Mental Health News Fall 2005

MENTAL HEALTH NEWSTM YOUR TRUSTED SOURCE OF INFORMATION, EDUCATION, ADVOCACY AND RESOURCES FALL 2005 FROM THE LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL NEWS SCENE VOL. 7 NO. 4 Understanding and Treating Schizophrenia National Institute of tion hold the promise of new insights Mental Health, NIMH into the disorder. Schizophrenia as an Illness chizophrenia is a chronic, se- vere, and disabling brain dis- Schizophrenia is found all over the ease. Approximately 1 percent world. The severity of the symptoms and S of the population develops long-lasting, chronic pattern of schizo- schizophrenia during their lifetime— phrenia often cause a high degree of more than 2 million Americans suffer disability. Medications and other treat- from the illness in a given year. Al- ments for schizophrenia, when used though schizophrenia affects men and regularly and as prescribed, can help women with equal frequency, the disor- reduce and control the distressing symp- der often appears earlier in men, usually toms of the illness. However, some peo- in the late teens or early twenties, than in ple are not greatly helped by available women, who are generally affected in treatments or may prematurely discon- the twenties to early thirties. People with tinue treatment because of unpleasant schizophrenia often suffer terrifying side effects or other reasons. Even when symptoms such as hearing internal treatment is effective, persisting conse- voices not heard by others, or believing quences of the illness—lost opportunities, that other people are reading their minds, stigma, residual symptoms, and medication controlling their thoughts, or plotting to side effects—may be very troubling. harm them. These symptoms may leave to suffer some symptoms throughout and safer medications and unraveling The first signs of schizophrenia often them fearful and withdrawn. Their their lives; it has been estimated that no the complex causes of the disease. appear as confusing, or even shocking, speech and behavior can be so disorgan- more than one in five individuals recov- Scientists are using many approaches changes in behavior. Coping with the ized that they may be incomprehensible ers completely. from the study of molecular genetics symptoms of schizophrenia can be espe- or frightening to others. Available treat- This is a time of hope for people to the study of populations to learn cially difficult for family members who ments can relieve many symptoms, but with schizophrenia and their families. about schizophrenia. Methods of im- most people with schizophrenia continue Research is gradually leading to new aging the brain’s structure and func- see Schizophrenia on page 22 A New Context for the Treatment of Schizophrenia By Stuart Forman, MD In the traditional view of chronic illness, other less costly interventions. If prop- our control. (This is not to disparage, of Medical Director schizophrenia is understood to be a brain erly understood as organ malfunctions, course, the critical “lifestyle” changes Capitol Region Mental Health Center disorder in the same sense that diabetes psychiatric illnesses might attract less that can make an enormous difference in Hartford, Connecticut is considered a disorder of the pancreas. stigma. Maybe insurance companies diabetes; it is merely to suggest that the Patients diagnosed with diabetes are told would then cover psychiatric illnesses as processes of thinking and producing that they will need to measure their fully as they do medical problems. insulin are probably more different than have spent the last 23 years mainly blood sugars, watch their diets, and Perhaps, on the other hand, brains are they are similar.) working with people who carry the probably take some sort of medication different enough from pancreases that The Recovery Model reminds us that diagnosis of Schizophrenia. Only for the rest of their lives. Similarly, peo- the analogy doesn’t really work too well. psychiatric illnesses have a way of de- during the past year have I heard ple with schizophrenia have often been At this moment in time, a person whose priving people of their hopes and Ithe term “recovery” routinely mentioned. told that they “have a chronic illness” pancreas has stopped making insulin is dreams. In the broadest sense, our goals These days, however, one is hearing it and will always need to take medication. likely to need insulin injections on a as mental health providers should be to more often. It appeared repeatedly in the The idea regarding both schizophrenia and permanent basis. Let’s now contrast this help people recapture these treasured report of the New Freedom Task Force diabetes is that one can treat the symptoms with a person experiencing some sort of aspects of their lives. We professionals appointed by President Bush to redefine (i.e., high blood sugar for diabetes and psychotic symptom. Someone experi- need to remember, of course, that we are mental health services in our country. psychosis for schizophrenia), but that in encing auditory hallucinations, for ex- technical consultants with relatively Implementation of the Recovery Model some sense, the disease persists even in the ample, might be able to learn to ignore modest contributions to make to the re- is a major strategic goal of Connecticut’s absence of symptoms. the hallucinations, or at least to distin- covery efforts of the people with whom Department of Mental Health and Addic- For years, the idea of making mental guish them from other stimuli. Might we work. What we have to offer is tion Services. Is something new really health more “medical” has been appeal- this have the effect of reducing (or even “treatment.” We are, after all, experts in going on here, or are we simply playing ing to many. Perhaps, if we could some- eliminating) the need for medication? using medications to reduce certain with semantics? how become more “scientific,” we The fact that psychiatric symptoms over- “symptoms.” We know how to teach One way to understand the recovery would discover more effective and effi- lap with conscious thinking renders them certain skills, and how to help people paradigm is to contrast it with more tra- cient treatments. Some of our notori- quite different from bodily functions understand psychological patterns in ditional “medical model” views of se- ously labor-intensive treatments might (e.g., insulin production) that tend to vere and prolonged psychiatric illnesses. be dropped in favor of medications and operate apart from things that are under see New Context on page 39 NON PROFIT Mental Health News Education, Inc. ORGANIZATION 65 Waller Avenue U.S. POSTAGE PAID White Plains, NY 10605 WHITE PLAINS, NY PERMIT NO. 153 PAGE 2 MENTAL HEALTH NEWS ~ FALL 2005 Mental Health News Advisory Council Sigurd H. Ackerman, MD, President & Medical Director Donald M. Fitch, MS., Executive Director Rabbi Simon Lauber, Executive Director Thomas E. Sanders, CSW, President & CEO Silver Hill Hospital The Center For Career Freedom Bikur Cholim of Rockland County Family Service of Westchester Nadia Allen, Executive Director Pam Forde, Director Joseph Lazar, Director, New York City Field Office Phillip Saperia, Executive Director Mental Health Association in Orange County Putnam Family Support and Advocacy New York State Office of Mental Health Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies Richard Altesman, MD, Representative Michael B. Friedman, LMSW Leo Leiderman, PsyD, ABPP, Director Jennifer Schaffer, PhD, Commissioner American Psychiatric Association National Assembly Public Policy Consultant Saint Vincent Hospital - Latino Treatment Services Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health Gene Aronowitz, PhD, Director of Operations Maureen Friar, Executive Director Dominick Lepore, MS, CTRS, Vice President Judy L. Scheel, PhD, Director Fordham-Tremont Community Mental Health Center Supportive Housing Network of New York Westchester Medical Center - Behavioral Health Center Center for Eating Disorder Recovery Peter C. Ashenden, Executive Director Steven J. Friedman Andrew P. Levin, MD, Medical Director Edythe S. Schwartz, ACSW, Executive Director Mental Health Empowerment Project Mental Health & Public Policy Analyst Westchester Jewish Community Services Putnam Family & Community Services Chris Ashman, MS, Commissioner Kenneth M. Glatt, PhD, ABPP, Commissioner Robert M. Lichtman, PhD, DAPA J. David Seay JD, Executive Director Orange County Department of Community Mental Health Dutchess County Department of Mental Hygiene Rockland Psychiatric Center NAMI - New York State Jeannine Baart, MS Arnold Gould, Co-President Constance Lieber, President, Board of Directors Janet Z. Segal, CSW, Chief Operating Officer Mental Health Education Consultant NAMI Queens/Nassau NARSAD Four Winds Hospital Alan D. Barry, PhD, Administrative Director, Flemming Graae, MD, Chief, Child & Adolescent Glenn Liebman, President & CEO Kren K. Shriver, MPH, MD, Clinical Director Department of Psychiatry, Norwalk Hospital Psychiatry, Westchester Medical Center Mental Health Association In New York State Hudson River Psychiatric Center Alexander J. Berardi, LCSW, Executive Director Steven Greenfield, Executive Director Robert Litwak, CSW, Assistant Executive Director Michael Silverberg, President KEYSTONE Mental Health Association of Nassau County Mental Health Association of Westchester NAMI - New York State Al Bergman, Chief Executive Officer Ralph A. Gregory, President & CPO Hon. Nita M. Lowey Alan B. Siskind, PhD, Executive Vice President & CEO SLS Health United Way Of Westchester & Putnam U.S. Congress

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