The National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse is affiliated with the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion.
TO CONTACT: THE CLEARINGHOUSE: SELFHELPCLEARINGHOUSE@GMAIL.COM … SUSAN ROGERS: SUSAN.ROGERS.ADVOCACY@GMAIL.COM … JOSEPH ROGERS: JROGERS08034@GMAIL.COM
This edition of the Key Update includes two important ACTION ALERTS: (1) Contact Your Legislators to Demand Covid-19 Vaccine for Homebound People, and (2) Help MindFreedom International Stop Forced Electroshock! (ALERT UPDATE: Charles Helmer’s Forced Electroshock Scheduled for 4/23 Is Canceled!)
The Key Update is compiled, written, and edited by Susan Rogers, Director, National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse.
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ACTION ALERT: Contact Your Legislators to Demand Covid-19 Vaccine for Homebound People
People who are homebound have been largely overlooked in the campaign to vaccinate people against Covid-19. At this writing, some states, such as Maryland, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, have mobile vaccination vans ready to take the vaccine to people in their homes. And other states, such as Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New York, and Mississippi, have plans in place to vaccinate homebound adults but only in certain parts of their respective states, although they hope to expand statewide. But other states are farther behind: New Jersey has three vans ready to go, but “it could be weeks before they’re on the road,” according to a recent article. And California is even less prepared to vaccinate its homebound population. Providing Covid-19 vaccinations is a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If your state is not already vaccinating its homebound residents, contact your state and federal legislators to demand that this change. To find your state legislators, click here. To find your federal legislators, click here.
One-Third of Covid Survivors Were Later Diagnosed with Mental Health Conditions or, Rarely, Neurological Issues
A study of more than 236,000 people who had recovered from Covid-19 found that many had mood disorders, anxiety, substance use disorders, insomnia, and, in rarer cases, severe conditions like stroke and dementia within six months, according to People magazine, reporting on a study published in Lancet Psychiatry. For the People article, which includes a link to the Lancet Psychiatry study, click here.
ADVOCACY WORKS! Charles Helmer’s Forced Electroshock Scheduled for April 23 Was Canceled!
Thanks to you and the countless others who responded to MindFreedom International’s Shield program to help prevent the continued use of forced electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive treatment, or ECT) on Charles Helmer, a 22-year-old Minneapolis man, Charles’s forced electroshock scheduled for April 23 was canceled! Charles’s mother, Ann Fuller, wrote to MFI: "Hey, they stopped ECT on Charles temporarily!!!! YEAH!!! Hopefully for good...Thank you all for your effort & kindness. Much appreciated! Ann & Charles xo.” Again, thank you for your efforts to help Charles! Along with the work of many others, your efforts helped! For those who didn’t see the original Action Alert, “Charles Helmer was discharged on March 22, 2021, from Fairview Riverside Psychiatric Clinic at the University of Minnesota, and court-ordered to live in a group home and to report every other week for forced electroshock. His most recent forced treatment was on April 9, 2021; he is next scheduled to be force-shocked on April 23. This is in spite of his own—and his mother’s—efforts to prevent it…For a MindFreedom International press release about MFI’s campaign to help Charles Helmer, click here. For “ECT: Dangerous on Either Side of the Pond,” published in Psychiatric Times on April 5, 2021, click here.”
Deadline for Proposals to Present a Workshop at (Free) Alternatives 2021 is April 23!
The National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery is proud to host the (free!) 2021 (Virtual) Alternatives Conference, now in its 35th year! The conference—whose theme is “Connecting, Organizing, Activating!”—will take place on July 8, 10, 15, and 17. You are invited to submit a workshop proposal through April 23 on one of these topics: Advocacy; Preventing Crisis; Protecting Rights; Promoting Social Justice and Social Inclusion; Youth Empowerment; Healing Through the Arts, Holistic Health, Wellness, and Spirituality; and Economic Empowerment. For the NCMHR announcement, which includes details about submitting workshop proposals and more, click here. For questions: info@ncmhr.org
BPC Recommends Expanded Role for Peer Support Specialists in Integrated Health Care
A new report by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Behavioral Health Integration Task Force—“Tackling America’s Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Through Primary Care Integration: Task Force Recommendations”— highlights the effectiveness of peer support. The 124-page report, published in March 2021, includes numerous mentions of peer support, such as the following (pp. 68-69): “One provider type that should be considered for coverage under Medicare is peer support specialists…These professionals use their lived experience and training to help patients navigate care systems and sustain recovery, especially in patients with severe mental health conditions or substance use disorders. Evidence suggests that peer support services benefit staff as well…Peer support staff have proven to be a valuable tool for providers in improving patient-provider relationships and promoting shared decision making with respect to medications and treatment plans…In addition, adding peer support staff offers an opportunity to diversify the workforce to better reflect communities served by the primary care practices.” To download the free report, click here.
Check Out the TU Collaborative’s New Publication: “Family Leisure Planning and Covid-19”
The TU Collaborative has a new publication: “Our new document, ‘Family Leisure Planning and Covid-19,’ shares information about the benefits of engaging in family leisure as well as resources for planning memorable activities at home!” For the 16-page document, click here. For the TU Collaborative newsletter, click here.
“New Paper on How to Stop Antipsychotic Drugs Deemed ‘Historic Breakthrough,’” But Is Scooped by Peer-Written Paper, Published in 2007
“Researchers have published the first scientific paper looking at how patients can safely come off antipsychotic medication while minimizing the risk of withdrawal effects,” according to a report in Metro UK. “The paper, [‘A Method for Taping Antipsychotic Treatment That May Minimize the Risk of Relapse’], described as a ‘historic breakthrough,’ suggests that extremely slow tapering with small reductions over months or even years could make it less likely for patients to relapse.” For the Metro UK article, click here. For the free study, published in Schizophrenia Bulletin on March 23, 2021, click here. And for the free, 41-page “Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs,” published in 2007, which also advises, “Usually it is best to go slow and taper off gradually,” click here.
NARPA Issues Call for Papers for Its 2021 (Virtual) Conference
“The National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA) is seeking proposals that address strategies, ideas, programs, and emerging practices that support and promote NARPA’s mission and commitment to individual rights, racial equity, justice, liberty, freedom, and dignity.” The workshop proposal deadline is May 4, 2021. NARPA’s 2021 conference, to be presented in Fall 2021, will offer six free, 90-minute webinars. (NARPA adds, “please consider making a tax-deductible contribution because NARPA does not accept government or corporate funding.”) CEUs and CLEs will be available. At this writing, the Application for Workshops is not yet posted at www.narpa.org, although it soon will be available there. For more information, contact NARPA at narpa4rights@gmail.com or 256.650.6311.
New Psychiatric Services Paper Calls for “Building a Pipeline of Researchers with Significant Psychiatric Disabilities…”
“We have got to start actively recruiting, hiring and mentoring students and researchers with significant psychiatric disabilities and intersectional disadvantage at every level,” writes Nev Jones, Ph.D., as she shared on Twitter a new paper of which she is the lead author: “Lived Experience, Research Leadership, and the Transformation of Mental Health Services: Building a Researcher Pipeline.” “Critically, this requires a much deeper reckoning with ableism in academic spaces and what it means to support emerging researchers with ongoing disability/challenges; recognizing how hard it is to sit through classes and meetings in which your community is also the objectified ‘target,’” she continued. “It means supporting those same students, later on, to get extramural grants, faculty positions, tenure or promotion and start breaking the glass ceiling we see so firmly in place now. Mental health services journal editors, funding bodies and conference organizers can all play a role by prioritizing the full inclusion and amplifying the voices and visibility of researchers with significant psychiatric disabilities.” For the complete paper, published online on March 11, 2021, click here.
(Virtual) 2021 Disability & Intersectionality Summit (DIS) Issues Call for Papers
The Disability & Intersectionality Summit (DIS)—"a biennial national conference that centers the multiple oppressions that shape the lived experiences of disabled individuals, as told by disabled people, in a setting organized by disabled activists”—has issued a call for proposals. The deadline is May 1, 2021. This year’s theme is “Disabled Community Care and Survival: Strategies and Brilliance.” The organizers write: “This year’s DIS 2021 will have presentations scheduled from June - December.” For more about the Summit, including a link to submit proposals, click here. (Courtesy of Dan Fisher)
(Virtual) Mini Conference on Hoarding and Cluttering to Be Held April 16-17, 2021
The Mental Health Association of San Francisco is sponsoring a Virtual Mini Conference on Hoarding and Cluttering on April 16-17, 2021, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET (noon to 4 p.m. PT). The theme is “Redefining Crazy: It’s the System, Not the People.” “The goal of this virtual conference is to convene peers, experts, stakeholders, scientists, policy leaders, providers, researchers, and community advocates in a collaborative and actionable learning environment to advance innovation and highlight the work and values of diverse leaders across sectors to discuss matters and new information on hoarding and cluttering,” the organizers write. For more information, click here.
Temple University (TU) Article Highlights Impact of Community Inclusion on Social Determinants of Mental Health, While a Previous TU Paper Focuses on Supporting Social Workers with Mental Health Conditions
“Community inclusion emerged from a vibrant disability rights community that fought to counter isolation and exclusion…,” writes Mark Salzer, Ph.D., director of the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion. “Individuals with serious mental illnesses do not participate in their communities to the same degree as others, and the lack of participation takes a toll on their economic stability, place in society and the community, and exposure to unsafe neighborhoods and physical environments, all of which ultimately affect health. Promotion of community inclusion and participation…should be considered a medical necessity.” For the article, published in Psychiatric Services on March 18, 2021, click here. Dr. Salzer was a co-author—with lead author Loran Kundra, JD, MSS—of “Out of the Shadows: Supporting Social Workers with a Mental Illness,” published in Social Work in Mental Health in 2019. The authors write: “This article sets forth a new approach to supporting these social workers which involves one-on-one peer support, peer education, advocacy opportunities, assistance with requests for job accommodations, a speaker’s bureau, and organizational consultation on peer issues within agencies.” For the abstract, click here.
“Our ‘Normal’ Responses to Mental Health Crises Are Not Working,” as Reported by Current Affairs, The Washington Post, The Guardian, the ABA Journal, and the Coloradoan
“People with mental health issues are 16 times more likely to be in a police encounter than other civilians,” Current Affairs reports. “[W]hen we continue to invest in police, prosecutions, courts, jails, and prisons—instead of true mental health intervention and response—our communities are not made safer or healthier. Instead, people die. But police shootings and killings don’t tell the full story of the impact of the criminalization of mental health issues on the people, families, and communities most targeted by police, especially Black and Brown people.” For the Current Affairs article, click here. For “Reimagine Safety: We rely too much on the police. Rather than defunding the police, we need to reimagine public safety. When we need help, we need someone other than armed officers to call for help. We can make neighborhoods safer just by changing the physical environment,” click here. For “These US cities defunded police: 'We're transferring money to the community': More than 20 major cities have reduced police budgets in some form, and activists are fighting to ensure that is only the start,” click here. For “Police are often first responders to mental health crises, but tragedies are prompting change,” published by the ABA Journal, click here. For “How a Colorado Town Is Untangling Behavioral Health Care from the Criminal Justice System,” click here. (Note: This important issue has previously been covered at length in the Key Update, most recently in March 2021, February 2021,and November 2020, as well as frequently in the Key Update’s Criminal Justice Digest.)
In a Related Story, “New Funding is Available for Mental Health Mobile Crisis Teams”
“The new COVID-19 relief bill—the American Rescue Plan, H.R. 1319 [which President Biden signed into law on March 11, 2021]—provides new federal funding for mental health mobile crisis teams,” the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law writes. “Mental health mobile crisis teams are highly effective, both as an alternative to the police responding to individuals with mental illness and as a way to meet the urgent needs of individuals with mental illness or substance use disorder.” For the complete statement, click here.
RMIT Mad Studies Network, based in Melbourne, Australia, Hosts Monthly Virtual Reading Group
“The RMIT Mad Studies Network brings together anyone interested in Mad Studies, mad ideas, critical thinking about mental distress, the politics of ‘mental health,’ the mental health consumer/survivor/ex-patient movement and alternatives to the contemporary mental health paradigm/system,” according to the RMIT website’s home page. Currently, the RMIT’s main activity is a monthly reading group, now held virtually. The 90-minute groups take place on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time), which is 14 hours later than Eastern Daylight Time (5 a.m. EDT). The time difference grows as you move west: 4 a.m. CT, 3 a.m. MT, 2 a.m. PT. For more information, click here.
Free Webinar: “Child & Adolescent Mental Health Crisis Service,” April 26
A free, 90-minute SAMHSA-sponsored webinar—“Child & Adolescent Mental Health Crisis Service”—presented by Mental Health America will be held on April 26, 2021, at 2 p.m. ET. “Rates of youth facing mental health challenges, including suicidality, are rising across the country. Often, communities lack youth-specific resources to help the individual in their moment of crisis and beyond. Alachua County [Florida] Crisis Center’s team will discuss how youth-focused crisis interventions that integrate families, schools, and communities can create lasting change.” For more information and to register, click here. For questions, contact kelle.masten@nasmhpd.org. (Courtesy of Judene Shelley)
On April 27, Doors to Wellbeing Will Offer a Free Webinar as Part of Its Monthly Series
On April 27, 2021, at 2 p.m. ET, Doors to Wellbeing will host its next monthly 60-minute webinar: “Wellness Maintenance for Transition Aged Youth (TAY) Peer Professionals.“ Doors to Wellbeing writes: “This webinar is designed for transition-aged youth peer professionals between the ages of 18-25 who are looking to gain work, life, and wellness balance as they navigate adulthood and the workplace.” For more information and to register, click here.
Free Webinar: “Recovery Through Personal Care Services,” April 28
A free, 90-minute SAMHSA-sponsored webinar—“Recovery Through Personal Care Services”—will take place April 28, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. ET. “As our mental health system shifts its culture from institutional, professionally directed-services, PCAs [Personal Care Attendants] enable individuals with behavioral health challenges to integrate into the community. PCAs facilitate the transition from professionally directed to self-directed care. In this manner, the use of PCAs for behavioral health can further each person’s resiliency, hope and choice.” The presenters will be Dan Fisher, MD, PhD, and R. Drake Ewbank, QHMA, PSS, PSW, PCA. For more information and to register, click here. Questions? Contact kelle.masten@nasmhpd.org (Courtesy of Judene Shelley)
HALI’s “Creative Connections” Campaign Hosts Monthly Zoom Workshops
On May 6 at 3:30 p.m. ET, Hands Across Long Island (HALI) will host its next monthly 90-minute Creative Connections workshop on Zoom. “The purpose of the [Creative Connections] Campaign is to reach our community in institutions through letters and art to express that we love, we care, and we stand with our community; to reimagine the ways we can connect with others through art and letter-writing; and to bring awareness to the challenges our community faces. After exploring and navigating [the] barriers our community faces, we will collaborate to create blackout poetry that will be delivered to someone held in an institution. [Use] a book, magazine, or any page with writing that you wouldn’t mind parting with, a marker or pen, and yourself! You’re welcome to create in whatever medium you enjoy and join us in conversation.” No registration is necessary. Click on the Zoom link or cut and paste it into your browser: https://zoom.us/j/93732941287?pwd=clhmeVY3ck9kSGtwWS90WXB0ZWdrdz09 (Passcode: 035115), or join by phone: 1.929.205.6099; Meeting ID: 937 3294 1287. If you are joining from outside the U.S., find your local number here: https://zoom.us/u/aelMZEF8Cl
MHA Offers Free “May Is Mental Health Month” Toolkit
Mental Health America writes: “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of people of all ages. Now, more than ever, it is critical to reduce the [prejudice and discrimination] around mental health struggles, because that…often prevents individuals from seeking help. In 2021, we will continue with our theme of Tools 2 Thrive, providing practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase their resiliency regardless of their personal situation.” This campaign is supported by contributions from Janssen: Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc. For more information and to download the free toolkit, click here.
“Selling Side Effects: Big Pharma’s Marketing Machine”
“Americans pay more for drugs and medical devices than any other country,” according to an article on drugwatch.com. “Big Pharma follows potential patients everywhere—on TV, in print and online. Companies spend billions advertising to doctors to get them [to] prescribe their brand-name drugs and devices. They also spend billions paying criminal and civil settlements resulting from fraudulent marketing. Do these practices empower patients or expose them to newer, riskier and more expensive drugs and devices?” For the article, published in 2016 but last modified on March 18, 2021, click here.
NARPA Free Webinar Series Is Available Online
“In lieu of a face-to-face conference in 2020, NARPA presented a series of webinars related to current events. The last presentation in this series took place in December, with ‘Mental Health Courts and Specialized Courts in Canada: Access to Justice from the Perspective of people with psychiatric histories.’ All of the webinars are free and are available for streaming on NARPA's YouTube Channel. For more information, click here.
12th World Hearing Voices Congress to Be Held in Cork, Ireland, September 1-3, 2021
The 12th World Hearing Voices Congress, whose theme is “Solidarity in Times of Adversity: The Global Voice Hearing Community Reconnecting,” will be held September 1-3, 2021. “This year’s Congress will create spaces for voice hearers, family members, carers, practitioners, academics, and all those interested in the principles and values of the International Hearing Voices Movement, to connect and/or reconnect with one another in a post-pandemic world, either in person in Cork, Ireland, or online across the globe,” the organizers write. “If restrictions do not allow to have a hybrid Congress in Cork, then Congress will move fully online!” The online fees for voice hearers/students are £45.00 ($67); for practitioners, £65.00 ($97). If a hybrid Congress can be offered, then the fees will be €80 ($95) for voice hearers/students; €180 ($211) for practitioners. (The monetary conversion rates are as of this writing.) For more information, including a link to register, click here. (Courtesy of Janet Paleo)
Canadian Senate Expands Assisted Dying to Include Mental Health Conditions, While Disability Rights Groups Oppose It, Global News Reports
“Intolerably suffering Canadians who are not near the natural end of their lives now have the right to seek medical assistance in dying. And that will eventually include people suffering solely from grievous and irremediable mental illnesses,” the Global News reported on March 19, 2021. “People suffering solely from mental illnesses will have to wait two years to gain the same right [as “intolerably suffering Canadians who aren’t near death”]…But disability rights groups have strenuously opposed the bill, arguing it devalues the lives of people with disabilities, particularly those who are Black, racialized, Indigenous or otherwise already marginalized and face discrimination in the health system. They fear such vulnerable people will be pressured—either directly or indirectly through societal attitudes and lack of support services—to end their lives prematurely.” For the Global News article, click here. For a related article, from 2015, in The New Yorker—"The Death Treatment: When should people with a non-terminal illness be helped to die?”—click here.
“20 Comics That Capture Life with Anxiety and Depression”
“At GoComics, creators share their struggles with anxiety, depression, and more with an aim to relate to readers who may be going through the same thing. Sometimes it’s with a laugh; other times it's with a poignant character moment; but the comics always ease the stigma associated with a diaspora of mental health issues.” For the comics, click here.
The April 2021 Digest of Articles Offering Healthy Lifestyle Advice
For “Over 3 Million People Took This Course on Happiness. Here’s What Some Learned. It may seem simple, but it bears repeating: sleep, gratitude and helping other people,” click here. For “What Can You Do Once You’re Vaccinated?” click here. For “How to Start Healing During a Season of Grief: There is no singular way to respond to heartache or sorrow. Find the strategy that works best for you,” click here. For “If You Stay Mentally Well Your Entire Life, You’re Not Normal,” click here.
The April 2021 Digest of Articles about the Criminal Justice System, in Which Many Individuals with Mental Health Conditions Are Incarcerated (and the Key Update continues after this Digest)
For “Mass Incarceration Draws Its Own Maps and Creates a Country in Its Image: Prison gerrymandering, in which incarcerated people are designated as residents of the areas where a prison or jail is located, is a system of strategic disenfranchisement,” click here. For “5 Discussions That Shaped the Justice Reform Movement in 2020,” click here. For “The pandemic slowed courts, leaving behind case backlogs. Now public defenders are ‘emptying the ocean with a teaspoon,’” click here. For “Missing the Mark: Data Reporting & Quality Scorecard,” click here. For “10 Artists Who Shed Light on Mass Incarceration,” click here. For “How transparent is Allegheny County Jail compared to other PA jails? We requested their mental health policies to find out. Compared to the other five largest PA counties, ACJ was far less transparent in providing its mental health policies. PublicSource appealed ACJ’s decision to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, but the appeal was denied,” click here. For “North Carolina sends 6-year-olds to court. Why some say it’s time for change,” click here. For “Civil asset forfeiture: I'm a grandmother, not a drug lord. Why can police take my property? It shouldn't take six years and the threat of legal action to be treated fairly. I hadn't been accused of any crime. I shouldn't have been punished,” click here. For “America's surge in violence: Why we must reduce violent crime for prison reform to work. We simply won’t shed our status as the planet’s leading incarcerator without reducing violence,” click here. For “Deprivatization—not continual fines—is the solution to health care incompetency in Arizona prisons,” click here. For “The Enormous Cost of Parole Violations in New York,” click here. For “The pandemic’s unintended consequence—bail reform in Cuyahoga County: Leila Atassi,” click here. For “Study finds not prosecuting misdemeanors reduces defendants’ subsequent arrests: Results support Suffolk DA Rollins’s move to dismiss lower-level offenses,” click here. For “Sarpy Board approves UNMC inmate mental health fellowship program,” click here. For “After crime plummeted in 2020, Baltimore will stop drug, sex prosecutions: State’s Attorney Mosby stopped non-violent prosecutions for the coronavirus, but then violent crime dropped 20 percent,” click here. “For “The Way We Think About Mass Shootings Ignores Many Black Victims: High-casualty shootings didn’t disappear during the pandemic—they nearly doubled,” click here. For “What is Life is a podcast that gives people serving life without the possibility of parole in Pennsylvania a chance to tell their story in their own voice, click here.
FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE KEY UPDATE BUT STILL FRESH!
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Covid-19 Vaccinations But Were Afraid to Ask; and See How the U.S. Is Doing Compared to the Rest of the World
On January 27, 2021, The New York Times published “Answers to All Your Questions about Getting Vaccinated for Covid-19.” Among the important facts: “You shouldn’t try to stave off discomfort [by taking painkillers] before getting the [Covid-19] shot”; side effects after the second shot are worse than after the first shot; there is no risk of developing Covid-19 from the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines; and “Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines reach about 50 percent efficacy 10 to 14 days after the first shot. You’ll get peak protection…about a week after you get the second dose.” To read the interactive article, click here. One rare side effect the Times doesn’t mention is a “Covid arm” rash several days after the Moderna vaccine. For a USA Today story about it, click here. To track vaccinations in the U.S. compared to other countries, by U.S. state, and worldwide, click here.
CNN Offers “A Guide to Helping and Getting Help During the Coronavirus Crisis”
CNN writes: “The coronavirus pandemic is overwhelming, and one of the most excruciating parts for many people is the feeling of utter helplessness in the face of widespread suffering and hardship. CNN’s Impact Your World has compiled a list of donation opportunities and tips to help those affected by the crisis. Click on a category or scroll down to browse a list of organizations, resources and ideas. Need help? Most categories also include resources for financial, emotional or social support.” For the free guide, click here.
Journalist Seeks Sources for Book on Mental Health Coercion
Rob Wipond, an independent investigative journalist, writes: “I’m working on a book for U.S. publisher BenBella about people’s experiences of psychiatric coercion, detention, and involuntary treatment. One of my main goals is to show the general public how people can be subjected to this kind of intimidating power and authority in many other situations, too. For example, have you ever felt pressured to submit to psychological or psychiatric evaluations, programs, or treatments at a school, long-term care facility, or workplace? When applying for welfare or vocational training? When in conflict with a landlord or shelter staff? Or maybe you received an unexpected police Wellness Check? Or the hospital where you were detained was later found guilty of fraud? Or perhaps you experienced repercussions of a psychiatric detention when the incident was brought up later during a child custody case or when you tried to cross a border? Whatever the situation, I’d like to hear from you! Please complete my survey or contact me using the contact form on my website. "Anonymity is available on request. I’m also interested in hearing from anyone who has worked in this field or witnessed such situations, such as social workers, psychiatric nurses, police, peer support workers, and other professionals.”
First Virtual ESTSS Conference to Be Held June 17-18, 2021
The European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies will host its first virtual conference, on “Trauma and Mental Health during the Global Pandemic,” June 17-18, 2021 (with preconference workshops on June 16). ESTSS writes: “Our invited speakers will present their research and clinical work experiences regarding this complex topic from different perspectives (see Tracks).” For more information, click here.
New Jersey Mental Health Players Virtually Perform “Racism and Mental Health”
On April 29 and May 13, 2021, at 12:30 p.m. ET, the New Jersey Mental Health Players (NJMHPs) will create a virtual performance on “Racism and Mental Health.” “People of color and all those whose lives have been marginalized by those in power…experience overt racism and bigotry far too often, which leads to a mental health burden that is deeper than what others may face,” the Mental Health Association in New Jersey writes. “The NJMHP program combines performance art and advocacy. Our virtual performance is 45 minutes and mimics the live show with a few new added features.” For more information and to register for one of the three dates, click here.
Disability Rights California Invites You to Its Past, Present, and Future (Free) Webinars
Disability Rights California (DRC) writes: “You are cordially invited to join us in our virtual disability rights trainings. Our webinars are twice a week, on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT) in English and Thursdays at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) in Spanish. Our free trainings provide information and resources on different topics related to mental health, self-advocacy, our legal rights (based on California law) and access to services that are informative and empowering. We welcome all peers (people with lived experience), service providers, family members and people in the community.” To view the webinars, click here.
Here's Your Chance to Help Transform Mental Health Services Research in the U.S.!
If you’ve ever served on an advisory board for a research or evaluation project, provided even limited consultation, or partnered as a peer-run organization in such research, you’re eligible to participate in a national survey aimed at better understanding researchers’ and stakeholders’ experiences of participatory research! The anonymous, 10-20 minute survey includes both closed- and open-ended questions about your experiences with such research, perspectives on barriers, and potential targets for policy change and resource development. Findings will be used to inform future projects focused on building stakeholder research capacity and strengthening participatory research in the U.S. All participants will receive a $20 Amazon gift card. This new study is connected to “Building Capacity for Stakeholder Involvement and Leadership in Mental Health Services Research,” included in the August 2020 Key Update, which involved detailed interviews. Principal Investigator Dr. Nev Jones (genevra@usf.edu) writes, “We are still doing interviews ($50 per interview) so feel free to contact me about that too.” The survey IRB ID# is 001319; the project including this survey was developed with the PCORI-funded PathED Collaborative, co-led by Drs. Nev Jones (genevra@usf.edu) and Linda Callejas (callejas@usf.edu). For more information and/or to participate, click here.
National Survey Seeks Input from Certified Peer Specialists
“Routine peer support has shown to increase individuals’ hope, sense of personal control, ability to make positive changes, and decreased psychiatric symptoms,” writes Dr. Karen Fortuna of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. “Despite these benefits, the organizational structure of peer support is not known. Dartmouth College is initiating a national survey of trained Certified Peer Specialists to help us understand the organizational structure of peer support services.” For more information and/or to participate in the 15-minute survey, click here. (Courtesy of Judene Shelley)
A Service-User-Led Survey of “Experiences of the Intersections of Psychosis, Difficult Events, and Trauma” Seeks Participants with Firsthand Experience
A study developed by researchers at the University of South Florida “aims to better understand the relationships between prior experiences of trauma or adversity and experiences such as hearing voices, unusual beliefs and paranoia, as well as the ways in which these experiences themselves can contribute to trauma or distress.” The researchers, who themselves have lived experience, are seeking respondents “who self-identify as having current or prior experiences that would conventionally be labeled psychosis.” The anonymous survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete; every 10th respondent will be compensated with a $50 gift card, up to five gift cards. Questions? Contact Dr. Nev Jones at genevra@usf.edu. For more information and/or to participate, click here.
“Mapping the Disability Experience: Share Your Stories”
“We invite you to draw a map of your neighborhood or environment to capture how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted (or not) your use and understanding of space,” researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago write. “This can include drawings/images of your home, your neighborhood, your city or beyond. Maps can come in many forms, styles, perspectives, and mediums. We are interested in collecting these maps to capture and better understand the experiences of disability and the environment during the coronavirus pandemic.” Submissions will be accepted through June 30, 2020. For more information or to participate, click here. Questions? Contact Yochai Eisenberg, PhD, yeisen2@uic.edu (Courtesy of Elizabeth R. Stone)
Hearing Voices Network Is Now Hosting Online Groups
“There are now ONLINE opportunities to connect, share experiences, and find mutual support,” the Hearing Voices Network (HVN) writes. “These groups are accessible via web-based platforms and by phone…Online groups are specifically for those with personal lived experience with hearing voices, seeing visions, and/or negotiating alternative realities. They are voice-hearer facilitated. With further questions and for details on how to access the group[s], please email info@hearingvoicesusa.org.” To read this announcement online and for more information, click here.
Have You Ever Smoked, Drunk, Vaped, or Used Other Drugs? Or Do You Now? New Zealand COVID-19 Study Is Now Open to US Residents
“We want to find out how people are coping [during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown],” writes the New Zealand-based Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking. “We are especially interested in adults aged 18 and over who, before lockdown, regularly drank alcohol, smoked or used other tobacco products, or other drugs. We also want to hear from people who have taken up smoking or drinking or other drugs during this frightening time.” The study has been approved by the US-based independent review board SolutionsIRB and is now open to US residents. “The study website includes helpful Coping in Lockdown tips, tips on Dealing with Cravings, and information on alternatives to smoking tobacco.” To participate or for more information, click here.
NYAPRS Announces 17th Annual Executive Seminar: April 20, 22, and 28
NYAPRS has announced that its 17th Annual Executive Seminar will be held virtually on April 22, 22, and 28, 2021. “During these multi-faceted challenging times, the Executive Seminar will provide topics addressing each challenge and how organizations can move forward and take charge of their future,” NYAPRS writes. “Topics will include ‘No More Conference Rooms: How to Run an Agency with Reduced Physical Offices’; ‘Organizational COVID-19 Response: Health Equity in Action’; ‘Taking Charge to Recharge Our Workforce’; ‘Engagement, Connection and Communication in a Virtual Workplace’; and many more!.” For more information and to register, click here.
Survey Seeks Respondents Who Are in Administrative/Leadership Positions in the Mental Health Field
If you are in an administrative/leadership position in the mental health arena, “the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP) Committee on Psychiatric Administration and Leadership invites you to participate in the International Survey on Administrative Psychiatry. The survey has two purposes: 1. To identify the concerns and needs of mental health professionals/psychiatrists in administrative and leadership positions. 2. To determine training needs in administrative psychiatry. We ask you to complete this brief, [15- to 20-minute] questionnaire to help us in developing recommendations for action. We also want to let you know that, if you fill out this questionnaire, you permit the committee to use your anonymous data for scientific work.” Peer providers are included. For the survey, click here. (Courtesy of Oryx Cohen)
“Experiences with Hospitalization” Survey Seeks Participants
“The purpose of this survey is to help us understand people's lived experience with voluntary and involuntary treatment because of suicidal thoughts. It was created by people with lived experience…We are planning to use this information to facilitate discussions with suicidologists and the suicide prevention community about the impact of the use of these interventions, particularly within marginalized populations. We feel the voice of people with lived experience with these interventions has not had adequate opportunity to be heard, and hope that by completing this survey anonymously, people who have been most impacted can find a safe way to share their experiences. Please note that this is not a research project.” For more information and/or to participate, click here. (Courtesy of Leah Harris)
International Survey on Antipsychotic Medication Withdrawal Seeks Respondents
“Have you taken antipsychotic medication (such as Zyprexa, Seroquel, Abilify, Risperdal, Haldol, Geodon, Stelazine, and others), for any condition or diagnosis, with or without other medications? And did you ever stop taking antipsychotics, or try to stop taking them? Are you 18 years or older? If yes, you can take this survey about antipsychotic withdrawal and attempts to withdraw, including if you stopped taking them completely or if you tried to come off and still take them. The survey aims to improve mental health services by better understanding medication withdrawal. Lead researcher is Will Hall, a therapist and Ph.D. student who has himself taken antipsychotics. Service users/survivors/consumers from around the world also gave input. The study is sponsored by Maastricht University in the Netherlands; co-sponsors include the International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal. Questions? Please contact will.hall@maastrichtuniversity.nl.” For more information or to take the survey, click on www.antipsychoticwithdrawalsurvey.com
Virtual Group Advances Peer Research Capacity, Leadership, and Involvement
Nev Jones, Ph.D., and Emily Cutler, a doctoral candidate, have launched a listserv dedicated to building research capacity, leadership, and involvement among peers, survivors, and service users. Dr. Jones, assistant professor, Department of Mental Health Law & Policy, University of South Florida, was part of the team that developed “User/Survivor Leadership & Capacity Building in Research: White Paper on Promoting Engagement Practices in Peer Evaluation/Research (PEPPER),” published by the Lived Experience Research Network. For the white paper, click here. Anyone interested in joining the virtual group can email Nev at nev.inbox@gmail.com.
Do You Supervise Peer Support Workers? Then Researchers Have Some Questions for You
Researchers in the University of South Florida’s Department of Psychiatry and at Magellan Health are investigating the backgrounds, training, and experiences of individuals who currently supervise at least one peer support worker in a behavioral health setting or agency. “To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first comprehensive research study of the landscape of peer support supervision practices in the United States,” writes Dr. Nev Jones, the primary investigator of the study (Protocol Number 00040223). Participants must be at least 18 years old and work in the United States or U.S. territories. An online survey lasting approximately 10 minutes will ask about respondents’ backgrounds, training and preparation for supervision, perspectives and practices, and views on barriers and facilitators to high-quality supervision. There is no monetary compensation. Questions? Contact Dr. Nev Jones (genevra@health.usf.edu) or the co-primary investigator, Dana Foglesong (dfoglesong@magellanhealth.com). To access the survey, click here.
Mad In America Invites You to Submit Your Personal Story (Within Certain Guidelines)
Mad In America writes: “A ‘personal story’ is defined as your story of being in relationship to psychiatry and/or the mental health system, whatever that means to you. It might involve your opinions and analysis of what happened to you, as well. It can be about a specific event, or about your overall journey, provided it fits the length requirements (1,500 to 3,000 words) and has a narrative arc. The piece should be about your personal experiences, not psychiatry or the mental health system in general. Submissions should fall under the theme of rethinking psychiatry and the mental health system, and should be original works not previously published elsewhere. For examples of the types of stories we publish, view our personal stories archive here.” For more information and/or to submit a personal story, click here.
PsychAlive Offers a Variety of Webinars on Mental Health Topics, Many Free, Others $15
PsychAlive is a free, nonprofit resource created by the Glendon Association, whose mission is “to save lives and enhance mental health by addressing the social problems of suicide, violence, child abuse and troubled interpersonal relationships.” Psychalive.org offers a variety of upcoming and archived webinars, many of which are free, while others are available for $15. Among the myriad topics are “From Anxiety to Action: How to Stay Sane While Fighting Climate Change,” “How to Overcome Insecurity,” “Powerful Tools to Fight Depression,” and “Understanding and Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences.” To check out the webinars, click here.
Doors to Wellbeing Offers “State Selfies: A Picture of Peer Services Reported by Peers”
Doors to Wellbeing’s “Peer Album” is a directory of nearly 600 peer-run organizations throughout the U.S. They invite updates and offer instructions for providing them and add, “If your entry has not made this first draft, we encourage you to re-submit.” For the 158-page directory, click here.
Disclaimer: The Clearinghouse does not necessarily endorse the opinions and opportunities included in the Key Update.
About The Key Update
The Key Update is the free monthly e-newsletter of the National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse. Volume 17, No. 10, April 2021. For content, reproduction or publication information, please contact Susan Rogers at selfhelpclearinghouse@gmail.com. Follow Susan on Twitter at @SusanRogersMH