Mental Health

Question: mental health? I need the name of a book that discusses why some people don't seek treatment for mental health issues,by a Ph.D. would be best. This is for a research project.The reasons why men come home from war and some don't have problems and others do .Opinions don't count unless you're a psychologist.

Answer: I don't know about books, but you could try arXiv for research papers.

Question: Mental health? Can a regular M.D diagnose a mental illness, or does a mental health professional have to do it??

Answer: All MDs get some psychiatric training in med school and residency. They can diagnose, but if they are responsible, they will refer anything but the most apparent to a psychiatrist. Even the most apparent should be referred in my opinion, but that's not the way insurance works so it's not the way they work. PS - psychiatrists are MDs. They have advanced specialization in psychiatry. Psychologists have PhDs, can test, and diagnose, but cannot prescribe med in most states. If the illness requires medication, the psychologist refers to a psychiatrist who will still do her/his own evaluation and diagnosis before prescribing meds. And......... any competent psychiatrist will require a check up (usually by your regular doctor) and basic blood work before finalizing a diagnosis.

Question: MENTAL HEALTH??????????????????????? I'm 14. According to the internet, online quizzes and such, I have had soooo many disorders :( I used to have every symptom of serious depression, including cutting and such .. :\ Multiple personality disorder and mood disorder. Allsorts. I never tell anyone...... it would sound pretty stupid :) "hey, I did all these online quizzes and I have all these disorders ... take me to a doctor?" No. Just, no. :) But what I'm saying is, could it get bad if someone has mental health problems and they are left untreated? I've been falling out with friends and everything with mood-swings and such that are totally unlike me.

Answer: Fourteen over here, too. And, the first piece of advice? Do not listen to the online testing. I have been experiencing sever depression and such, and decided that the online testing for different mental illnesses could help me figure out what was wrong with me, so that way I could speak to a doctor about it. I first considered hereditary options. I took one for Manic Depression as both of my parents suffer from this. I took one for OCD as my father and grandmother suffer from this. I took one for Schizophrenia as my aunt and other grandmother suffer from this. Guess what? Apparently I am suffering from all of them. I would suggest, instead of self diagnosing through online testing which is as unsafe as bare-backing a five dollar hooker (I couldn't resist the Daybreaker's quote), you book an appointment with your doctor and see what your problem is. It can be completely confidential if you do not want your parents to know. Mental illnesses, when left untreated, will get worse. Definetely. Believe me. I witnessed such with my aunt. And she ended up getting sectioned. I hope you get the help you need.

Question: What makes something a mental health issue as opposed to a regular health issue that involves the brain? For instance, epilepsy is not considered a "mental health" problem even though it's something that's happening in the brain. Schizophrenia has to do with brain chemicals, but it's a mental health issue.

Answer: Most mental illnesses are considered 'brain' issues as they involve irregularities in the functioning of the brain. Hence, the medications and treatments. It has also been recognized that all these conditions also have accompanying behavioral and emotional components hence they are also mental health issues. Epilepsy is not considered by itself a mental illness because it involves misfiring in the brain but by itself does not have a direct emotional or social behavioral effect. Having said that dealing with epilepsy can be stressful and cause damage to the brain and psyche some of which are manifest as mental illness. Many persons live successfully as epileptics w/o dealing with mental illness.

Question: What mental health services could you benefit from? Hi, I'm conducting an informal survey for mental health services, my question is, if you were to receive counseling or assistance from a mental health services provider, what would you want? For example if you are depressed, what kind of attention/care would you hope to get? I appreciate your time. Thanks!

Answer: I am already on medication for both BiPolar and anxiety, so I suppose that talk therapy about the causes of my episodes would be helpful, too.

Question: What are good and bad things for your mental health? I need to know some good and bad things for your mental health. I have to show examples of good things for your mental health. But then also what is bad for your mental health. I need things that are easy to draw. If anyone can help me, that would be great. Thank you.

Answer: drugs, lack of self esteem, getting picked on, having no one to talk to or not having guidance, cutting, self isolation, shutting the world out

Question: How can your mental health get worse after you see a therapist? I can't figure this out. I go see this therapist and I don't like her. But they won't let me have another therapist unless I go before a long drawn out red tape process. But anyways, I call up to get another appointment and the soonest they can get me in is like a month from now. So I told the receptionist, "Somehow my mental health gets worse after I call or visit the mental health association."

Answer: It sounds like you and this therapist got off on the wrong foot, and now you've completely decided that she can't help you, (which basically eliminates any chance of working with her effectively). You gotta understand, just going to see a therapist doesn't make everything perfect. You and your therapist need to work together to explore issues and come up with exercises that you can do on your own. If you've already decided that you don't like this therapist, then you're not going to listen to him/her and you wont get better. Successful counseling comes only with when equal efforts are given by therapist and patient. If you REALLY aren't willing to try and work with this therapist, then I would say the whole "red tape process" might be worth going through. Only you can decide that...

Question: Mental Health Class for High School students and need creative ideas of ways to teach the class? Mental Health class activities for High School students? I am teaching a Mental Health Class for High School students and need creative ideas of ways to teach the class.

Answer: http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=State_and_Local_Programs&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=9535 The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill has run a program for years called Educating the Next Generation. You can get lesson plans from them for a very small fee. Are you volunteering in the same program? I found, from volunteering in the program, that most high school students are fairly well informed about general mental illness. They were most curious to get an updated list of famous people suffering from mental illness that they can relate to. They responded really well to hearing personal stories from volunteers and being invited to ask questions about all types of mental illness. As volunteers we chose disorders to talk about. I often chose lesser known disorders like Substance Abuse, Borderline Personality, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The classes had short attention spans so the more engaging you are as a speaker and the more you integrate popular celebrity subjects they can relate to the better it will go. Eminem's wife battled documented substance abuse and had a suicide attempt. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ian Crocker has battled depression. Britney Spears had some kind of nervous breakdown. Heath Ledger's death may be an example of "dual diagnosis" whether or not it was an accidental or intentional OD. Avoid slander and libel by researching such cases. If you are not a volunteer and simply a teacher then you can contact your local NAMI office for volunteers to come to your class and speak.

Question: What prison in the United States provides the best mental health services to prisoners? Hi, I am doing a "proposal" that is aim at targeting the deficiencies that prisons across the United States suffered, especially the State of California. In this proposal, I have to provide details of the common problems that affect prisoners inside prison who suffer from mental health problems. This proposal will consider the economic crisis that limits the government of California from providing better mental health treatment inside prison. So, which of the 50 states provides better mental health treatment to prisoners, excluding the State of California? Mmm, perhaps cost or something like that. Thank You!

Answer: Not so much an answer but an observation, my dear pal was on death row in San Quentin and he often wrote about how so many guys became so mentally ill that they were no longer fit for execution. Sadly this proved to be true when he took his own life in June this year, says it all for me. Peace

Question: How do I break into the mental health field? I am a 22 year old college grad with a BS in psychology and a concentration in criminal justice. I really want to pursue a career in counseling, but I know I have to go to graduate school first. In the mean time, I'd like to get some experience in the mental health, or even just health care field. What are some reliable options for getting my foot in the door of the health care field?

Answer: Lots of jobs in behavioral health. Any state agency would give their eye teeth for you.

Question: What are some free mental health related hotlines that don't require one to be suicidal or in a major crisis? Every hotline that I've found so far has been about suicide prevention. I need to talk to somebody from the mental health industry and the important thing is that its NOW. What do I dial?

Answer: You can still call people like Samaritans if you need someone to talk to. It depends on where you are but there are usually disorder specific helplines. Try googling the disorder or subject you want to talk about and then help line.

Question: How come instances of mental health issues are becoming more prevalent? What is it that is causing a larger number of the population to suffer from numerous mental health issues? Or do you think there was always around the same figures but not enough research or medical advancement at the time to realise?

Answer: i think it's always been the same number of people who have been afflicted with mental illness. it's just that now people are starting to come out from the stigma that for so long doomed them to the dark corners of society. no longer do people have to suffer in silence for fear of being ostracized...society, at least the educated and informed members of society recognize that the brain is another organ of the body and often it gets sick. and sickness requires treatment, not being relegated to the darkness to hide in shame. i have no problem telling people i have biploar disorder, or that i got treatment for it. i am a walking, shouting poster child for mental health awareness and for the fair treatment of those afflicted with illness. i hope that by being as outspoken as i am, maybe others will see that there is no shame in it and seek treatment. i see no difference between mental illness and physical illness - i don't honestly understand how anyone else could.

Question: What guidelines exist for mental health therapy and treatment? I have heard that mental health treatment is highly unregulated. Cruel practices such as reparative therapy and electric shock treatment are practiced on patients without evidence to back up their safety and effectiveness. What guidelines exist for mental health treatment? What is allowed, and what is not?

Answer: Actually it is highly regulated among licensed professionals. The problem is that anyone can call themselves a "therapist" without education or licensure. Just like anyone can call themselves a "life coach, job coach," etc. LMFT's (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists) and LP's (Licensed Psychologists) have ethical guidelines they must follow or risk losing their license. I don't know where the LMFT's get theres, but you can go to APA.org to see the code of ethics for psychologists.

Question: Why does Cannabis cause mental health problems for some but not for others? Ive met people who have suffered terribly with mental health issues since smoking it and others who smoke it regularly With no mental health problems at all. What is it that makes one person react badly and one not?

Answer: We all have different brains. I've met people who have had mental health break downs after smoking marijuana, but in my experience most of those people had the issue prior to smoking and it was just latent or had not fully affected the person yet. 4 of the people I know had found out they had schizophrenia, but only after smoking marijuana which just brought it to the surface. In my opinion most of the people who have mental episodes caused by smoking marijuana had these mental issues before they ever smoked, smoking just triggers them.

Question: How can doctors treat a person with mental health medication if they can not prove the person has a mental ill? How can doctors treat a person with a mental health drug if they can not in the first place prove that a person has a mental illness? How can doctor treat a person that is suppose to have a mental illness with drugs when they can not prove what dosage works either from test? Has diabetes got any thing to do with a person having a mental illness? I have asked a friend about diabetes and mental illness and they are not linked in German research in any way.

Answer: 1. There aren't any blood tests for mental illness. The doctor diagnoses based on the description of the symptoms of the patient. Sometimes the first drug works, other times medication will be switched and tested until one is found that works. 2. They know that the dosage works when the patient tells them so. The patient will begin to feel better and happier, and will say so when they are asked. Dose will be increased as the patient requests. 3. Anyone with any disease or condition can still have any mental illness. Having one illness does not mean you can't get another. Diabetics often suffer from depression due to the situation they are living in, taking medication and testing blood, and physical problems from the disease.

Question: What percent of substance abusers have a mental health disorder? I'm doing a mental health project for school, so I need this ASAP! If you have any other interesting facts I could use about mental health/ mental health disorders, that would be great!

Answer: 50%