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To Mary Bowers for providing NAMI Provider Education Training For Apalachee Center F.A.C.T. Program Staff

NetSmart Provides valuable insight to Meaningful Use (www.ntst.com/legislation) - Your resource for supporting the corrective legislation that would significantly expand Meaningful Use Incentives for Behavioral Health Providers!”

The Governing Board of Directors of Apalachee Center, Inc., recently elected new officers for Fiscal Year 2011/12 as follows: Judge Kenneth Hosford (Liberty County) - Board Chairperson; Oscar Howard (Taylor County) - Vice-Chairperson; Commissioner John Dailey (Leon County) Chair of the Board's Budget, Investments & Insurance Committee. Denise Pouncey Hannah (Gadsden County), will serve as Immediate Past Chairperson. Apalachee Center is a private, not-for-profit behavioral healthcare organization offering a comprehensive range of mental health and substance abuse services which has been fully accredited by the Joint Commission since 1981.

Welcome to Mental Health Matters, a new regular feature of Tallahassee Grapevine that will feature stories and tips on issues relating to mental health, from the staff of Apalachee Center. I’m excited to be starting this new conversation with some observations on mental health issues that you may not have known. There are a lot of misconceptions about mental health issues, and some of these misconceptions can stop people from getting the treatment they need.

Myth Number 1: Very few people have experienced mental health problems.

Fact: Most experts estimate that up to 25% of people will experience some form of mental health problem in their life. Most often, these are mood or anxiety problems, often brought on by a combination of inherited vulnerability and stressful life circumstances or transitions such as job loss, divorce, or bereavement.

Myth Number 2: Mental illness is all in your mind.

Fact: This is a very prevalent and misleading misconception. In fact, researchers have demonstrated that most psychiatric illnesses have clear physical markers (usually showing up on neuro-imaging and brain scan technology), and that individuals in acute phases of these illnesses also suffer from a wide range of physical symptoms. Experts agree: Mental illness is a curable brain disease.

Myth Number 3: There is no cure for mental illness.

Fact: The recovery rates for all mental illness, including severe forms of these illnesses, are as good or better than those for many physical illnesses. The National Institute of Mental Health, in 1993, found that 80% of individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder were able to achieve full remission of symptoms with proper treatment.

Myth Number 4: People with mental illness are dangerous

Fact: In fact, a 2006 study published in the prestigious American Journal of Psychiatry showed that only 5% of all violent crimes were committed by individuals with psychotic disorders.

Myth Number 5: No help is available for individuals with mental health problems

Fact: Although funding for mental health services in Florida ranks last among the 50 states, Leon County still has a number of resources for children, families and individuals experiencing mental health issues. Big Bend 2-1-1 has listings of all area agencies dealing with these issues. Apalachee Center can be reached at 1-800-342-0774 for Detox, Crisis or inpatient treatment, and 1-866-472-3941 to schedule an outpatient appointment.

The world can be a very dangerous place. Tornados, Hurricanes, Personal Assaults, Car Accidents and even Terrorist Attacks can occur. People exposed to these events can sometimes have problems with feeling safe and secure after they feel their life so profoundly and personally threatened. Most of the time, people do not choose to have a traumatic experience as it is usually well out of their control. A few very special people do submit themselves to traumatic events; members of our military and first responders such as paramedics, firefighters, and police officers.

When people are exposed to life threatening levels of trauma, or traumatic stress, they can become overwhelmed with the circumstances that they experienced. Their perspective of life can significantly change, no longer finding the same levels of enjoyment or zeal for life. People that have experienced a traumatic event are frequently described as aloof, skittish, on edge, jumpy, irritable, emotionally numb, or even sometimes as hopeless.

People can show a reaction to the trauma sometimes well after the trauma occurs and the reaction does not go away within a month or so. The traumatic event continues to be experienced by the person, even though they are presently safe.

* They can have vivid recurring nightmares or even “flashbacks” where they can see the trauma happening over and over again. * They may act or feel as though the trauma was continuing to occur, even though they may know that it is not. * They frequently avoid anything that could remind them of the trauma, as they felt such fear, helplessness or horror when the trauma occurred and do not ever want to experience anything like it again. * There can be a significant difficulty with things that most people take for granted. People exposed to trauma can have difficulty sleeping or concentrating.

When a person experiences most of the problems that were just described, they may have developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. This is a common problem that people exposed to trauma can develop. This does not mean that they cannot recover, though they may need assistance to return to the way that they were before the trauma occurred.

Later, we will talk about ways to help a person with PTSD. Above all, it is most important to never lose hope. You or your loved one can get through this. There are a lot of people out there that do care and want to offer you as much help as you need though this time!

Bio

Jon Williams is a clinical supervisor at Apalachee Center, Inc and earned his Master’s Degree from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. He is working toward his PhD. at Florida State University focusing on PTSD. He has been a clinician for the past 16 years in a variety of settings.

Different treatment options for PTSD.

If you suspect that you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), there are some questions you may have (see the previous article about PTSD at http://www.tallahasseegrapevine.com/blog/view/id_2547/title_ptsd-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-signs/): Will it go away on its own? What can be done about it? How can I get help? How effective can the help be?

First, PTSD frequently does not go away on its own. There are people from World War II that still have untreated PTSD. The rate of recovery is low when a person does not get professional help. 55% of untreated WWII veterans still experience some symptoms of PTSD.

Many things can be done to help people with PTSD. There are different types of therapy to help a person with PTSD resolve the trauma. The most commonly used therapy is called Exposure Therapy, which works with the person to talk about the way the trauma made them feel and different ways to think about it.

Certain medications can help reduce the symptoms of PTSD. Most primary care doctors would prefer for their patients to see a specialist, just like any other illness that is outside their area of expertise. In the case of PTSD, the specialist is a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor that focuses on brain functioning. Remember, the ones we see on TV asking about their clients’ mothers are practicing a specific form of psychotherapy, and that style is only one among many kinds of treatment. Most psychiatrists nowadays focus on the biochemical functioning of their clients’ brains, and what can be done to make sure that functioning is the best it can be.

Most of the time, the best bet is to meet with a psychiatrist to get medications to help reduce the symptoms while using psychotherapy to address the cause of the symptoms. In time, the person with PTSD may no longer need medications to help, and no longer need to keep going to therapy. It is possible to return to the way things were before the trauma.

Getting help may sound a little scary. Keep in mind that the professionals that are out there want to help and make things better. It does not mean that someone that gets help is crazy, only that they need some help to get though an incredible awful experience. In Tallahassee, we have many professionals that can help with the recovery process; in fact too many to list them all for you. You can call 211 to get linked to a professional you can work with.

Is it worth going to see one of the professionals in the area? Researchers show recovery from PTSD occurs in about 60% of cases after receiving help for the first time, depending on the type of trauma. If the person with PTSD continues to receive help, another 30% of people tend to recover. That’s a 90% overall recovery rate – far better than many other illnesses. Recovery IS possible, and it is important to know that the sooner that people get help, the more likely they are to experience recovery.

While en route during your normal routine, you may have noticed that there are several large groups of pinwheels throughout the city. These are placed as part of a national effort to bring attention to Child Abuse Prevention.

The pinwheel represents the hope and promise of a happy childhood for all children. A pinwheel, while completely captivating to a young child, somehow loses its lustre as one grows older. The lens of which we see the world, quickly grows from the childhood excitement and wonder to a sense of responsibility and safety.

Child safety locks, lead in paint, peanut allergies, bullies in school, child predators, childhood obesity...it seems like children are being sent out to a war zone every day with the hope of survival.

What if I told you that your child’s best chance of survival lies within you?
Parenting is beyond the physical needs of a child (food, shelter, and clothing) but incorporates the emotional needs as well (love, safety, and attachment.)

Studies have shown that children who do not have a secure attachment to at least one adult are at higher risk for symptoms of mental illness, including anxiety and depression.

Unlike the common cold, mental illness doesn’t always have clear symptoms. Having a secure attachment and open communication will help you to notice the changes in your child’s behaviours or see the increase of anger, fear, sadness, or anxiety.

Securing a healthy attachment may seem like an abstract concept so I want to use a visual: Your child is a pirate (or a fairy princess) who sails out every day on a boat, pinwheel in hand, to have adventures and learn about the world.

You are the dock for your child, the place in which they safely return, with hugs and stories of the day, or tears of defeat after rough seas.

What type of dock are you?
• Are you a stable dock, every day are you readily available to greet your little pirate/fairy princess and have time to hear their stories and wipe their tears?
• Is your dock unstable, sometimes available for safe landing and other times needing careful footing? Does your child access the safety first before landing?
• Does your dock need fixing every day, your child, feeling it is their duty to help protect and secure the dock so that they have someplace to land?

We all need a safe landing spot, even as adults, and especially as a child. We all make mistakes but attachment is something that is ever-changing and can be ever-improving.

Here are some tips to help allow smooth sailing for you and your child:
• Give warnings around transitions or changes.
• Increase the predictability of the environment (including you!)
• Provide physical comforts (hugs, cuddles).
• Increase sensitivity to cues.
• Let them have time for age-appropriate exploration.
• Time in: be available for emotional outbursts, allow your children to feel.
• Model healthy coping skills.
• See the world through their eyes. Remember the pinwheel!
If you have concerns about your child’s mental health, talk to someone. You are their biggest advocate and resource!

Big Bend 2-1-1 has listings of all area agencies dealing with these issues.

Apalachee Center can be reached at 1-800-342-0774 for Detox, Crisis or inpatient treatment, and 1-866-472-3941 to schedule an outpatient appointment.

Lynette Moriak is an MSW who received her graduate and undergraduate degree (BSW) from Florida State University. She has worked in the areas of child welfare, HIV/AIDs, mentoring, school social work, and mental health and substance abuse as it relates to children and families for the last ten years. She is currently employed as a Clinical Program Coordinator at Apalachee Center.

For over half a century, Apalachee Center has been dedicated to helping the individuals and families of North Florida succeed in recovering from emotional, psychiatric, and substance abuse crises. These crises are often painful and frightening, and leave families and individuals feeling as if they are all alone and have nowhere to turn. The Apalachee team is here to help.

You probably have heard of mental illnesses such as depression or eating disorders. It is likely that you or someone close to you have experienced one of these disorders.

You may have never heard of the term “personality disorder.” Yet, it is also likely that you have met someone with such a condition and have probably heard someone comment, “Oh, he’s such a narcissist!”

There are ten officially recognized personality disorders including paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders.

While they vary greatly in their features, people with any type of personality disorder have ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that are consistent across time and across situations.

Of course this is true for any personality trait (like whether you tend to be outgoing or shy), but a personality trait becomes a disorder when it causes serious problems in a person’s life such as in their relationships or at work.

Some personality disorders are striking and dramatic. For instance, someone with histrionic personality disorder is always the center of attention due to their flamboyant dress (think pop star) and theatrical behavior. Sounds fun, right? So, where does the “disorder” part come in? People with this disorder have such a need to be in the spotlight that their constant striving for attention may alienate them from others. They may claim to have numerous friends but lack any deep connection to others.

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is much less dramatic but can also be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, people diagnosed with the disorder can bring high quality results and much needed order to an organization or family. On the other hand, their indecision, need for control, over-commitment to work, and rigidity can cause problems at work and at home.

Perhaps the most problematic is antisocial personality disorder in which people may appear charming but engage in conning others, criminal behavior, and show no remorse.

People with borderline personality disorder are especially sensitive to feelings of being abandoned, display intense anger, and may cope by cutting themselves.

Personality disorders may not be noticed as clearly as more intense disorders like panic disorder where sufferers may show up to an emergency room fearing a heart attack only to find their heart is fine and their chest discomfort was due to anxiety.

Problems stemming from personality disorders are more subtle and may only become evident after years of knowing someone.

People with personality disorders may not view their behaviors as problematic, but family members or coworkers may send them for therapy due to the stress they feel from the person’s behavior.

Is there hope for people with personality disorders? Yes!

Newer psychotherapies such as cognitive behavior therapy help people with personality disorders live more meaningful lives, improve their work performance, and enhance their personal relationships. If you suspect that you or someone close to you may suffer from a personality disorder, please contact your doctor or a mental health professional.

Mark Reeves received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Florida State University and completed his postdoctoral training at Florida State Hospital. He has published and presented at conferences in the area of personality disorders and has worked with adolescents and adults with severe and persistent mental illness. He is currently employed as a Clinical Supervisor at Apalachee Center.