Mental Health

Recovery in mental health is not used in the same manner in which one typically views recovery. Webster defines recovery as:

1) a return to normal conditions
2) an act, instance, process, or period of recovering
3) Something gained or restored in recovering
4) The act of obtaining usable substance from unusable sources, as with waste materials

These definitions are problematic. What is a normal condition? When is one done with recovering? What is gained or restored? And how could you even begin to refer the human mind as unusable?

Consequently, the concept of mental recovery was coined by Pricilla Ridgeway as “an ongoing process of self directed healing and transformation.” The Mental Health Center of Denver, or MHCD, the home of some of the leading researchers in the mental health recovery field, go on to say that recovery is a non-linear process where one progresses from lower to higher levels of fulfillment in a number of metrics. In short, recovery is a sliding scale process driven by the consumer, rather than scheduled out by the mental healthcare practitioner.

Thus essentially, recovery from a mental illness is not equated to being cured, it means living a meaningful, fulfilling life regardless of, rather than in spite of, one’s mental condition. Interestingly enough, cultural differences do exist in the meaning of what ‘recovery’ and mental health recovery actually is. New Zealand, which recently mandated all mental health facilities adopt a recovery-based approach, views recovery as a merging between psychoanalysis and cultural recognition. The U.K. agrees with New Zealand in believing that recovery is a systematic concept (thus including one’s environment and culture), rather than an incidental one. The United States tends to focus more on the number of people coming in than those going out, thus the notion of recovery is still rather unformed in the region

The Mental Health Center of Denver, through their Research and Evaluation’s Department, has further developed psychometric tools for quantifiably testing a mental healthcare consumer’s progress through the mental health recovery process. These instruments have been substantiated by biostatisticians and psychological/psychiatric expertise, thus are generally held in good standing.

Mental issues today are many and varied. And so is the profile of a typical patient. There isn’t one because even children can be diagnosed with depression and conditions such as dementia and bipolar mood swings can be diagnosed in people of varying ages.

And a spin-off from so many of the mental health problems in people is the family member affected by the condition. A teen with depression for example can mean a large amount of stress for his or her worrying parents. In fact it is not uncommon for family members of a patient with mental health problems to seek medical assistance for the stress they are suffering worrying about their loved one.

Before going to your mental health residential treatment center, you would do well to visit your family doctor and explain your situation to him or her. GPs are well-known for the vast list of contacts in relevant areas of mental health and their advice is most likely to be helpful. If they can’t recommend a specialist, and that would be very rare, they will know someone who can. Don’t bypass your family doctor.

But sooner or later you will at least investigate your local residential treatment center for those with mental health conditions. They are not all the same but most will have a number of specialists including the following: a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a psychiatric nurse, an occupational therapist and a social worker. Each has a different role to play and it will help you to know what each does and for which type of condition.

A psychiatrist is able to prescribe drugs for your mental health condition. Psychiatrists are trained in assessing various types of mental illness and will even have a patient admitted to hospital if they think such a move is necessary.

A psychologist works more on relationships and how a person gets on within a family structure. They can run therapy sessions but do not prescribe drugs.

Some people with a mental health condition find they are unable or less able to perform certain tasks and if so, then an occupational therapist can come to your home, assess your needs and set up a program where you receive whatever assistance is required.

Visiting nurses are common particularly with elderly patients and a psychiatric nurse visits a person with a mental health condition and gives them whatever advice and assistance they can. It might be because the patient has difficulty in making the trip to the mental health treatment center.

Finally a social worker can help in a number of ways such as advising which form of community or local government support services are available.

Mental health problems can be depressing in themselves for both the patient and their family. But you should understand that there is a great deal of support in your community and, in short, help is at hand. Take heart from the range of resources and take advantage of the people and services they provide.

In a time when resources are scarce and problems are many, professionals are choosing evidence-based practices to improve outcomes related to services. Evidence is emerging that school-based mental health services are an effective and cost efficient way to improve school performance and mental health and reduce behavioral problems. To assess the effectiveness of school based mental health (SBMH) services to provide these outcomes in students from Pre-K – 12th grades, Robert Schmidt, M.Ed. and Kathryn Seifert, Ph.D. collaborated on the evaluation of outcomes for a SBMH program for a mid-Atlantic rural school district.

The project began in 1999 after a Federal grant was awarded to the school district. The children’s scores on the Devereaux, BASC, CARE and several school measures such as absenteeism, disciplinary referrals, and suspensions were measured from the beginning of services and at the beginning and end of each school year. Youth were referred to the project from teachers, guidance counselors, parents, student self-referrals and other agencies such as the Departments of Social Services and Juvenile Services of which resulted in 1,247 SBMH referrals during a five-year period.

From 1999 to 2004, 36% of these students were referred because of symptoms of depression, 26% because of family problems, and 24% because of behavior problems. There were 84 referrals to the program in 1999, compared to 437 students in 2002 and 239 students in 2003. Peak referral times were consistently observed during the months of October and February. Youth in the transition years of sixth and ninth grades were referred to the program most often. More Caucasian females participated in the project than any other ethnic/gender group. In 2000, 2,132 mental health sessions were provided, in contrast to an amazing 15,763 sessions during the 2003/04 school year.

A group of one hundred thirty-two students who participated in the program showed significantly improved attitudes toward teachers and school, decreased mental health symptoms, and increased self-esteem after one year of services. From the 2001 to the 2002 school year, students participating in SBMH had significantly improved school attendance (from approximately 4600 to 4200 days absent). One hundred seventy-eight students had a significant (49%) decrease in disciplinary referrals and violence related disciplinary referrals from the 2001 to the 2002 school year. One hundred thirty-four participants had a significant decrease (54%) in suspensions from school. Parents of 103 students reported that their children were having significantly fewer problems after receiving services. Ninety-nine youth self-reported significantly improved commitment to school, interpersonal relationships and self-esteem, as well as fewer stress related problems. Two hundred fifty students reported significantly reduced school maladjustment and clinical maladjustment and improved attitudes toward parents and emotional well-being.

This project demonstrated that school based mental health services improved student well-being, behavior and school success, while showing a significant decrease in the initial presenting mental health symptoms, violence and other behavior problems at home and at school. Although these services and study enter into it’s sixth year and is on-going, other school-based mental health services must be provided, expanded, and studied. This project provides a framework for improved student health/success and decreased school violence while positively enhancing the community of which we live, work and play.