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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.
NOTE: THE "FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE KEY UPDATE BUT STILL FRESH!" DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS DIRECTLY BELOW THE MONTHLY CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM DIGEST, INCLUDES ITEMS THAT HAD BEEN POSTED "ABOVE THE FOLD" IN EARLIER EDITIONS BUT ARE STILL RELEVANT. THESE INCLUDE ONGOING RESEARCH STUDIES THAT ARE STILL SEEKING PARTICIPANTS, AS WELL AS UPCOMING WEBINARS AND CONFERENCES, AND OTHER ITEMS OF CONTINUED INTEREST. DON'T MISS IT!
DEADLINE ALERT: Please note that, under WEBINARS AND TRAININGS, there are six webinars tomorrow (June 20): Three begin at 12 p.m. ET, two begin at 1 p.m. ET, and one begins at 4 p.m. ET. And, under CONFERENCES, the first conference is also tomorrow, June 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.! There are other upcoming deadlines in the CONFERENCES category! And there are opportunities and upcoming deadlines throughout the Key Update, including in “…But Still Fresh!” Check them out!
NEWS
Action Alert: Stop David Russell From Being Forcibly Electroshocked! And Others Need Your Help Too!
MindFreedom International’s Shield Program has issued a Shield Alert on behalf of David Russell, who is being subjected to ECT against his will, despite the fact that, on May 8, 2024, he had been informed that they had decided against it. But the doctor changed her mind, and David was subjected to forced electroshock on June 13. For information about how to help David avoid additional forced ECT, click here. And for a Shield Alert to help Juba Mahiou, who has been detained for more than six months on a psychiatric ward in Canada, click here. And to stop Jeremy Cummings from being forcibly drugged, click here. For the Shield Alert Feed, which has information about others who need your help, click here. And for more about MindFreedom’s Shield Program, click here.
The Risks Involved with Calling 988 Are Highlighted by Mad In America; “National Strategy on Suicide Prevention” Includes 988
In one of two recent articles published by Mad In America–“ ‘Confidential’ 988 Conversation Records Shared with Corporations”–investigative journalist Rob Wipond reports on the danger that what individuals say when they call 988 may “be shared, without caller consent, with researchers, AI developers, and corporations for their own undisclosed purposes…” For the article, click here. And in “Dramatic Rise in Police Interventions on 988 Callers,” Wipond reports that “[n]ew data reveals that four times as many callers to 988 as previously publicly claimed are getting visited by police or emergency medical services.” For that article, click here. And for “Changing the Course on Suicide: The Launch of a New National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, which links to the “2024 National Strategy on Suicide Prevention,” which includes “Funding a mobile crisis locator for use by 988 crisis centers,” click here.
CMS Revises Its 2007 Guidance on Peer Supervision in Favor of Peers
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) strongly urges states to consider asking for approval for Medicaid-funded peer supporters to be supervised by “other peers with more experience and training in the provision of peer support services, even if the supervising peer support provider does not have formal behavioral health training or licensure,” according to their clarification dated June 5, 2024. For the revised guidance, which includes a link to the 2007 guidance, click here. (Courtesy of Alliance Enews)
“Mental Health Disparities May Cost Trillions,” a New Report Predicts
“If left unaddressed, mental health inequities could lead to about $14 trillion in excess costs between now and 2040,” according to a recent analysis by the Deloitte Health Equity Institute and the School of Global Health at Meharry Medical College. “The report states that “certain populations such as racial or ethnic minority groups, the justice-involved community…, people living with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, low-income individuals, and many others, have historically experienced challenges at a rate that is unsettlingly high”; and it offers recommendations to reduce these disparities. For the report–“The projected costs and economic impact of mental health inequities in the United States”–click here. (Courtesy of Alliance Enews)
LA County Is Illegally Holding Hundreds of People with Mental Health Conditions in Jail and Locked Facilities
People with mental health conditions who are in conservatorships are being held in Los Angeles County jails even after their criminal charges are dropped, according to “ ‘STUCK’: Los Angeles County’s Abuse and Neglect of People on Mental Health Conservatorships in Jail and Locked Psychiatric Facilities,” a recent report by Disability Rights California (DRC). For the report, which includes DRC’s recommendations, click here. (Courtesy of Alliance Enews)
“Best States for Living with a Disability”
“To get a better sense of which states are more livable for people with disabilities, we analyzed state data across almost 30 metrics,” Policygenius writes. “We found that the best states for living with a disability are North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. The worst are Mississippi, California, and Texas.” For the article, which ranks all the states, click here. (Courtesy of Lee Goldberg)
CONFERENCES
“Legal Strategies to Protect Your Freedom in the Mental Health System”
On June 20, 2024, the Mental Health Empowerment Project will host a conference from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on how to “Protect Your Rights!!” The conference, presented by Mental Hygiene Legal Services, will be held in person at 204 Second Street, Albany, NY, or via Zoom. To register, contact Jennifer at jhastings@mhepinc.org or call 518.434.1393. For the flyer, which includes the Zoom link, click here.
N.A.P.S. Extends Workshop Proposal Deadline and Opens Scholarship Applications for Its Annual Conference
June 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET (8.59 p.m. PT) is the extended deadline to submit a proposal for the 2024 conference (October 16-17 in Chicago) of the National Association of Peer Supporters (N.A.P.S.), organized in partnership with the Alliance for Rights and Recovery. The conference theme is Reclaiming Our Power. (Presenters receive complimentary admission.) June 30 is also the deadline to apply for a scholarship (covering only registration). Early bird registration will close on July 31; sales for virtual tickets will begin on August 1. To submit a proposal, click here. To apply for a scholarship, click here. To register for the conference, click here. For more information, click here.
NARPA 2023 Annual Rights Conference Will Host an Exceptional Array of Presentations!
The National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA) has announced the keynote speakers for its 2024 Annual Rights Conference, in Portland, Oregon, September 4-7! They include Chyrell Bellamy, MSW, PhD, director of the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health and Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine; a panel presentation on “Twilight of Liberty II: The Hidden Foundations of Psychiatric Coercion and Oppression, and What Can Be Done”; “Recent Developments in Mental Health Law”; and “Combatting Institutionalization in California in the Face of the CARE Act and other Recent Legislation.” There will be a Pre-Conference Institute for PAIMI Council Members: “PAIMI Councils as Leaders for Systemic Reform,” 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. PT, on September 4. For more information, click here.
Mental Health America Announces the Tentative Schedule for Its 2024 Conference
The 2024 Mental Health America conference, whose theme is “Disrupt, Reform, Transform,” will be held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. The Policy Institute is on September 17; Affiliate Day is September 18; and the main conference is September 19-21. For the tentative agenda, click here. Early bird rates close on June 21; to register, click here.
July 1 is the Deadline to Submit a Proposal for the Alliance for Rights and Recovery Conference!
The 2024 conference of the Alliance for Rights and Recovery (formerly NYAPRS) will be held at the Villa Roma Resort in Callicoon, New York, September 25-27. The theme is Leading the Charge for Recovery, Rights, and Justice. Wellness and peer support pioneers Mary Ellen Copeland, Shery Mead, and Peggy Swarbrick will be featured speakers. To submit a proposal, click here. Scholarship applications will be available soon! To register, click here.
WEBINARS AND TRAININGS
Note: The first six webinars below are on June 20, 2024: Three begin at 12 p.m. ET, two begin at 1 p.m. ET, and one begins at 4 p.m. ET.
“Peers as Ambassadors for Career Service”
On June 20, 2024, at 12 p.m. ET, the Alliance for Rights and Recovery (formerly NYAPRS) will present, as part of its “Virtual Career Quest Webinar Series,” a free, one-hour webinar on “ ‘Peers as Ambassadors for Career Service’…The Alliance invites you, especially peers, to join our speaker…as he highlights the positive reasons to assist yourself and others to add career discovery and job search to a personal recovery journey by learning more about Individualized Placement and Support Tools.” To register, click here.
“Mental Health of Black American Men”
On June 20, 2024, at 12 p.m. ET, the Central East MHTTC (Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network) will present a free, one-hour webinar on the “Mental Health of Black American Men.” “This webinar will highlight aspects of mental health where Black American men appear to be at particular risk of poor outcomes when compared to men of other races/ethnicities. The sources of these disparities and strategies for resilience will be discussed.” For details and to register, click here. For the MHTTC Training and Events Calendar, which includes numerous trainings from each of the MHTTC regions, click here.
“Integrating Yoga and Meditation into Individual and Group Peer Sessions”
On June 20, 2024, 12 p.m.-1 p.m. ET, PENTAC will present Tobi Gold, who “has been practicing yoga, breath, and mindfulness meditation for over 20 years. In addition to being a CRPS, she holds a master’s degree in education from Lesley University, and is certified in Yoga for Trauma, Yoga, the 12 Steps to Recovery, and Restorative Yoga.” To register, click here. Questions? Contact Sherry Warner at sherry@peersupportfl.org.
“Finding One’s Advocacy Community: Stories and Insights from the Disability Community”
On June 20, 2024, at 1 p.m. ET, the ACL Grassroots Project will present a 90-minute webinar, hosted by HSRI (Human Services Research Institute), “to hear from advocates about the steps they took in finding their disability advocacy community, the trials and tribulations along the way, any tips for success, and ultimately how they see disability advocates maintaining a sense of connection.” To register, click here. Questions? Contact Laura Bernas at grassroots@hsri.org.
Mental Health America to Host Three Upcoming Webinars
On June 20, July 18, and July 23, Mental Health America will present three one-hour webinars, respectively: June 20, 1 p.m. ET, Relax And Restore: Yoga, Breathwork & Mindfulness; July 18, 1 p.m. ET, Cultural Context: Bridging Generational Gaps In BIPOC Mental Health; and July 23, 2 p.m. ET, Transforming Trauma: Healing Justice For Mental Health. To learn more about all three webinars, either click on the links above or click here.
“Warmlines, Helplines, and Crisis Lines Offer the Help You Need When You Need It”
On June 20, 2024, at 4 p.m. ET, NAMI Ask the Expert will present a 90-minute webinar on “warmlines, helplines, and crisis lines.” The presenters will be Alex Boyd, senior manager of The Trevor Project’s 988 Digital Operations; Howard Trachtman, co-founder of Metro Boston Recovery Learning Community; Hannah Wesolowski, NAMI’s chief advocacy officer; and Dawn P. Brown, NAMI’s national HelpLine services director.” To register and submit questions in advance,” click here. (Please see also the first item under NEWS, above: “The Risks Involved with Calling 988 Are Highlighted by Mad In America; ‘National Strategy on Suicide Prevention’ Includes 988.”)
“Healing With Pride, Supporting LGBTQ Youth Mental Health”
On June 21 at 4 p.m. ET, Medpage Today will host an Instagram Live event during which “a panel of experts will discuss solutions to the mental health challenges impacting LGBTQ youth and the provision of equitable care.” Medpage Today writes: Only 28% of youth mental health facilities in the U.S. offered LGBTQ-specific services in 2020, a marginal increase from 25% in 2014. Healthcare professionals have the potential to play a crucial role in improving access amid this shortage, but according to experts, medical schools are not adequately preparing future physicians to care for LGBTQ patients.” To join the webinar, follow @medpage on Instagram. For more information and to submit questions in advance, click here.
“The Living Room: Leveraging the Peer Workforce in Crisis Stabilization”
(Note: After this workshop was included in the June 2024 Key Update, it was postponed.)
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, with the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), has tentatively scheduled the third session in its four-part, SAMHSA-sponsored Crisis Stabilization Learning Series for June 24, 2024, 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. ET. “As crisis response services systems continue to evolve, it is imperative that service systems and delivery be informed by those with lived experience of receiving these services…The Living Room Model [is] one such recovery-centered alternative.” For more information and to register, click here.
“Supervision & Support of the Peer Specialist”
From June 24 through June 28, 2024, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. ET daily, the Copeland Center will present a five-day training about which it writes, “Skills in this course are applicable to anyone who supervises or is learning to supervise peers. If you are from PA, this course meets state qualification[s] to provide supervision for trained and certified peer specialists.” The facilitators are Kyneta Lee and Alexandra Fernandez. “This course includes both Zoom Sessions and independent study through the Canvas platform. Participants must complete all components to receive a certificate.” Tuition is $450. For more information, click here. To register, click here.
“Building an Inclusive Resilient Culture”
On June 25, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET, Doors to Wellbeing will present a free, one-hour webinar on “Building an Inclusive Resilient Culture.” “We'll explore the crucial intersection of inclusion and resilience within organizational culture. Delving deeper, we'll dissect the nuances between climate and culture and how they impact the workplace environment. You will gain valuable insight into strategies to foster a culture of inclusivity and resilience within mental health support settings.” For more information and to register, click here.
“Asking for Support at Work and in Relationships”
On June 26, 2024, at 11 a.m. ET, Mindspring Mental Health Alliance will present “Asking for Support at Work and in Relationships.” “Choosing to disclose information about mental health is a personal decision that often has to be made more than once. Discuss what factors to consider when making the decision and how to make the disclosure when the time feels right, with a licensed therapist.” To register, click here. For information about other free Mindspring webinars, click here.
NEC Will Present “Creating an LGBTQIA+ Summer Camp”
On June 27, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET, the National Empowerment Center will present a free, 90-minute webinar entitled “Creating an LGBTQIA+ Summer Camp: Creating Representation and Safe Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Youth.” The presenter will be Jess Bowman, the co-founder and director for Camp Beacon, Kentucky’s first and only summer camp experience for LGBTQ+ youth. Her mission is to produce safe, fun and affirming spaces for young people to thrive and find joy.” For more information and to register, click here.
“SAMHSA’s Office of Recovery Invites You to a Webinar on Psychiatric Advance Directives to Promote Community Living”
On June 28, 2024, at 1 p.m. ET, “learn how psychiatric advance directives (PAD) can promote community living. This event will describe the benefits and challenges of completing a PAD, highlight the role peers can play in advancing PAD usage, and share tools and innovations. Provider, advocate, and peer perspectives will be included.” For more information and to register for the one-hour webinar, click here. For the National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives, click here. And for “Advance Self-Advocacy Plan: An easy-to-use, customizable plan for people who want to create a Psychiatric Advance Directive or Mental Health Crisis Plan,” published by the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion, click here.
“A Chat with Author Antonia Hylton about Madness & Race”
On June 30, 2024, at 12:30 p.m., the Wildflower Alliance will host a one-hour conversation with Antonia Hylton, author of “Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum.” To register, click here. For the July 2024 Wildflower Alliance newsletter, which includes other important information, click here.
MHEP to Host Four Free Virtual Trainings in July
On July 3, 2024, 12 p.m.-2 p.m. ET, the Mental Health Empowerment Project will present “Self-Advocacy, with Kenedy.” On July 11, 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET, MHEP will present “Public Speaking and Winning Presentations, with Bryant.” On July 23, 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., MHEP will present “Language Matters, with Jen.” And on July 25, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. ET, MHEP will present “Building Better Boundaries, with Kate.” The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84791633281 . Questions? Contact Jennifer at jhastings@mhepinc.org or call 518.434.1393
Update! There Will Not Be a Judi’s Room in July!
“Judi’s Room is a free monthly public event for facilitating intersectional dialogue on the subjects of disabilities and mental illness. It is presented remotely by MindFreedom International and I Love You, Lead On via Zoom on the first Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. ET, and typically begins with an educational presentation by one or more expert panelists followed by an open discussion in which any attendees may take part.” For more information, click here. Please make a note of the Zoom link, which will be live sometime before the next Judi’s Room, which will likely be on August 7 at 6 p.m. ET: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82375518189
“Hold Onto Hope” Webinar Is for Suicide Loss Survivors
On July 11, 2024, at 7 p.m. ET, Honor Connor will host “Hold Onto Hope,” a “community-based education program specifically designed to support individuals who have personally experienced a suicide loss and individuals who want to support others experiencing suicide loss…We typically host the Hold Onto Hope webinar every first Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. ET.” For more information and to register, click here.
“Recovery-oriented Practice Webinar Series with Patricia E. Deegan, PhD”
“In this webinar series, Patricia E. Deegan, PhD, will offer proven frameworks and tools for navigating risk, managing professional boundaries and engaging with people around psychiatric medications. Drawing on her own lived experience of recovery after being diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager, as well as over 30 years developing recovery-oriented practices, Pat will emphasize practical approaches to supporting folks in their recovery. Peer specialists, direct service staff, clinicians and psychiatric care providers are welcome and will find the information helpful.” The four sessions are recorded and can be viewed at your convenience. For the series, click here.
OPPORTUNITIES
MacArthur Foundation Announces Competition for a Single $100 Million Grant
“We are launching a new round of 100&Change, our competition for a single $100 million grant to help solve one of the world's most critical social challenges,” the MacArthur Foundation writes. “100&Change remains open to organizations and collaborations working in any field, anywhere in the world. Competitive proposals will address a significant problem and provide a solution that is impactful, evidence-based, feasible, durable, and just. Are you ready to solve a problem?” For more information, click here. (Courtesy of Elizabeth Saenger)
“Interested in Participating in More Meaningful Activities?”
The Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery has “developed a new online peer group workshop called REACH (Resilience, Education, Action, Community, Health) with the goal of bringing activity into, or back into, your life. The Copeland Center is partnering with Temple University on a research study to examine the impact of REACH…You may be eligible for up to $100 in gift cards as compensation for your time.” The study involves a 12-session peer-delivered online intervention. If you are interested, please contact tucollab@temple.edu.
Do You Have a Child with a Mental Health Condition? Researchers Want Your Input.
Researchers at Cal State Monterey Bay are recruiting working parents and caregivers of children with mental health disabilities in the U.S. for a study of the difficulties associated with disclosing a child's mental health status to an employer, and the factors that affect if, when, and how to do so. The results of the myChoice Project will inform the development of resources for working parents to help them decide when and how to disclose their children's disability-related care demands to supervisors. Participants may complete a virtual 30-minute to 40-minute individual interview, via Zoom, or a 20-minute online survey. Interview participants will receive a $50 Amazon gift card; survey participants will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. To sign up for an interview, click here. Questions? Contact LiStewart@csumb.edu or click here.
“Thieves Like Us” Survey Is Recruiting Participants
“The effectiveness of a positive psychology intervention on burnout, compassion fatigue, and the loss of compassion satisfaction among peer support specialists” is the focus of a study by researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso. The study “aims to combat these issues and empower participants through individual character strengths.” Participants, who can be any gender and ethnicity, must work either full-time or part-time as a peer support specialist, and must speak English. Participants can earn “up to $25 in certificates.” For more information, contact Eugene Lopez, 915.316.6158 or elopez48@miners.utep.edu. (Courtesy of Peer Support Coalition of Florida)
July 9 Is the Deadline to Apply for Individualized Technical Assistance from NCAPPS
“NCAPPS (National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems) is providing free short-term direct technical assistance to states who need support implementing person-centered planning in compliance with the HCBS Final Rule requirements…Preference will be given to states with strong leadership buy-in and established relationships with advocacy organizations.” To apply for technical assistance, complete the online application form. Questions? Write to ncapps@hsri.org. (This opportunity originally ran in the May 2024 edition of the Key Update.) For more information, click here. And scroll down at the same link for a new “NCAPPS Resource: A National Environmental Scan of Technical Assistance Needs for Person-Centered Planning.” (Or see RESOURCES, below, for details.)
RESOURCES
Artists for Change Picks Up Where Altered States of the Arts Left Off
Artists for Change, created by a team led by movement pioneer Gayle Bluebird, has evolved from Altered States of the Arts, which was co-founded decades ago by Bluebird, Howie the Harp, and others. Artists for Change is a “ ‘home’ for historical works of artists who participated in the Consumer/Survivor Movement,” and “is intended to serve as a remembrance for those who were there, a resource for those who want to know more about the movement, and a place to view some of the art of that period.” The site also provides “historical videos and presentations, information about peer-run art centers, art programs, and art projects that peer specialists can easily do with people to help them use creative expression in healing trauma.” Bluebird writes: “Art that elicits emotions in the viewer–whether shock, surprise, disgust, humor, anger, or joy–requires time to sink in, not only to appreciate what is seen but also to feel at a deeper level what the artist might be communicating.” To view the website, click here.
“Peer-Run Respite Approaches to Supporting People Experiencing an Emotional Crisis”
“Research shows that guests experience peer-run respites as empowering and safe places where they feel more seen, heard, and respected than they do in conventional settings.” So begins a recent article by Lauren Spiro, MA, and Margaret Swarbrick, PhD, FAOTA, published by the American Psychiatric Association. “In a discussion informed by their experiences and the literature, the authors examine how peer-run respites differ from conventional psychiatric crisis response services in their basic philosophy: how emotional crisis is understood, the goal of crisis response, how trauma is viewed, the importance of self-determination, power dynamics, and relationality.” For the article, click here.
MHA to Publish Free BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit on June 21
Mental Health America writes: “July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month,” and its new toolkit will “provide free, practical resources to help navigate mental health stigma, bridge generational differences, dismantle mental health myths, and encourage meaningful conversations. The toolkit will be available for download on June 21 at mhanational.org/july and Spanish translations will be available shortly thereafter. We’re also working to improve our online BIPOC Mental Health Resource Center.”
“Inpatient Psychiatric Care in the United States: Former Patients’ Perspectives on Opportunities for Quality Improvement”
The researchers write: “We fielded a national survey online in 2021, in which we asked participants to report their recommendations for care improvement through a free-response box….Most responses described negative experiences, with suggested improvements implied as the inverse or absence of the respondent's negative experience. Among 510 participants, we identified 10 themes: personalized care, empathetic connection, communication, whole health approach, humane care, physical safety, respecting patients’ rights and autonomy, structural environment, equitable treatment, and continuity of care and systems….” For the article, click here.
“New NCAPPS Resource: A National Environmental Scan of Technical Assistance Needs for Person-Centered Planning”
NCAPPS writes: “Despite progress, states continue to grapple with how to effectively implement person-centered planning in a way that aligns with the Home and Community-Based Services Final Rule requirements. Many states continue to seek technical assistance to support maintaining or coming into compliance with the requirements. This environmental scan seeks to understand common themes across those states that continue to need technical assistance around person-centered planning.” For the 32-page document, click here.
STAT Offers Free E-Book on “Improving Care for the Aging Population”
“Aging populations can often feel lonely, need to make nutritional sacrifices, or find themselves unable to pay essential bills. Many also have difficulty navigating the health care system and government and community resources, all of which pose substantial challenges. This collection of STAT journalism tackles these and other critical issues facing an aging population. STAT reporters spotlight gaps in care, including the absence of tailored food delivery services for Medicare recipients and the hurdles faced in accessing insurance coverage due to AI-based denials.” To download STAT’s free e-book, click here.
The June-July 2024 Digest of Articles Offering Healthy Lifestyle Advice
For “First Aid Instructions for 10 Medical Emergencies,” click here. For “Ice Vs. Heat: When to Use Which for Aches & Pain,” click here. For “What to Do When Your Spouse Refuses to See a Doctor,” click here. For “Getting Started on the Path to Better Balance,” click here. For “Treating COVID-19 at Home: Care Tips for You and Others,” click here. For “Advantages of Water-based Exercise,” click here. For “How to limit microplastic exposure in your daily life: ‘The less processed, the less plastic,’ professor says,” click here. For “Lifesaving Advice for Recognizing Signs of a Stroke,” click here. For “A 20-Minute Intense Workout That’s Easy on Your Joints,” click here. For “The Psychological Importance of Wasting Time,” click here. For “What is a plant-based diet and why should you try it?” click here. For “Becoming a Vegetarian,” click here. For “7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Vegetarian: I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 15 years. Here’s what I wish I knew before I gave up meat,” click here. For “The Vegan Diet,” click here.
The June-July 2024 Digest of Articles about the Criminal Legal System, in Which Many Individuals with Mental Health Conditions Are Incarcerated (and the Key Update continues after this Digest)
For “They Were in a Mental Health Crisis at a Hospital. This Is How They Landed in Jail. In Washington, like most states, laws intended to protect health care workers are leading to prosecutions of people with severe mental illness,” click here. For “This Mississippi Hospital Transfers Some Patients to Jail to Await Mental Health Treatment: Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto doesn’t have a psychiatric unit, so it sends patients elsewhere for mental health treatment. When publicly funded facilities are full, some patients go to jail to wait for help. One doctor said that’s ‘unthinkable,’” click here. For “A transgender man was in mental distress. Police wound up killing him. The parents of Jasper Aaron Lynch, shot by a Fairfax County officer in 2022, recall his years of emotional turmoil and fatal encounter with police in their home,” click here. For “Can State Supreme Courts Preserve—or Expand—Rights? With a lopsided conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, progressive activists are seeking legal opportunities in state constitutions,” click here. For “ ‘How do you get hypothermia in a prison?’ Records show hospitalizations among Virginia inmates. The AP obtained records showing inmates at Marion, which houses predominantly mentally ill offenders, were hospitalized for hypothermia at least 13 times in three years during cold-weather months while medical providers expressed concern about temperatures at the prison,” click here. For “Officials Failed to Act When COVID Hit Prisons. A New Study Shows the Deadly Cost. People in prison died at 3.4 times the rate of the free population, with the oldest hit hardest. New data holds lessons for preventing future deaths,” click here. For “Serving Time for Their Abusers’ Crimes: The Marshall Project found nearly 100 people who were punished for the actions of their abusers under little-known laws like ‘accomplice liability,’ ” click here. For “Op-Ed | New York City must move forward on closing Rikers with a budget that invests in care, not DOC budget bloat,” click here. For “Both Prisons and the Public Rely On Incarcerated Writers: New York tried and failed to limit art and writing behind bars. The attempt should remind us all of the public and personal benefits of encouraging creative expression inside,” click here. For “AP Investigation: In hundreds of deadly police encounters, officers broke multiple safety guidelines,” click here. For “Inside Georgia’s Crusade to Make Bail Unpayable: Rather than address its deadly jail system or predatory bail industry, the state has made mutual aid the enemy,” click here. For “A Legal Doctrine That Shields Police From Many Lawsuits May Be Losing Support: A federal judge in Mississippi joined other courts in recently rejecting police arguments that qualified immunity protected their actions,” click here. For “The Rise of Life-Without-Parole Sentences,” click here. For “Crime victims may get fewer services as federal aid drops. States weigh how to help. Some state legislators want to establish permanent victim services funds,” click here. For “The Little-Known Reason Counties Keep Building Bigger Jails: Architecture Firms–All over the country, architecture firms make the case for bigger jails — then get hired to design them,” click here. For “New Jersey's cash bail reform reduced incarceration without increasing gun violence, study says,” click here. For “Dying Behind Bars: At least 220 people died in Ohio jails over 4 years: Investigation found that jail personnel ignored serious medical conditions and injuries, withheld life-saving medicine and did not adequately monitor prisoners at risk for suicide,” click here. For “Colorado will offer in-person voting behind bars in November: Gov. Jared Polis signed a first-of-its-kind bill that aims to make it easier for incarcerated people awaiting trial or serving time for misdemeanors to vote,” click here. For “ ‘They Slave Us’: Prison Workers on Life Behind Bars,” click here. For “Used paperbacks change lives behind bars, even with growing prison book bans: Rejected books include how-to manuals like ‘Nutrition for Dummies’ as well as thousands of other titles, including ‘Malcolm X Speaks: Selected Speeches and Statements,’ ” click here. For “The secret death of Darryl Dean Mefferd: Amid a mental health crisis in 2016, Mefferd was killed during an encounter with a police officer…The officer whose actions caused Mefferd’s death was never disciplined and was instead promoted in 2022,” click here. For “I Started Using Heroin Inside. Now the Federal Bureau of Prisons Won’t Give Me Treatment. Drug overdose was the second most frequent cause of death among people in the federal system’s custody from 2014 through 2021, according to an audit by the inspector general,” click here. For “What can journalists do when prisons and jails cite HIPAA to withhold information about deaths in custody? If you're a journalist who's been stonewalled while seeking public records about deaths in custody, you are not alone. We offer tips for requesting sensitive medical information and strengthening your story against HIPAA-related denials,” click here.
FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE KEY UPDATE BUT STILL FRESH!
WEBINARS, CONFERENCES, AND OTHER EVENTS
NTTAC Promotes Its Community Wellness and Peer Support Training Academy
The National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health offers its Community Wellness and Peer Support (CWAPS) Training Academy, which it describes as “a diverse collection of presentations, trainings, and resources that together share a commitment to fostering resilience, promoting empathy, and cultivating collaborative relationships within communities.” Their offerings include trainings on June 26 and July 24, 2024. “No-cost continuing education hours are available for mental health providers and peer support specialists!” For more information and to register, click here.
ISEPP 2024 Conference to Be Held October 26-27
The 26th annual conference of the International Society for Ethical Psychology & Psychiatry (ISEPP) will be held in Virginia Beach, Virginia, October 26-27, 2024. For questions, contact pepe.santana.phd@gmail.com
ISPS-US 23rd Annual Conference to Be Held November 1-3, 2024
The ISPS-US 23rd annual conference will take place November 1-3, 2024, at the University of Pittsburgh (pre-conference workshop on November 1) and Duquesne University (November 2-3), and hybrid online on November 2-3. The conference theme is “New Beginnings: Reimagining Psychosis Services & Systems in the US.” For more information and to submit a proposal, click here. (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova)
Registration Opens for National Federation of Families Conference
Early Bird registration for the 35th annual conference of the National Federation of Families is available until September 30, 2024. The conference will be held November 7-9, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida. For details and to register, click here.
OPPORTUNITIES
Deadline for Applications for the Equity-Grounded Leadership Fellow Program Is June 24, 2024!
The College for Behavioral Health Leadership writes: “The deadline to apply for the 2024-2025 cohort of the Equity-Grounded Leadership Fellow Program is June 24, 2024. The 2024-2025 Cohort will convene from September 12, 2024, to August 1, 2025. Full details can be found in the Application Form (click here).” (Courtesy of Alliance Enews)
SAMHSA Is Recruiting Peer Grant Reviewers. Do You Qualify?
“SAMHSA's three Centers are always looking for qualified grant peer reviewers who can evaluate applications for discretionary grants,” SAMHSA writes. “SAMHSA peer reviewers must have related program experience and education.” (SAMHSA's Office of Recovery has confirmed that peer reviewers do not need a graduate degree.) One incentive to apply is that “[r]eviewers will receive $140 per application reviewed and returned to SAMHSA in the timeline specified for each program.” For details about qualifications for peer reviewers and how to apply, click here.
ISEPP Seeks Contributions for an Upcoming Volume of Its Series on Critical Psychology and Critical Psychiatry, and Has Published Two More Volumes in the Series
ISEPP (International Society for Ethical Psychology & Psychiatry) seeks “authors to contribute to an upcoming volume of the Ethics International Press Critical Psychology and Critical Psychiatry Series. Don't miss the opportunity to speak your mind.” Contact any of these editors with your ideas for a chapter: Eric Maisel, PhD, ericmaisel@hotmail.com; Arnold Cantu, MSW, Arnold.Cantu@colostate.edu; Chuck Ruby, PhD, docruby@me.com. ISEPP has also released two more volumes in the series: Theoretical Alternatives to the Psychiatric Model of Mental Disorder Labeling: Contemporary Frameworks, Taxonomies, and Models and Practical Alternatives to the Psychiatric Model of Mental Illness: Beyond DSM and ICD Diagnosing.
PENTAC Is Seeking Speakers on Leadership and Professional Development for Peers
“We’re looking for engaging speakers in the Northeast, Southwest, West, and/or Midwest regions,” PENTAC (Peer Experience National TA Center) writes. Topics include “Mapping out a personal career advancement plan,” “Gain and enhance your presentation skills,” “What employers want: resume and interviewing skills,” and “What funders want: how to pitch your ideas.” For more information, email Sherry Warner at sherry@peersupportfl.org
TU Collaborative Wants to Hear Your Story!
“We are working on a project to better understand social connections among adults with significant mental health challenges,” the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes. “We are seeking your stories on your social connections generally” and “what those connections mean to you.” The TU Collaborative will compile these stories based on a series of brief surveys. For details and to share your story, 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.
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.
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.
TU Collaborative Seeks Input on Its Community Integration Calendars
The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes: “Each year, we release a calendar resource designed to help individuals engage more in the community!” The TU Collaborative is considering adding a guided component and would like your input on how to structure it. For more information and to participate in an anonymous survey, click here.
“Are You a Leader with a CMHC? Partner with the Temple University Collaborative!”
“The Clinical Treatment Act is a new law to encourage participation of low-income and minoritized healthcare recipients in research as a matter of equity. The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion seeks to partner with community mental health centers (CMHCs) across the U.S. to help get information about current and future research studies to service recipients in various programs. In return we are also available to support your organization with free trainings and other supports. Please contact Professor Bryan McCormick (bryan.mccormick@temple.edu) about this important partnership opportunity.” To read this announcement online, click here.
OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH
“Do You Work with People Who Hear Voices?” You Are Invited to Participate in Research
University of Sydney researchers seek to evaluate a set of online resources to help mental health workers support voice-hearers using an evidence-based approach. The resources were co-designed by voice hearers and clinical experts. You are eligible if you are a mental health worker (e.g., clinician, support worker, peer worker, psychiatrist) who works with voice-hearers. Participation involves fewer than three hours spread over eight weeks. It includes going through the online resources (two hours) and filling out three questionnaires (five to 20 minutes each). You will be randomized to receive the resources after completing the first questionnaire, or in four weeks (after completing the second questionnaire). For more information or to volunteer, contact Dr. Anne Honey anne.honey@sydney.edu.au. For the Participant Information Statement, click here.
Peer Workers Sought for Participation in Doctoral Research
A PhD candidate in the College of Nursing at the University of Central Florida is "seeking to interview peer workers about their professional roles, experiences as part of an interdisciplinary team, and how that role impacts their lives and recovery. [The researcher] would love the opportunity to include peers who are active in advocating for the value peers bring to a recovery experience. Participation involves an approximately one-hour long interview over Zoom. Those who complete the interview will be compensated $30 for their time." To screen for the study, click here. (Courtesy of the N.A.P.S. News Brief)
“International [Anonymous] Survey of People Who Have Had Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), and Their Family and Friends”
Researchers at the University of East London (UK) write, “The purpose is to understand the experience of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), in order to enhance the information given to people being offered ECT, and their families. This is your opportunity to share your experiences of this treatment, positive and negative. The survey is for people around the world who have received ECT at any time (except the past month). It is also for relatives or friends of people who have received ECT and are aware of how ECT affected that person.” For details and to complete the survey, click here. (PLEASE SEE THE TESTIMONY ON ECT DIRECTLY BELOW.)
Testimony on ECT by Acclaimed Author Linda Andre Is Available on YouTube
The 2000 presentation on ECT by shock survivor Linda Andre to a legislatively mandated committee chaired by the Vermont Department of Mental Health is now available on YouTube. Linda Andre wrote the acclaimed and authoritative book Doctors of Deception: What They Don't Want You to Know About Shock Treatment (2009), called “brilliant analysis” and “a masterpiece of scientific writing” by the International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine. For the 33-minute video, click here. (Courtesy of Laura Ziegler and Jim Gottstein)
Latina/o/e/x or Hispanic Volunteers with a Diagnosis of Psychosis Are Sought
University of Pittsburgh and University of Texas/Dallas researchers write: “We are looking for individuals who have been given a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis to participate in a study on everyday social situations. The study will involve a 90-minute virtual interview via Zoom. We will NOT ask you to change medications or any part of your treatment. We will ask you about your Latina/o/e/x culture and have you perform various tasks (for example, answering questions about pictures of people). You will be paid $50 for your time and participation.” Interested? Click here. (Courtesy of Nev Jones)
Researchers Launch National Online Survey Study of Black Women’s Health
Researchers at the University of Oregon, with others at UNC-Charlotte and Drexel University, “are working with Black female scholars, clinicians, and community members on a national online survey study investigating negative (e.g., discrimination) and positive (e.g., community ties, embodied joy) experiences and health behaviors among Black women. The goal of this project is to examine the links between systemic injustice, resilience, and mental and physical health…Participation will consist of a 20- to 30-minute online survey; participants will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.” For a link to the survey, email therenewlab@uoregon.edu. For questions, email the research intern, ohosh@uoregon.edu, or the PI, mosa@uoregon.edu. (Courtesy of Judene Shelley)
Researchers Seek Input on “Understanding Psychosis in Asian Diasporas”
“Individuals from Asian diasporas have unique experiences, concerns, challenges, and opportunities when engaging with mental health care in the United States,” University of Pittsburgh researchers write. “This study seeks to interview Asian and Pacific Islander (API) individuals who have experienced psychosis or been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. The perspectives of the API community are essential to understanding their experiences and creating meaningful supports.” For more information, click here. (Courtesy of Nev Jones)
Learn How to Engage in More Meaningful Activities! Join the TU Collaborative’s Research Study.
The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes: “We are looking for individuals who are willing to participate in a six-month intervention to get out of the house and engage in more meaningful activities; who are available to meet on the day the intervention takes place; who are experiencing significant mental health issues; who live in the U.S.; and who are at least 18 years old. If you are interested in participating, please contact switch@temple.edu. You may be eligible for compensation of up to $440 for your time and effort.”
Researchers Seek to Better Understand the Day-to-Day Social Experiences of People Diagnosed with Serious Mental Health Conditions
The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion seeks participants diagnosed with serious mental health conditions to participate in a paid research study of their “day-to-day experiences of social isolation and loneliness…so that we can develop better interventions for people in the future.” Eligible participants will complete an intake interview (for a $20 gift card) and an exit interview (for a $30 gift card). Four one-minute surveys will be sent via smart phone in the 14 days between interviews. Questions? Contact drrp@temple.edu or 215.204.9021.
EPICC Works to Help Parents with Mental Health Conditions Connect with Their Kids
Engaging Parents and Increasing Connections with Children (EPICC) is a 10-week program created by the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion that is focused on helping parents with serious mental health conditions connect with their children through meaningful activities. For details and to apply, click here.
Young Adults with Psychiatric Diagnoses Are Sought for Study on Community Participation
The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion is recruiting young adults (ages 18-30) with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression to take part in ConnectionsRx, designed to support engagement in meaningful community activities. Participants will be enrolled in the peer-led study for six months, and receive support to help meet community participation goals. Interviews (approximately 60 minutes each) will take place on Zoom. Participants will receive a $30 Amazon or Visa gift card (to a maximum of $90) for each survey completed. For the website, click here. Questions? ConnectionsRx@temple.edu.
Are You Interested in Pursuing Graduate School and/or a Research Career? Read Below.
Stephania Hayes (UC Davis), Shannon Pagdon (Columbia/NYS Psychiatric Institute/University of Pittsburgh), and Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh) write: “We are gathering information from people with lived experience in the Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) or early psychosis space (including peer specialists, current/former CSC participants, and CSC youth coordinators) who are potentially interested in pursuing graduate school and/or a research career. All of us identify as having lived experience, work in CSC, and are invested in supporting the next generation of scholars who also have lived experience. We would like to create a discussion group and/or other supports for people interested in this career path. The link below leads to a very brief survey that will help us understand the level of interest in such supports, as well as areas of career interest. (Please note that this is not a research study.)” To participate in the anonymous survey, click here.
“Help Us Map the Landscape of Lived Experience and Family Involvement in 988 Policy and Related Crisis Response System Planning!”
“As 988 implementation rolls out alongside additional efforts to strengthen crisis response systems throughout the U.S., it's important to gauge the extent to which direct stakeholders (i.e., individuals who use or have used mental health crisis services and their families) have been involved in related policy, implementation and evaluation at the local, regional, state or federal levels. To map out involvement nationally, Mental Health America (lead: Kelly Davis), Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh) and Keris Myrick (National Association of Peer Supporters) have developed a survey aimed at documenting the extent of stakeholder involvement, the forms this involvement has taken, and, where available, what concerns stakeholders have raised. Any individual with knowledge of lived experience and family involvement is eligible to participate; individuals completing the survey do not have to have lived experience themselves.” For more information and to access the survey, click here.
Survey Seeks Respondents Who Have Taken Mental Health Courses Involving Their Own Diagnoses
Have you taken a mental health course that covers a diagnosis you have? If so, you are invited to participate in a brief, anonymous, online survey--designed by a University of Pittsburgh MSW student--about what it's like for students with lived experience to study their own diagnoses in a classroom. The survey covers students' experiences of studying such subjects as "abnormal psychology," "psychopathology," and diagnosis and assessment when their own diagnoses are covered. "The goal of the project is to better understand what it feels like to take courses in which someone’s diagnosis is being taught/defined/discussed. There is currently no literature or reporting on the experiences of students in the above circumstances, or the associated impact." Interested? Please click here. Questions? Please email the project lead, Charlie Clement, at cjc204@pitt.edu
Peer Support in Higher Education Survey Seeks Respondents
“Peer support programs are growing on college campuses across the U.S. Mental Health America, Doors to Wellbeing, and the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion want to better understand the availability of peer support in higher education as well as the experiences and needs of students accessing peer support programs…We hope to use this research to support the expansion of peer support in higher education, including developing a national database of peer support programs in higher education and documenting pressing issues in campus programs…You may also indicate if you are interested in having your school’s peer support program listed in a national database of peer support programs in higher education.” For more information and to complete the survey, click here.
Supported Education Survey Needs Your Help
Do you operate a program that provides dedicated supported education services for individuals with psychiatric disabilities/mental health conditions? If so, you are invited to complete the survey at the link below. The primary goal of the survey is to help create a National Supported Education Database (NSEdD) that will be "a searchable listing of diverse supported education programs and services for individuals experiencing psychiatric disabilities and/or mental health challenges...across the US and its territories." The NSEdD project is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and co-administered by the five SAMHSA-funded national consumer and consumer-supporter technical assistance centers, in collaboration with research partners Drs. Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh) and Mark Salzer (Temple University). For a link to the survey, which includes a definition of supported education, click here. For a flyer with information about the survey, click here.
National Survey on Student Rights, Discrimination, and Accommodations in Higher Education Seeks Respondents
"Have you experienced psychiatric disability-based discrimination or the denial of an accommodation in a postsecondary institution in the United States? Interested in informing national advocacy focus on psych disability rights in higher ed? Mental Health America (lead: Kelly Davis) and collaborators Dr. Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh), Stefanie Kaufman-Mthimkhulu (Project LETS) and Brit Vanneman Esq. (Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law) have developed "a survey aimed at providing a more comprehensive understanding of student experiences of campus-based discrimination, mandated leaves of absence, and/or denial of academic, administrative and/or student-work accommodations in the U.S. Data will be used to inform national advocacy efforts and future projects, and in reports, presentations and publications." For eligibility and to access the survey, click here.
If You've Had, or Been Labeled with, "Negative Symptoms" in the Context of Psychosis...
"If you have experienced or been labeled with 'negative symptoms' in the context of psychosis, please consider contributing an anonymous account of your views and experiences," Dr. Nev Jones writes. "Currently, there is nowhere one can go to find lived experience perspectives/accounts on this topic—even though 'negative symptoms' regularly feature in research and clinical trials. Help us change this!" This survey is a companion to Psychosis Outside the Box; for that survey, click here. For more information and/or to share your story about "negative symptoms," click here.
“Are You Between the Ages of 21 and 60 and Drink Alcohol?”
"Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are seeking adults--[both smokers and non-smokers]--to study whether a gene and smoking may affect drinking alcohol. Volunteers should be healthy and drug-free, and not seeking treatment for alcohol-related problems. Research participation includes three outpatient visits at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD; alcohol consumption; brain scans (MRI), blood draws, and filling out questionnaires. There is no cost to participate and compensation may be provided." For more information, click here. (Courtesy of Fran Hazam)
TU Collaborative Seeks Participants for Its Parenting Through Leisure Project; See Also the TU Collaborative's Parenting Resources, Including Information on Custody Issues
The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion is seeking parents with lived experience of a mental health condition to participate in a paid research study. The TU Collaborative writes: "Our program, Parenting Through Leisure, focuses on helping parents with a serious mental illness participate in leisure activities with their child. We are looking for individuals who are 18 and older; are an adult parent with a diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, or depression; have a child who is 7 to 15 years old and is interested in participating in family leisure with you; have legal visitation rights, joint custody or full custody of the child, with at least weekly contact; and have a desire to engage in more leisure activities with their child." For details about the study and the remuneration as well as other benefits to eligible participants, and a link to sign up, click here. Questions? Please contact TUCollab@temple.edu. And for the TU Collaborative's Parenting web page--which includes links to many resources for parents with lived experience, including information about custody laws and a model family reunification statute--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)
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
RESOURCES
NCAPPS Offers Resources on Person-Centered Planning
The National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS) is featuring several resources on person-centered planning: “Person-Centered Planning: Choosing the Approach that Works for the Person” (eight pages), “Office of Healthcare Information and Counseling Person-Centered Thinking Toolkit” (39 pages), “Person-Centered Planning,” a 14-page SAMHSA issue brief, and the Community Living Policy Center’s “Association of Person-Centered Planning with Improved Community Living Outcomes” (10 pages). For links to all four documents, click here.
SAMHSA Offers Behavioral Health Barometers, Region 1-10, Volume 7: Indicators as Measured in the 2021-2022 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health”
SAMHSA writes: “The ‘Behavioral Health Barometers, Region 1-10, Volume 7: Indicators as Measured in the 2021-2022 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health’ is a series of 10 reports that provide a snapshot of behavioral health in each of the 10 HHS regions. The reports [published in April 2024] present a set of substance use and mental health indicators as measured in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).” To download the report on the Indicators, click here. For a map of the SAMHSA Regional Offices, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)
“Lost in Translation: A Narrative Review and Synthesis of the Published International Literature on Mental Health Research and Translation Priorities (2011–2023)”
The background of this study, published online on March 27, 2024, is that “Priority-setting in mental health research is arguably lost in translation. Decades of effort has led to persistent repetition in what the research priorities of people with lived-experience of mental ill-health are.” From the abstract, the conclusion is as follows: “One lived-experience research led survey was identified. Few studies reported lived-experience design and development involvement. Five of the seven papers reported responses, but no further progress on priorities being met was reported.” For the full paper, click here. (Courtesy of Nev Jones)
“Forced ≠ Treatment: Carceral Strategies in Mental Health”
“...there is a broad recognition that far too often people experiencing mental health challenges encounter the criminal legal system rather than accessing mental health supports. In response, many policymakers have championed policies that aim to divert people experiencing mental health challenges away from prisons and jails and into mental health treatment. However, some of these policies, particularly those involving forced treatment, rely on carceral tactics and replicate incarceration. The following brief analyzes state and local policies that adopt carceral approaches to mental health treatment.” For more information and to download the free 16-page report, published by the Center for Law and Social Policy, click here. (Courtesy of Joe Marrone via Jacek Haciak)
“We Gotta Stop Criminalizin’ Mental Illness” Developed by the University of Chicago
This report, subtitled “Experiences with Mental Health Crisis Response in Chicago,” was developed by a team of sociologists from the University of Chicago, who interviewed 23 residents of Chicago about their experiences with mental health crisis response from July through October 2023. To download the free 34-page report, click here. (Courtesy of Fran Hazam)
The recent Cafe TA Center Newsletter, Focus 2.0, Issue 13, highlights “When There’s a Crisis, Call a Peer”
A free 94-page manual published by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and subtitled “How People with Lived Experience Make Mental Health Crisis Services More Effective,” is the focus of Focus 2.0, Issue 13. The Bazelon Center writes: “As state and local governments seek alternatives to a police response to calls involving people with mental health disabilities or who are in crisis, stakeholders are asking critical questions about the effectiveness of alternative approaches. Among these are whether the alternative response will come quickly enough to keep people safe…There is an answer: Make the supports provided by people with lived experience serving as peer support workers, working in peer-led organizations, central to the delivery of mental health crisis services.” (The manual was featured in the February 2024 edition of the Key Update.) To download the free manual, click here. For the newsletter, click here.
CAFÉ TAC Offers Consumer Pathways to Inclusion and Engagement Model (CPIEM)
“The Consumer Pathways to Inclusion and Engagement Model (CPIEM) is a [138-page] guidebook created by peers, for peers, to help them develop the skills they need to turn their lived mental health experience into meaningful change in the mental health system of care.” For more about the guidebook, including a link to download it (or you can click on the link attached to the title, above), click here. A webinar to introduce the guidebook was presented on March 14, 2024. For a recording of the webinar, click here. (Jeremy Countryman writes: “Recordings of all of our webinars are at https://cafetacenter.net/tac-trainings/. Just scroll down to “Recent Trainings and Webinars.”)
A Digital Booklet Explains the UN’s “Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health Care”
MindFreedom International writes: “Monirul, a MindFreedom member in Bangladesh, has launched a website called MindfulRights in order to promote human rights in various fields in Bangladesh, including mental health care, and to raise public awareness of related issues within the country. Although the site is still a work in progress, it already offers educational resources, such as a digital booklet that Monirul has composed to explain the United Nations' Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health Care in simple terms...To access these resources, click on the links above.
“Is Psychiatry Working?” The BBC Offers a Series of Eight Episodes Organized Under This Topic
Besides “Is Psychiatric Working?” the topics covered on these half-hour podcasts are, broadly stated, Anxiety, Healing and Recovery, Therapy, Medication, Diagnosis, Detention, and Crisis. To listen to the free podcasts, click here. (Courtesy of Philip Benjamin)
IDHA Presents a “Transformative Mental Health Core Curriculum”
The Institute for the Development of Human Arts (IDHA) offers a self-paced, virtual mental health curriculum containing more than 20 hours of original video content. Its eight modules include “how racism, ableism, and other forms of oppression intersect with mental health; diverse narratives of lived experience and the powerful impact of grassroots movements, past and present; a variety of community-based and peer-led practices that support healing; and a transformative mental health lens and how to apply it to your life and work.” For more information and to register, click here. (Courtesy of N.A.P.S. News Brief)
Crestwood’s Recovery Resilience Solutions Offers “Welcome to Recovery Practices”
The latest podcast by Recovery Resilience Solutions is about “the power of a recovery-based welcoming practice.” Dr. Lori Ashcraft writes: “In this podcast on welcoming, I give you lots of ideas about how to welcome (not intake) people into your programs. It is so important to get this right because it’s the first and lasting impression the person has of both us and our program. We can set the stage for a solid working relationship, or for a struggle as you try to connect later on.” For a link to the podcast and more information about “Viva La Evolution,” click here.
“The Ethics of Survivor Research: Guidelines for the Ethical Conduct of Research Carried Out by Mental Health Service Users and Survivors”
“Drawing on the experience of survivors and service users, [this accessible manual] considers key issues such as informed consent and confidentiality with particular reference to mental health settings.” For more information and to download the free, 56-page manual, click here. (Courtesy of Konstantina Poursanidou)
WHO Publishes Operational Framework for Monitoring Social Determinants of Health Equity
The World Health Organization writes: “This Operational Framework for Monitoring Social Determinants of Health Equity provides countries with critical guidance on monitoring the social determinants of health–broadly defined as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, and people’s access to power, money and resources–and actions addressing them, and using data for policy action across sectors to improve health equity. The publication is meant as a resource for national governments and their partners.” For more information and to download the free 140-page manual, click here.
IAAPA Proposes a Pathway to End Coercive Psychiatry
Following up on the landmark report on “Mental Health, Human Rights and Legislation”–launched on October 9, 2023, by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights–the International Association Against Psychiatric Assault (IAAPA) has issued a proposal to end coercive psychiatry. For details, click here. (Courtesy of Dan Fisher) To download the 208-page “Mental Health, Human Rights and Legislation: Guidance and Practice”—originally reported in the September 23 edition of the Key Update—click here.
SAMHSA’s Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit
“SAMHSA’s updated Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit provides guidance to a wide range of individuals on preventing and responding to an overdose. The toolkit also emphasizes that harm reduction and access to treatment are essential aspects of overdose prevention.” For more information and to download the free toolkit, click here.
“Embracing Authenticity: A Guide to Authenticity and Cultural Awareness at Work”
“This comprehensive guide is designed to support BIPOC employees, allies, and leadership in fostering a more inclusive and supportive workplace environment,” the New England MHTTC writes. “By recognizing and addressing the unique challenges faced by People of Color, promoting allyship, and empowering leadership, we can create a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported, and able to thrive. This guide provides practical strategies, exercises, and resources to enhance well-being and promote equity within your organization.” To download the free 65-page guide and to view a series of webinars for guidance and support for the use and implementation of the guide, click here.
“Study: To Reduce Jail Populations, Increase Mental Health Services in Communities”
A new study by researchers at George Mason University “concludes that U.S. jails are de facto mental health institutions, with nearly 10 times as many individuals with serious mental health conditions in prisons and jails than in state psychiatric hospitals. The study also found that access to affordable healthcare services and behavioral health treatment in the community changes how the jail is used and reduces the size of the jail population.” For more information and a link to the study, click here.”
“Solving Homelessness Through Better Information”
At the link below are six reports about how to address homelessness in the Portland, Oregon, region. Although the reports, by Homeless Strategic Initiatives of Portland, are geared specifically for the Portland area, many of their lessons are broadly applicable. For the reports, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)
SAMHSA TIP 59: “Improving Cultural Competence”
“The primary objective of this TIP [Treatment Improvement Protocol] is to assist readers in understanding the role of culture in the delivery of behavioral health services (both generally and with reference to specific cultural groups).” For the free, 341-page manual, click here.
“The State of Mental Health in America”
“Millions of adults in the U.S. experience serious thoughts of suicide, with the highest rate among multiracial individuals,” according to Mental Health America’s report on “The State of Mental Health in America.” Among other “2023 Key Findings” is that “[o]ver half (54.7%) of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment, totaling over 28 million individuals,” and “[o]ver 1 in 10 youth in the U.S. are experiencing depression that is severely impairing their ability to function at school or work, at home, with family, or in their social life.” In addition, “59.8% of youth with major depression do not receive any mental health treatment.” To download a free copy of the report, click here.
World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All
“The World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All is designed to inspire and inform better mental health for everyone everywhere. Drawing on the latest evidence available, showcasing examples of good practice from around the world, and voicing people’s lived experience, it highlights why and where change is most needed and how it can best be achieved. It calls on all stakeholders to work together to deepen the value and commitment given to mental health, reshape the environments that influence mental health, and strengthen the systems that care for mental health.” For the free, 296-page report by the World Health Organization (WHO), click here.
“Mental Health Crisis Services: Promoting Person-Centred (sic) and Rights-based Approaches”
The World Health Organization (WHO), which published this 80-page “Technical Package” in 2021, writes: “By showcasing good practice mental health services from around the world this guidance supports countries to develop and reform community-based services and responses from a human rights perspective, promoting key rights such as equality, non-discrimination, legal capacity, informed consent and community inclusion. It offers a roadmap towards ending institutionalization and involuntary hospitalization and treatment and provides specific action steps for building mental health services that respect every person’s inherent dignity.” For the manual, click here.
Frontiers in Psychology Adds to Its Archive of Articles About Open Dialogue
The latest addition to Frontiers in Psychology’s trove of articles about Open Dialogue is “Open Dialogue services around the world: a scoping survey exploring organizational characteristics in the implementation of the Open Dialogue approach in mental health services.” For the article, published online on November 10, 2023, click here. For all 21 articles, click here. (Courtesy of Ann Kasper)
Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC) Directory Offers Helpful Resources
“PARC mails a free national directory of resources to prisoners, their friends and family members. This year, we have expanded the content and the directory is now 28 pages listing nearly 300 organizations serving folks on the inside!! Thank you to all of our community partners for supporting the mailing of this directory.” For the PARC website, which includes a link to the Directory, click here.
WHO and UN Publish Landmark Report on “Mental Health, Human Rights and Legislation”
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have jointly issued an important report on “Mental Health, Human Rights and Legislation: Guidance and Practice.” To view a video about the launch, click here. To download the 208-page publication, click here. ACTION ALERT: Share it with elected officials and mental health policymakers! (Courtesy of Janet Paleo) (The October 9, 2023, launch of the joint publication was announced in the September 2023 edition of the Key Update.)
“The Lived Experience of Depression: a Bottom-up Review Co-written by Experts by Experience and Academics”
"This journey in the lived experience of depression can also help us to understand the nature of our own emotions and feelings, what is to believe in something, what is to hope, and what is to be a living human being." For the article, click here. (Courtesy of Ann Kasper)
Movement History of the Consumer/ Client/ Survivor/ Expatient/ Ex-Inmate/ User Community
This 647-page comprehensive history and timeline, mostly compiled by award-winning mental health advocate Pat Risser (b. 1952, d. 2016), begins: “The history of the Consumer/ Client/ Survivor/ Ex-patient/ Ex-Inmate/ User Community is deeply enmeshed in and with other civil and human rights movements. To understand the depth of this intertwining, it is necessary to cover the history of slavery, women, children, people with disabilities, education, labor and other factors that play a role in creating who we are today.” To download the document, click here. (Courtesy of Judene Shelley)
“Report on Improving Mental Health Outcomes” Is Published
The Report’s Executive Summary begins: “The mental health system’s standard treatments are colossally counterproductive and harmful, often forced on unwilling patients. The overreliance on psychiatric drugs is reducing the recovery rate of people diagnosed with serious mental illness from a possible 80% to 5% and reducing their life spans by 20 years or so…” To download the free, 55-page report—by James B. (Jim) Gottstein, Esq.; Peter C. Gøtzsche, MD; David Cohen, PhD; Chuck Ruby, PhD; and Faith Myers—click here. (Note: The Report is intended to be used by advocates and is a modification of an earlier "White Paper," without the Alaska-specific information that it included. The "White Paper" was first included in the Key Update in April 2023, and in every subsequent edition in the “…But Still Fresh!” Department.)
MHA Offers "Evidence for Peer Support"
For Mental Health America's nine-page fact sheet offering evidence of the benefits of peer support, click here.
Wellness Activity Manual Helps People Learn Healthy New Behaviors & Habits
The free, 64-page Wellness Activity Manual: A Guide for Group Leaders “focuses on helping people with mental health conditions learn new behaviors and habits to improve their personal wellness. Each lesson has been constructed as a group activity that maximizes learning through building positive interpersonal relationships and actively involving participants. The Wellness Group meets weekly for one hour. The manual contains nine lessons focused on physical, emotional, and intellectual wellness. Each lesson can be used as a stand-alone group or combined into a multi-session series.” For more information and to download the free manual, click here.
“A Manual for Coping with Extraordinary and Remarkable Experiences”
“Extraordinary and remarkable experiences should not interfere with your mood and daily functioning. This manual will help you to keep your extraordinary experiences manageable in daily life, although your extraordinary experiences may be annoying and intruding at times. You can work through this manual with your therapist…Solutions will be sought for your problems. The described method consists of a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and an educational course.” For the free, 34-page manual, copyrighted in 2013 by Mark van der Gaag, Dorien Nieman, and David van den Berg, click here. (Courtesy of Yulia Mikhailova) Note: This manual has not been reviewed, so no judgment about its value should be inferred from its inclusion in this e-newsletter.
Lived Experience Leadership Offers Numerous Research Studies Focused on Peer Supporters
Lived Experience Leadership features the findings of 12 years of research studies focused on [the peer support] workforce in a range of settings, to foster a better understanding of and respect for Lived Experience as a distinct discipline and build clarity on what makes this work unique and valuable. Importantly, this body of research was led by Lived Experience researchers.” For the website, click here.
International Peer Respite/Soteria Summit Offers Abundant Related Resources
For numerous resources about peer respites, Soteria, and related movements, click here.
“SAMHSA TIP 64: “Incorporating Peer Support into Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services”
“This TIP [Treatment Improvement Protocol’ supports learning about the key aspects, functions, and uses of Peer Support Services (PSS) in recovery from problematic substance use, which will help providers, supervisors, and administrators in SUD treatmen tprograms getter understand and respond to these changes.” To download the free, 301-page document, click here.
Resources for Supervisors of Peer Workers Offered by BRSS TACS and Pat Deegan
BRSS TACS writes: “This group of resources helps supervisors understand how to supervise peer workers in behavioral health services.” For details, click here. And the Northwest MHTTC offers a recorded webinar on ”How supervision can help peer specialists remain peer when working on clinical teams,” presented by Pat Deegan. For details, click here.
“Podcast: The Rise in Forced Treatment and Abusive Guardianships”
“[M]illions of Americans are subjected to psychiatric detention or forced treatment every year. Often well meaning family members are trying to ‘help,’ but end up traumatizing and permanently damaging their loved ones. Join us as investigative journalist Rob Wipond explains how most states have broadened their criteria for psychiatrically detaining someone far beyond ‘imminent harm’ and that as a practical matter, this could happen to almost anyone.” For the podcast, click here.
“Alternatives to Coercion in Mental Health Settings: A Literature Review”
This 214-page report was commissioned by the United Nations Office at Geneva to inform the report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It was published in 2018 by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute. To download the free report, click here.
“Training of Lived Experience Workforces: A Rapid Review of Content and Outcomes”
“Recently, the lived and living experience (LLE) workforce in mental health and alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sectors has expanded,” researchers at La Trobe University and the Self Help Addiction Resource Center in Australia write. “Despite widespread benefit of this inclusion, some LLE practitioners have encountered personal and professional challenges in their workforce roles…[W]e present recommendations for improving training processes for this workforce.” For the article, published in Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services (Springer), click here.
“WHO’s New Series to Enhance the Meaningful Engagement of People with Lived Experience”
The World Health Organization’s “new ‘Intention to Action’ series is tackling both an evidence gap and a lack of standardized approaches on how to include people with lived experience into decision- and policy-making…The first publication—‘People power: Perspectives from individuals with lived experience of non-communicable diseases, mental health conditions and neurological conditions’—includes six detailed case studies from 12 individuals with lived experience of diverse health conditions.” For more information and a link to download the 80-page publication, click here. (Courtesy of Matthew Jackman)
“What Is Mental Illness?”
“This conversation between Justin Garson (philosopher), Nev Jones (community mental health researcher), and Marco Ramos (psychiatrist/historian)”--sponsored by The Philosopher–“will aim to offer a sense of the scope of what is at stake in our understanding of mental illness, considering the place of biology, society, histories of oppression, evolution, and lived experience in such an understanding.” For the video, click here. (Courtesy of Kevin Fitts)
“Optimizing Recovery Funding, Volumes 1 & 2”
“In 2021, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provided the Peer Recovery Center of Excellence (PR CoE) with supplemental funding for a special project to identify and recommend best practices and strategies to optimize funding for high-quality and effective recovery support services. The result was 'Volume 1: Barriers to Acquiring Funding for Organizations in the Ecosystem of Recovery Volume' and 'Volume 2: Strategies for State Funding of Recovery Support Services.'” To download the full, 130-page report, click here.
Common Threads: Stories of Survival & Recovery from Mental Illness
Common Threads: Stories of Survival & Recovery from Mental Illness, a 108-page compendium, includes “tales of survival and recovery” by a number of Floridians. To quote from the Introduction, “Many of the people in these stories have lived significant portions of their lives in psychiatric institutions, and only through their strengths have they found their way back to the community…In these tales, we hear about the importance of education and peer support…” To download the free document, click here.
“Crisis Now” Offers a “Roadmap to Safe, Effective Crisis Care”
The goal of Crisis Now: Transforming Crisis Services—led by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and developed with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and RI International—is “to provide all communities a roadmap to safe, effective crisis care that diverts people in distress from the emergency department and jail by developing a continuum of crisis care services that match people’s clinical needs.” Among the resources offered on the website are SAMHSA’s 80-page “National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care Best Practice Toolkit” (2020), an “Overview of Crisis Funding Sources Available to States and Localities” (last updated March 2, 2022), and assessment tools, such as “How Does Your Crisis System Rate?” The Crisis Now partners write: “Are you interested in adding your organization to the list supporting Crisis Now, or do you have questions? Reach out to us at info@crisisnow.com. For the website, click here.
“What Is the Meaning of Life?” This Free Online Collection Offers Answers
Excellence Reporter offers more than “1,200 articles-interviews on ‘What Is the Meaning of Life?’ written by renowned spiritual leaders, mindfulness experts, great thinkers and authors, elders, artists, musicians, CEOs, etc.” The contributors include such renowned figures as Bertrand Russell; Carl Jung; the Dalai Lama; Eleanor Roosevelt; Epicurus; Erich Fromm; Kahlil Gibran; Buckminster Fuller; Robert Louis Stevenson; and Ron Bassman, executive director of MindFreedom International. To browse the free compendium, click here.
The UIC Center’s Solutions Suite for Health & Recovery Offers Free Tools
"The UIC Center offers tools, curricula, and implementation manuals for free use in community-based programs, peer-run programs, or one's own life. You can introduce the entire complement of products to foster improved health, wellness, and mental health recovery. Or, you can choose the ones that will work best for your program or your life. The Suite was developed in collaboration with Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey. The UIC Center is funded by NIDILRR (National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research). For the UIC Solutions Suite for Health & Recovery, click here. (Courtesy of Peggy Swarbrick via Jacek Haciak)
U.S. Surgeon General Creates Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation
"The U.S. Surgeon General’s Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation, developed in collaboration with the HHS Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES), provides specific guidance and resources for health care providers, educators, librarians, faith leaders, and trusted community members to understand, identify, and stop the spread of health misinformation in their communities." For information about the toolkit (a 22-page overview of health misinformation, and resources to stop it), and links to a “Talk to Your Community About Health Misinformation” Infographic, a “Health Misinformation Checklist” Infographic, and the Surgeon General's press release, click here.
“Psychiatrist with Philosophical Interests” Leads “Conversations in Critical Psychiatry,” a Psychiatric Times Series
Awais Aftab, who describes himself as a "psychiatrist with philosophical interests" in his Twitter bio, leads "Conversations in Critical Psychiatry," which, he says, "explores critical and philosophical perspectives in psychiatry and engages with prominent commentators within and outside the profession who have made meaningful criticisms of the status quo." Among those interviewed are Jim Gottstein, author of The Zyprexa Papers, on “The Fight for Pharma Accountability and Psychiatric Rights”; Allen Frances, M.D., author of Saving Normal; Sandra Steingard, M.D., and G. Scott Waterman, M.D., on "Integrating Academic Inquiry and Reformist Activism in Psychiatry"; Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, on "50 Shades of Misdiagnosis"; Kathy Flaherty, J.D., executive director of the Connecticut Legal Rights Project, Inc., on "Reconsidering Care and Coercion in Psychiatry"; Nev Jones, Ph.D., on "Phenomenology, Power, Polarization, and the Discourse on Psychosis"; Dainius Puras, M.D., on "Global Psychiatry's Crisis of Values"; and many others. For the archived interviews, click here.
U.S. DOL Releases Guidance on FMLA Leave and Mental Health
The U.S. Department of Labor’s newly issued Fact Sheet #280 about the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) explains when eligible employees may take FMLA leave to address mental health conditions, and new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) offers additional information. (Although the FMLA covers public and private employers nationwide, only those private employers who have 50 or more employees for at least 20 workweeks in a year are required to provide their eligible employees with FMLA leave.) For details, click here.
“Where DNA and Medications Meet”
Not all drugs are effective for all people; therapeutic response rates for many drugs are only 50%-75%. “OneOme, co-founded by [the] Mayo Clinic, provides evidence-based pharmacogenomic solutions that help improve patient outcomes and reduce costs through more personalized medication decisions.” OneOme’s RightMed Test is “a doctor-ordered pharmacogenomic (PGx) test that analyzes your DNA and provides your doctors with genetic information to help them determine how you may respond to certain medications. The results may help your doctors reduce medication trial and error, minimize risk of side effects, save you time and money, and make more informed prescribing decisions. Because your DNA doesn’t change over time, your doctors can use your test results to make more personalized medication decisions for you over the course of your lifetime.” For more information, click here. (Courtesy of Robin Osborne)
“New Federal Guidance for Alternatives to Police for People with Behavioral Health or Other Disabilities”
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and the Vera Institute have published a seven-page report entitled “New Federal Guidance for Alternatives to Police for People with Behavioral Health or Other Disabilities.” “Vera and the Bazelon Center agree with the new guidance, from the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS), that ‘jurisdictions should not assume that the proper response to a crisis is always to send law enforcement.’” Boiling down the guidance, they write, “sending police in response to a mental health crisis where there is no immediate safety risk to the public is discriminatory and violates civil rights laws.” For the seven-page document, click here. (Courtesy of Jacek Haciak)
SAMHSA Publishes Results from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
“This infographic accompanies the more comprehensive NSDUH annual national report. Together, they provide researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the public with data that can be used to better understand and improve the nation’s behavioral health,” SAMHSA writes. For the 21-page infographic, click here. For the 162-page “Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health,” click here.
“New Year’s Resolutions: Building Good Mental Health Habits”
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently published some suggestions about building good mental health habits. SAMHSA writes: “Setting New Year’s resolutions can be a positive way to focus on self-improvement, but it's important to approach them in a manner that promotes good mental health and well-being and maximizes our chances of sticking with them.” For SAMHSA’s guidance, click here. And for “Top 8 New Year's Resolutions to Make if You Have Anxiety: Making unrealistic New Year's resolutions can be damaging to your mental health. Here's how to do it right,” click here. And for “9 Mental-Health Resolutions for 2024, According to Therapists,” click here.
“Mental Health in the Criminal Justice System: What to Expect When You or a Family Member Is Arrested or Incarcerated”
The American Psychiatric Association, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) offer an 11-page guide on “Mental Health in the Criminal Justice System: What to Expect When You or a Family Member is Arrested or Incarcerated.” The guide includes “Helpful tips for individuals and family members,” “What happens if an individual is found guilty,” “What happens after release from incarceration,” and more. For the guide, click here.
Two Mental Health Toolkits Can Help Develop, Maintain, and Expand Rural Mental Health Services
The Rural Health Information Hub offers the “Mental Health in Rural Communities Toolkit,” which “features evidence-based models, resources, and program examples for the successful development and implementation of mental health programs to serve rural communities,” and the “Rural Suicide Prevention Toolkit,” which “highlights innovative, evidence-based models and resources to develop and implement successful suicide prevention programs in rural communities.” For more about rural mental health, click here. (Courtesy of Amy Smith)
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 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 21, No. 1, June-July 2024. For content, reproduction or publication information, please contact Susan Rogers at selfhelpclearinghouse@gmail.com. Follow Susan on Twitter at @SusanRogersMH