A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

The late summer and early fall seasons in the Philippines were especially cruel in terms of weather this year, inundating the region with a series of tropical storms and floods that killed scores of people and left many others in a state of devastation. That state, unfortunately, still persists in the areas affected by the disasters, as over a million people live in homes and shelters still racked with floodwaters and debris. While there are many concerns over the potential for bacterial infections and other health concerns to take a toll on those living with the stagnant waters, the World Health Organization has recently noted that the potential for mental health issues to become prominent in the area is great.

Citing the stress and frustration of living in an environment soaked with floodwaters, with little hope of restoring hopes to a dry state before the end of the year, the organization suggested that mental fatigue, depression, and other mental health concerns were likely to take hold of many of those struggling on a daily basis to reclaim their property-–and their lives–from the disasters. Along with local residents and business owners, the organization expressed concern for the emergency aid workers and other helpers assisting in cleanup and provision distribution efforts, many of whom have been working seven day weeks with little to no rest since September. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist San Antonio Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

Of the several million emergency calls that were made in the UK between 2008 and 2009, a significant portion involved mental health difficulties. While ambulance professionals and other caregivers are often able to identify such difficulties in clients, they are not typically endowed with the training or understanding to provide meaningful services, and simply refer people experiencing mental health crises to emergency room and general practice physicians. Many workers note having observed that on the whole, those clients seeking help for mental health issues are forced to wait longer to receive treatment, and if that if they do remain within emergency room waiting areas until they’re seen, they are less satisfied with the treatment given.

In effect, this creates a “revolving door” for mental health clients who, despite earnestly requesting professional care, may not be given the attention or tools needed to aid in recovery or find a specialist who can. Such are the issues outlined in a recent report tendered by the Ambulance Service Network and the Mental Health Network, published with the NHS Confederation. The report, a joint effort contributed to by both agencies, suggests that collaboration between emergency service responders and mental health specialists, including better education about mental health concerns for ambulance personnel, may greatly improve the quality of care received by those in need. Through curtailing the consistent use of emergency services due to a lack of adequate treatment, the measure may also help the UK cut health care costs. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Louisville Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

The topic of mental health among returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has been hotly contested of late, especially in the wake of reports of growing suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD rates in military personnel. Adding weight to the argument for more extensive, accessible, and meaningful mental health measures, the recent attack at the Ft. Hood army base has re-sparked discussions about a lack of thorough screening and understanding within the military community. After attending the memorial service for victims of the Ft. Hood shootings on Tuesday,the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, four-star general Eric Shinseki, appeared on “The Early Show” Wednesday to talk about the incident and the Department’s plans for mental health going forward.

Though mental health advocates and medical professionals, as well as caregivers and family members of returning veterans may have been anticipating a clear description of plans for future improvements, Shinseki’s statements were relatively general. The VA Director noted that over nineteen thousand mental health professionals were employed in the service of the Department, and that work was being “diligently” carried out in order to provide an increased level of care to service members in need. Expressing grave concern and regret over the Ft. Hood incident, Shinseki was reported to convey deep concern over the role of mental health in overall personnel well-being, but beyond the implementation of a post-September 11th G.I. bill, there was little to indicate any specific plans for the future. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Chicago Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

In many developing parts of the world, those identified as having mental health difficulties are often treated with less than ideal care, both by state authorities and by the public at large. But sometimes, seemingly backwards and unconscionable treatment is given to mental health clients in parts of the world not usually associated with poor care. Most recently, Australia has stood out as being in dire need of greater education about the nature of mental health concerns, and how to address them among the population. This need has risen from a just-published report outlining the fact that during the last year, in excess of nine hundred people experiencing a mental health crisis were incarcerated in prison cells or otherwise inadequately detained by police and other authorities.

In the Australian state of Victoria, where the questionable treatment was enacted, the chief psychologist has spoken out about the incidents, decrying them as breaches of human rights and noting that those in need of mental health care should be treated within a health care environment-–not in a prison cell. The report as well as its publicity are hoped to rally support for the allocation of greater funds, legislation, and attention paid to mental health services within Australia. Though resources may be lacking, especially during periods of economic struggle, the poor understanding of mental health issues exhibited by law enforcement officers and other authority figures suggests that education will play a key role in resolving the problem. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Austin Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

Doctors without Borders is an organization that has long been recognized for identifying needy areas around the world and supplying trained, caring health professionals in an effort to improve access. Known for providing advanced, modern care in places that are often beset by violence and social strife, the group hopes to involve the health community in working with a high standard of ethics and treatment that doesn’t stop for political and religious turmoil. Recently, Doctors without Borders has reported on its efforts in Lebanon, a country that often receives exposure only for its episodes of violence. The group has focused on mental health services within Lebanon after discovering a significant need for such services following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Working to offer therapy and other mental health services such as psychiatric medications to those in need, the Lebanon clinic run by Doctors without Borders notes that approximately seventeen percent of the population is affected by mental health concerns, yet strong social stigmas exist to persuade those in need to refuse treatment. In the report, the clinic’s staff recall meeting clients who seem especially defensive, insisting at the outset that they aren’t “crazy,” and are only eventually convinced of the professionals’ understanding of their basic goodness and human potential. High-cost counseling in place within the country is also inaccessible to most who might overcome local prejudice, and many services concentrate on working with children alone rather than incorporating adults. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Simi Valley Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

Battles between parents and children over a variety of issues, from when to go to bed to appropriate dress and supervision of academic study, are known to occur in most households, whether they’re subtle or the cause of major conflicts. In some cases, these issues may simply be a part of family life, and children and adolescents may be relatively accepting of their parents’ interest in their personal lives. But in other cases, “meddling” can have an adverse effect on mental well-being, and a recent study carried out both in the United States and China found that these effects are more pronounced among youths in the West than in East Asia. The study may reflect both cultural and psychological influences in both regions, and further research may help parents take on more positive roles.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Baltimore Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

The quality of psychological care is often a point of hot contention, and has created a global conversation about what constitutes good therapy and how it can be developed and improved in order to meet the needs of clients. Sometimes, however, simply obtaining access to care serves as the major point of difficulty for those in need of mental health treatment. In an effort to accommodate a greater number of UK citizens, the British Psychological Society has released information on a program focused on providing therapy access to those in need. Called the “Improving Access to Therapeutic Care” program, the mental health treatment service has shown to be significantly beneficial for many suffering from depression and anxiety, and the positive results of a clinical study on the program will help create a greater scope for such efforts in the future.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Kansas City Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

By Matthew Carter, MFT

Click here to contact Matthew and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

The American Psychiatric Association defines attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a “persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and more severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development” (1). ADHD is further indicated by three subtypes; predominately hyperactive-impulsive type, predominantly inattentive type, and combined type. According to the APA, ADHD primarily affects school-age children, approximately 3%-7% of all children in the U.S, (1), with approximately 30-50% retaining the disorder as adults (2). Not only are these numbers cause for concern, they are increasing: there has been a three or four-fold increase in diagnosis of ADHD since the late 1980s (3).

Undoubtedly ADHD is a serious problem, though ADHD is largely, and suspiciously, an American problem. For every two hundred and fifty U.S. children diagnosed and treated with ADHD, only one child would similarly have been diagnosed and treated in all of Germany, England, France, and Italy combined (4). In England alone, the rate of clinical diagnosis is estimated as only about 1 in 3000 children, or 0.3% (5). ADHD as a diagnosis is virtually unknown in Japan (6), and many other countries. Clearly ADHD has been woven into the cultural fabric of our nation, and our nation in particular. Or is it the other way around. In this paper I will explore how Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder relates to, and in many seemingly conspicuous ways parallels, socio-historical developments within the country that gave it birth. I will propose that U.S. cultural values and expectations not only exposed the so-called problem of ADHD, but first helped create it. I will further argue that the label ADHD is not so much a road sign to a mental disorder, but more a road sign to a social one. Lastly, I will suggest that if we are to have any hope of reversing this growing problem, we as helping professionals need to turn our attention outward, to the social matrix that sustains and reinforces it. Read the rest of this entry

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

In any capacity, being a member of the armed services is associated with daily exposure to a great deal of stress and strain. Whether deployed in the field and engaged in active warfare or confined to a base and living through the realities of military life, the experience of being a soldier or other type of military asset can be a harrowing one. Recently, many stories have come to the surface surrounding the instances of PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, that is evident among army troops returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. With alarmingly high rates of this often debilitating mental health concern along with increased rates of suicide, the military and Department of Defense have been focusing their attention, as well as their funding, on addressing better measures to help screen for signs of mental health difficulties among soldiers, and to intervene as necessary to prevent not only a loss of quality of life, but of potentially dangerous incidents as well. Unfortunately, new measures towards this end have not come fast enough for a group of army personnel working out of Fort Hood, in Texas. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Santa Monica Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

By Roni Weisberg-Ross, L.M.F.T., Abuse Topic Expert Contributor

“A Social Problem Does Not Exist For A Society Until It Is Recognized By That Society To Exist” – H. Blumer

The following is the first of a three-part series of articles:

It was in a high school literature class that I was first introduced to the Oedipus Complex, defined as “a boy’s unresolved desire for sexual gratification through the parent of the opposite sex, especially the desire of a son for his mother”. It was in a college film class that I was shown a famous French film entitled “Murmur of the Heart” which took the Oedipal theme and played it out in a contemporary middle class setting. In this film, the sensitive youngest son of a beautiful, tempestuous Italian woman is ushered into manhood by her as he recovers from a heart murmur at a countryside sanitarium. The film would have you believe that although mother and son both realized that they had crossed a forbidden line, neither was scarred by the experience, and that in fact the son was now able to go on and become a man. At the time, I never questioned the implications of this theme. Read the rest of this entry