I am departing from my usual format to mention that this is Mental Health Month. As many of you know I had worked in Human Services for around 30 years, and I had a great deal of academics in this field, as well. Between the focus on the co-related opiod situation, the crimes committed by committed by related to their mental health, and the focus on suicides, I thought I would bring to your attention a few things that I know from academics and experiences. First off, there is the money/costs, and sustainability of funding those costs. I was working in Mental Health when we began de-institutionalization. Once happening all sorts of promises and commitments were made, that within a few years began to be reduced. 2 nd , there is the mindset of those who manage and administer programs. There were the idealists, and those conditioned by their experiences working the institutions. Even in the days of the institutions: at times they were wonderful due to being fully funded. But, with down turns in the economy components were cut, and that lead to some horrific conditions that lead to their being closed out. Absent from the plans was the reality that we would not be able to sustain the funding regardless of the promised guarantees.
The next problem: the ideals of Human Rights, confidentiality along with their and the general public’s safety and the other moral social responsibilities was how to sustain them? Can we say take your meds, and go live on your own?
Another was can we determine if someone is a danger to themselves and others. There are so many versions and variations. Let us be real that many if not most of us have some kinds of phobias, manias, obsessions, fixations, anxieties, suffer from some level of depression. Some are easily treatable some are not. One could get drunk and become violent. Some are caused by head injuries, other by psychological/emotional traumas. Some many have started in our childhood, others when we became older. Some from drugs, legal and illegal. Some from work and environmental conditions, marital strife, the loss of a loved one. You know “he was a quiet man, kept to himself, polite to his neighbors”, but… While, some of our idiosyncrasies and self-amusing behaviors while bizarre are no way dangerous. Some aspects are cultural beliefs on how we react to things, others ae how we react to people with a mental health issues. They are possessed by demons, or touched by god, thus special people. As demons killed or imprisoned under the cruelest of conditions, as touched by god, all their needs taken care of.
At work and in college I heard of theory after theory on treatment that often were revised in a few years and then dropped. Some seek a universal cure all. When working in DYS their executive director and I were talking about what works, and he said the average new idea works for 25%. You have the know it alls on the top level that send down their commandments in the form of policies and you have the: know it alls throughout who interpret the policies based on their preconceived notions of their version of reality. And, the culture of the environment makes or breaks the program. And, we do have 21 st century witchdoctors who have a belief system that has only limited effectiveness, yet they want to apply it to all, whether drug them, lock them up, give them their freedom, or drive out the demons works for their thinking. We still hear experts say that ADD people need a cure, which was better than the old thinking that they were somehow inferiors that needed to be limited. Especially as we come to recognize that AADD’s are often the creative, innovative, and while their thinking chaotic it is not so for them, it is just that others cannot keep up, thus not normal and the not normal have to be controlled.
One thing that I would like to advocate for is that behavioral psychology be required in a lot more areas as: teachers, doctors, police, fire personnel, nurses as they are the most likely to encounter people in situations where the ability to assess an emotional/psychological condition. And, that it is complex and complicated, multidimensional in versions and variations.
Lastly on this subject for now we have to find people who can think in a multi-dimensional way and be willing to use adaptive, ISP like processes. And, that this is a shared responsibility requiring an open ended inclusive collection of ideas to effective work with this, or we have the random, simultaneous, destructive behaviors where no one is exempt from the effects, for think so or not all buy what we have seen are vulnerable.
Thank you, your feedback is welcomed, Brian Hoose, [email protected]
