May is Mental Health Awareness Month and there will be several activities going on all month  to bring awareness to the realities of chemical brain disorders.

Mental Illnesses are not curable at this point, but they are recoverable and people can live healthy productive lives while managing their illness.  The Pima County Peer and Family Support Coalition is sponsoring a “Town Hall Meeting” to promote a bright future for our youth currently receiving behavioral health services. “Journeys of Peers and Families,”  an event to enlighten our community about the realities of mental health recovery, will engage attendees with real life stories from a panel of adults and youth currently in recovery.  Since recovery also depends on a support system,  family members of those with mental illnesses will also share their compelling  standpoint.

The evening begins at 6:00 pm and will be held at C.P.S.A, at 2502 N. Dodge, Suite 130 in Tucson. Light refreshments will be served  Reservations are requested to (520) 770-1197 and child care will be provided if required, so please request upon confirmation.

The event is supported by local non-profits, MiKid, HOPE, Inc., and CFSS.

(Below is the Proclamation making May Mental Health Awareness Month)

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Today, tens of millions of Americans are living with the burden of a mental health problem. They shoulder conditions like depression and anxiety, post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorder — debilitating illnesses that can strain every part of a person’s life. And even though help is out there, less than half of children and adults with diagnosable mental health problems receive treatment. During National Mental Health Awareness Month, we shine a light on these issues, stand with men and women in need, and redouble our efforts to address mental health problems in America.

For many, getting help starts with a conversation. People who believe they may be suffering from a mental health condition should talk about it with someone they trust and consult a health care provider. As a Nation, it is up to all of us to know the signs of mental health issues and lend a hand to those who are struggling. Shame and stigma too often leave people feeling like there is no place to turn. We need to make sure they know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness — it is a sign of strength. To find treatment services nearby, call 1-800-662-HELP. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers immediate assistance for all Americans, including service members and veterans, at 1-800-273-TALK.

Our commitment cannot end there. We must ensure people have access to the care they need — which is why the Affordable Care Act will expand mental health and substance use disorder benefits and Federal parity protections for 62 million Americans. For the first time, the health care law will prevent insurers from denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition. The Act already requires new health plans to cover recommended preventive services like depression screening and behavioral assessments for children at no extra cost to patients.

My Administration will keep building on those achievements. Earlier this year, I was proud to launch the BRAIN Initiative — a new partnership between government, scientists, and leaders in the private sector to invest in research that could unlock new treatments for mental illness and drive growth throughout our economy. We have made unprecedented commitments to improving mental health care for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. And we have proposed new funding for mental health programs that will help teachers and other adults recognize the signs of mental illness in children, improve mental health outcomes for young people, and train 5,000 more mental health professionals to serve our youth.

Mental health problems remain a serious public health concern, but together, our Nation is making progress. This month, I encourage all Americans to advance this important work by raising awareness about mental health and lending strength to all who need it.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2013 as National Mental Health Awareness Month. I call upon citizens, government agencies, organizations, health care providers, and research institutions to raise mental health awareness and continue helping Americans live longer, healthier lives.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA

So many people think of Ronald Reagan as one of our greatest Presidents.  He is attributed to “winning the cold war,” and reducing the size of government.  I’m not going to debate those issues, but I do know that during that time thousands of people were discharged from mental health facilities where they were being warehoused and sent out to find their own housing and services.  They were supposed to be supported by out-patient community services.  Instead, people with serious mental illnesses started falling through the cracks and not receiving proper medical treatment, if any treatment at all.  Today many people with serious mental illnesses are living on the streets, in prisons or in sub-standard, unlicensed boarding homes.  Some families with mentally ill family members are bearing the expense and emotional roller coasters of living with someone who can be challenging at times because they aren’t diagnosed correctly or the stigma surrounding psychiatric disorders keep them from seeking professional  care -  even though  proper medical treatment works and mental health recovery is a reality.  While our Governor Brewer is a fan of slashing the state’s budget for mental health treatment thinking that will help to solve the state’s financial woes, she like President Reagan,  does not always have our best interests at heart.

So, even if President Reagan was a great man, it was during his presidency that treatment for our nations most vulnerable went from bad to worse.  The following article is a reprint because I found it expresses my concerns adequately and one month after the horrible shootings in Tucson, people seem to be more receptive to learning about this issue.

Ronald Reagan, Mental Health, and Spin . . .

Man Behind the Myth

By Phyllis Vine

For the next twelve months, the Ronald Reagan image machine will be turning out countless vignettes of the nation’s 40th president, the man neighbors called “Dutch.” He will be described as no-nonsense yet kindly, remote but avuncular, a movies-star-turned-politician, and remembered as a local lifeguard rescuing people in troubled waters. With dashing good looks, a sonorous tone that became the voice of General Electric, and an affable smile, even those who disagreed with his policies will say he was genuinely kind-hearted.

So what did this mean practically for policies about mental health? Here we need to  ask how the image departs from the reality.

Contrary to the spin about trimming government, which he called “the problem,” we all know he oversaw increases in federal spending that exploded the national debt, and grew the size of the government he impugned. Another part of the reality, rarely the image, is how he attempted to savage the  entitlement system and roll back supports for people with a mental illness.

When Ronald Reagan arrived in Washington, he inherited the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980. One of the last achievements of Pres. Jimmy Carter, this was passed by the House 277 to 15, in the Senate, 93 to 3. With as many critics as there were special interests, it was far from perfect. Yet it expanded the federal government’s commitment to services, to research, to training professionals, and to patient rights. It identified stigma as an impediment to seeking and receiving services.  It established parity in Medicaid and Medicare. It recognized the link between physical health and mental health. And it dedicated $800 million over 4 years to redress the gross neglect of the commitment to mental health in earlier administrations.  In short, it moved an agenda that minimized homelessness, the reliance on expensive nursing homes, jails and prisons, and one that to more hopeful choices for those who needed help.

The Mental Health Systems Act was a milestone. It came on the heels of four years of hearings and a presidential task force benefiting from First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s active involvement.  Philosophically it affirmed Pres. John F. Kennedy’s Community Mental Health Centers, an attempt to thwart hospitalizations. It fit into the safety-net values championed by Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson with the passage of Medicaid and Medicare.

Still, by 1980 the nation needed more for those with a chronic illness. Many failures accompanied the attempts to close the miserable hospitals, often little more than warehouses, to help patients succeed in the community. The neglect of government support conspired to form a patchwork system with notable gaping holes. A 1977 GAO report said, “Government needs to do more.”  Congressional hearings in 1979 re-affirmed the need to strengthen impoverished services and the failed policies.

Although not perfect, the Mental Health Systems Act responded to these problems. For the first time since the National Institute of Mental Health became part of NIH in 1949, mental health was front and center in federal policy.

Then came Ronald Reagan. Within a month, the Office of Management Budget announced it would curtail the budget of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), phase out training of clinicians, interrupt research, and eliminate services.  Cutbacks to staff followed; chaos ensued. Experienced people left, others remained in government service but were forced into menial jobs. Trained professionals were reassigned to labs to dissect dead rats; science writers were reassigned to typing pools. The Mental Health Systems Act would disappear. Instead, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (1982) would merge money for mental health programs into block grants, and with fewer dollars going to the states.  They had the discretion to use them however they saw fit, often to perpetuate programs already deemed problematic. The pretense for all this was the president’s concept of a “new federalism.”

“Many of our dreams were gone,” wrote Rosalynn Carter in Helping Someone with Mental Illness. “It was a bitter loss.”

This could have been enough, but it was not. Pres. Reagan attempted to restrict criteria for determining eligibility for SSI, thought to be a safety-net. Nearly 2.6 million people were receiving insurance because their disability prevented them from working. New evaluations for eligibility led to widespread terminations. Of those who were terminated, about half appealed, and in two-thirds of the cases, administrative law judges reversed the decision. The process took nearly a year, during which time they, and their families, were deprived of promised help.

About 340,000 people would lose their insurance before public outcry and courts halted the process. Sen. John Heinz, a liberal Republican from Pennsylvania, told the New York Times the policy was a “meat grinder.” Sen. Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat, said the reviews caused “unconscionable suffering.” In June 1983 HHS Secretary Margaret Heckler announced she would halt suspending about 135,000 people until the government could improve standards for “functional psychotic disorders.”

By then, however, the nation was doubting the president’s kindness. A1982 Louis Harris survey found nearly three-quarters of the respondents said the president was hard-hearted toward the poor.

These are the facts. And they add up to a roll-back of opportunities for people already struggling with a psychiatric illness.  Whatever spin accompanies the birthday celebrations for Ronald Reagan, we should not create yet another mythic figure, larger than life, more pure than Ivory soap, or with qualities he did not have.  He may have portrayed himself as everybody’s lifeguard, but he seemed willing to let people with a psychiatric illness sink.

Originally appeared in MIWatch.org

Statement of Mental Health America on theTragedy in Arizona

Contact: Steve Vetzner, (703) 797-2588 or svetzner@mentalhealthamerica.net

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (January 10, 2011)—Mental Health America joins Americans in mourning the loss of those killed in Saturday’s tragic and senseless attack and expressing our wishes for the full recovery of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and fellow citizens who were injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and everyone who is affected by these horrific events. And we join in applauding the brave actions of individuals who prevented greater harm.

It will likely take many days to understand the reasons and motivations behind this national tragedy. Many have pointed to mental health as an issue.

It must first be emphasized that people with mental health conditions are no more likely to be violent than the rest of the population. And we have science-based methods to successfully treat persons with even the most severe mental illnesses. A very small group of individuals with a specific type of mental health symptoms are at greater risk for violence if their symptoms are untreated.

At the same time, we must recognize that the nation’s mental health system is drastically under-funded and fails to provide Americans living with mental health conditions with the effective community-based mental health services they need. Sadly, in the current environment of strained state budgets, mental health services have been cut drastically just as demand for these critical services has risen dramatically.

It is also important that, as a community, we assist persons with signs and symptoms of mental illnesses to seek treatment. Although rare, when a person becomes so ill that he/she is a danger to themselves or others state laws provide a way to get them help even if they don’t believe that they need it. The best strategy, however, is to have an accessible system of care that is easy to use.

Science has not developed tools to predict reliably individuals at risk for violence. But we can reduce the small risk of violence in those with certain mental health conditions by investing in proven intensive, coordinated community-based mental health services and making certain that they can access these services.

We do not know if the mental health system failed in this situation or if there were missed opportunities or if effective treatment might have averted this tragedy.

We do hope that we can find answers and create solutions that prevent this from ever happening again.

Mental Health America (www.mentalhealthamerica.net) is the country’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives. With our century of service to America and our more than 300 affiliates nationwide, we represent a national movement that promotes mental wellness for the health and well-being of the nation— everyday and in times of crisis.