about the quick facts campaign. The online article has a pole that asks individuals if people are undereducated on mental health issues. So go online and VOTE!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Berelowitz came up with the idea about <a href="http://blog.nami.org/2011/02/grocery-receipts-for-mental-health.html">Quick Facts </a>campaign while shopping at the grocery store. He is an example and inspiration to both Becca and me. He shows us that if you have an idea don’t hesitate to act on that idea. Thank you all for following our blog. This blog started with an idea. And our ideas continue to grow and we both hope some day to have careers and working with the mentally ill daily.</div></div>Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-35784105660276050842011-02-13T19:22:00.000-08:002011-02-13T19:22:46.345-08:00Camouflaged or Not, There's No Hiding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi readers, it's Becca. I'm ashamed to even admit how long it has been since I have written a post. Unfortunately work has been keeping me busy and exhausted - sigh - albeit still not good enough reasons to keep from keeping up with SOS!<br />
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I am back and I have an interesting article to share with you! My good friend Leslie gave me the most wonderful Christmas gift this year, a subscription to New York Magazine! I have anxiously been awaiting my weekly magazines to show up and three weeks ago I received my first one. NY Mag turns over some fabulous material, no doubt about that. In my most recent issue there was a particular story that struck me titled "Soldiers."<br />
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The article gives a quick review of the mental health system as it applies to our military troops. This is something I'm fairly educated on given my Mom works in the mental health system as a contractor for the government. One thing she has addressed, and the article does as well, is the stigma that <i>still </i>exists in their community. (That of course, is not to say that a stigma does not still exist in a greater community.) I suppose I am more astonished that it exists in the military community given the degree of trauma these folks are put through that may be deployed, may have a deployed family member or may even be coping with issues at a base here in the US. We've been in battle for ten years. <i>Ten. Years.</i> Granted, we see a lot of coverage on our nightly news segments, those of us that have not been to the Middle East during this turmoil can not begin to imagine what these brave men and women go through. <br />
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With this said, I want to share with you this passage from the article: The author of the article speaks to a five-star general named <span class="J-JK9eJ-PJVNOc" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;">Chiarelli</span>. <span class="J-JK9eJ-PJVNOc" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;">Chiarelli</span> recalls, "When I was growing up in the Army, if anyone wanted to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist they'd have to go to the <b>fifth floor</b>. So nobody wanted to go to in the elevator and press five. So now we have behavioral-health people in the primary-care clinics. You don't have to go to the fifth floor. But I know the stigma's still there." When I read this passage, I thought to myself, "Really? You just got home from war - from seeing things that other couldn't dream of and you're worried you might need something for anxiety?" Obviously, I could never understand but that doesn't mean it didn't make me feel for every soldier that has had to address a mental health issue in such an environment. <br />
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What DOES happen when a soldier comes home to return to "normal" life and attempts to deal with anxiety, depression or <span class="J-JK9eJ-PJVNOc" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;">PTSD</span>? Well, the article sites the "normal" life of a 24 year old in the Army. A footnote on a page in the Army's suicide report describes the following, "At 24 years of age, a Soldier, on average, has moved from home, family and friends ad resided in two other states; has traveled the world (deployed); been promoted four times; bought a car and wrecked it; married and had children; has had relationship and financial problems; seen death; is responsible for dozens of Soldiers; maintains millions of dollars' worth of equipment; and gets paid less than $40,000 a year." I'll be honest, just reading that gave me anxiety. <br />
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The article goes on to share statistics about the increased number of suicides, the use of anti-depressants and other mood altering drugs and the different types of treatment options available. It was important for me to share this story with you all because it continues to show that no one is immune to mental health issues. It is also important to note that even while troops are being pulled from the Middle East and front-line battle is fewer and further between, there are still many, many suffering from war. I encourage you to donate to mental health research in hopes that we can find the right balance of therapy, medicines and care that will serve the troops just as they have served our country. <br />
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Glad to be back and writing! As always, comments, notes and post ideas are always welcomed! Visit <span class="J-JK9eJ-PJVNOc" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;">NYMag</span>.com to read the whole story!</div>Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-87416328517492433862011-01-20T15:23:00.000-08:002011-01-20T15:23:01.825-08:00Failure of Our SystemBecca and I have yet to comment on the Arizona Tragedy and its relationship to the failed mental health system in America. We are both deeply sorry for what has occurred in Arizona and our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, the victim’s families, and the Loughner family.<br />
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Since the tragedy occurred almost two weeks ago I have watched, listened to, and read countless stories and reports on the incidents. Almost all of these reports touch on mental illness. I wanted to share with our readers two reports that I found very informative. One is a television program on CNN called State of the Union another is a radio program on NPR called the Diana Rehm show featuring Pete Earley, a NAMI father and author of Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness; Lisa Dixon, M.D., leading researcher and NAMI scientific advisory council member; E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., of the Treatment Advocacy Center and Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI Medical Director. Candy Crowley also spoke with Pete Earley on Sunday December 16 on her State of the Union Show on CNN along with two members of congress.<br />
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I encourage all of our readers to watch/listen to both of these programs but I would like to give you all a summary of the important highlights and points made by these professionals.<br />
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Pete Earley is an individual that has inspired and continues to inspire Becca and me on a daily basis. Earley’s son has schizophrenia. Earley points out that as a parent you are faced with some very specific challenges. Earley says: “We cannot sit back in the face of a tragedy like the one in Arizona and say ‘what is wrong with those parents?’ or ‘why didn’t they help their son?’ The truth is that the parents often do not have a lot of options with the mental health system currently in place in the United States.” We are in a state of profound public health crisis. It is difficult and sometimes nearly impossible to access mental health care in this country. We do not have a culture where it is accepted for people to get mental health care and we are closing hospitals and treatment facilities. In our country we are weak on prevention aspects of mental health but we know that treatment does work. However, we do not make treatment readily available to individuals who need it most.<br />
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Individuals who develop serious mental illnesses are often not aware that they have a biological process going on. A psychotic person does not know they are psychotic and he or she does not see their delusions as delusions at all but as reality. When you have a person that is not aware that they are becoming ill the family and the community must step in to help.<br />
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Pete Earley has been faced with many difficult experiences as the father of a child with schizophrenia. He has had to tell his son that if he won’t take his medications than he will not live in his house. His son decided he would rather be homeless than take medication. In another incident, Earley was forced to call the police when his son became violent. The police tazored his son and Earley was left with a son who blamed his father for the events. Earley points out that psychosis isn’t acting out in the way Jared Loughner acted. In fact, only 1% of individuals with a serious mental illness are violent. Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression are illnesses and there should be no shame in having these illnesses. The real shame should come from not treating these illnesses.<br />
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Dr. Lisa Dixon points out that we are unable to prove that a person is dangerous before they commit a dangerous act. However, we must look for risk factors that could cause a person to commit an act. Substance abuse is a huge risk factor and should be taken very seriously. Judgment is impaired with psychotic illnesses. Parents must follow their gut instincts and if they are waking up early in the morning feeling anxious about their child’s behavior then they should first speak with their general practitioner.<br />
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Dr. Torrey, President of treatment advocacy center, pointed out that the system has failed completely, we are dealing with a broken system and the tragedy that we saw in Arizona is the result of a broken system. The vast majority of people with severe mental illness are not violent or dangerous, only about 1% of individuals with serious mental illness are dangerous and these are often the people that need involuntary commitment. I feel that this cannot be said enough.<br />
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Dr. Torrey gave a plan for parents: First call your state mental health agency and research commitment laws in your state.<br />
Next, look at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association website. Finally, research the National Alliance on Mental Illness and more specifically see how your state compares on their grading the states.<br />
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Finally remember: Mental Health is part of health, the brain gets sick and it is part of the process of health.<br />
Become a partner to those with mental illness. It is an illness so it can happy to you. Listen to your loved ones and learn as much as possible about their illness.<br />
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You can watch the CNN State of the Union clips by clicking on the following link: <a href="http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/state.of.the.union/">http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/state.of.the.union/</a><br />
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And listen to the NPR program by clicking on the following link: <a href="http://thedianerehmshow.org/audio-player?nid=13570">http://thedianerehmshow.org/audio-player?nid=13570</a>Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-17942978506205062202011-01-16T10:13:00.000-08:002011-01-16T10:13:30.465-08:00SAY NO MORE<link href="file://localhost/Users/andreakoenig/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">As long as I can remember I thought I wanted to be a doctor. Now that I have completed my undergrad my focus has shifted a bit but is still in the health care field. I am working towards a masters in public health and then will continue on to a master of science in physician assistant studies. I am currently working as a medical assistant at a cardiology clinic to get some direct patient care experience.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Every day I am amazed by the ignorance and intolerance health care professionals have towards the mentally ill. I guess it was my own personal ignorance to think that individuals in health care would be compassionate to all patients. I cannot count the number of times I have heard “oh that patient is crazy” or before going in a room I hear “Mrs. So and so yeah she’s crazy.” I constantly ask my co-workers to please stop using this phrase. I have even gone as far to bring in copies of NAMI stigma busters.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Friday another thing happened. A patient’s insurance company due to patient noncompliance had denied a medication. After speaking with the R.N. about the situation we decided it was best to first call the patient. So I dial the patient’s number and begin talking with the patient. While I am on the phone the nurse passes me a little note, which reads: “this patient is schizophrenic.” She was just letting me know while I was talking with him. But the truth is that no, the patient is not schizophrenic. This particular patient has schizophrenia. As we have said before at Supporting Our Siblings: an individual is not their disease, they are a person who also suffers from a particular illness. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But what difference does it make if the patient has schizophrenia, or coronary artery disease, or diabetes? Would this change the way I speak with the patient and what I try to do to help the patient? No, it won’t change anything. So why are we so quick to point out a person’s mental illness?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I let this situation resonate in my mind for a day and then began to write about it. While I was writing I was browsing the familiar mental health sites and blogs I look at least every week. I came across a very riveting post by Guy from A Father’s <a href="http://afathersjourney.org/">Journey</a>. Guy previously made us a short video for our blog. He is running marathons across the country to raise money for mental health awareness.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In his post: Mental Illness: The Last Great Stigma, he compares the progress that has been made in other social sectors to progress made in the stigma to combat mental illness. Guy ends the post saying: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/notes/a-fathers-journey/mental-illness-the-last-great-stigma/154971967886516">“say no more.” </a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We all must say “no more” and not take this stigma anymore. Please join Becca and I in our fight to say no more.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thank you for all you do,</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anna</div>Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-42048327649866118112011-01-09T15:41:00.000-08:002011-01-09T15:41:45.683-08:00If Only I Would HavePer Anna’s suggestion, I just began reading Elyn Sak’s book <u>Center Cannot Hold</u>. Elyn is a successful author, lawyer and advocate for mental illness. Elyn was diagnosed with chronic paranoid schizophrenia and has shared her story in the aforementioned book. I’m currently only a couple of chapters in but found one excerpt particularly interesting to share with you all. <br />
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Elyn discusses the onset of delusions and paranoia as a young girl and the attempts to change said behavior that followed. This excerpt reminded me of my own brother’s attempt to control or change what was going on in his mind by manipulating his diet, schedule and the people he interacted with. I understood what he was doing – simply trying to change the terrible thoughts in his mind by discovering what exactly it was that was doing this to him. Unfortunately, those affected by mental illness cannot do anything to prevent the onset of the illness. Studies have proven aspirin can prevent heart failure, dark chocolate can prevent cancer and a healthy diet of greens and lean meats can prevent obesity. Wouldn’t life be easier if <b>preventing mental illness was as easy as a bowl of peas a day</b>?<br />
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As a family member of someone suffering from schizophrenia I know how easy it is <i>to blame yourself</i> or your loved one for the disease. As a parent you may say you could’ve done something different. As a sibling you may think something you said made their delusion worsen. As a significant other you may feel that they just ‘need some space.’ I want to reiterate that mental illness is a <b>chemical</b> <b>imbalance</b>. Unfortunately at this time, there is no way to prevent or anticipate the onset. How can you help? Advocate. Educate yourself. Speak out! Talking about the illness can be therapeutic for you and can do more to help raise money and increase research in the world of mental health. <br />
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If you’d like to tell your story, let us know! We here at SOS would love to hear your story and be there to support you and your loved one. <br />
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Continue to follow our blog! Want do you want to know more about? Send us suggestions at sosiblings@gmail.com and we’ll provide the information YOU have been looking for. <br />
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Until next time, <b>keep advocating</b>!<br />
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BeccaSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-49160205584727248002011-01-05T17:51:00.000-08:002011-01-05T17:51:45.699-08:00People NOT Numbers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJI2iu_zRo4vDXxmyZAzouKzUI_BGsZ-iw8bSsiw8bPv5Oo46vmPt5QgkrAMZKMKN_2V8v7xRuEo1zf8l5DdP8uKpQ9Qf6XAAW6MRSPK54mqQmx9b-Wp_ktOQELC5KAyRVoV0RkCq9xL7I/s1600/Mental-illness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJI2iu_zRo4vDXxmyZAzouKzUI_BGsZ-iw8bSsiw8bPv5Oo46vmPt5QgkrAMZKMKN_2V8v7xRuEo1zf8l5DdP8uKpQ9Qf6XAAW6MRSPK54mqQmx9b-Wp_ktOQELC5KAyRVoV0RkCq9xL7I/s200/Mental-illness.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><link href="file://localhost/Users/andreakoenig/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"> Statistics are a way of bringing a problem in a given population to light. Statistics are also a way for individuals to constructively understand an unseen trend in their area. The National Institute of Mental Health is a good resource for mental health statistics. The goal of the organization is to “transform the understanding and treatment of mental illness through research.” In order to transform mental health in the United States individuals must understand the scope of the problem.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Statistics can also be very frustrating for a mental health patient and their families. As a family member I know that these individuals are NOT just numbers, they are people we love. Without forgetting this fact, I would like to discuss some of the statistics presented by the <a href="http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/index.shtml">National Institute of Mental Health.</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bipolar Disorder</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>2.6 % of U.S. Adult Population</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Most prevalent in 18 to 29 year olds -<span style="color: red;">This is the time when you are supposed to be going to college, falling in love, starting careers, and enjoying life. But for many Americans this is the age when their minds begin to unravel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Schizophrenia</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>1.1% of U.S. Adult Population</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>60% of adults with schizophrenia used a health care facility in the last year – <span style="color: red;">The 2010 census reports U.S. population has reached 308,745,538 people. If 1.1% of these people are schizophrenic then about 3,339,200 people suffer from schizophrenia, granted this number is probably too large since the NIMH estimate is based on the adult population. The U.S census website at www.2010.census.gov did not have information about the U.S. adult population.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Years of Life Lost</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">In almost every book I read with the subject of mental illness there is a discussion about years of life lost among mental health patients. These years could be lost to illness itself, complications of medications, loss of productivity, or suicide.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">Here are the stats:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Missouri 2000: meant no. years of life lost 27.9</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Texas 1999: mean no. years of life lost 29.3</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="color: red;">This is the difference between 25 and 50 or 50 and 75</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="color: red;">A lot of life happens in 25-30 years time</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Suicide</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>In 2007 suicide rates were 11.26 per 100,000 people in the U.S.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>More than 35,000 people died by suicide in 2007</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Suicide was ranked 4<sup>th</sup> in the top 10 causes of death in 2007 for individuals age 18 to 65</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>For all age groups suicide is ranked 10<sup>th</sup> in 2007 out of the top 15 causes of death</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Many individuals battle mental illness every day, yet it is still stigmatized in our society. I just finished reading <i>The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness</i> by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Center-Cannot-Hold-Journey-Through/dp/1401309445/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294278658&sr=8-1">Elyn Saks</a>. Elyn is schizophrenic and has dealt with psychotic episodes for over 20 years. She also has had breast cancers. After experiencing both cancer and psychosis Saks writes: “When you have cancer, people send flowers; when you lose your mind, they don’t”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Let’s send our own sort of flowers: tolerance, education, and advocacy. Help bring support to all the individuals dealing with mental illness all over the world.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As always, please let us know if you have any questions or comments. We appreciate your continued support and spreading the word about our blog.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Email Becca and I at sosiblings@gmail.com or follow us on twitter at twitter.com/sosiblings</div>Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-78106527582647408042011-01-03T19:18:00.000-08:002011-01-03T19:18:12.288-08:00Stand Up For One Thing: Unconditional LoveI am sure many of you have heard the story of the courageous mother speaking out on behalf of her 5 yr old son who prefers to dress in sparkly, princess outfits than what many would call 'boy clothes'. Months ago I read this brave mother's testimony via a blog a friend had posted on her Facebook. I watched the mother, Cheryl Kilodavis, on the Today show this morning promote her new book and discuss her son's interest in dressing more feminine. As I watched I thought to myself "isn't it funny how societal views can deeply impact our way of thinking and our classifying what may be 'right' or 'wrong'"? <br />
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People are very quick and eager to judge an individual's perspective that they might not understand. I found myself wanting to jump off my bed and raise my coffee to the air and yell "Go get 'em Cheryl, change societal views!" Then I realized (albeit I have several friends that aren't 'conventional' and have fallen in love with someone of the same sex and support them wholeheartedly) I wasn't passionate about this story because this little boy might be gay or might just love girls' clothing and is chastised for it. I was passionate about this story because someone was <i>defending an individual </i>that society <b>doesn't understand.</b> <br />
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This past weekend I flew to Chicago to see my dear friend Aly. On my flight I sat next to a young woman that from the minute she sat down was very...well, <i>chatty</i>. Sure, I'll admit that in most instances I like to put my headphones on, open my book and enjoy an hour of uninterrupted "me" time. The woman started with "why are you flying? Well, I'm headed out of town because I need a break. My husband has a mental illness and we have two young kids and I'm just done. I can't do it anymore." That was my cue. I closed my book, put my iPod in my purse and settled in for an opportunity to talk about mental illness; I knew we had been seated to each other for a good reason. The woman began spouting out frustrations and emotions that were all too familiar. I said, "I understand, my brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago. I won't lie to you, it's an uphill battle that you just can't stop fighting." Her response? "You understand. <b>No one</b> understands, but you <i>really</i> understand." I had that gut wrenching feeling in my stomach that made me want to burst into tears. I bit my tongue, the only thing I could do to allow this woman to tell her story and keep myself from crying. We shared stories, frustrations with hospitals, medications, laws and family members that just don't get it. I provided her with names of websites, support groups and urged her to keep talking. She was so open, so willing to share her story, even when she <i>didn't think I understood. <br />
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My point in sharing this story with you, readers, is that it's easier to stand up for someone when you understand where they may be coming from. Moms all over the nation aren't standing behind Cheryl Kilodavis because their sons also prefer a tiara to a football; they are standing behind Cheryl because of her message: that <b>we must provide unconditional love and not allow societal notions to shape our own perspective</b> and understanding. <br />
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Readers, continue conversation! Purchase books! Watch movies! Urge your friends to learn more about mental health issues. There are <b><i>so many</i></b> amazing resources today that no one knows about because we're hesitant to talk about mental health. I encourage you to sit down on a plane, strike up a conversation, and make a connection. Allowing someone an open ear is worth so much. <br />
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Interested in more articles and research? Check us out on Twitter! <u><b><a href="http://twitter.com/sosiblings" target="_blank">twitter.com/sosiblings</a></b></u> <br />
Got an extra ten minutes? <b>Read Cheryl Kilodavis' story</b> as well: <a href="http://myprincessboy.com/index.asp" target="_blank">http://myprincessboy.com/<wbr></wbr>index.asp</a><br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
Becca Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-62042887861613081782011-01-02T18:27:00.000-08:002011-01-02T18:27:06.273-08:00SupermanLaura Burke an artist who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2005 will be the keynote speaker at the 2011 Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance National Conference. She shares her spoken word poetry and her journey through mental illness in “Superman a Visual Poem.” Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23a18HKYLW4&feature=player_embedded#!">here</a> to watch the video:Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-81812423583166958512010-12-28T20:09:00.000-08:002010-12-28T20:09:07.049-08:00Black SwanA MUST See Psychological Thriller<br />
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In <i>Black Swan</i>, Natalie Portman plays an obsessive young ballerina that draws you in as you watch her madness unfold right before your eyes. Portman’s character, Nina, suffers from delusions and hallucinations. She is obsessive and also has habits characteristic of patients with eating disorders. This film gives you an “inside” look in to what it’s like to experience psychosis. In the film you often cannot tell the difference between what is reality and what is not. This is often the case for patients suffering from psychosis. The film moves you to understand the frustrations psychosis could bring and just how difficult it could be to lead a functional life during a psychotic event. The movie brings two or three different illnesses together: eating disorders, OCD, and psychosis. <a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2010/12/21/daily_read_dec_21/#"> Dr. Steve Lamberti</a> (Assoc. Prof. of Psychiatry, University of Rochester) “believes that it is unlikely that the characters eating disorder, OCD, and psychosis would go hand in hand: People in psychosis are not in touch with reality. With eating disorders and OCD, they are too in touch with reality.” <br />
I don’t want to say more as not to spoil the end the movie but I would highly recommend seeing this film.<br />
To watch a trailer of the film click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs&feature=player_embedded">here</a>Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-76387133469413029282010-12-20T17:51:00.000-08:002010-12-20T17:53:31.026-08:00HOPE<link href="file://localhost/Users/andreakoenig/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Hope<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">By Kim Cowgar</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Is it possible to find hope again?” I asked.</div><div class="MsoNormal">She simply said, “Yes.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilG-0XildVaO-JU9BylxFRklkzY8kamypYohXWpGoINhijded7fTm4t_TaYSVvBsXY89n8ZDp8WkrIiyDDLVjFRTD1jcHt8cMmQzDPWt30YlFfzx-s4MfaMpBwMe5zt2k23wq6x_7x73E4/s1600/CIMG0334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilG-0XildVaO-JU9BylxFRklkzY8kamypYohXWpGoINhijded7fTm4t_TaYSVvBsXY89n8ZDp8WkrIiyDDLVjFRTD1jcHt8cMmQzDPWt30YlFfzx-s4MfaMpBwMe5zt2k23wq6x_7x73E4/s200/CIMG0334.JPG" width="200" /></a>And I will hold hope for you</div><div class="MsoNormal">Until you are able to find it again yourself.”</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was in the midst of the days</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of bone-weary, aching darkness</div><div class="MsoNormal">Almost certain I would never see</div><div class="MsoNormal">The colors or feel the lightness.</div><div class="MsoNormal">There were days of stubborn solitude</div><div class="MsoNormal">And nights spent on the ward</div><div class="MsoNormal">Where chemical gods</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tried to make me whole.</div><div class="MsoNormal">If only it was that easy…</div><div class="MsoNormal">Quiet in the safe room with her</div><div class="MsoNormal">Gave way to tenuous moments</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of finding the emotions within</div><div class="MsoNormal">And letting them be felt on the outside.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Trust was built and tear flowed</div><div class="MsoNormal">As fears and secrets were unbound.</div><div class="MsoNormal">With chemicals and spoken words</div><div class="MsoNormal">We began to forge a path towards wholeness</div><div class="MsoNormal">With my guide still holding onto the hope</div><div class="MsoNormal">That my heart and mind were slowly taking back.</div><div class="MsoNormal">It started with a little understanding</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then came a little compassion.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Protecting and nurturing the child within</div><div class="MsoNormal">To find love for the woman I was becoming.</div><div class="MsoNormal">No more labels, no more self-deprecation.</div><div class="MsoNormal">No more seeing myself</div><div class="MsoNormal">Through the eyes of others</div><div class="MsoNormal">Or walking a path not of my choosing.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Am I completely whole yet? No</div><div class="MsoNormal">But, as I always hope to be, </div><div class="MsoNormal">I am a beautiful original work in progress </div><div class="MsoNormal">And in this authenticity</div><div class="MsoNormal">I find that I am good enough.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I found this poem in a news letter sent to me from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). Kim Cogwar’s poem was a finalist in the 2010 SPEAK and Be Heard…..Living with Depression Contest. I had the pleasure of attending the DBSA National Conference last year in Chicago where guest speakers included Kay Redfield Jamison, Myra Hornbacher, and Jesse Close with Bring Change 2 Mind. This poem makes me think about “holding hope.” Who do you hold hope for? Maybe you hold hope for a sibling or a homeless man asking for change on a street corner. It does not matter if you know the person that you hold hope for what matters is that you have the power. We can hope for anyone in any situation. I hope this season you hold hope for as many individuals as possible.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Please share our blog with anyone you think might be interested. If you have any questions or comments please email Becca and me at sosiblings@gmail.com</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bless you all,</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anna</div>Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-12495028187063097832010-12-10T21:18:00.000-08:002010-12-10T21:18:38.018-08:00Recognizing Mental Illness: Delusion or Next Great Idea?For a very long time I thought other people were disinterested in helping those with a mental illness. In the last 6 months I have learned that there are plenty of people that are willing and interested in helping but simply aren't educated in the world of mental health. To many, mental health issues can be scary, seen as untreatable and hard to deal with. <br />
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We need to <i>spend our energy educating</i> those that have the opportunity to <b>intervene</b> with individuals at the first sign of mental illness. Intervening early gives an individual a much better chance of being provided treatment. <br />
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I recently read a book called "Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven" by Susan Gilman. (Susan Gilman is a fabulous writer and I highly recommend this book by the way, but back to the point.) Gilman writes of her travels abroad in Southeast Asia during the '80s. Her travel buddy, Claire, begins to unravel psychologically before her eyes. As many of us that have a family member affected by mental illness, Gilman attempts to provide logic and sense as she watches Claire suffer through paranoia and delusions. I won't give away the end to the book as many of you might be interested in reading Gilman's book. I will say it's a shame Gilman didn't recognize things easier. In her defense, it is certainly <i> hard to pinpoint delusions</i> when an incredibly intelligent and trusted person close to you asks you to believe their thinking, however out of this world it seems. <br />
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I want to share with you a few signs and symptoms as provided by Mental Health America. Of course, if you begin to recognize signs and symptoms, consult a Doctor or a professional in the mental health field. Self-diagnosing, jumping to conclusions or avoiding a diagnosis can push one further away from treatment as well. <br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong>In adults:</strong></div><ul><li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Confused thinking</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Prolonged depression (sadness or irritability)</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Feelings of extreme highs and lows</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Excessive fears, worries and anxieties</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Social withdrawal</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Strong feelings of anger</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Delusions or hallucinations</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Growing inability to cope with daily problems and activities</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Suicidal thoughts</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Denial of obvious problems</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Numerous unexplained physical ailments</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Substance abuse</div></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>In older children and pre-adolescents:</strong></div><ul><li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Substance abuse</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Inability to cope with problems and daily activities</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Changes in sleeping and/or eating habits</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Excessive complaints of physical ailments</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Defiance of authority, truancy, theft, and/or vandalism</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Intense fear of weight gain</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Prolonged negative mood, often accompanied by poor appetite or thoughts of death</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Frequent outbursts of anger</div></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal"><strong>In younger children:</strong></div><ul><li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Changes in school performance</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Poor grades despite strong efforts</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Excessive worry or anxiety (i.e. refusing to go to bed or school)</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Hyperactivity</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Persistent nightmares</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Persistent disobedience or aggression</div></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Frequent temper tantrums</div></li>
</ul><br />
I'll speak to a few of those 'adult' signs and symptoms to give you an idea of what it looked like for our family. My brother's <b>sleeping became very sporadic</b>. There was no pattern associated with his sleep. He may sleep for 2 days then be up for 3 nights and back to sleep for another 2. Sleep can really enhance delusions and as a result an inability to delineate reality from those delusions. Folks, this is not your typical "I pulled two all nighters studying in college." This is can't sleep, won't sleep, mind racing, body pacing patterns (or not so patterns). <b>Substance Abuse</b>. My brother began abusing drugs and alcohol. Albeit I can understand in hindsight because he was trying to drown out voices in his head. Albeit, excessive drinking and drugs is often a sign of self medication. <b>Anger</b>. My brother seemed to be consistently agitated. I would see him go from being fairly calm and collected to being so angry he would punch a hole through a wall over a sandwich. Situations can escalate quickly with individuals that are suffering from a mental illness. (In regards to crises intervention and communication during escalating situations, look to NAMI Family-to-Family courses - they had some great tips that I learned in my class.)<br />
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Again, please remember that I am NO Doctor and am speaking solely from a family member's point of view. But I'd love to hear your input. Did you recognize some of the day things? Were you scared? How did your family work together to help your loved one?<br />
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<b>We'd love to increase readership!</b> Have some friends that might be interested in our blog? Send them our think and let us know you did so! If you can our info to ten people let me know and I'll get you something great - maybe a tee shirt that helps you advocate and talk about mental health!<br />
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Have a great weekend, <br />
BeccaSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-12503603815504837232010-12-06T19:27:00.000-08:002010-12-06T19:27:23.155-08:00Preventative Programs: Double Your Dollar!For the last few months I have had the opportunity to volunteer with Caritas, an organization dedicated to helping those affected by homelessness. As a result of my volunteering, I've had great chats and learned of incredible programs. Downtown Austin merchants and Caritas are working together to raise money for a program that they are currently calling "frequent fliers." Downtown Austin is home to several very mentally sick homeless individuals. I've seen first hand how much help these individuals need. The goal of the frequent fliers program is to provide social services including supportive housing for the 20 most at risk homeless individuals in downtown Austin. This (as some may assume) includes those with the most severe mental illnesses living on the streets. The 20 selected to be a part of this program have cost the city of Austin close to $100,000 each year due to their cycling from the streets to jail to psychiatric hospitals and back to the streets. It's clear that major metropolitan cities similar to Austin may be spending equal amounts on such groups of people.<br />
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Spending may not decrease but the number of untreated individuals with a chronic mental illness continues to rise. While the number continues to rise the funding is being slashed for 2011. Pete Earley, well known author and father to a son with a mental illness explains shift in cost despite budget cuts; "Serious mental disorders don’t disappear just because you stop paying to treat them. Like stepping on a balloon, the costs associated with mental illnesses simply shift over and increase costs in areas, such as jails and prisons."<br />
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In 2009 The Perryman Group, an economic research and analysis firm out of Dallas, Texas was asked to review Texas mental health services. The Perryman Group discovered that Texas' return on investment for preventative services would greatly benefit the state economically. (Not to mention all the great things they'd be doing for a group of people that really need help.)<br />
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Pete Earley summarized the findings on his blog: "The authors found that providing treatment for alcohol and substance abuse would give the state a return on investment of $2.26 for every $1 that was spent. Jail diversion, which enables persons with mental disorders to get treatment rather than being locked-up, averaged a return to the state of $2.70 per every $1 that it spent. The most interesting statistic was a projection about cuts that Texas has made during the last decade. If the state had stuck with the budget that it had in 2000 for mental health and substance abuse services, rather than butchering those funds — Texas would be earning a 170% return on its money or netting $32.76 today for every dollar that it spent. Instead, reducing services resulted in Texas losing productivity, losing jobs, and losing tax revenues. At the same time, Texas has seen an increase in state costs for jails, an increase in suicides, increases in drug and alcohol addiction, and an increase in homelessness. After crunching the numbers, the Perryman group concluded that cutting the mental health services in Texas actually had contributed to the budget deficit that the state now faces, rather than helping reduce it!"<br />
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Readers, I hope you are as astonished as I was when I first read this information. I thought "you're telling me the state of Texas could actually more than double their investment? I'm no economist and well, math has never been my strength. BUT! I can tell you that I know if I have 5 bucks and I double it, then I have $10. That means I could eat off the McDonalds dollar menu for maybe, 5 days in a row!" (But, that's an entirely different subject...and blog)<br />
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<b>YOUR ACTION ITEMS: </b><br />
<ul><li>Download the study from The Perryman Group. Email this study to your state politicians. Actually, go a step further, grab a friend, print this off and hand deliver it!! <a href="http://www.gulfbend.org/images/clientid_199/perrymanmentalhealthreport.pdf">Read Me! Send Me!</a></li>
</ul><ul><li>Follow Supporting Our Siblings on Twitter! We'd love to grow our readership and increase the conversations about our blogs. Our writing can't do much unless we can spur conversation and help to break down the stigma that is associated with discussing mental illness. </li>
</ul>Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-45761383373865387782010-11-29T18:28:00.000-08:002010-11-29T18:28:08.823-08:00Support from Unexpected Places<a name='more'></a>Hi readers,<br />
I wanted to share with you an article I read today in the Journal of American Medical Association. This is typically a journal for physicians but this specific story I believe every person can relate to in some way. It tells the story of Joe, a man who found family in nontraditional places. Joe is schizophrenic and found that volunteering and reading helped calm the voices in his head. But Joe's story shows its readers that: "not all families are alike and family cannot be easily defined." So, even though most of us here are not family and we may not even know each other, we all can support each other.<br />
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The article has been copied and pasted below:<br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Young K. Roxanne. A Piece of My Mind: A modern Family. JAMA: November 24, 2010. Vol 304, No 20. Pages 2221-2222. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #003366; font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> A Modern Family</b></span></span> <span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Richard Colgan, MD</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">; </span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Caitlin Iafolla Zaner, BS</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Baltimore, Maryland </span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><a href="https://ch1prd0104.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=95009a68b3864eaa8f2ed73dfe4dec60&URL=mailto%3arcolgan%40som.umaryland.edu" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">rcolgan@som.umaryland.edu</span></a><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>JAMA.</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> 2010;304(20):2221-2222. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.1709</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I first met Joe on the 13th floor of an inner-city hospital.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">He was lying comfortably in his hospital bed, granted refuge</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">as an unassigned medical admission for chest pain the night</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">before by the inpatient team. Joe was a 73-year-old white man</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">with uncombed hair, bushy eyebrows, and a severely stooped posture</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">noticeable even as he sat upright in the bed. He had a gravelly</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">voice—from years of smoking, I soon learned. On the chair</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">beside him were his clothes, which were worn well beyond their</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">life expectancy. Joe looked like someone who had worked hard</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">all his life and appeared much older than his actual age. Aside</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">from his appearance, I was struck by the tattered text by his</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">bedside. It was an old edition of </span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Age of Enlightenment</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, with</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Enoch Pratt Library" stamped on the first page.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">While taking his history and performing a physical examination,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I noticed that Joe spoke brusquely with many facial twitches</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and gross motor disturbances. He did not use many big words.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I asked him politely about his book, to which he replied, oddly,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Oh, you know. I enjoy reading works of philosophy, particularly</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">about Erasmus and the Reformation." I had heard of Erasmus before,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">but was not very familiar with his history or theories. Joe</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">knew all about this subject. He told me that he loved to read.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I asked him about the last book he read. " </span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Mein Kampf</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">," he replied.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I asked him what he read before this, and he answered, " </span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><sup> </sup></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Rise and Fall of the Third Reich</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">." I wondered to myself, Who</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">is this guy? As it turned out he wasn't a Nazi at all but absolutely</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">loved all types of military history. His most recent reads had</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">focused on the world wars. Joe's favorite was the 1895 war novel</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The Red Badge of Courage</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> by Stephen Crane. Joe continued, "But</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">what I am really looking for, Doc, is a book about World War</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">II by an American author—not a British author—but</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">an American author." Given my first impression of Joe, I was</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">surprised to learn of his scholarly pursuits.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Joe was born and raised on the east side of Baltimore and had</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">made it through seventh grade. When I asked him why he didn't</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">go further in school, he said, "I quit school the day my father</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">died, so I could go to work at a warehouse to help support my</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">mother." He had always loved reading and learning and tried</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">his best to make time for these activities. At the age of 21,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">he married. It was also at this time that he developed schizophrenia.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Unfortunately, this factor, as he explained it, was likely in</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">part why his marriage failed after only two months and resulted</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">in no children. That same year Joe was admitted to a state psychiatric</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">hospital, followed by another stay at a different state hospital.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">These were the first of what were many psychiatric admissions;</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">longer and longer each time and which ultimately became a 30-year</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">period of institutionalization. His twisted facial expressions</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">and thrashing body movements were caused by the cumulative adverse</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">effects of years of powerful antipsychotic medications, which</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">only dampened his disturbing thoughts and the obtrusive voices</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">he experienced. Despite all this Joe was beloved by the hospital</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">staff, where he held the reputation as an exemplary patient.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Eventually he earned the privileges to work as an employee,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">supervising others in the boiler room. The institution became</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">his home. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan rescinded the Mental</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Health Systems Act of 1980, which resulted in reduced federal</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">funding to community mental health centers. Many patients, who</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">were no longer thought to be a threat to themselves or to others,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">were released from intensive psychiatric care. This included</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Joe. After leaving the facility, Joe was offered and accepted</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">a job to continue working at the hospital as a paid employee,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">with room and board included. Inexplicably, after a year of</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">compensated service, he left.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">For years after his departure from psychiatric institutionalization,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Joe was dutifully cared for by Miss Elsie, a 60-year-old African</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">American woman. Elsie was herself no stranger to difficult times.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">She had married twice during her life; both marriages ended</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">in divorce from abusive husbands. For more than 25 years she</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">worked long hours as a correctional officer. After retirement</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">from this career, she opened up an adult care service in her</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">two-story four-bedroom home in a working class suburb of Baltimore.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Elsie was contacted in 2004 by an admiring social worker from</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">a local hospital, who asked if she would accept a new client</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">under her care. She was told this gentleman had resided in substandard</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">housing under horrible conditions—essentially in a room</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">that was little more than a mattress on a basement floor and</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">virtually void of human contact. This is how Joe first met Miss</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Elsie, a stranger who would walk beside him for the rest of</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">his life.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Joe had neither living relatives nor close friends. He often</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">spent his time alone. On a weekly basis Joe took the local bus</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">to the Enoch Pratt Library, where he would read for hours. On</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">a good day he would walk away with free books in hand. "I can't</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">believe they give these things away!" he excitedly told me.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">His prized collection comprised a nine-book series by Zane Grey</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">stamped "Not for Resale/This Is a Free Book." Other favorites</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">were Theodore H. White's </span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>In Search of History</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, </span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The Outline of</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><sup> </sup></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>History</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> by H. G. Wells, and </span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Words That Made American History</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">by Current and Garraty. Reading and extensive volunteer work</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">helped keep his inner voices away. He was well known for his</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">charitable services at the same inner-city hospital I met him.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">He worked for years, wearing a blue smock as he pushed patients</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">in wheelchairs to their destinations around the wards. Miss</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Elsie noted that Joe had no close friends, recalling, "His friends</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">were all those who he saw . . . everywhere</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">he went."</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">But Joe's transquil life would quickly change. A workup for</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">escalating chest pain revealed a tumor noted on CT scan. I asked</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Joe to come to the office to discuss this, which he did with</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">a book in hand and Miss Elsie by his side. He would need a biopsy,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I explained to the two of them, which took place several days</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">later. Joe entertained the staff in interventional radiology</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">while recovering from the outpatient procedure. He allowed eight</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Introduction to Clinical Medicine students to ask him questions</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">about his background and to examine him. His biopsy showed "many</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">hypermitotic cells." "It's adenocarcinoma," explained the attending</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">pathologist to the students and me as we sat around a spider-like</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">microscope with 16 heads in the basement of the hospital. Once</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">the anesthesia wore off, Elsie took him home. Despite only two</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">months of aggressive chemotherapy, Joe was thought to no longer</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">be a candidate for cure or betterment and returned home for</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">hospice care.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Joe continued to reside with Miss Elsie in her home. At our</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">last home visit, my group of medical students and I were able</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">to see the love and care that Elsie showed him—the difference</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">she had truly made for this man. One student stood crying softly</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">to herself behind Joe, as he sat in his recliner and tried to</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">reassure us that he was in no pain. She told me that she had</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">never been around someone who was so close to death. Still seated,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Joe waved good-bye to us as we left that day with the directive</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">he always gave at the end of each visit: "Take care of yourself</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">now." Just one week later, on a Saturday morning, I received</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">an unexpected telephone call from Miss Elsie. "He's gone," she</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">somberly informed me. "Joe. I found him dead this morning when</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I went into his room."</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Joe and Elsie certainly were a nontraditional family. They were</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">two strangers brought together by difficult circumstances and</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">who developed a caring and supportive relationship. She not</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">only provided him with shelter, food, and his basic necessities,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">but showed him kindness, respect, friendship, and love. Joe</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">reciprocated her dedication by giving Elsie someone to listen</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">to and a helper around the house who often tried to complete</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">chores despite his declining health. He frequently went out</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">of his way to compliment and recognize her for all that she</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">did for him. "You deserve better than this," he often told her.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Joe taught us humility, perseverance, and grace. His relationship</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">with his caregiver illustrates the notion that not all families</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">are alike, that they cannot easily be defined. Further, that</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">by recognizing and supporting these nontraditional family relationships,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">physicians are better able to understand their patients and</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">thus provide more individual and humanistic health care. When</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">asked of Joe now, Miss Elsie is thankful and reflects, "He gives</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">me the strength to keep on going."</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Before he died Joe told me how much he enjoyed the two American-authored</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">World War II books I sent him. Elsie suggested to Joe that upon</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">his death he allow her to make a trip to Harpers Ferry, Virginia,</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">to spread his ashes over a military battlefield. He liked the</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">idea. However, she learned after his death that because she</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">was not next of kin, nor had any recognized legal realtionship</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">to Joe, she would not be able to receive his ashes. Perhaps</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">there was some consolation in knowing that she was able to honor</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">his other dying wish. Miss Elsie was successful in helping Joe</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">complete the necessary paperwork so that he could donate his</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">body to the state anatomy board, located next door to the hospital</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">where he had volunteered his services for years.</span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>A Piece of My Mind Section Editor:</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Roxanne K. Young, Associate Senior Editor.</span></span></span>Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-49578482742048339042010-11-23T09:05:00.000-08:002010-11-23T09:05:51.291-08:00Supplements to Medicinal TreatmentHi Readers!<br />
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I apologize that there hasn’t been a post lately! It seems that life rarely slows down when you need it to. I hope everyone has a wonderful week planned with friends, family and fabulous food. I’ll take this time to remind you all that there are people out there that won’t have any of that this week. Take some time, think about them and maybe even give your time to serving them. Whether this be giving supplies, money or maybe manual labor. Nothing feels better than helping someone in need. With that off my chest, today’s post comes from my reading an article on NYTimes.com this morning about PTSD and animal therapy. <br />
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I am a true believer in animal therapy and dream of a day when I can have my own adopted animal therapy organization that serves those with mental illness. When my brother was at one of his worsts, I believe that it was his loving cat named Rico that kept him in some situations calm and provided emotional support. “Radhika Nair and Rohini Fernandes, both clinical psychologists trained in animal-assisted therapy” revealed that “animal therapy improves concentration and motor coordination, develops communication, empathy and social skills in maladjusted individuals.” (Outlook India) They say that cats often suit patients with mental illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disease.<br />
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There are several animal therapy organizations that are making their way into the lives of those suffering extreme mental illness. I encourage you to check them out! (A few below) This is a great example of alternative means of treating mental illness. Let me know if you have any questions or want more information about psychiatrists thought behind this treatment! I’d love to send you some reading material.<br />
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Best,<br />
Becca<br />
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PS: Something to consider: instead of sending that hard-to-buy-for friend more "stuff" this holiday season, think about donating in their honor to a great organization that means something to both of you.<br />
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<b>Organizations to Check Out:</b><br />
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-<b>Divine Canines</b>: http://www.divinecanines.org/about_us.php<br />
-<b>Therapy Pet Pals of Texas</b>: http://therapypetpals.org/history.html<br />
-<b>Therapet Foundation</b>: http://www.therapet.com/index.php<br />
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New York Times article: http://www.therapet.com/index.php<br />
Outlook India: http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?268054Supporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-31570664619006799882010-11-07T11:02:00.001-08:002010-11-07T11:02:40.746-08:00Finding a Partner in CrimeHappy Fall Back Day Blog Readers!<br />
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Before diving into today's post, I want to say this post is purely a reflection of my own experience and thoughts - no facts and no articles.<br />
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I've always enjoyed the movie 'Love Actually.' It always gets me excited to begin the holiday season. That, and it always makes me hopeful for true love; I won't bore you on that topic as it's probably suited for an entirely different blog... It's funny, I've probably seen the movie 5 or 6 times, but I had completely forgotten the story behind one of the main characters. Laura Linney's character Sarah is shown answering several phone calls that the viewer is to see as interrupting her life - as she works, spends time with friends, and is even in the middle of getting hot and heavy with a coworker. You're not quite sure where the story is going until Sarah receives yet another phone call and her side of the conversation goes something like this: "no honey I don't believe the Pope is around this time of night." "Well sure, I'm sure the Pope is quite good at exorcisms but that's just not an option tonight." "No, I'm not busy, what do you need?" (As a note, this is a great example of delusions - the blurring of reality with something that is far from possible) Christmas Eve comes around and cut to Sarah sitting in a room at an institution with her obviously disturbed brother. How could I have forgotten all about this character and the struggles she faces as a sibling to someone with mental illness. She has dedicated her life to serving her brother with mental illness. <br />
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Interestingly enough, I was recently having a conversation with Anna about dating, marriage, etc as it relates to being a sibling of someone with a mental illness. As a young 20s something single woman, dating is hard enough. But in my early 20s I'm already thinking "well, gosh, I have to end up with someone that can handle 'this'" - 'this' being the up and down, cyclical nature of Brian's disease. It's not easy to stomach the delusions, the hallucinations and the sometimes violent nature of someone suffering psychotic breaks. Therefor, I've gotten accustomed to not expecting anyone to understand or being able to relate. Instead, I protect those that I don't think can handle it and avoid conversation about Brian. Several times I've found myself terribly emotional and guilty thinking about the fact that I'm hiding his life and his struggles from people that also mean something to me. I'm sure others have felt this way but for quite some time I thought I was alone. My very best friends assure me that one day, I will find someone that is in this with me - fighting against stigma and Brian's illness as a team. <br />
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At some point in my life, I will be a caretaker. Never have my parents 'expected' this from me, but it only feels naturally that in 20 years when it is harder for my parents to care for him, I step up - do my part in the family. Life is not easy for a person living with mental illness, but life is also not easy for those that are supporting them. I think it's important for people to know that those individuals you can trust are those that will discuss mental illness, will try to relate and will support you in your and your family's fight. <br />
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Think you're alone? E-mail us: SOSiblings@gmail.com<br />
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-BeccaSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-5977393260178828382010-10-31T13:18:00.000-07:002010-10-31T13:18:48.282-07:00How Do You Advocate?Happy Sunday to all of you Supporting Our Siblings readers! <br />
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I wanted to take the opportunity to continue the series of 'How Do You Advocate?'<br />
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Anna started the series a few weeks ago discussing her advocacy work and what people are doing in their own communities to spread the word about mental illness and stamp out stigma.<br />
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I have a very, very unique story to share. Guy, father of Suzanne, is running 100 marathons in 140 days to raise money for mental health research. Suzanne was diagnosed at the ripe age of 14 but suffered delusions and voices for 3 years before her diagnosis without telling anyone. Her father knew he had to do something.<br />
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My favorite part about this story is that Guy felt as if he didn't have any 'special' talents that could serve this community. On his website he writes "I don’t sing. I don’t dance. I don’t paint and I don’t build things. But I CAN run and that will be my building block to create awareness of mental illness and raise money to support the organizations that support those we love." He uses something that he enjoys and something that others might not be able to do in his own way to advocate. This is an example of utilizing your OWN unique strengths to help the people you love that suffer mental health issues.<br />
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Guy created a video JUST for our readers, to tell a little about his journey and the struggles he had in dealing with his own daughter's illness. <br />
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Please watch the video and then visit Guy's website. For those runners, you know what a physical strain this man is taking on - for those of you who have a family member diagnosed with mental illness, you know how much of an emotional strain he has also taken on. I'd like to welcome you to support him in his journey by visiting his website, donating to his cause, and visiting him on his route to cheer him on. <br />
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Here's the video that Guy created <b>JUST</b> for Supporting Our Siblings:<br />
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http://www.youtube.com/guynyc1#p/a/u/1/u8dvXmhEw9A <br />
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Thanks for your continued support!<br />
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-BeccaSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-31436213329926428902010-10-25T13:16:00.001-07:002010-10-25T13:16:49.679-07:00A Worldly Issue: Mental HealthI recently read an article about a noticeably high increase in mental health cases in Nigeria. The Chief Medical Director of the General Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Abeokuta said that the rise has been linked to the angst and depression that can often be associated with poverty-stricken nations that live in very harsh economic environments. The CMD, Dr. Ogunlesi, has been spending his time as of late campaigning for an increase in mental health centers across the country. Dr. Ogunlesi has raised the point that to consider general health without recognizing mental health is impossible. <br />
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Dr. Ogunlesi suggests, “There is, therefore, an urgent need more than ever before, to develop health care delivery systems which efficiently integrate physical and mental health services.” He went on to explain that the World Health Organization (WHO) is currently recommending that primary healthcare providers address physical and mental health problems. This in turn would call on “government health planning authorities at national, state and local government levels to pay close attention to the importance of this issue in setting up services.”<br />
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What I want you all to get out of this information is that it is obvious mental health is a global issue. We often hear of worldly physical issues – dysentery, malaria, etc. This is truly the first time I have seen mental health referenced in regards to a poverty stricken country. <br />
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I think the interesting point to make is that mental health is not an issue isolated to the United States. Mental health needs to be addressed all over the world. Mental health often causes physical health issues due to the inability to take care of oneself and/or self-medication by substance abuse. <br />
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I encourage you to check out area of the World Health Organization’s website that is dedicated to mental health. WHO has posted a lot of very helpful and encouraging information about where they hope to see the future of mental health. Among this information is their plan to integrate mental health into primary care. <br />
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Read it, and let me know your thoughts! <br />
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-BeccaSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-15698605229858789202010-10-14T08:01:00.000-07:002010-10-15T12:21:04.023-07:00We're All HumanA few months ago I was doing some mental health research and stumbled across a PSA done by bringchange2mind.org - an organization started by Glenn Close, who has several family members that are affected by mental illness. I clicked on the video and immediately felt tears run down my cheeks. As John Mayer sang his lyrics "fighting like a one man army" the camera panned across the t-shirt of Brandon Staglin that reads "schizophrenia." (Can you imagine, this is probably what my own brother feels like, a one man army, fighting the world - powerful, eh?) I was already choked up, but had not idea how deeply this PSA would affect me. I'd really like you to watch for yourself, but will tell you the spot, in one word, <b>humanizes</b> mental illness. It brands individuals as family members, friends, battle buddies and those suffering from mental illness by, well, their illness. <br />
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Because for so long now I have watched my own brother and family suffer through the struggle that is schizophrenia, I often forget that there are people all around me each day that are battling mental illness. They are taking medications and living what we consider a 'normal life.' The commercial does something that I often try to remind others to do - connects those individuals with mental illnesses to a family and friends. It's very easy to call the man mumbling on the corner to himself 'crazy' and 'nuts' when you haven't the slightest clue as to what chapters are a part of his own story. If that were your own brother or your father, would you ever think twice about calling him a name or speaking about him like he isn't there? I can tell you from experience, that you tend to instead feel compassion and a gut wrenching ache for that person and the family that just hopes the best for them. <br />
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In clicking around the site, I found countless peoples' stories about how they have been personally affected by mental illness. It was very special for me to watch Brandon Staglin and his mother discuss schizophrenia so freely - to discuss the strange behaviors and the difficulty Brandon had committing to medications. To know that there are individuals that <i>really understand</i> is priceless. How comforting to know that there are others, just like me, that may have been a character in their own family member's delusions. If we can't understand each other, <b>who will</b>? Given hearing others' stories, knowing they have been through the same challenges, I wanted to take an opportunity to tell some of the harder stories. Stories (one of many) that make a lot of people uncomfortable, but is just another day in the life when it comes to having a brother with schizophrenia. <br />
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I have often found myself at the heart and root of Brian's delusions. I am out to get him. I am planting ideas and voices in his head. I am trying to kill him. I am stealing from him. I am the product of my parents, who are evil. I am the reason he has failed. He wants me to fail. Ever heard it before? Ever felt like the enemy? More times than not I have to remind myself that Brian is sick. He might resent me, but he will eventually resent me for the 'normal' life I have lived, the opportunity I have endured, not the support I gave him. With Brian's disease has come elaborate delusions and hallucinations that are often accompanied by strange physical ticks, an often lost and blank stare. There have been several times that I've been genuinely scared to be alone with him, worried what a severe bout of paranoia will make him do to me. It's hard to consider someone that was once so bright has a such a long delay in response that you wonder if they even hear you. <b>Advocating and educating isn't easy.</b> It's not easy to discuss the hard stuff - it's easy to talk about the future and the hope. But what about the right now? Who will discuss the scary part? The sad part? The part that makes you angry? We will! I encourage you to reach out to someone close to you and share. How will anyone ever understand if you won't allow them to try?<br />
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Please visit bringchange2mind.org and watch their PSA, listen to the individuals' stories and support them in their efforts to bring change to the way people view mental illness. <br />
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Looking forward to hearing from you blogosphere! You can reach Anna and I at SOSiblings@gmail.com<br />
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-BeccaSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434815382248877169.post-33214219492834699482010-10-05T06:45:00.000-07:002010-10-05T06:45:03.442-07:00Mental Health Issues & Government FundingI never thought I would be so passionate about mental illness. But here I am, dedicating my extra time<br />
each week to learning, advocating and educating. This week I attended a discussion hosted by NAMI<br />
Austin chapter. NAMI is a national organization that focuses on advocating and educating on mental<br />
illness. NAMI is a great resource. The organization provides educational courses such as Families to<br />
Families and Great Minds Think Alike as well as sponsors several committees that help to advocate for<br />
the mentally ill in the community.<br />
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Monday evening’s discussion was one of those opportunities to advocate. NAMI invited two legislatorsto visit with a group of community members and discuss the upcoming 2011 session. There were a lot more community members in attendance than I suspected might be in attendance. (Which<br />
is obviously a great thing – “hey! You’re concerned about mental health issues too? Let’s talk…”)<br />
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I’d like to share a few of the things I learned with you all and then tell you how you may be able to help. As we enter into the next session, the state of Texas is facing a 15 billion dollar budget deficit. Surely this comes as no surprise to any of you as our nation is currently in a recession. What might surprise you is that with the next budget cut, mental health services will see its own budget cut of almost 140 million dollars. That’s right folks – if you thought there were limited resources already, be prepared. You might ask yourself, why mental health services? As cuts are made to preventative programs and funding for state hospitals sick patients are turned out to the streets. Left untreated, these individuals are often arrested and put into jails on misdemeanors – the term for this is deinstitutionalization. Once deinstitutionalized who pays for these individuals to sit in jail untreated? Tax payers. Those super expensive property taxes you’re paying each month? Welp, they’re paying for my brother to sit in jail and get even.more.sick. You don’t like that? Me either. To boot, in the next budget cut there will be a defunding of any kind of specialized program in jails and prisons. (This includes those that support<br />
mental health initiatives.)<br />
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As we all know that funding preventative programs is much less expensive than continuing to fund a<br />
cyclical process of individuals being turned out to the streets, arrested, jailed, turned out the streets,<br />
arrested, jailed, sent to the hospital, etc. If it is much less expensive, why are we continuing to decrease<br />
preventative program budgets? Well, it’s really easy to let the taxpayers take care of it, isn’t it? That<br />
and it’s very complicated to give legislators cold hard data that shows the money that is being saved. So what do we do to help?<br />
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Contact local organizations or Mental Health America and get their help to put together some cold hard facts and numbers. Legislators need facts and numbers to fuel decisions.<br />
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Start conversations. No one knows that there is serious concern for this population of individuals unless people start having candid conversations about the issues.<br />
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Donate. If you don’t have time, then spare a few dollars. Donating to organizations like NAMI and<br />
Mental Health America give them the opportunity to spend that money and the time you don’t have to<br />
gather research and put together those cold hard facts and data.<br />
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Write legislators. Each morning legislators have a team of people that review letters and clippings from<br />
individuals just like you and I. Individuals that are very interested and very concerned. They can’t help if they do not know there is a problem.<br />
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Thanks for reading. Look for more postings soon. In the meantime, feel free to contact myself or Anna<br />
for more information or maybe even support.<br />
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Best –<br />
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BeccaSupporting Our Siblingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370227836665288704noreply@blogger.com1