A press release from the National Mental Health Association:

NMHA RELEASES SPANISH-LANGUAGE MEDICARE WORKBOOK

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (December 28, 2005) – The National Mental Health Association’s widely used “Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Workbook for Mental Health Consumers,” which had over 10,000 downloads during its first four days online, is now available in Spanish at www.nmha.org. With this valuable tool, Spanish-speaking Medicare beneficiaries can learn about their drug plan options so they can enroll in the plan that best meets their needs by May 15, 2006, the deadline for enrollment.

“The new Medicare prescription drug plans will help millions of Americans access the medications they require,” said Cynthia Wainscott, Acting CEO of NMHA. “But for many beneficiaries, especially those who don’t speak English, the plans can be complex and confusing. Now, with the availability of NMHA’s Spanish-language Medicare workbook, these Americans have an easy-to-use resource to make sense of the process and select the plan that is best for them.”

The new Spanish-language Medicare consumer workbook includes:

•Basic information about the Medicare prescription drug benefit
•Tips for individuals to prepare for enrolling in a prescription drug plan
•Resources and organizations that can assist in enrollment and applying for financial assistance
•Important questions individuals should ask when comparing their plan options
•Worksheets to assist individuals choose a plan and apply for extra financial assistance
•Definitions of common terms individuals can expect to hear during the enrollment process
•The new Medicare prescription drug benefit goes into effect January 1, 2006. The deadline for enrollment is May 15, 2006.

The Spanish-language Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Workbook for Mental Health Consumers is available for download at www.nmha.org or by calling the NMHA Resource Center at 800-969-NMHA (6642), where a bilingual resource specialist is also available to provide referrals to local Medicare resources.

Individuals seeking direct assistance with enrollment can contact their local Mental Health Association.

Posted by liz at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are certain Internet-related phenomena that I simply don't understand. The concept of open sourcing, for one thing, is still somewhat mysterious to me. Likewise certain portals that link you to articles by random and untested-in-print writers frighten me. Like About.com. I'm never sure who this strange person is taking their time to write about toys for pet mice (a subject I'm actually interested in) or snowman-pattern scrapbooking.

But today there's a good entry on that website about drug and alcohol abuse among those who suffer from mental illness.

Self-medicating: When the cure IS the disease [About.com]

Posted by liz at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I first read the email titled "Gene Grant on mental health" I thought it was going to be about funding received for a genetic study on brain disorders. But Gene Grant is an actual person with an actually bad haircut. (I generally like dredlocks, but those two sticking straight out of your forehead, Gene? Not working.)

Grant is a columnist for the Albuquerque Tribune. (Is Albuquerque not the most awkwardly spelled city? I had to cut and paste just to make this parenthetical remark.) His column doesn't have much of a point. But he's right to raise the issue of the mental health of Colleen Nestler, the woman who sued David Letterman for sending her coded messages.

Gene Grant on mental health [Alb...whatever Tribune]

Posted by liz at 09:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's an interesting article about the psychological benefits of going with your gut instincts rather than overanalyzing. For those of us with OCD, minutely assessing every punctuation mark, every casual comment, every interaction with every person on every form of public transportation is de riguer. This study shows we might be better off just not thinking at all.

Don't Think Twice: It's All Right

Posted by liz at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today the Philadelphia Inquirer reveals that Brett Hartman, a New York psychologist, has written a memoir of his experience with mental illness. At first I thought it was the Brett Hartman who's head of the local board games meetup, but it seems writer Hartman has enough on his plate without rounding up people for a cathartic game of Boggle.

Guy who lives in New York but was born in Philly—so it's local—writes book [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Posted by liz at 05:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From OregonLive.com, this is a real, complete headline:

Donita Diamata Has Several Mental Illnesses, Furthermore

Can you even end a sentence—let alone a headline—with "furthermore"? Quoth the Raven: No frickin' way.

And thus and such [OregonLive.com]

Posted by liz at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mental health facility extension to expire [Palm Springs Desert Sun]

Posted by liz at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As promised, here's a cute kitten. This is Sox, who's a big winner on KittenWar.com, a hilarious site where you can vote for the cutest kitten from a group of submitted photos. I don't know exactly why Sox has touched my heart, but I just want to bite her (his?) little face to pieces.

Posted by liz at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oy, I'm feeling sluggish today. I got my Christmas bonus, and I was thinking of doing something exciting with it. Then I realized I owe my psychiatrist money, so I paid him in cash this week. "Wow, a Benjamin," he said, which I feel is a little too cool for a shrink to say. When I said goodbye, he said, "Word." Okay, not really, but it'd be funny if he started talking like that—hip-hop circa 1985—all the time.

It's a slow news day here at crazy.inc, so I'm hitting you with this story from Alberta, Canada:

Police training inadequate, mental health advocates say [CBC Calgary]

I once had a fling with a guy from Calgary. Very boring, but I thought his accent was kind of cute.

Check out "more Calgary news" at the bottom of the article. Apparently, anti-Semitic grinches are stealing arsonists' handicapped parking spaces. Or something.

Posted by liz at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm back from my visit to the boyfriend's family in California. As soon as I woke up to go to L.A. a few days ago, I knew I was sick. By the time I got there, I was in wretched shape, and had to go immediately to bed. My boyfriend got sick the next day with a convulsive cough and a fever. Now he can hardly talk. Then an older member of the family took sick and is in the hospital, and the other adults are ill, as is my boyfriend's niece. Only the nephew has survived—and he's hiding out in his room playing videogames and trying to maintain a sterile environment.

My ears are completely clogged, and there are odd happenings in my sinus cavities. But enough about me. Let's talk about some headlines from the last few days:

•Psychotherapy on the road to where? [NY Times]
•Police: Bipolar Detroit man goes on shooting spree before killing self [WLNS]
•Study: Owning pets is good for physical, mental health [Tahoe Daily Tribune]
•Pakistan: IOM mental health teams deploy in cities and camps [Geneva news service]
•Mental Health: Serious Depression Raises Risk of Heart Ailments [NY Times]
•One Year On From the Asian Tsunami: In Aceh, children's mental health is the No. 1 priority [Korean news service]

Posted by liz at 05:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today I fly to L.A. to visit the boyfriend's family. Luckily, I like them all very much, but I nonetheless expect the visit to be a bit of a strain. Yesterday I was too groggy/depressed in the morning to put real pants on, so I wore my (very stylish) pajama bottoms to work. No one seemed to notice.

I don't think I'll see any famous people, but if I did I'd want it to be someone quirky and classic, like Dennis Farina. That's not likely.

I'm going to pop into this blog while I'm away (till Tuesday), so keep reading. It won't be the same volume of posts, but then, weren't you feeling overwhelmed already? Take a break, for god's sake.

Seriously, though, I know sometimes people who mental illnesses can feel especially alone at this time of year, so please try to keep active and engaged. Seek out opportunities to be with other people—even those you don't know—rather than hide out by yourself. And hang in there: It does get better.

Posted by liz at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Below is a link to the Washington Post's excellent online offering of various editorials regarding Rigoberto Alpizar, the bipolar man who was shot to death by ill-trained air marshals. I probably should've done this roundup myself, but I've been too consumed with yoga and kittens (two great tastes that taste great together).

Check it: Editorial roundup

Posted by liz at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My colleague Dan McQuade (aka D-Mac, the Mac Attack, Dan the Man, and McQuade in the Shade [note: unendorsed nicknames]) has a blog that I like very much, on which he features puppies quite frequently.

I too am a puppy fan (I mean, who isn't?), but I'm starting to feel like he's being canine-centric. So from now on, when I'm at a loss, I'm going to post photos of cute kittens. Or cats, actually, as I'm not ageist. Let's get the ball rolling, shall we, with my ex-kitten Hermes.

This is a photo of him crying because we took away his Kitten Mitten.

Do you have cute photos of your cat? Send them in.

Posted by liz at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just got back from hot yoga, and I'm totally zonked. Why did I decide to do it in the middle of the day?

I can't hear a thing in that classroom—there's the hiss of the coals and the exaggerated breathing of the devotees and the ridiculous non-medical claims flowing from the mouth of the instructor. Before the class, I asked the teacher to be considerate of the fact that I'm hard of hearing, and not talk to me in the class because I'd be embarrassed if I had to keep saying, "Wha? Huh?"

He didn't care. He told me if I came to class, he was going to talk to me. Period. He was rude about it, and I was completely annoyed. Turned out, I think he was kind of shamefaced about having spoken to me so harshly, so he hardly talked to me at all.

After the class, he came over and said, "Everything all right? I have to talk to you in class—do you see? Because I HAVE THE ROADMAP. These other people might have the steps, but I HAVE THE ROADMAP." I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. He has the roadmap? Did it tell him to wear those earrings?

•Where the self-abasement begins

Photo courtesy Goddess Spiral at Flickr.

Posted by liz at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First Australia offers dire headlines about a looming mental health crisis. Now Ireland seems to project some of the same kinds of concerns. Meanwhile, five Scots die of every day from alcoholism, a new study shows. Isn't that unbelievable?

•Consultants to blame for Irish mental health crisis [Irish Examiner]
•Drink deaths jump 350 percent in 20 years [The Scotsman online]

Photo courtesy Steffe via Flickr.

Posted by liz at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From National Alliance on Mental Illness:

Senate Passes Budget Bill That Is Potentially Harmful For Medicaid Recipients With Serious Mental Illnesses

December 21, 2005

Please contact your U.S. Representative to urge opposition to S 1932 when it comes up for a vote. Explain that the Medicaid cost-sharing requirements contained in S 1932 will prevent impoverished people living with severe mental illnesses from receiving needed treatment and will therefore lead to increased homelessness, hospitalizations, criminalization, and suffering.

I confess that I understand very little of the above. I'm still getting my legislative information from Schoolhouse Rock. Anyway, there is action you can take.

•Contact your representatives and yell at them! [NAMI.org]

Posted by liz at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been meaning to write about the Icarus Project for years now in my column. It's on the master list of "columns I should write but apparently, due to inertia and forgetfulness, never will." The Project is an incredible resource for people with mental illnesses who are tired of going to blogs and websites sponsored by big pharma. It's too multilayered to even explain, so just go there and click around. It's a creative approach to/about madness. Check it out:

The Icarus Project

Posted by liz at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

...that someday my shrink will give me phenobarbital syrup again. That was some dope dope.

Instead, he told me to increase my antipsychotic to quell the nightmares/sleep trouble I've been having. Unfortunately, that makes me a zombie (or zombie-esque, at any rate), so waking and ambulating will be more challenging. But I have to get some sleep.

My least favorite answer from my shrink is that my particular troubles—whatever they might be that week—are related primarily to my psychology rather than to a chemical imbalance. Then I'm just a garden-variety neurotic, and that's just so lacking in romance.

A friend suggested that when I feel the anxiety coming on (when I'm awake, that is) I return to my old flame: a cigarette. And it's true, smoking always did the trick for me. I told my shrink I thought it was an unsound suggestion, but a good idea nonetheless. He told me to take more Ativan. I might become a junkie, yes, but at least I won't die of lung cancer. Point taken.

Posted by liz at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

•Just 1 mental health bed for 100,000
•Transcript from Australia's PM radio
•Mental health funds not targetd correctly
•State spending on mental health down
•GPs dealing with 10 million mental health visits

Posted by liz at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last night was rough. I've been trying to cut down on the meds a little bit—relying heavily on my psychiatrist's counsel—so that I'm not so groggy in the morning. Thing is, that makes it harder to get to sleep, and I get anxious about that. So by 2 a.m. last night, I still wasn't asleep, nor was I particularly tired. I gave in and took another Ativan, which of course meant that I couldn't get up this morning. I had to call in and say I'd be late, which I always find humiliating.

And I'm not sure if it's related, but my dreams have been terrifying. I wake up every couple hours crying, out of my mind with worry. My grandmother (who died one year ago this week) sometimes figures in them, but more often it's anxiety that my boyfriend will leave me because I'm "psycho." In these dreams my workmates also abandon me, and I become what I suspect I'll end up as: a person whose mental illness controls them; a person alone.

I can't keep going on like this. The dreams are so harrowing. But staying awake isn't the answer either.

Posted by liz at 06:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From the Washington Post:

Mental health practitioners say they regularly confront extreme forms of racism, homophobia and other prejudice in the course of therapy, and that some patients are disabled by these beliefs. As doctors increasingly weigh the effects of race and culture on mental illness, some are asking whether pathological bias ought to be an official psychiatric diagnosis.

Are there drugs one can take for prejudice? If you put it in the coffee at white supremacist meetings do they disband the group? Inquiring minds want to know.

Psychiatry Ponders Whether Extreme Bias Can Be an Illness

Posted by liz at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's the latest on the Vermont fracas:

Vergennes officials restate objections to mental health facility [Boston.com]

Photo of Vermont snow courtesy Avendesorra via Flickr.

Posted by liz at 06:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So many people write to me saying they feel hopeless. "I've tried everything," they say. "Every drug out there."

Thing is, medical progress, uh, progresses every day—and though we might have political and ethical objections, it's hard to deny that pharmaceuticals do a lot of heavy lifting in that regard.

Drug company gets investment for new bipolar drug [Business Week]

Posted by liz at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't agree with anything anti-psychiatry groups have to say, except maybe that pharmaceutical companies can be disingenuous. But in the interest of fairness, here's a release from the Lunatic Offensive, who I find both loony and offensive. But still:

Celebrating our 25th anniversary, we, the Lunatic Offensive, can proudly report that we are now one of the oldest groups of Human Rights activists confronting coercive psychiatry. A month ago we had a big party with over 200 friends and visitors with a celebration speech by Gert Postel, the famous postman who on several occasions proved that psychiatric knowledge is nothing other than psycho babble, because throughout his several years working in psychiatry, nobody recognized that he had never passed any medical examination. But he was nevertheless even engaged as a senior physician in a forensic unit (read more about him here. His great celebration speech is translated into English here.

Posted by liz at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Fayetteville (NC) Online:

RALEIGH — The Fayetteville man accused of killing a co-worker last week in the VA hospital pharmacy was being treated for bipolar disorder, an FBI agent testified in U.S. District Court on Monday.

The drug is an antidepressant used to treat bipolar disorder. Common side effects include anxiety, nervousness and dizziness.

The side effects of not taking the medication? Murdering someone. So, yeah, take yer frickin' meds, and stop whining.

Agent says VA suspect bipolar

Posted by liz at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Also from NAMI:
House-Passed Budget Legislation Would Harm Medicaid Beneficiaries With Serious Mental Illness -- Bill Includes Higher Medicaid Cost Sharing -- Senate Vote Could Occur Tomorrow

Early this morning, the House passed a $41.7 billion deficit reduction bill that includes reductions to a broad range of entitlement programs, including both Medicare and Medicaid. The vote was 212-206. The legislation, known as the "budget reconciliation" package now moves to the Senate which is expected to move on the legislation soon, possibly tomorrow. The vote is expected to be very close. Because of rules governing the budget reconciliation process, the package is not subject to a filibuster (i.e., be killed through unlimited debate) and can pass with only 50 votes.

Among the Senators whose votes could turn the outcome are: Norm Coleman (Minnesota), Susan Collins (Maine), Mike DeWine (Ohio), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana), Ben Nelson (Nebraska) and Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania). NAMI advocates in these states are strongly encouraged to call these Senators and urge them to oppose S 1932. All Senate offices can be reached by calling 1-866-727-4894.

Posted by liz at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the National Alliance on Mental Illness, about Medicaid, below. For other NAMI news alerts, there's more after the jump. BBI mascot pictured.

$13 Billion in Reductions for Medicare and Medicaid

The bill (S 1932) is projected to reduce spending within Medicare and Medicaid by $13 billion over the next five years. Of most concern to NAMI are changes that would allow states to impose higher cost sharing requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries -- even mandatory beneficiaries eligible for SSI (Supplemental Security Income). These changes follow provisions in the House-passed bill that were recommended by the National Governors Association (NGA). These changes are projected to reduce Medicaid spending by $1.9 billion over 5 years ($10.1 billion over 10 years).

It is important to note that these savings result largely from reduced demand for services, rather than the actual increased co-payments paid by beneficiaries. In other words, most of the budget savings that occur from higher cost sharing come as a result of beneficiaries not seeking services (or being deterred from seeking treatment) -- a major concern for NAMI in the case of "non-preferred" prescription drugs.

[Photo copyright Liz Spikol]

More NAMI news alerts:

Details on Increased Cost Sharing for Medicaid Beneficiaries

Changes to Targeted Case Management Included in Final Bill

The final House-Senate agreement includes a provision clarifying the scope of case management services and codifying existing guidance to state Medicaid programs. This guidance relates to the distinction between direct clinical services and case management (assessment, care plan development, referral, monitoring and follow-up) and clarifies rules for third-party recovery (how states can seek payments from managed care organizations). NAMI is carefully monitoring this TCM provision to ensure that adequate guidance is provided to CMS (the federal agency that administers Medicaid) and state Medicaid programs so that additional administrative limits are not imposed on intensive case management and ACT programs.

Buyer Amendment Protecting Access to Medications Dropped from Final Legislation

The House bill contained a provision authored by Representative Steve Buyer (R-IN) that would have directed states to invest in disease management programs and evidence-based practice for prescribing of psychiatric medications. More importantly, the Buyer Amendment would have limited the ability of state Medicaid programs to impose restrictive policies such as prior authorization on anti-psychotics and anti-depressants.

NAMI strongly supported the Buyer Amendment as critical to protecting access to medications for the most vulnerable Medicaid beneficiaries with severe mental illness. States are increasingly using prior authorization requirements (mandating that specific medications cannot be prescribed or paid for without special permission) in Medicaid against psychiatric medications. These restrictive policies result in limited short-term savings, but higher long-term costs as Medicaid recipients with severe mental illness decompensate when they are unable to access the specific medication that works for them.

Despite repeated efforts by Rep. Buyer to offer compromise language, the amendment was rejected by House leaders.

Snowe Amendment on Inpatient Care Excluded

The final version of S 1932 excludes a proposal offered by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) that would have created a new demonstration program allowing states greater flexibility to avoid current restrictions on Medicaid funding for acute inpatient psychiatric care. This amendment would have allowed for a waiver of the so-called Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) exclusion for acute psychiatric care. NAMI strongly supported the Snowe Amendment. This important waiver program would have permitted states the ability to waive the restrictions of IMD and invest Medicaid funds in acute inpatient care. The demonstration will measure the efficacy of acute inpatient care in improving outcomes and reducing reliance on other high cost services such as emergency room care.

Family Opportunity Act Included

The final agreement includes a provision authorizing a new program allowing states to establish Medicaid buy-in programs for families of children with severe disabilities. The program would be available to allowing these families to purchase Medicaid coverage for a child with a severe disability (including mental illness) in order to avoid having to impoverish the entire family (e.g., by quitting a job) to qualify for Medicaid. This new demonstration program would be available for families at 300% of the poverty level or below. The provision also authorizes a 10-state demonstration program for home-based care for Medicaid eligible children with psychiatric disabilities (as an alternative to institutional care). This version of the FOA is estimated to cost $872 million over the next five years.

Katrina Medicaid Relief

Both the House and Senate versions of S 1932 provided relief to states in the Gulf region still under stress from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The final legislation authorizes $2 billion in additional funds for impacted state Medicaid programs. These funds would be allocated both the direct impact states (Alabama, Louisiana & Mississippi), as well as states that have accepted evacuees who are Medicaid eligible. By contrast, the previous versions of S 1932 allowed for 100% Medicaid matching funds through June of 2006. This provision in the final legislation will allow states that have accepted evacuees to access these funds.

Posted by liz at 02:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two big stories today about murderers who pretended to have mental health problems—a practice that makes it difficult for veritably ill people to get appropriate consideration in the court system.

•Mafia boss Vincent Gigante dies [NY Times]
•Lionel Tate admits he was lying about his mental illness [Miami Herald]

Posted by liz at 02:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My hometown rag ran an article yesterday about local mental health organizations who hire people with mental illnesses as employees. The Mental Health Association of Southeastern PA's director, Joseph Rogers, was asked how his organization functions given that 80 percent of his workforce is mentally ill. The Inquirer's Stacy Burling, who's an excellent reporter on mental health issues, writes:

But Rogers, who has a bipolar disorder, says all it takes to manage and work alongside people with mental illnesses is flexibility, individualization and compassion. It is an approach he thinks could make other workplaces saner. "A lot of times," he said, "it just means creating a work environment that's healthy for everybody."

That's been my experience working at Philadelphia Weekly. My bosses continue to be miraculously flexible with me regarding medication fluctuations and periodic episodes—especially vis-a-vis sleeping too late, which now happens almost every day. They know I'll do the work, and they create an environment that allows me to do so in a way that's best for everyone.

•Mental illness is a plus [Philadelphia Inquirer]
•Americans With Disabilities Act brochure on employment rights [U.S. Department of Labor]

Posted by liz at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I keep getting emails about articles from the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, a publication I'd have no knowledge of if it weren't for the pleasures of Al Gore's Internet. They do some good mental health reporting, like the article below about college kids and therapy.

When I tried to avail myself of the mental health services at Oberlin, where I went to college, I found myself crudely disappointed. I had had a hallucination, and was constantly depersonalized and derealized (technical terms for feeling like your life is someone else's). I was fairly desperate for help.

My shrink there told me I had issues with my mother. Well, duh. She put her tacky polyester jacket on an empty chair and said, "Pretend that jacket is your mother. What do you want to say to her?" And all I could think of was, "Mom, where did you get that jacket? It's horrible." The shrink didn't like that.

The photo here is of the Allen Art Museum at Oberlin, where I passed many peaceful hours looking at beautiful paintings. It was much more valuable than student health services, without question.

Mental health a rising college student issue [Fort Wayne News-Sentinel]

Posted by liz at 06:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In the psych-world lingua franca, PCP is "primary care physician." Apparently, PCPs are more vulnerable to pharmaceutical companies trying to woo them into prescribing certain drugs for bipolar disorder. You know why? Because PCPs don't know shit about psychiatric illnesses. That's why we have psychiatrists, and that's who you should see if you've got bipolar disorder—not Marcus Welby. (Oh my God. I'm so old. Does anyone even remember Marcus Welby? How about John Dorian? That's better.)

PCPs More Influenced by Aggressive Marketing of Bipolar Drugs than Psychiatrists

Posted by liz at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This weekend was fraught with peril—especially Saturday night, when my parents came for dinner. Drinks were consumed, and things were said that perhaps shouldn't have been disclosed at that very moment. Said by me, that is. My mother got angry, leapt up from the table and went searching for her coat. My father and I talked her down, and we had a family summit of sorts, which my boyfriend Vince was sadly privvy to. He felt uncomfortable, but you've got two women with bipolar disorder, some booze, and lots of frustration, and that's what you get.

But it got me thinking about the booze. I hardly drink at all; I'm too afraid of how it'll interact with my meds. But I know a lot of people who have bipolar disorder, or unipolar depression, or anxiety disorders, who drink fairly heavily. Part of that is escapism and self-medication, without a doubt. And part of it is defiance. But you know what? It's not a good idea. I'm going to work on finding information about substance abuse and mental illness today. Hopefully you'll find it useful.

Posted by liz at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The pope has spoken! I just got a press release of sorts touting the pope's touching article he wrote for this year's World Day of the Sick, back in February. (I had no idea there was a World Day of the Sick. I would've called out of work.)

The pope says the mentally ill don't get proper treatment. No arguments there. But he also blames "the crisis in moral values," which sounds suspiciously Bushian. Does he mean gay people? Come on, Benedict: Out with it. (With you too.)

And like Tom Cruise, the pope suggests a vitamin for treatment of mental illness ... oh, wait. Vatican. Not vitamin.

Benedict is a little more progressive than his predecessor, who prescribed reciting the psalms and saying the rosary for persistent depression. (No cure was given for annoying alliteration.)

Pope: Mental illness linked to values [Ansa.it]

Posted by liz at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One thing we know for certain about the tragic shooting death of Rigoberto Alpizar (pictured here), the bipolar man who was killed by air marshals last week: He wasn't alone. Studies show that more than half of Latino men who've struggled with depression have no idea they were grappling with a mental health issue. Various reasons for that, including language barriers and stigma. But the National Institutes of Mental Health is going to do something about it:

NIMH Expands Public Health Education Effort To Reach Latino Men With Depression

Posted by liz at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel:
Mental health problems begin in the teen brain

Posted by liz at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

England's mental health hospitals are the dirtiest of all hospitals in the country. Two-thirds failed to meet required standards of cleanliness.

Mental health hospitals failing cleanliness tests

Posted by liz at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fla. Man Accused Of Killing Mother With Crossbow

Posted by liz at 05:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I keep reading all these stories about bipolar people behaving erratically or violently. Every time I read that word "bipolar" it's like there's a little punch to my stomach; I feel personally indicted. That's ridiculous, I know. If a man with asthma killed another person, I wouldn't necessarily feel connected to the crime, even though I have asthma too. There's something about mental illness that's seen as dangerously contagious. And I become infectious and thus stigmatized when a bipolar person behaves badly in public. Do I foster the connection by continuing to write about my own experience? Maybe. I do wonder sometimes if it's worth it.

[Photo copyright Art Spikol]

Posted by liz at 05:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gordon Franklin murdered his daughter by crushing her skull with a golf club while she was asleep in bed in 2003. The case scandalized Norwood, Ohio. The photos of 13-year-old Danielle show a perky cheerleader. Why did Gordon kill his daughter? He's pleading insanity, saying he has bipolar disorder.

•Dad kills daughter
•Dad has bipolar disorder; not on meds
•Dad claims insanity officially

Posted by liz at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

•Remarks by Lee Jasper, chair of African and Caribbean Mental Health Commission in London. [Black Information Link]

•Mental health is a concern to all [Acra Daily News]

Photo of Lee Jasper courtesy Black Information Link

Posted by liz at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out the below letter about the shooting of Rigoberto Alpizar from USA Today (where I get all my best news!). This guy has it rough.

Give air marshals better training
In the wake of the shooting death of passenger Rigoberto Alpizar by federal marshals at Miami International Airport last week, and as reasons — or excuses — for the case against him mount, I would like to offer a few thoughts in his defense ("Passenger shooting death still under review," News, Friday).
First, I am hearing-impaired. I wear bilateral cochlear implants, and although my hearing ordinarily is wonderful, sometimes with the background noise at airports, I can give inappropriate responses to screeners because I don't fully hear or understand.

Now, let's put all those pieces together. Imagine:

I'm going through the screening station and can't fully hear the inspectors, some of whom react well and others poorly to the pressure and authority. Thinking I've been passed, I put the backpack on my front and start to walk away. They yell. I don't hear them, perhaps panic, or react in a variety of ways — many perceived as dangerous, in this context. Erring on the side of caution, as the federal marshals seem to be arguing that they did in Miami, I am shot and killed. Everyone then learns that I had bipolar disorder.

Baggage inspectors, screeners and federal marshals — the latter holding the power of life and death in their hands — should be trained to understand that some of us who are less than perfect physically, and perhaps mentally, will be traveling through airports. Contrary to what some seem to believe, killing us does not make the country safer but rather more terrifying for people like me, who deserve the same privileges, respect and freedoms as anyone else does.

Gregory N. Joseph, Glendale, Ariz.

Posted by liz at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This being a relatively new blog, and me being relatively new to modernity in many ways, I'd like to know if there's anyone out there reading this, and if you are, what advice you have for creating a compelling, attractive blog/website.

Keeping my duties at Philadelphia Weeklyin mind—which today necessitated three (3!) cups of Bigelow tea—how many times a day do I need to update?

Is it possible to post too many entries?

Should the text wrap around the pictures, or fall below?

How large should the images be?

What kind of images go with a post like this one, which has no real topic? (I've chosen a lovely photo of a Bangkok temple I got from ashish100 off of Flickr.

You have carte blanche, all five of you: Tell me what you think would work best.

Posted by liz at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Talk of the Nation's host is talking to Maj. Sam Cochran, coordinator of the Memphis Crisis Intervention Team. That program, which trains police officers in how to deal with mentally ill people, is an incredible blueprint that not enough police departments have been willing to adopt. Cochran sounds a little like Foghorn Leghorn playing a bloated Elvis Presley. He's kind of long-winded.

Getting listeners involved in the conversation: always dicey. The man calling now, Damian, has a brother who had an altercation with the police that's left the brother in county jail. The man's family had called the police for help, and they ended up arresting him though the family explained the brother was mentally ill. Damian says: "Officers need to be trained how to handle situations like this."

I wish there were other guests. Maj. Foghorn is well intentioned, but isn't saying much.

Mark is calling from West Hollywood about his sister-in-law. Police were understanding and took her for treatment, where she was correctly diagnosed. It was a positive outcome. [Ed. note: Women often have more luck getting treatment in a situation with law enforcement.] Maj. Foghorn points out that the sister-in-law's town has a CIT program, which really does make all the difference. The program officers meet with consumers and talk things through, which helps defuse the wariness both groups feel about each other. They "sit down in open dialogue."

Now Dr. Robert Phillips is on the line. A forensic psychiatrist. "Federal law enforcement and state law enforcement as well has appreciated many things the Major was describing earlier in your segment." He says such training is "bread and butter" in most departments. I find that a little hard to believe. But his point that it's all context is well made. Law enforcement has different parameters depending on the context. Some stakes are higher than others. "Response is dictated by the circumstance," Phillips says. And erratic behavior, he continues, isn't necessarily a sign of mental illness. Could be drug use.

TotN host: "Just because someone is mentally ill doesn't mean that person is not dangerous." That syntax makes me dizzy.

Audio for this program will be available on the website at 6 p.m. EST. I have a day job, which requires me to stop blogging right now. But please do go to the site for more information. I think this is an important show.

Posted by liz at 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At 2 p.m. EST, NPR's Talk of the Nation takes on Rigoberto Alpizar:

A shooting last week at Miami International Airport highlights a difficult issue for law enforcement: How to deal with the mentally ill in a potentially violent situation. Experts on the topic discuss how police and other first responders are learning to better prepare for these scenarios.

Guests:

Maj. Sam Cochran, coordinator of the Crisis Intervention Team with the Memphis Police Department

Dr. Robert Phillips, forensic psychiatrist; professor of psychiatry and law at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Law; psychiatric consultant for the protective intelligence division of the U.S. Secret Service

Jeff Stein, national security editor for Congressional Quarterly

Posted by liz at 06:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I lived in Texas for several years, and became intimately familiar with the mental health system there. This news of a man who begged for psychiatric treatment, didn't get it, and then killed himself in his jail cell is completely unsurprising.

Jail lacked enough mental health treatment, expert says [Austin American Statesman]

Posted by liz at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Study of normal brains helps mentally ill [Consumer Health Daily]

Apparently, the teenage years are crucial. It's a shame I was too busy wearing scrunchy silver boots, a side ponytail and bopping along to "Safety Dance" at bar mitzvahs to take any tests.

Posted by liz at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I started taking Ativan a couple years ago after I stopped taking Klonopin, which I'd been hooked on for more than 10 years (check out the entry "Oh.My.God." in the archives here for the full scoop.) My doctor promised the Ativan would help with the anxiety and OCD, and not be addictive. For the most part I've found that's true.

But lately I've been having some trouble. It's come to my attention that Ativan, when used semi-recreationally (that is to say, when I'm having anxiety but could certainly do without drugs to manage it), gives a pleasant feeling of contentment. I'm tense and nervous one minute, and happy and zonky the next. This is especially useful when I'm feeling insecure about my boyfriend or my job, and I can't sit still. Pop a couple Ativan, and I can bliss out on the couch with Law and Order. When I'm not on drugs, that show makes me want to poke out Sam Waterston's wrinkly little eyes with a Bic pen.

Worse still, though, is the rebound anxiety produced by the pills. When I don't take them I feel more anxious than I ever felt before I started the drug. Two nights ago, I was feeling particularly weird, and I wanted to get a good night's sleep. So I took two pills instead of one, and nine and a half hours later, I still couldn't get out of bed to go to work. I groggily called in sick; I hardly remember what I said.

Last night I decided to take one pill, come what may, but was forced to get up at 2 a.m., sick with anxiety, and take some more. I got hardly any sleep, but sometimes that spurs some hypomania, so that's not all bad.

It's always a careful balance with these drugs. My other meds—Lamictal and Seroquel—are lifesavers. The jury's still out on Ativan.

Posted by liz at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ABC News has interviewed several experts, who agree that Rigoberto Alpizar's behavior could have been triggered not only by a discontinuation of medication but by a lack of sleep and a long airplane flight.

I've had that experience myself. In fact, there were years when I refused to travel. The first time I did again, I went to Spain by myself—an eight-hour time difference—and I was terrified. (The plan had been to go in September, 2001, but we all know how that ended up.)

Before I went, I wrote a column about it, about how scared I was. But I brought photos of my dog and cat to keep me company, and the trip turned out to be great. Now I travel all the time without incident.

The issue of not getting enough sleep is still problematic for me, though. If I get less than six hours, I can get hypomanic, even if it's only been one night. That means trying to knock myself out with more medication the next day, which makes me tired and depressed. It's a tough balance.

Experts: Travel, Sleep Disruptions Can Aggravate Bipolar Disorder [ABC News]

Posted by liz at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many student newspapers are terrible, and I can't say I know if the Daily Illini (a goofy name) is generally any good. But the staff editorial from students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hits all the right marks in its discussion of the tragic death of Rigoberto Alpizar, the bipolar man who was shot by air marshals after he had a manic episode on a plane.

In particular: Should the air marshals have particular training for dealing with the mentally ill? And did Alpizar's skin color (brown) make him more vulnerable to suspicions?

Illinois students question air marshals' behavior.

Posted by liz at 06:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I still haven't read anything saying Rigoberto Alpizar might have been trying to kill himself. Maybe he wasn't, and he was just having a manic moment. Even so, some of the most troubling encounters between the mentally ill and officers of the law take place in the suicide-by-cop scenario. Here are some stories from the officers' point of view:

SuicideByCop.com

Posted by liz at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill has released a statement about the murder of Rigoberto Alpizar.

Law enforcement officers frequently come into contact with people who may be acting erratically or irrationally due to severe mental illnesses or other brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. Many communities throughout the United States, including Miami, have adopted Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs to better prepare officers to respond to these situations. These programs work and save lives!

•More about CIT programs
•More about bipolar disorder
•Wife feels it's her fault

Posted by liz at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BostonToday.com (UK edition):

Parrots help people overcome mental illness

PARROT power has helped a group of volunteers overcome mental health problems and get back into the working routine. The National Parrot Sanctuary in Friskney has allowed the group of 16 to work one day a week in their grounds over the past 18 months.
Working with the sanctuary's 500-plus birds has helped volunteers work towards Achievement Awards, which were presented to them on Friday by East Lindsey District Council's chief executive Nigel Howells. The placement came about after a partnership was developed between the sanctuary, the Shaw Trust charity and Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust. "The sanctuary has provided a fantastic stepping stone to work for our clients and empowered many people to achieve qualifications and progressions into work, even self employment," said Shaw Trust area manager Debbie Brackner.

I want to live in Friskney. It's a good name for a town. And they have parrots for me to play with.

•National Parrot Sanctuary
•Accommodations guide for Friskney

Posted by liz at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By now everyone's heard the news: Rigoberto Alpizar, an American citizen who lived near Orlando, was coming home from a trip to Peru when he suddenly fled the plane he was on, shouting that he had a bomb. Air marshals, the government says, did as they were trained when a person runs through the plane holding a "bomb": They shot him to death. His wife, meanwhile, was frantically pleading, trying to explain that her husband was "sick" and that he hadn't taken his meds.

Alpizar's wife is a social worker, and the couple worked with a mental health organization. It's hard to grasp why Alpizar, then, would have gone off his medication, but it happens all the time. Then the person's behavior becomes erratic, he frightens or enrages police officers, and he gets shot and killed.

The problem is usually blamed on lack of police training. But in this case, the Fed says, the marshals followed their training to a T. The blame, they've suggested obliquely, lies with Alpizar.

It sounds to me like on some level Alpizar knew what he was doing. Could this be a suicide-by-cop scenario? It seems entirely possible, though I haven't seen much discussion of that.

In any case, it's a tragic ending for Alpizar and his wife—as well as the people who were on the plane and were traumatized by fear.

Links to various stories:
•Air marshals kill passenger [Time]
•Passengers describe wife's desperation [CNN]
•Alpizar's neigbors recall nice guy [CNN]
•Shooting is defended but gets mixed reviews [Washington Post]
•Man shot after airline bomb claim [CBS]
•'Good neighbour' shot dead in terror's glare [Australia's The Age]
•Feds say air marshals 'made the right decision' when confronted [Miami Herald]

Posted by liz at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The World Health Organization marks International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10 "by focusing on people with mental health disorders and how their basic human rights are often violated." Their wrenching photo essay, Forgotten People: Mental Health and Human Rights, profiles some of the violations.

WHO says, explaining its choice: "More than 450 million people worldwide have mental disorders, yet the majority do not receive the care they need."

Forgotten People [www.who.int]

Click on "photo story."

Posted by liz at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mental health advocates urge Vergennes to reconsider psych unit [Boston Globe]

Posted by liz at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Last night I unwittiningly found myself lost in Camden, N.J., the country's murder capital. Though I'm relatively poor, I looked rich because I was wearing a fake fur coat (from H&M, $69, very warm and comfy) that many people have told me appears real. I was also wearing fuzzy earmuffs that I didn't buy with the coat but are the same color and furriness. I was also wearing high-heeled boots and a skirt. Luckily, I was driving my humble green 1994 Honda Accord, so it wasn't like I oozed out of a Jaguar after my driver opened the door.

(Important aside: While I was lost, and crying, and driving, I was listening to NPR for comfort, and heard the report that some Ford Motor subsidiaries will no longer advertise in gay publications, like The Advocate. The announcer spoke at length about the Jaguar, which she kept pronouncing "jaggie-a-war," in an exaggerated accent that maybe she thought was High Church English but made her sound like she had a speech impediment. It was very disturbing.)

I had to keep stopping at pizza parlors and gas stations to get advice, clutching my fur (or fauxr) to my chest, and blotting my eyes with a tissue. People looked at me like I'd landed from space. Two men at a gas station—they looked like Pakistani twins—even fled into their little Plexiglas hut to get away from me. But I ran up, heels clacking on the sidewalk, and begged for their chivalry. That I didn't get murdered is a miracle.

And the moral of the story? Don't leave home. When I got near my destination, a veterinarian's office, they called and told me not to bring my pet mice for treatment. It was too late.

Activists Call on Ford to Come Clean [The Advocate]

Posted by liz at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Plenty of accused criminals try the insanity defense. Why not go out swinging? I don't know much about this case—as it's in Louisville, Kentucky, and I'm not—but the alleged rapist's name is ... McStoots. I'll say no more. I think the implications speak for themselves.

New twist in case against accused Riverwalk Rapist [WHAS11.com]

Posted by liz at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Florida's St. Petersburg Times:

Speakers Will Talk Bout Mental Illness

What you talkin' 'bout, Willis? Mental illness? Word.

Talkin' Bout Peace, Love and Misunderstanding

Posted by liz at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)