Mental Health

1. Mental Health?

Have you tried Linehan's Skills Training for Borderline Personality Disorder workbook? I used exercises from this during graduate training in an outpatient mental health clinic. A couple of years ago, I was at a conference on community mental health that talked about client/consumer-based programs that were pretty much primarily run by the clients themselves. I don't know the severity level of your population, but I would try to get the clients to support each other as best I could, and research client- or consumer-based programs and their efficacy levels. I thinking that that clients will respond to encouragement from their peers more than they will respond to encouragement from their therapists. In regards to delusions and hallucinations, based on my experience, the best way to intervene is to 1) enter their reality and never invalidate it 2) empathize with the feeling 3) based on their past history, try to interpret accordingly and 4) if you confront them, confront them on the effects of their thinking - not that their thinking is wrong - e.g. how is their thinking making their life better or worse, and is there a better, safer, more workable alternative? Good luck.

2. What mental health services could you benefit from?

I am already on medication for both BiPolar and anxiety, so I suppose that talk therapy about the causes of my episodes would be helpful, too.

3. What are good and bad things for your mental health?

drugs, lack of self esteem, getting picked on, having no one to talk to or not having guidance, cutting, self isolation, shutting the world out

4. How do I break into the mental health field?

5. How does a mental health evaluation work?

An evaluation for depression will include asking you questions about your life now and administering a test, probably BDI (Beck's Depression Inventory). You spend maybe 15 or 20 mins answering the questionnaire and the person evaluating you will go over your score with you and what it means. If you're moderately or severelydepressed, you'll be referred to a licensed psychologist (or a student near graduation working under an experienced supervisor) and told to talk to your doctor about antidepressants. good luck, kiddo .

6. What does a mental health specialist do in the army,, active duty? What is his duty in war?

Well my guess is you would be doing just as the title says. A mental health specialist....

7. What are some websites/books for mental health specialist skills?

any college bookstore. :D

8. What is the best mental health hospital in the USA and why?

I would agree with WPIC, but thats cause its the only one Ive been too. But they do have GREAT Drs there....and other staff was great too. And it is right next to and conected by a hallway to presby (also great drs there), so if needed patients can be brought over there very easily.

9. What is the difference between learning disability and mental health problem?

It's really up to you. You might earn more money specializing in the field of learning disabilities- because you'd be paid by school districts or families that are willing to pay thousands of dollars to test their kid (to get them special services they need, or to help them get into schools despite their learning disabilitiy). I personally feel that you'll make a bigger difference in the world by working with the mentally ill- because folks with major mental illness need support- but it's more challenging and usually less financially rewarding- since these programs are rarely adequately funded.

10. What is the best activities to use with mental health clients?

What kind of skills building? I would probably incorporate some behavioral techniques, like social skills training. You can work on building interpersonal relationships...(eye contact, tone of voice, etc) and you can give out little homework assignments. Start small and build their confidence to interact in more anxiety provoking situations. (Ex: have them strike up a conversation with someone at the grocery store...then work their way up to initiating conversation with a stranger, etc) You can practice in therapy and model the behavior. Then, encourage them to practice these skills in real-world settings. This is beneficial for clients who have difficulties in social situations.

11. What are some quality mental health websites?

National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml Research would NIMH's site Pubmed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez It's a start...

12. How good is the mental health treatment programs in the UK and Ireland?

Well, I live in Nova Scotia. When we had a mental health crisis in our family in Northern England, I was appalled to find out how little help is a available, public or private. It struck me as odd (seeing as what I came from UK to Canada). So, when I was in Carlisle on a visit I dropped in on the UK version of the Canadian Mental Health Association and found that other than for people on social assistance or on alcoholism programs, there was nothing in the way of depression / bipolar selp-help groups. So, that nicely rules out peer support. The family that needed mental health services in the form of psychiatry and therapy could not find anything of any real use. There do seem to be somewhat bizzare counselors who can nod their heads and repeat statements back to the client, but nothing proactive. Private therapists as far south as Lancashire could not be found in Yellow Pages searches. So, it seems rather bleak to me. I was hoping to find a whole lot of new ideas from the people I visited. Instead they sat with their mouths hanging open at what is available in my small town of about 12,000 inhabitants. I am very concerned for my families lack of help and wish they could come here and experience what I have. It was sad to see things in this state. Be well and look after your mental health as much as you look after your physical health. Don't take if tor granted.

13. What Is The Difference Between A Mental Health Counselor and A Psychologist?

Psychologists are non-physician doctors (have a Ph.D. or a Psy.D.). Psychologists with the pre-requisite training are now legal prescription providers in two states (i.e., LA and NM). Mental health counselors typically have a master's degree. As far as clinical work, the two differ very little. Both see clients, diagnose, assess, treat, conduct testing, etc. Psychologists, however, are a bit more versatile, in that they are employable in a wide variety of sectors (e.g., business, education) as consultants, etc.

14. How can I find free mental health services?

First of all it would help to know how old you are. But next in you phone book-guessing you live in the states, look up Dept of Mental Health. Call the number given and ask for the Director of Mental Health Services for you area of the state, most states are divided into areas. Next explain you have no insurance and you are in need of mental health services, most all states have agencies that work on a sliding scale. Also some states actually have a hot line that will help you if you need immediate help and I don't mean hospitalization. If that fails to work you can read my profile and if you feel safe e-mail me and I'll see what I can do for the state you live in. God Bless Reggie

15. Community Service opportunities for Mental health, or helping the homeless?

You can find such opportunities here: VolunteerMatch, http://www.volunteermatch.org Idealist, http://www.idealist.org Change.org, http://www.change.org CraigsList, http://www.craigslist.com Network for Good, http://www.networkforgood.org http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/ ServeNet, http://servenet.org/ Also, contact your local volunteer center; you can find this via the Points of Light Foundation web site, http://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/

16. what is it like to be in a relationship with somebody with mental health problems?

as in what kind of metal problems? u can claim that all teenagers have mental health issues as we all do, so in that case, yes, lol. Um, close as i can get to this however is that both my girlfriend and i used to be cutters and still continue to have occasional thoughts on death and suicide, so we can get pretty emotional at times. other than that we're both just kinda OCD about a few things, but who isn't? honestly, there is noone who can claim to be perfectly healthy in the brain, it's impossible, humans are just like that. it's like how almost all dogs will continue to try to run up the tree while just running into it to get the squirrel. weird analogy, yes, but it fits in my opinion. ^_^

17. Do most people with mental health have to work off to themselves?

Some people with mental health issues function well in the workplace with others. Others who may be more seriously impaired have to have assisted living arrangements and educational accommodations for their specific needs. Nearly everyone has at least one mental health issue these days. So, the answer is NO. Most people with these mental issues are integrated into the mainstream of society today.

18. Is it common for mental health professionals to have a personal history of mental illness?

Thank you, chelsea_lulu21, for asking. I agree with deYoung's answer but also the truth-be-told, I dare say that during the past 3 and half decades I've encountered many mental health professionals and the bunch with the most obvious serious personality disorders turns out to be none other than our psychiatrists who were book-smart enough to pass all the schooling exams and unfortunately ended up with their degrees although seriously lacking in true interpersonal relationship skills due to their personality disorder. If someone needs to see a therapist I would sooner suggest they see a psychologist than a psychiatrist for better odds. And surely it does stand to reason that someone who has experienced symptoms of mental illness can empathize rather than just sympathize with their patients. And thanks again for asking. Tsark out.

19. Do any insurance companies offer mental health insurance, independant of any other type of coverage?

I personally never heard of separate insurance for mental health. But, if you apply at a community behavioral health facility, and qualify, you can get free mental health. I get my medical health free, which includes the Psychiatrist visits, medications, therapy, support groups, and also hospital stays if I need to go to the behavioral health ward. Check your phone book, or look up mental health facilities online, and check them out. There is help out there, if you can't afford it out of your own pocket. good luck in your search. realme1960

20. Who pays for mental health treatment? What are some of the issues surrounding financing of mental health care?

Well, if your health insurance covers it, they pay for most of it, depending on your policy. Otherwise you pay for it. Unless you're on medicaid. I think alot of people that need mental health care don't get it because they can't afford it. That's a sad thing.