Confronting 60 Minutes’ “Imminent Danger”: The Evidence on Schizophrenia and Psychotropic Medications, Violence, and Forced Orders to Treat

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toby T. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Severe Mental Illness ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychotropic Medications ◽  
Television Show ◽  
Imminent Danger ◽  
The World

Recently, considerable attention has been given to individuals labeled “mentally ill,” with the possibility that they too often go untreated with psychotropic medications and in turn, commit disproportionally higher rates of violence. The world-known television show60 Minutesbroadcasted a special on this topic in the United States on September 29, 2013; however, they created a disturbingly inaccurate picture of those who suffer with what some label as “mental illness.” There are decades of peer-reviewed research demonstrating that individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness, labeledschizophrenia,and given psychotropic medications are in fact less likely to recover from their disorder and more likely to be rehospitalized. Additionally, although mental health commitments, often calledforced orders to treat,are quite common and now being supported more so due to such programming, the research on mental health commitments has not shown they are actually effective.

“Madness” and penal confinement: Some observations on mental illness and prison pain

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Haney
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mentally Ill Persons ◽  
The World ◽  
Penal Institutions ◽  
Psychological Vulnerability

Unprecedented numbers of mentally ill persons are now housed in prisons and jails in the United States and elsewhere in the world. In many jurisdictions penal institutions have become the default placement for the mentally ill, in lieu of more humane and appropriate facilities in which to treat them. This article briefly reviews some of the causes of the unprecedented influx of the mentally ill into prisons and jails, examines the characteristics of these environments that render them singularly inappropriate placements in these cases, and discusses the various ways that the pains of imprisonment can exacerbate rather than alleviate various forms of mental illness and psychological vulnerability.

scholarly journals Bibliotherapy for Mental Health

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Jennifer Yontz-Orlando
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
Group Setting ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Uk

The United States is facing an epidemic of mental illness, affecting nearly 60 million Americans annually (http://www.nami.org/ ). The World Health Organization describes mental health as “a long neglected problem” and has established an action plan for 2013-2020 (http://www.who.int/mental_health/action_plan_2013/en/). One way to combat mental illness is through bibliotherapy, which is the use of written materials including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to support emotional and psychiatric healing.Bibliotherapy has been in existence since ancient times, but began in earnest in the United States in the 1850’s during the “Great Awakening.” At that time, mental illness began to be seen as a medical condition rather than a supernatural phenomenon. Since then, due to the changing nature of our institutions, interest in bibliotherapy waned until the 1950’s when there was a slight resurgence in its practice. However, in the last 20 years, bibliotherapy has gained a stronghold in the United Kingdom. To relieve the stress of an overcrowded mental health system, public policy in the UK has supported the use of bibliotherapy in a variety of its institutions. There are many ways to conduct bibliotherapy, but studies show that when the process is interactive, such as in a support group setting, the results are better. Also, bibliotherapy can be conducted by many sorts of professionals, including doctors, therapists, social workers, teachers, and librarians. Studies also show that when the bibliotherapists are trained in the best practices of bibliotherapy, results improve. Bibliotherapy is an effective, low-cost alternative for people in need of therapeutic assistance. The UK model should be studied and implemented in the United States and in other nations to help solve the mental health crisis.

International approaches to school-based mental health: Intent of the Special Issue

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney L. McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Health It ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
School Based ◽  
The World

This article provides an overview of the special issue on international approaches to school-based mental health. It introduces the significance of the issues associated with mental health across the world and introduces the reader to the four articles highlighting different aspects of school-based mental health. Across these four articles, information about school-based mental health (SBMH) from the United States, Canada, Norway, Liberia, Chile, and Ireland are represented. The special issue concludes with an article introducing new methodology for examining mental health from a global perspective.

A brief history of the criminalization of mental illness

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 638-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel A. Dvoskin ◽  
James L. Knoll ◽  
Mollie Silva
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of ◽  
Serious Mental Illnesses

This article traces the history of the way in which mental disorders were viewed and treated, from before the birth of Christ to the present day. Special attention is paid to the process of deinstitutionalization in the United States and the failure to create an adequately robust community mental health system to care for the people who, in a previous era, might have experienced lifelong hospitalization. As a result, far too many people with serious mental illnesses are living in jails and prisons that are ill-suited and unprepared to meet their needs.

scholarly journals Employer costs of mental health claims and how psychologically healthy workplaces align with successful DM programs

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Coduti
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Emotional Disorders ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Impact

Mental health (MH) and disability management (DM) businesses and DM professionals are proficient at addressing employee physical health, yet promoting employee MH is often ignored. Individuals claiming long-term disability (LTD), 85% identified MH conditions as their primary disability (Carls et al., 2012). Mental health LTD expenses are often higher due to longer recovery and challenges in return to work (Salkever, Goldman, Purushothaman, & Shinogle, 2000). Financial burdens of depression, anxiety, and emotional disorders are among the greatest of any disease condition in the workforce (Johnston et al., 2009). Globally, a fifth to a quarter of employees go to work everyday with a mental illness (Lorenzo-Romanella, 2011). Health care research has shown the impact of mental illness on work performance, however many employers and researchers are unaware of the value quality MH care has on employees and costs (Langlieb, & Kahn, 2005). The American Psychological Association (APA) identified five categories of workplace practices that promote psychological health in employees including: employee involvement; work-life balance; employee growth and development; health and safety; and employee recognition (APA, 2014). Organizational benefits of the five elements include: improved quality, performance and productivity; reduced absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover; fewer accidents and injuries; improved ability to attract and retain quality employees; improved customer service and satisfaction; and lower healthcare costs (APA, 2014). The presenters will discuss employer costs of MH claims and how psychologically healthy workplaces align with successful DM programs, decreasing MH claims and costs. Opportunities for future research include the United States Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its impact on MH (Mechanic, 2012) through provisions that encourage employers to adopt health promotion programs (Goetzel et al., 2012) and opportunities for research including comparisons of multinational employers regarding MH costs in countries with single payer systems, and in those without (United States), (Tanner, 2013).

Care and Treatment of the Mentally Ill in the United States: Historical Developments and Reforms

1986 ◽  
Vol 484 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSEPH P. MORRISSEY ◽  
HOWARD H. GOLDMAN
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery ◽  
Public Mental Health Care ◽  
Historical Developments

Three major cycles of reform in public mental health care in the United States—the moral treatment, mental hygiene, and community mental health movements—are described as a basis for assessing the shifting boundaries between the mental health, social welfare, and criminal justice systems. Historical forces that led to the transinstitutionalization of the mentally ill from almshouses to the state mental hospitals in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have now been reversed in the aftermath of recent deinstitutionalization policies. Evidence is suggestive that the mentally ill are also being caught up in the criminal justice system, a circumstance reminiscent of pre-asylum conditions in the early nineteenth century. These trends shape the current mental health service delivery system and the agenda for policy-relevant research on issues involving the legal and mental health fields.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Impact of Pharmacists on Clinical Outcomes and Adherence in Patients with Mental Illness: A Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalia Mekeel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychotropic Medications ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Free Text

Purpose: The purpose of this literature review is to investigate the role of pharmacists in improving clinical outcomes and adherence to psychotropic medications in patients with mental illness. The majority of patients tend to stop taking their medications due to the delayed effects or adverse events. It has been established that pharmacists have a positive effect on patients’ clinical outcomes in different chronic disease states other than mental illness. There is also a stigma associated with how comfortable pharmacists are on counseling patients about psychotropic medications. This literature review will evaluate the level of pharmacists’ involvement in treating patients with mental illness as well as strategies used to achieve persistence and compliance with therapy. Methods: A PubMed search was conducted to identify articles related to mental illness and pharmacists. MeSH terms included “antidepressants”, “adherence”, “pharmacists”, and “bipolar disorder”. A free-text search was conducted using the same terms and to search for the most updated American Psychiatric Association practice guidelines. The National Institute of Mental Health database was searched for current mental health statistics in the United States. Collectively, 62 results returned for the MeSh search. This review included studies on adults with mental disorders who were evaluated by pharmacists for adherence and clinical outcomes between the years of 1995-2019. The results of five clinical trials assessing the role of pharmacists in adherence to psychotropic medications will be discussed in this literature review. Results: The clinical trials included in this review showed a statistically significant increase in adherence to psychotropic medications associated with pharmacists’ interventions. The results were not statistically significant for the clinical outcomes in most studies but presented positive improvements in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Canales et al. results showed that patients receiving pharmacists’ interventions in the inpatient setting had >30% improved clinical outcomes measured by different rating scales. The results of Valenstein et al. study conducted at Veteran Affairs clinics were statistically significant for adherence improvement presented by a 25% increase in medication possession ratio. Aljumah et al. clinical trial had a 18% increase in adherence associated with pharmacist interventions. The EMDADER-TAB trial resulted in a statistically significant decrease in ER visits, significant improvement of the depression symptoms, and overall improvement of severity of symptoms. Conclusion: Mental illness should be treated as any other medical condition that requires interventions whenever clinical outcomes are not optimal. Pharmacists have the skills to evaluate clinical symptoms of different psychiatric disorders as well as the knowledge on therapeutic treatments necessary for the optimization of medication use.

Things Get Rolling

2021 ◽  
pp. 43-58
Author(s):  
Edward Shorter
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
Mental Hospital ◽  
New York State ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
York State ◽  
The World ◽  
The University

The take-off of psychopharmacology in the mental-hospital world began in the vast asylum system of New York State in the early 1950s. Henry Brill ordered the state system to introduce chlorpromazine in 1955, which led to the first decrease in the census of the state asylum system in peacetime. Sidney Merlis and Herman Denber implemented chlorpromazine in their hospitals and, with Brill, began a series of publications on the drugs and their efficacy. Pharmacologist and psychiatrist Joel Elkes established the first department of experimental psychiatry in the world in 1951 at the University of Birmingham in England. Finally, the chapter examiunes the historical heft of the National Institute of Mental Health, which in 1953 opened the “intramural” (in-house) research program where much of the research in psychopharmacology done in the United States has occurred.

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