Mental Health Association of Nebraska

Proposed bill would increase allowable assets for eligibility for SSI

Last March, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (D-MA) and Congressman Thomas Petri (R-WI) introduced H.R.4937, a bill that if passed, would increase the allowable level of assets, like savings and retirement accounts, from $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for couples, to $5,000 and $7,500 respectively.  The proposed bill would exclude qualified retirement accounts, and Educational Savings Accounts and Individual Development Accounts for recipients under age 65.  To read the bill in its entirety, click here.

If you would like to discuss this important legislation with your Nebraska Representative:

Jeff Fortenberry Lincoln office:  402-438-1604; Washington office:  202-225-4806

Lee Terry Omaha office:  402-397-9944; Washington office:  202-225-4155

Adrian Smith Scottsbluff office:  308-633-6333;  Washington office:  202-225-6435

For our friends from other states, call your representative at the US House of Representatives' switchboard at 202-244-3121.

College Campuses See Rise in Cases of Severe Mental Illness

According to a report presented at the American Psychological Association's annual meeting, more students are seeking mental health related assistance than in the past.  One of the primary reasons is because there are more students enrolled in post-secondary schools as well as better awareness activities have lessened the stigma around mental illness, and that "counseling centers are doing a better job letting students know they are there."  To read more . . .

Patients Wary of Doctors' Relationships

MedPage Today reports that "many patients taking prescription drugs believe that pharmaceutical companies have too much influence over their physicians' prescribing practices."  Trust between the doctor and their patient is extremely important according to Dr. Jerome Kassirer, professor of medicine at Tuffs University.  "[Trust] is absolutely essential in getting patients to believe what their doctors are telling them."  Doctors polled by MedPage Today believe that this can lead to patients not following instructions regarding the medications that have been prescribed for them.  Eighty-one percent of the patients polled stated that they were concerned that doctors were rewarded by drug companies when they prescribed their medications.  To read more . . .

Peers bring hope to people living with mental illness

New York hospitals have discovered the benefits of having trained peers available to work with people in psychological distress.  The peers are working in emergency rooms and psychiatric wards, listening, supporting and helping people understand and navigate the treatment system.  Having lived experience with mental illness, peers provide the first-hand knowledge and perspective of having "been there, done that" that the majority of health care providers will never have.  According to David Fuller, peer counselor at Kings County Hospital and survivor of depression, addiction and numerous suicide attempts, "I know what it is to be in pain.  I know what it is not to be seen or listened to, and I know what it is to be demeaned."  To read More . . .

For more information on peer counseling and peers working in hospitals, visit PEOPLe, Inc.

The Claim: Smoking Relieves Stress

Contrary to popular belief, smoking can cause more stress than lessen it.  A recent study looked at 469 people who tried to quit smoking after being hospitalized for heart disease.  In the beginning, study participants reported that they believed that smoking helped them deal with pressure.  After a year, 41 percent of the participants had stopped smoking, and reported a "significantly larger decrease in perceived stress" than those who maintained their habit.  The study's hypothesis proved true, and that "continuing smokers . . . deal with uncomfortable cravings between cigarettes multiple times a day, while abstainers, after facing some initial withdrawal, had greater freedom from nicotine cravings and thus had eliminated a frequent and significant source of stress."  To learn more . . .

Stereotyping Has Lasting Negative Impact

A study recently published in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people, when exposed to discrimination "based on gender, age, race or religion, all experienced significant impacts even after they were removed from the situation."  According to University of Toronto professor Michael Inzlicht, "these lingering affects hurt people in a very real way. leaving them at a disadvantage . . . Even many steps away from the prejudicial situation, people carry around this baggage that negatively impacts their lives."  To read more . . .

Peer counselors support consumers in emergency rooms

Phyllis Vine begins her article by describing a young woman's 6 hour wait for emergency mental health treatment at a New York hospital, where "she remembers feeling invisible.  Nurses and Doctors moved briskly while her only diversion was a wall mounted TV.  Sitting alone, she kept asking herself what would come next, am I staying, am I going home, what will happen to me?"

Ten years ago, PEOPLe, Inc., a peer run mental health organization in Poughkeepsie, New York, began providing trained peers in Benedictine Hospital's emergency room where they "engaged and support people in crisis who were otherwise left to their own fears and anxieties."  According to Steve Miccio, PEOPLe's Executive Director, hospital staff were at first reluctant to have peers in the ER.  "They thought we were watching and criticizing and there to play gottcha . . . It's not about us versus them, but how to treat people better with dignity and respect."

Minnesota's Regions Hospital in St. Paul began their peer program last year and has worked with 1,100 patients in the first 9 months.  In addition to working with persons in the ER, the hospital reports that the program has also "contributed to a change in cultural attitudes.  Staff are less inclined to use disparaging and judgmental language . . . and patient satisfaction has grown accompanied by other changes such as the reduction in waiting room time to 8 hours for people needing admission."  To read more . . .

Would You Ever Participate in Torture?

In trying to come up with an answer, H. Steven Moffic, MD, asked himself if he could think of an instance where he would participate in torture activities if his "knowledge might help prevent the harm or death of a loved one, colleagues, or many soldiers or citizens"  (Psychiatric Times, July 30, 2010).

According to Moffic, the American Psychiatric Association states that "psychiatrists should not participate in, or otherwise assist or facilitate, the commission of torture of any person," and the International Federation of Social Workers believes that "social workers should not allow their skills to be used for inhumane purposes, such as torture or terrorism."  The American Medical Association adds qualifiers when prohibiting physicians from participating in torture by "balancing obligations to individuals with obligations to protect parties and the public,"  and the American Psychological Association believes that it may be "acceptable . . .if it can be justified as protecting the detainees."

I believe that there are 2 questions here:  1) What is torture, and 2) Is there ever justification to use it?  The reality is it depends on who is doing it and who it is being done to.  To learn more . . .

A Psychiatrist’s Prescription for His Profession

Two years ago, psychiatrist Daniel Carlat wrote an article in the New York Times called Dr. Drug Rep.  In his piece, Dr. Carlat tells his story of being paid to push the anti-depressant Effexor to his colleagues.  Last month Dr. Carlat was interviewed on National Public Radio's Fresh Air, where he spoke about his new book, Unhinged: The Trouble With Psychiatry, and about the influence drug companies have over the profession.  "Carlat believes in prescribing medication, but he says too many psychiatrists have all but abandoned talk therapy - leaving in-depth interaction with patients to others - while they pursue medical fixes for mood problems and mental disorders."  Carlat cites a Columbia University study that found 11 percent of psychiatrists in the United States offer therapy to their patients, "so essentially, 1 out of 10 psychiatrists are really doing psychotherapy on a regular basis."  To learn more . . .

To listen to the NPR Fresh Air interview with Dr. Carlat, click here.

So, is the Internet good for you or bad?

Like the reports on salt and coffee, whether the internet is good for you depends on the time of day.  In the last week or so Time Magazine has reported that while web surfing can help you lose weight, it can also mean you're depressed.  And last May the question was asked if the internet was the secrete to happiness, and if it was ethical for mental health providers to check up on their patients on line.

So what's the answer?  Like everything else, it depends.  Anyway, don't ask me - I'm too busy playing on the computer.