MHA's Blog: Chiming In

(We are pleased to publish this guest post by Marilyn Schmitt, Ph.D., on the 75^th anniversary of Recovery International.)

In 1937, a movement began to be shaped that would improve the lives of many thousands of people suffering from mental and nervous disorders.  The movement became a group-based training protocol developed by a Chicago neuropsychiatrist, Abraham Low, M.D.  In the heyday of Freudian psychoanalysis, Low saw his patients in the University of Illinois Psychiatric Research Hospital discharged and returning in a revolving door of relapse.  He began to experiment with tools that would train them to manage their symptoms and develop resistance to the illness.  And he founded an “association of patients,” choosing the word “Recovery” as its name.  Today its name is Recovery International.

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We are happy to reporr that the Gulf War Veteran who was being prosecuted for gun violations after calling a suicide hotline last year, will be offered court-mandated counseling at a new Veterans Treatment Court  that will avoid prosecution under an agreement reached last week.

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Urgent action is needed.  Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida recently terminated mental health and addiction service providers and is seeking new contracts at substantially reduced rates through its affiliate New Directions Behavioral Health. This could affect patient access to care.

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The Washington Post recently ran a story on Sean Duvalol, a homeless Gulf War veteran who called a suicide hotline. He was carrying a note to his family and a homemade gun. The counselor told him to stay put and that help was on the way. Police arrived and took Duvall, who was homeless and unemployed at the time of the incident in June 2011, to a psychiatric facility. He is now being treated for depression and has a job an apartment.  However, he has been charged with four federal counts involving manufacturing and possessing a homemade gun that carry a 40-year prison sentence. Mental Health America last week sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney calling on him to dismiss the charges, which you can read here.

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Mental Health America Celebrates Black History Month and African American Pioneers in Mental Health

Mental Health America (MHA) celebrates “Black History Month” and acknowledges pioneers in mental health who served as the impetus for raising awareness of the need for culturally competent care, mental health treatment services, as well as research and access to care for all Americans; particularly African Americans.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) statistics an estimated 19 million people in the United States experience depression each year. African Americans are a population that is less likely to seek help for mental illness. The lifetime prevalence rate of depression among African American women is 12.6 compared to 6.3 among African America men. African Americans shared history of inequality and discrimination has had its effects on the population. For more information and to read about African American Pioneers in Mental Health, go to our Black History Month page.

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