I'm Not Policitcal But...

I think that it goes without saying most of your friends know your political views, or at least if you are interested in politics.  There are arguments both ways as to whether or not you should actually discuss issues in a social setting.

I line with Mental Illness Awareness Week, some changes in our laws have become a focal point of the movement to integrate treatments into medical care.  In an article by Michelle Andrews, New Laws Expand Mental Health, Addiction Treatment,  the current and future changes are highlighted.  In short, The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Treatment Act just took effect this year and puts mental health and addiction treatment coverage on the same playing field as medical/surgical needs. 

Before this year, insurance plans would typically: limit your therapy visits, increase your deductible, and change your co-payment.  Even with the new law, an insurance plan is not mandated to even provide a plan of care for mental health or addictions, nor does the new law apply to companies with 50 or fewer employees.  Basically, if your plan offers this type of care, it has to offer equivalent coverage for mental health and addiction treatments as it would for medical/surgical care.  However, keep in mind that the insurance company can choose which disorders they are willing to cover.

With the health care changes happening in the next few years, the plan is to provide coverage to those small business and to also streamline the plans that offer mental health and addiction treatment.  What roadblocks can you foresee coming about?  Some of the blocks that come to my mind are:

• Along the lines of preventable disease:  Is addiction a disease?  Who should decide?  Is mental health a medical condition?  Should it be covered by medical insurance?
• Pre-existing conditions: Should insurance cover the treatment of mental illnesses deemed a pre-existing condition?
• Children: A child born with addictions or a mental illness will likely receive treatment under the insurance plan of their caretaker or the government.  What should happen to their care when they reach adulthood?
• Scope of disorders:  What body should determine the scope of coverage?  Should the government compile a list of disorders or should it be up to the insurance company?  Should the DSM-IV TR or the newly revised version in 2013 be involved in the identification "insuarable conditions" or should we consider prevalent and "treatable conditions" only?

I am positive there are so many more issues that will arise in the coming years, and it is then that we can decide whether or not to elect candidates who have the same views and value systems as yourself.  In terms of my future non-profit, would lack of care even be an issue by the time it is up and running?  2014 is just around the corner and these changes will impact the services I will provide to my community.

I'm no political but...I would hope that you are willing to really examine the changes that are happening, and become educated enough to truly understand the impact of your vote on these issues.  Mental Illness is not something we can always predict, prevent, or fully recover from.  It is a struggle for many Americans as a result of many different environmental factors: disease, socialization, genetics, etc.  This week leads us into the heart of this years political season, and is just another reason to actually find out what your favorite candidate thinks.  Mental illness does not discriminate, and when or if ever you need treatment, I hope that you are all able to maximize your care.   

Is It The Chicken or The Egg?

It is safe to say that most people would agree with this statement:

"The self is a function of its environment."

This can go a few different ways.  First, the environment that creates the mold for the child, thus creating a predictable product.  For example, a child of an alcoholic indulges in their substance of choice and becomes an addict.  Second, the environment is perceived by the child as being so unfavorable that they become the exact opposite and "break the mold".  Along with the first example, the child rarely consumes any alcohol in order to prevent a similar lifestyle of addiction.  Lastly, we find a combination of the two.  Growing up in a home environment with pressure to be one thing or the other in order to satiate the "social norm" of the family.  This is where we find most children.  

Our culture is moving in many directions, and one that has always fascinated me was the pressures on our society to look a certain way.  In the 80s, we saw the birth of fitness.  Aerobics classes were the norm for all adults, especially women, and a community of fitness was born strip malls all over America.  Into the 90s we saw a change in men focusing more and more on achieving that buff/chiseled look Arnold Schwarzenegger style.  Us women, we still attended our classes, but began to discover the world outside Jane Fonda.  The millennium has brought to us many new ideas about what you can do to look the way "we" think you should.  Gyms are still popular, extreme sports have come into play, and a spiritual side of health via yoga and pilates has really become the norm for many.  

What is scary is that many young adults and teens do not prioritize fitness, though they want to still look as though they do.  Yes, many children and teenagers are involved in some type of sport, and yes you can exercise without joining a gym--there are a million exceptions to every claim.  Generally speaking though, many young Americans are just trying to survive their life.  They have school, the media, friends, and their family to balance all at once and frankly in most cases each is pulling them in a different direction.  How to they cope?  Do they become the mold, break the mold, or crack somewhere in between?

The attached article is about the family impact on anorexic teenagers.  These teens are working to achieve a physical likeness at the expense of their own health.  How do they even know this is what is "desirable"?  The media is an easy answer, and one of the most often used excuses in my opinion.  Do the parents themselves work to achieve this same physical likeness and therefore apply pressure to the child creating a seemingly impossible goal, or are the parents so far in the opposite direction (our country's growing obese population) that the child wants nothing more than to not look like that?  Is the child somewhere in between with supportive parents who can not identify with the pressures the child is facing outside of the home during this hormonally charged time?  

The study found that when families participated in recovery, the changes for a more solidified outcome were much increased.  I think that regardless of where the foundation for the behavior came from, a supportive and involved environment (preferably the home environment) with reduced pressures is ideal for recovery.  A stable home is not always possible, but if you know someone who is struggling with an eating disorder, become their "family" and share in their life.  Work with them and hopefully with their treatment program to find out where their illness stems from, and support them in building a new foundation based on their own "sense of self".  And if you yourself struggle in any way, I invite you to ask yourself:

• What pressures do I feel from my family, friends, the media, work, school, etc.?
• What behaviors do I engage in daily that give in to these pressures?
• How do I really view myself outside of what others may say?

 Please take some time to read the article and examine your thoughts and feelings.  Do we make our decisions as a function of our environment (the Chicken), or do we decide independently to appease the self (the Egg)?  Start with what you like about your self, write it down, and put it somewhere where you can see it.  Add to this list whenever you feel like it, or discover something new that compliments your "Sense of Self".

Article:

Anorexic teens recover better with parental help by Rachel Rettner

It's Mental Illness Awareness Week! Who knew?!

The first full week in October is Mental Illness Awareness Week. Established by our Congress in 1990, this week sheds light on the efforts of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Otherwise known as NAMI, each state organization is encouraged to step up their efforts to achieve the NAMI mission which is to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.

I will have to be honest here and say that I did not have this even marked down on my calendar. However, that is not to say that I will not finish this post and add it to my planner pages so that I can remember it when I make my annual agenda information transfer at the end of the year.

NAMI has a number of options for you in order to help them achieve their mission:

• If you are a political person, NAMI has non-partisan election themes that can be found here: Election

• If you are religious, this Thursday is the National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery

• If you aren't political or religious you can still bring awareness to the cause. NAMI offers various downloads on their site offering activities and PR.

• A documentary has also been filmed and will air on PBS stations. "Unlisted: A Story of Schizophrenia" was aired at the 2010 NAMI convention, and is currently being used to educate its viewers on the subject.

So what does all of this actually do for you? My goal is to introduce you to an organization and a cause that is becoming more and more popular in our society as the years go by. An article by DJ Jaffe discusses the issue of stigma as it relates to mental illness. The article is more of food for thought to coincide with this week. It can be found here: MIAW Diverts Attention from Serious Mental Illness

I encourage you to read it and at least think about the stigmas you have, if any, about mental illness. Where do they stem from? What limits you from educating yourself about the topic? What barriers are there in your environment to further your feelings about mental illness? How has the incidence of mental illness in your personal life impacted the way you feel about diagnosed individuals?

Resources:

NAMI

MIAW

Unlisted: A Story of Schizophrenia