|
2012 Lilly Reintegration Awards: Click on Visit Reintegration awards below to see the winners!
Since 1997 the Lilly Reintegration Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in the work of reintegration. This year we partnered with the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare to increase visibility of wonderful people and programs that have gone above and beyond for Reintegration.
The Lilly Reintegration Awards recognize:
-
Treatment teams, programs and services that support people living with severe mental illness
-
Local and national efforts to improve services and decrease the stigma of mental illness
-
Achievements of people living with severe mental illness who give hope to others facing similar challenge
Visit the Reintegration Awards web page
If you have any questions, please contact the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
reintegration@thenationalcouncil.org
202-684-7457
866-362-0505
We See A Better Life ...
There are numerous forms of psychiatric rehabilitation available in our country; the sad fact is that less than 10% of persons with serious mental illness recieve any. The following is an article about one type of program that we encourage you to explore:
The Clubhouse and Psychiatry
By Thomas J. Malamud
Recently two activities of interest have transpired, concerning the relationship of clubhouse programs and the field of psychiatry. Just a few months ago a Utah-based clubhouse conducted a brief survey of ICCD programs asking if psychiatrists are present on Boards of Directors. Currently, Fountain House is planning on hosting a 2-day seminar exploring the ways that psychiatry and clubhouses can work together in the rehabilitation process.
Click here>>
2012-2013 Lilly Reintegration Scholarship -- All notification letters will be sent by July 2012
Please return in October 2012 to learn how to apply for the 2013-2014 school year.
Since the mid-1990’s, Eli Lilly and Company has made a commitment to reintegration -- helping those battling severe mental illness access the resources and develop the skills necessary to re-enter society and reach their full potential. The cornerstone of this initiative has been the Lilly Reintegration Scholarship which assists people battling bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other related schizophrenia-spectrum disorders acquire the educational and vocational skills vital to moving their lives forward.
The program provides funding for tuition, lab fees and books so that an individual can pursue an education at an accredited institution. Since its inception, the scholarship has assisted more than 1,200 students, attending hundreds of community colleges and state universities, as well as Harvard, Yale, MIT, cooking schools, truck driving schools and more.
When the program was first established, there were those who did not believe it was possible for an individual living with severe and persistent mental illness to go to school , obtain a degree and secure employment. Today however, with a 15-year track record, we are proud to say that not only can it be done, but these students are exceeding the national average. According to the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, our nation’s current college graduation rate is 55.5% -- meaning that 55.5% of any incoming freshman class will ultimately graduate in six years. Yet, Lilly Reintegration Scholars have an 85% graduation rate and the overwhelming majority of these students maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher, many being straight-A students. (These are by no means requirements of the program, simply facts that have emerged from this student base.)
Clearly, Lilly Reintegration Scholars are changing the face of mental illness, both on our nation’s campuses and in the workplace. If you are living with mental illness and interested in applying for the Lilly Reintegration Scholarship, please click below to learn more about the scholarship – we welcome your interest and encourage your will to succeed.
Click here to learn more about the Lilly Reintegration Scholarship
Mental Illness And The Media
Media gets criticized often times from both the right and left side of the political spectrum. Sometimes this criticism is justified sometimes not. When it comes to reporting on mental illness, or psychiatric disorders, there seems to be less than “fair balance” or “leaning forward.” Most of the reporting is based on lack of data or misinformation regarding mental illness. Often times fear is the most significant piece of the story. Whenever a person with mental illness commits an act of violence it will get a disproportionate amount of attention compared to acts of violence committed by non mentally ill persons.
Medication issues always get great scrutiny, just recall the use of anti-depressants in teenagers and how these medications lead to suicide. Is this really due to the use of anti-depressants or that these teenagers are being diagnosed and there is a greater risk of suicide in people with depression. By the way this news item lead to a black box warning on the use of anti-depressants.
Attention-deficit disorder(ADD) has gotten significant press coverage over the years citing this illness is being over diagnosed. And yes there may be some truth to it, but again when the vast majority of Americans do not get the appropriate care for their mental illness, is the way these news items should be portrayed?
Basically, all news can and should be reported, it is about how it is reported, if we can check the sensationalism at the door, this would be an excellent start. Media should be help to arrest the stigma in mental health not perpetuate it.
The Journey...
Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder can be very traumatic words when presented to a person who has just had their first break. Losing your mind, not being able to distinguish reality from fiction can be a scary moment. Imagine if you are 20 years old and told you will never be able to move forward with your life because of it? Usually, many months to years pass before a person gets the appropriate attention for psychotic or mood labile symptoms. Often the person ends up in an ER brought in by police and if the ER isn’t equipped to deal with psychiatric emergencies, the injury gets compounded by the patient hearing derogatory terms thrown at them like “crazy”, wackadoo etc.
In our society there remains fear when dealing with psychotic thoughts that lead to aberrant behavior, including many health professionals. Much is said about quality mental health programs, but what does that mean? Symptom relief, staying out of the ER or inpatient unit, is this the best we can do, are these our standards of care?
Over the last ten years we have seen progress in the treatment of serious and persistent mental illness, many persons have moved forward with their lives, working, going back to school, reconnecting with friends and family. Unfortunately, many others have not. Large numbers of homeless persons have serious and persistent mental illness, large numbers of inmates in our prisons have serious and persistent mental illness, too many people are left floundering left to their own devises.
We know what works and we need to present persons struggling with these illnesses real hope and opportunities so they may heal and have productive and fulfilling lives. Programs like Fountain House in New York, the Village in California are two examples of mental health services that go beyond symptoms relief. These programs do reintegration, get people back to work, back to life.
Academic medicine has not embraced this concept; the Harvard’s, Mayo Clinics of the world have not integrated state of the psychiatric care with rehabilitation and reintegration. Without hope and real skills trainings persons with these illnesses will continue to struggle to turn their lives around. They will continue the revolving door of mental health care, they will continue to end up in our prisons, and we will continue to read about terrible incidents like Tuscon, Arizona.
It all begins with each of us understanding that schizophrenia is an illness, no different than any other medical condition. It is an illness that can be treated and that people do get better.
We are what we eat!
Recently, there has been a general revision of the food pyramid and an overall look at nutrition in our country. The FDA is now recomending that ultimately we reduce our total caloric intake, in other words eat less. As more information emerges around nutrition, we believe it is important to revisit how we approach food. Historically we have struggled with good nutrition, poverty being a major impediment to this goal. Today with a greater abundance of food in the western world, often times choices affect the quality of what we eat. Obesity is becoming a greater killer than smoking, and the cost of this disease is breaking the healthcare budget.
We would love to hear your thoughts and comments about this topic. Read more >>
Trust and Ethics?
There is much concern about ethics and trust of the psychiatric profession in our society today. In particular there has been significant attention paid to the relationships between psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical industry. Failure to disclose money made from the pharmaceutical industry has led to resignations and negative news headlines for a number of prominent academic psychiatrists. But, a more important issue that is not being addressed regarding the trust and respect of our society, is how well we treat are most ill patients.
What is psychiatry’s role in treating illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar, and obsessive compulsive disorder?
Historically, the field of psychiatry has allowed its least trained physicians to work with its most ill patients. As we examine our community mental health centers, we often see clinicians with limited experience, and/or limited language and cultural competency working with this group of seriously ill patients. Psychiatry has repeatedly said that psychotic breaks are part of the disease and even with our best intentions little can be done for someone with schizophrenia. It is one of the few fields of medicine that struggles with the notion of “recovery” from the illness. Furthermore, academic psychiatry has done little to connect with psychiatric rehabilitation programs around the nation. In fact, there are seldom strong connections, if any, between academia and community programs.
Numerous thought leaders have spoken to how psychiatry has become heavily weighted biologically, with little to no psycho-social interventions. But these same thought leaders have done little to fix the problem.
Schizophrenia is a real brain disease that demands treatment with state of the art pharmacology and state of the art physicians. Assessments, diagnosis, and good pharmacology are the foundation of treatment for these horrible diseases, but it is just that, the beginning. There needs to be a greater collaboration of senior, skilled psychiatrists in the community. They need to be on the front lines partnering with those that are already there in bringing the badly needed resources to the table. There are millions of Americans struggling with serious and persistent mental illness who have not been able to realize their dreams because of their disease. Being present and actually treating this patient population is key in getting people with serious and persistent mental illness better, back in quality housing, jobs and reconnected with family and friends. These are the outcomes we all should strive for.
Thought leaders need to not only speak about connecting the dots in our community, but lead by example. One way of connecting the dots is to embrace rehabilitation programs that help reintegrate persons with serious and persistent mental illness. There are numerous examples of such programs, Fountain House, ACT/IPS (assertive community treatment with intensive placement services) Fairwether Lodge and many hybrids such as the Village in Southern California, to name just a few. This promotes the message that state of the art psychiatry means bringing all wrap around services together.
One can debate the relationship of psychiatry and pharma companies or even the validity of psychiatry in managing societal behavior or cultural differences; but there is no debate or justification of persons living in their own bodily waste, hallucinating on the streets of America or in the flop houses throughout the land. Here it can be said that as a society we have abandoned are most needy psychiatric patients.
We can begin to regain trust and respect by truly helping these to reintegrate into society.
Lilly Reintegration Awards
Since 1997 the Lilly Reintegration Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in the work of reintegration. In our attempt to make these awards better we are partnering with other leaders in the field and will be announcing new applications in the next few months.
Please check back soon for information on the 2011 Awards program.
The Lilly Reintegration Awards recognize:
-
Treatment teams, programs and services that support people living with severe mental illness
-
Local and national efforts to improve services and decrease the stigma of mental illness
-
Achievements of people living with severe mental illness who give hope to others facing similar challenges
Click here for information about the 2010 Lilly Reintegration Award Recipients.
Jury Duty for Persons with Serious and Persistent Mental Illness
A search of the literature for jury duty and mental illness shows the how’s and why's of getting out of jury duty.
However, there is no data that points out the frequency and adherence of persons with serious and persistent mental illness serving as jurors. In most mental health settings, both public and private, it is almost a knee jerk response to excuse persons with illnesses, such as schizophrenia, from taking on their responsibilities as citizens.
We believe, as part of Reintegration, persons in recovery from illness’s such as Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder disorder should participate in jury duty.
If anyone has any information on jury duty participation from persons with serious and persistent mental illness please let us know.
My Child Has Schizophrenia
What Should I Do?
People with schizophrenia typically exhibit their first symptoms during adolescence or young adulthood, and thus are likely to be living with their parents. When parents first learn their child has schizophrenia, they usually experience a range of strong emotions - shock, confusion, dismay, sadness, and even anger. Parents often search frantically for answers that may not exist. They may even deny their child's illness or blame themselves or their circumstances for the illness. Read more>>
Journey into the Brain with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor
Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D., was a 37-year-old Harvard-trained and published brain scientist when a blood vessel exploded in her brain. Through the eyes of a curious neuroanatomist, she watched her mind completely deteriorate - she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. Because of her understanding of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and an amazing mother, Jill completely recovered her mind and body. In My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, Jill shares with us her recommendations for recovery and the insight she gained from having this ironic and unusual voyage into, and back out of, the silent abyss of a wounded mind.
Jill Bolte Taylor is a spokesperson for the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center. Known familiarly as "The Singing Scientist," Jill has served on the NAMI National Board of Directors and has presented in San Angelo and at various NAMI Annual Meetings around the country, including many times at NAMI national meetings. She has a brother who is living in recovery from a serious mental illness.
You may purchase Jill’s book through her publisher at http://www.lulu.com/content/458594.
Helping the Mentally Ill and Homeless in Harlem Find a Home
Weston United Community Renewal, is a not-for-profit organization that has been meeting the needs of the mentally ill and homeless in Harlem since it began its work two decades ago. Its award-winning programs, in particular its housing programs, have been gaining widespread recognition ever since. Read more>>
Thresholds Program Helps Break the Cycle of Incarceration and Hospitalization
Before coming to Chicago’s Thresholds Jail & Prison Program four years ago, William Riley, 53, says he had “given up on life.” Managing schizophrenia for most of his adulthood, Riley lived on the city streets and spent nearly every winter in jail; mostly to get out of the cold, but also to get mental health services. Since becoming part of Thresholds, Riley has not been behind bars at all and has not been in a psychiatric hospital in more than a year. He is stable, has his own apartment, and for the first time, Riley sees a future for himself. Read More>>
Portals Celebrates 50 Years
PORTALS, one of the nation’s leading mental health rehabilitation agencies, celebrated its 50th anniversary on May 18, 2006. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa served as Honorary Chair for the gala celebration, and literary and entertainment icon Sidney Sheldon served as Event Chair. The event honored five recipients of the Golden Bell Awards. Read more>>
People Say I'm Crazy:
A Filmmaker with Schizophrenia Presents His Personal Experience
People Say I’m Crazy is the first documentary on schizophrenia that was crafted by someone who lives with the illness. John Cadigan produced the film to gain a better understanding of how his schizoaffective disorder—a combination of schizophrenia and depression—impacts himself and his family. Read More>>
Hearing Voices (Speaking in Tongues) by Michael Mack
Few works of art are as forceful a commentary on severe mental illnesses and how they affect individuals and their families than Michael Mack’s one-man play, “Hearing Voices (Speaking in Tongues).” The play’s subject: growing up with a mother who has schizophrenia. Read the review>>
Kristy Worthen: A Beacon of Light
She was the sweet, quiet girl who recoiled when asked to speak in front of class – but somehow her artwork spoke volumes. We all knew someone like her back in elementary school – but today, Kristy Worthen is definitely one-of-a-kind.
Now, Kristy regularly speaks to large groups. She shares with them her life experiences - because this shy little girl grew into a troubled young teen, complete with mood swings and depression; then things got worse, the delusions began. While neither Kristy nor her family knew it, she was battling bipolar disorder. Read more>>
I Don’t Need To Take Medicine
The symptoms of diseases such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective and bipolar disorders are both scary and devastating. The good news is, all of these symptoms can be greatly reduced or eliminated by the recently developed, so-called atypical antipsychotic drugs that have fewer of the problematic side effects. But the bad news is half of all consumers with these serious mental diseases stop taking their drugs, leading to a greater risk of relapse.
So why don’t many consumers take their medications? Many reasons are given by consumers including cost and side effects. But one commonly recurring theme is that many consumers simply don’t believe they are ill. Why would anyone take a medication they don’t need?
Read more>>
Reintegration Without Borders
See how the Intercultural Support Center of southeast Portland, OR provides programs and services to refugees with mental illnesses. Read more >>
|
