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
The Key Update is compiled, written, and edited by Susan Rogers, Director, National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse.
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“Should I Mask? Can I Travel? What About Hugs? How Delta Is Changing Advice for the Vaccinated.”
“The rise of the Delta variant of the coronavirus has raised new questions about how the vaccinated can stay safe and avoid breakthrough infections. We asked the experts for advice,” The New York Times writes. Under “New Guidance for the Vaccinated,” the Times answers these questions: “If I’m vaccinated, why do I need to worry about Delta? What’s the real risk of a breakthrough infection after vaccination? When should I wear a mask? Should I upgrade my mask? What’s the risk of hanging out with my vaccinated friends and family? Can I still dine at restaurants? Is it safe to travel? Should I skip the peanuts and water and keep my mask on? How safe are buses, subways and trains for vaccinated people? Can I hug and visit older relatives? What about unvaccinated children? How do I know if I have the Delta variant?” For the article, click here.
Alternatives 2021 Is Over, but You Can View Many of the Presentations—and the Work Continues!
If you missed Alternatives 2021—the oldest national conference organized by and for individuals with lived experience of a mental health condition—you can see many of the presentations on the Alternatives conference website! The conference—whose theme was “Connecting, Organizing, Activating!”—was held July 8, 10, 15, and 17, and was organized by the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery. This year the conference was virtual—and free! One highlight was the three Action Groups—on Promoting Racial and Social Justice, National and Statewide Advocacy, and Crisis Prevention and Alternatives to Institutionalization—which met on all four days. Reports from each of the groups are posted on the Alternatives conference website, and it is hoped that people will continue to work together to make progress on the goals that were determined by participants during the conference. For information about the Action Groups, click here. Recordings of many of the workshops, keynotes, and special activities are available the Alternatives conference website (click here).
Disability Rights Advocates Are Calling on Congress to Eliminate SSDI Waiting Periods
“Long COVID patients could spur changes to the [Social Security] system, as their plight has given more urgency to advocates’ demands,” according to a TIME magazine article posted on July 20, 2021. “Stop the Wait, a coalition of disability and aging groups, is calling on Congress to eliminate official waiting periods built into the Social Security Disability Insurance program. After completing the application process, people have to wait five months for any benefits to begin and two years to receive Medicare coverage. ‘It’s a devastation both for the individuals and their families and for our economy, where people don’t have any money coming in, they can’t spend, they can’t contribute to the economy,’ says Eve Hill, a disability lawyer and lead organizer of the campaign. It can also push people onto other government programs such as Medicaid, which states have to help pay for while the person is waiting for their federal benefits.” For the article, click here. (Courtesy of Yvonne Smith)
Free Webinar: “Talking about Tobacco Part 3: Building Motivation to Change”
On August 16 at 1:30 p.m. ET, the Academy of Peer Services Virtual Learning Community will present “Talking about Tobacco Part 3: Building Motivation to Change.” “In this third (90-minute) webinar in the Talking About Tobacco Series, we draw upon questions and comments from the previous webinars in this series and stories shared by the presenters to explore different motivations to change, particularly in relation to tobacco use,” the hosts write. “Together…we will explore what we mean by motivation and the things that work or don’t work when we are ready to make any change in our lives. We will consider how to have these important (sometimes lifesaving) conversations related to health and wellbeing while respecting peer support values of choice and not forcing or coercing people to make changes against their will.” For more information and to register, click here.
CAMHPRO’s “Peer Statewide Conference 2021” Is Open to All--for Free!
The 2021 Peer Statewide Conference organized and hosted by CAMHPRO (California Association of Mental Health Peer-Run Organizations) is free, and is open to everyone from everywhere, although it will be California-centric. The conference will be held August 16 and 17 (virtually and in person); its theme is “Lead the way. Speak out. Make change.” The conference will address such vital topics as crisis intervention, housing, peer support, and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI). “Online viewing is available with limited access.” Virtual participants may register until August 16, the day the conference begins. (The advantage to signing up sooner rather than later is that you will get email updates as the conference approaches.) For more information and a link to register, click here.
“New Guidelines for Supervisors of Peer Support Workers” Are Reported by Mad In America
“In a new article in Psychiatry Online, Dana Foglesong [board president of the National Association of Peer Supporters (N.A.P.S.)] and colleagues report on a new set of guidelines laid out by N.A.P.S. for supervisors of peer-support workers,” Mad In America reports. “Named the ‘National Practice Guidelines for Peer-specialists and Supervisors (NPG-S),’ they were established to help supervisors with practical guidance on providing support and staying true to the core values of peer support. These guidelines respond to growing concerns that supervisors were often acting in ways that were contradictory to the peer-support values, sometimes causing further harm to the peer supporters themselves. This required helping supervisors learn that peer support ethics are often different from those involved in clinical practice. The authors write: ‘The main purpose of the NPG-S is to assist supervisors and peer support specialists as they embark together on a mutual learning process about peer support values and how best to put them into practice.’ ” For a link to the Mad In America article (which includes a link to the Psychiatry Online article), click here.
SAMHSA to Host Virtual Roundtable on Creating and Enhancing Pathways to a Racially/Ethnically Diverse Behavioral Health Workforce
On August 18 at 1 p.m. ET, SAMHSA’s National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) will host a virtual roundtable “to hear about strategies that motivate racially/ethnically diverse individuals to consider behavioral health as a career path. Discover how community-based organizations are working to diversify the behavioral health workforce, including recruiting and retaining racially/ethnically diverse staff. Learn from panelists about professional pathways and programs/trainings that support racially/ethnically diverse people in behavioral health careers.” For details and to register, click here.
A Response to the DSM-5: “There Is Nothing Nameable But That Some Men Will Undertake to Do It For Pay.”
“The idea and practice of ‘diagnosis’ in psychiatry has always been controversial,” according to three British psychologists in their article—“A Particular Perspective: A Brief and Personal History of the Response to Publication of the 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association”—published in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology in 2017. “ ’There is nothing nameable but that some men will undertake to do it for pay.’ This last point—some men will undertake to do it for pay’ [from Herman Melville’s unfinished 1891 novel ‘Billy Budd’]—is perhaps important,” the authors note. “We started this paper with a description of how social and economic factors, as much as scientific factors, appear to have influenced the development of psychiatric diagnosis…So what should we do now? One direct and clear suggestion…is that: ... services should...be based on the premise that the origins of distress are largely social...should replace ‘diagnoses’ with straightforward descriptions of problems,...should tailor help to each person’s unique and complex needs...and should offer care rather than coercion.” To download the free 40-page paper, click here.
You Can Comment on PCORI's National Priorities for Health, and Join PCORI’s Free Webinar on Wikipedia Editing
The deadline for public comment on PCORI’s new National Priorities for Health and Research Agenda is August 27, 2021. PCORI (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute) writes: “Meaningful stakeholder and broader public input are central to ensuring that PCORI’s new National Priorities for Health and Research Agenda appropriately reflect how PCORI can best meet the healthcare community’s needs in coming years and fulfill the organization’s mission as the nation's primary funder of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research.” To learn more about “PCORI's strategic plan to identify new National Priorities for Health to guide our mission-driven work” and to comment, click here. And do you want to learn how to edit Wikipedia to better inform people looking for health care information? Join PCORI on August 18 at 2 p.m. ET for a free two-hour training to learn the ins-and-outs of Wikipedia editing. For details and to register, click here.
“Mysteries of Mental Illness,” a PBS Series, Is a Mixed Bag
A PBS series, “Mysteries of Mental Illness,” comprises four 54-minute episodes: “New Frontiers,” “The Rise and Fall of the Asylum,” “Who’s Normal?” and “Evil or Illness.” PBS writes that the series “explores dramatic attempts across generations to unravel the mysteries of mental illness, and gives voice to contemporary Americans across a spectrum of experiences.” Unfortunately, “New Frontiers”—one of the two episodes viewed by the Clearinghouse—focuses uncritically on brain-based theories of the causes of—and treatments for—mental health conditions, with only a passing mention of trauma and of community-based remedies. For example, although the dark history of ECT (electroconvulsive treatment) is included, the present-day version is presented favorably, with its serious risks given short shrift and with no mention of the fact that ECT is still sometimes given against people’s will and is still rightly controversial. (In fairness, it should be noted that, after electrodes are implanted in his brain for “deep brain stimulation,” the young man with OCD does experience significant relief from his symptoms.) On the other hand, “Who’s Normal?” doesn’t shy away from psychiatry’s appalling past—for instance, diagnosing enslaved Black people who sought freedom as having a bogus mental illness called “drapetomania” and categorizing free Black people in the North as insane merely because they were free; classifying homosexuality as a mental health condition until 1973; and even, more recently, having “diagnostic reliability close to zero.” The two episodes include in-depth interviews with people diagnosed with OCD, PTSD, and depression, respectively, as well as an interview with a trans woman. Psychiatrists were also interviewed. The American Psychiatric Association Foundation co-sponsored the series, and Johnson & Johnson also contributed financial support. For more information and to watch the series for free, click here.
Mad In America to Present Webinar on “Cognitive Behavioral and Related Therapies for Psychosis”
On August 19, 2021, at 1 p.m. ET, Mad In America will present a 90-minute webinar on “Cognitive Behavioral and Related Therapies for Psychosis: Diverse Approaches to Supporting Recovery.” “This webinar will provide an overview of the research behind CBT for psychosis, and of the style and strategies used. There will then be a discussion of approaches that can easily be integrated with CBT, such as compassion-focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, psychodynamic therapy, mindfulness, family systems and dialogical approaches, and approaches developed within the Hearing Voices Network. Resources for getting training in CBT for psychosis and related approaches will also be described.” If you can’t afford the fee, “you may register for this event for free by using the code ‘Freebie.’ ” For more information and to register, click here.
Free Webinar: “The Time is NOW: Peer-Run Organizations and Integrated Care”
On August 19, 2021, at 2 p.m. ET, CAFÉ TAC will present “a free webinar on the challenges and opportunities presented by integrated care, and the implications for peers and peer-run organizations in their efforts to promote recovery values and drive systems change.” The webinar—"The Time is NOW: Peer-Run Organizations and Integrated Care”—will be hosted by Cherene Caraco, CEO of North Carolina’s Promise Resource Network. “She will share the strategy her organization has adopted in advocating for the integration of peer support in a variety of settings,” CAFÉ TAC writes. Certificates of completion are available upon request. For more information and to register, click here.
NARPA’s 2021 (Virtual) Annual Rights Conference Will Present Five Free Webinars
The 2021 annual Rights Conference of the National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA) will consist of five free webinars, in September and October 2021. The five webinars—all of which are 90 minutes long and begin at 2 p.m. ET—are "Advocating for Institutionalized People During COVID: The Massachusetts Experience" (September 13); "The Promise and the Pitfalls of 988: Survivor Advocacy Perspectives" (September 27); "Advocating for Equitable Health Care in a Public Health Emergency" (October 4); "How to Create Change in Police Services: Transparency, Accountability, and Reform" (October 13); and "The Unacceptable Institutionalization of People with Psychiatric Disabilities in Nursing Homes" (October 19). For details and to register, click here.
Registration Is Open for NYAPRS’s Free, Virtual Annual Conference
Registration is now open for NYAPRS’s free, virtual Annual Conference, to be held on September 21, 23, 28 and 30th. Its theme is “United in Hope, Together for Justice and Wellness for All.” The conference will feature the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon; NYS Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan; WRAP creator Mary Ellen Copeland; NYS Senate Mental Health Committee Chair Samra Brouk; Helen 'Skip' Skipper of the New York City Criminal Justice Agency; CAHOOTS Director Tim Black; Mental Health America's award-winning youth peer leader Kelly Davis; Keris Myrick, a JED Foundation director and former Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs at the Center for Mental Health Services; and Stand Up for Mental Health's founder, David Granirer. NYAPRS writes, “Look for full program details in the coming days!” To register, click here.
A Peer-led Program Improved the Physical Health of People with Mental Health Conditions, Researchers Found
In a study of a peer-led intervention called the Bridge—which helps individuals with mental health conditions prioritize their health, access health care, and learn to self-manage their health—there was a 50 percent reduction in the use of emergency rooms for those in the intervention group. In the study, published in Psychiatric Services, the researchers found that the Bridge participants—primarily Latinx and Black—used the emergency room 2.5 times less frequently than those in a wait-list control group over six months. “This is important because we often see high rates of emergency department visits in patients with severe mental illnesses,” said lead researcher Dr. Erin Kelly of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, who collaborated with scientists in Southern California. An article about the results in Medical Life Sciences News noted: “Participants also reported using routine health care more frequently, and reported more confidence in their ability to manage their health, better relationships with primary care providers, reduced pain and increased detection of chronic health conditions.” For the article, click here.
Save the Date: California Memorial Project to Hold 19th Annual Remembrance Ceremony on September 20
The California Memorial Project, a project of Disability Rights California’s Peer Self-Advocacy Program, will hold its 19th annual Remembrance ceremony on September 20, 2021, at 1 p.m. PT, 4 p.m. ET, “to honor the more than 45,000 people with mental health and developmental disabilities who lived and died at California state institutions and were buried anonymously in mass or unmarked graves. Join us as we share some history, stories, poems, songs, artwork, cultural perspectives, and a moment of silence to celebrate their lives and give them the recognition they deserved. Together we can break the cycle of disrespect and create hope and change for the future of the 6,000 peers who currently live in California state hospitals. For more about this webinar, including how to register and to get the Zoom link, please go to California Memorial Project (CMP) | Disability Rights California and look for our CMP webinar announcement, which will be posted by the end of August. Closed captioning and Spanish and ASL interpreters will be provided.”
Involuntary Commitment and Forced Psychiatric Drugging Harm Individuals and Society
An article by Jim Gottstein, founder and president of the Law Project For Psychiatric Rights, lays out the evidence and legal principles against psychiatric imprisonment and forced drugging. The abstract of the article—“Involuntary Commitment and Forced Psychiatric Drugging in the Trial Courts: Rights Violations as a Matter of Course”—begins: “A commonly held belief is that locking up and forcibly drugging people diagnosed with mental illness is in their best interests as well as society’s as a whole. The truth is far different. Rather than protecting the public from harm, public safety is decreased. Rather than helping psychiatric respondents, many are greatly harmed.” For the 55-page article, published in the Alaska Law Review in 2008, click here.
HALI to Offer Academy of Peer Services Learning Collaborative Beginning August 30
HALI (Hands Across Long Island) will launch its next Academy of Peer Services (APS) study group/learning collaborative on August 30, 2021. The group will meet weekly through November 29, 2021, on Mondays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET (except for two Tuesdays: September 7 and October 12). “This group is open to all who are interested in taking APS core courses in pursuit of peer specialist certification, as well as those who have taken the courses and want to strengthen their knowledge and support others. The coursework is specific to New York, but also relevant to national certification.” If you are interested in joining the group, email Emily Vaianella at evaianella@hali88.org so she can add you to the email list to receive program updates, and answer your questions. To join the Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83917148115 Meeting ID: 839 1714 8115. By phone? Find your local number here: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdAgADXGlP
Free Webinar on “Supported Employment and Supported Education: Peer Perspectives, Engagement, and Learning from the Field”
On August 31, 2021, at 2 p.m. ET, Doors to Wellbeing will present the next in its monthly series of free one-hour webinars. The topic is “Supported Employment and Supported Education: Peer Perspectives, Engagement, and Learning from the Field.” “How are peer support services and peer experiences used to help individuals with mental health challenges become employed and retain their jobs? What supports and opportunities exist for people with psychiatric disabilities to enhance their education or build a career, whether through GED, college, or developing vocational or trade skills? Join this webinar to hear about evidence-based practices, peer support services, learnings from the field, and personal stories that illustrate the multiple ways peer support specialists and peers can provide valuable support to assist those with psychiatric disabilities find meaningful work, engage in education, and build upon their recovery journeys” For more information and to register, click here.
Free Webinar—“Banished: The Roots of Loneliness in Mental Health”
On September 10, 2021, at 7:30 a.m. ET, the Centre for Mental Health in the UK will host a one-hour webinar called “Banished: The Roots of Loneliness in Mental Health.” “Loneliness is a binding thread that brings together very different experiences of mental ill health. It’s typically seen as [a] benign, non-political issue, which is to do with people not having enough friends or loved ones in their lives; or not enough intimacy in the relationships they do have,” the organizers write. “But what if the roots of loneliness weren't about what people with mental health difficulties are lacking, but about the shadows that mainstream society can't bear to face? In this seminar, Amy Pollard…takes a 200-year step back to set loneliness in mental health in the context of the Enlightenment: the Age of Reason. In this period, ‘madness’ (a word referring both to illogical behavior and mental health difficulties) was cast out into the wilderness. In the 21st century, it's time for a new dynamic to emerge.” For more information and to register, click here.
Psychologist Paula Caplan, Who Challenged—and Changed—the Mental Health Profession, Dies at 74
“Paula Caplan, a pioneering psychologist who exposed how her profession had pathologized a wide range of female traits and social responsibilities, including motherhood, menstruation and even shopping, died on July 21 at her home in Rockville, Maryland,” The New York Times reports. In an op ed in The Washington Post—“Psychiatry’s Bible, the DSM, Is Doing More Harm Than Good”—in 2012, Dr. Caplan wrote: “ ‘In our increasingly psychiatrized world, the first course is often to classify anything but routine happiness as a mental disorder, assume it is based on a broken brain or a chemical imbalance, and prescribe drugs or hospitalization.’ Her experience opened the door to a broader critique of her profession—namely, what she saw as an urge to pathologize everyday human emotions. In fact, she argued, doing so could do more harm than good by encouraging healthy people to think they were sick.” Dr. Paula Caplan, who died of cancer, was 74. For the New York Times obituary, click here.
TU Collaborative Offers “The Peer Facilitated Community Inclusion Toolkit”
The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion is offering “The Peer Facilitated Community Inclusion Toolkit” for free. “Peers can play a critically important and unique role in supporting increased community participation among individuals with serious mental health issues,” the TU Collaborative writes. “Our toolkit is an excellent resource to help peers explore goals for increasing community participation with the individuals they work with. This toolkit includes various exercises and worksheets that peers can use to help individuals reflect on desired levels of community participation, explore existing supports and resources, and develop community participation goals.” To download the free, 26-page manual, click here.
“30 Illustrations About Mental Health That Seem To Comfort Many By ‘Constant Bagel Therapy’ ”
The author of these comics writes: “If you’re seeking some good old-fashioned light-hearted wit, look no further than Constant Bagel Therapy. (Disclaimer: this account has nothing to do with bagels and everything to do with wordplay.) The self-proclaimed ‘creative nit-wit’ (as told in the account bio) from Leicester City in the United Kingdom illustrates line drawings of comical puns and posts them regularly to over 400k of loyal followers on Instagram.” For the comics, click here.
The August 2021 Digest of Articles Offering Healthy Lifestyle Advice
For “Swimming gives your brain a boost—but scientists don't know yet why it's better than other aerobic activities,” click here. (Courtesy of The Surviving Spirit newsletter) For “How to Calm Your Climate Anxiety: Between wildfires, heat waves and hurricanes, we’re all feeling nervous about the future. But stewing or ignoring the problem won’t ease your burden,” click here. For “How to breathe: Whether your aim is improved health, mental calm or achieving transcendence, breathing techniques can help you get there,” click here. For “The Secrets of ‘Cognitive Super-Agers’: By studying centenarians, researchers hope to develop strategies to ward off Alzheimer’s disease and slow brain aging for all of us,” click here. For “How to Think Outside Your Brain,” click here.
The August 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 “Police response to mentally ill people is under scrutiny. Denver may offer way forward. A year-old program called STAR sends a social worker and paramedic to low-level emergency calls involving people in crisis,” click here. (Courtesy of Kevin Fitts) For “NYC's Non-Police Mental Health Pilot Increasing Rate of Those Getting Aid, Data Show: NYC's B-HEARD program aims to dispatch social workers with paramedics, instead of cops, for nonviolent mental health calls,” click here. For “2021 PTAC Deflection and Pre-Arrest Diversion Training Summit to Be Held October 12-15 in Chicago,” click here. For “William Darby, Huntsville police officer convicted of murder resigns from HPD: He had been on paid leave since a jury found him guilty of shooting a mentally ill man in 2018,” click here. For “The power of asking, ‘Is there a better way?’ How one reporter’s solutions-focused question helped catapult CAHOOTS, a small local response to police violence, into the national spotlight,” click here. For “Opinion: A new California approach to mental health emergencies: At least one of every four people killed in an interaction with law enforcement has a serious psychological diagnosis,” click here. For “Broken Language: Issue 8 of News Inside takes on the words that define and label incarcerated people,” click here. For “What Words We Use—and Avoid—When Covering People and Incarceration: Journalism is a discipline of clarity. That’s why we’ve solidified our policy about how we talk about people who are currently in or have previously been in prison and jail,” click here. For “Ford Foundation and partners announce $250 million commitment to easing the path from prison to workforce,” click here. For “A Hidden Death: Last year a Eugene man was arrested during a mental health crisis. He died two days after deputies knelt on his back at the Lane County Jail,” click here. For “Checking The Success Of Your State's Efforts To Restore Voting Rights To The Formerly Incarcerated: We learned no more than 1 in 4 of the newly eligible voters had registered for the 2020 election in four key states. Here’s how to examine yours,” click here. For “Monetary Sanctions as a Pound of Flesh: America has established a two-tiered system of justice: one for people with financial means and one for people without,” click here. For “Why are innocent people still losing cash, cars and even homes to police? Our View: Civil asset forfeiture, meant to fight crime by taking profits from drug dealers, often turns cops into bounty hunters who can’t imagine the many legitimate reasons people carry cash,” click here. For “New Jersey High Court Finds Implicit Bias At Play In Jury Selection,” click here. For “Illinois created a program to compensate crime victims. Nearly 50 years later, it’s failing. The state program that’s supposed to help ease the blow of being a crime victim largely isn’t doing that, an investigation by The Trace has found. Few apply. Even fewer get financial relief. Those who do face long waits,” click here. For “How a Story About Philadelphia Became One About All of America: In Philly D.A., a local hero has a lot to teach us about a national crisis,” click here. For “New [Colorado] state law removes court fees for juveniles,” click here. For “NYC Rikers Closure Called Model for Shrinking Jail Populations,” click here. For “How the Federal Government Can Incentivize States To Reverse Mass Incarceration: The Reverse Mass Incarceration Act would supply states that reduce incarceration with federal grants,” click here. For “Many in Jail Can Vote, But Exercising That Right Isn’t Easy,” click here. For “Many dating apps ban people convicted of felonies. Does that make anyone safer? ‘It’s using the justice system as a barometer of someone’s worth,’ a sociologist said,” click here.
FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE KEY UPDATE BUT STILL FRESH!
Yale Study of COVID-19’s Mental Health Impact Seeks Focus Group Participants with Physical and/or Mental Health Challenges
A study at Yale University led by people with lived experience is recruiting individuals who live with physical and/or mental health challenges to talk about how their lives have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic started. “The Wisdom project: exploring the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of persons who experience adverse living conditions” is led by Larry Davidson, PhD, and Ana Florence, PhD. Ana is a Brazilian psychologist, activist, and postdoctoral associate, and Larry is Director of the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health. If you live with mental and/or physical health challenges and would like to participate, you can email wisdomprojectyale@gmail.com or call 475-355-5393. “All focus groups will be held virtually, and a $50 e-gift card will be provided to each participant,” the researchers say.
“Mental Health System: Open Letter to the Media” Seeks Signatures
“Everyone who believes that the problematic aspects of the mental health system are not adequately represented in the media is invited to sign this letter,” writes Yulia Mikhailova, who launched this initiative to educate the media. The letter begins: “We, a group of people with first-hand experience of the mental health system, write to express our concern about what we see as one-sided coverage of this system in the media and to draw the attention of civil rights organizations to the systemic discrimination that we witnessed and experienced. We, our loved ones, or inmates in the facilities where we worked, were exploited for monetary gain and victimized in various other ways. We saw how abuse, corruption, and exploitation were covered up, while victims and critics of the system were silenced and marginalized.” For a short version of the letter, which includes a link to a longer version, click here. Questions? Contact Yulia Mikhailova at yuliamikh@gmail.com.
HUG ME Ink Issues Call for Proposals for Virtual Peer-A-Palooza
Helping to Unite by Generating Mental Empowerment (HUG ME) Ink will host the 1st Annual Peer-A-Palooza on September 24 and September 25, 2021, eight hours each day, via Whova. The theme of the conference is “Creating a Zest for Life Through Growth, Resilience, Recovery and Community.” The goals are to empower peers with the necessary tools to grow in their own recovery, to leave the past as the past and move forward with dreams, and to be the change agent they can be in their community.” To submit a proposal, fill out the Call for Proposals by the deadline of August 14 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.
(Virtual) 2021 Disability & Intersectionality Summit (DIS) Conference Info
The theme of 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”—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, click here. (Courtesy of Dan Fisher)
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 the vaccinations in the U.S., by 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.
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 on the third Monday of the month). 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.
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)
International Conference on Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal Scheduled for May 2022
The first conference of the International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal is tentatively scheduled for May 2022 in Reykjavik, Iceland; the dates will be confirmed this month (June 2021). “The three themes underpinning the conference are safe withdrawal from psychiatric medication, alternatives to psychiatric medication, and the need to question the dominance of medication in mental health care.” Confirmed speakers include Robert Whitaker (journalist and founder of Mad in America), Professor Joanna Moncrieff (psychiatrist and researcher), Laura Delano (co-founder of the Inner Compass Initiative and a person with lived experience), Dr. Carina Håkansson (founder of Family Care Foundation and The Extended Therapy Room Foundation), and Dr. Magnus Hald (Psychiatrist at the Drug-Free Treatment Unit, Norway). For more information, 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.
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)
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.
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 Works to Advance Peer Research Capacity, Leadership, and Involvement
Nev Jones, PhD—a strong advocate for building research capacity, leadership, and involvement among peers, survivors, and service users—leads a virtual group dedicated to this effort. Dr. Jones—assistant professor, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh—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.
Registration Is Open for Peerpocalypse, to Be Held March 14-17, 2022!
The Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon (MHAAO) has announced registration for Peerpocalypse 2022, to be held March 14-17, 2022! “MHAAO is pleased to present its first hybrid conference! In-person attendance allows access to pre-conference events, keynote speeches, all workshops, evening events, and the job fair and exhibit hall. Virtual attendance includes access to keynote speeches and all workshops. In-person early registration—[deadline unspecified]—is $300; regular registration is $375. Virtual registration is $200. Lunch meals (sic), CEUs, a T-shirt, a printed program, and a badge are included for both in-person and virtual attendees. Registration must be received no later than February 14, 2022, to receive a T-shirt.” To register, 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 National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse is now affiliated with the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion!
The Key Update is the free monthly e-newsletter of the National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse. Volume 18, No. 2, August 2021. For content, reproduction or publication information, please contact Susan Rogers at selfhelpclearinghouse@gmail.com. Follow Susan on Twitter at @SusanRogersMH