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Transformation, Recovery and ResiliencyWords of Hope fora Struggling State Mental Health Systemby Phil Jordan
For more than three decades, a
nationwide movement has been gaining momentum. It is a movement that
emerged from the grassroots level and has risen to the top. This movement,
led by consumers of mental health services and families, is based on the
assertion that individuals with mental illness must have the freedom, the
authority, the support, and the responsibility to determine the treatment
path that best advances their individual recovery journey.
People who encounter the state mental health system have been talking about recovery for a long time. These "consumers" of mental health services have long known that recovery from mental illness begins and ends with a system that includes them in meaningful ways. Now the medical professionals and policy makers are beginning to see the wisdom in this simple concept. In 2003 the President's New Freedom Commission issued their report on the nation's mental health system. This report made it clear that the system needs to be transformed. The report stated that "in a transformed mental health system, a diagnosis of a serious mental illness or a serious emotional disturbance will set in motion a well-planned, coordinated array of services and treatments defined in a single plan of care. This detailed roadmap - a personalized, highly individualized health management program - will help lead the way to appropriate treatment and supports that are oriented toward recovery and resilience. Consumers, along with service providers, will actively participate in designing and developing the systems of care in which they are involved." This statement goes to the heart of the report, that mental health care should be consumer driven, personalized and focused on recovery rather than pre-packaged, diagnosis-driven treatment strategies. To see the rest of the article please visit: Children's Mental Health: On January 3, 2001, David Satcher, MD, PhD, Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General, released a National Action Agenda for Children's Mental Health, which outlines goals and strategies to improve the services for children and adolescents with mental health problems and their families. According to the report, the nation is facing a public crisis in mental health for children and adolescents. View the entire Surgeon General's report on children's mental health at www.surgeongeneral.gov/cmh/ A Parent's Personal Story: Mental illness never touched Linda Sather's life until four years ago. Until then, she believed it was something that happened only "out there" on the fringes of society. Her misconceptions were classic; derived from stereotype, rumor, prejudice and erroneous information. Read her story in Mental Illness: A parent's personal story, by Linda Sather.
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