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KSAT.com News –  February 25, 2013

Summary: The Executive Director of the San Antonio Clubhouse, Mark Stoeltje, was recently interviewed by KSAT.com in San Antonio, Texas. Stoeltje talked about the value of the Clubhouse program in helping people living with mental illness lead better lives and in changing stereotypes. He believes that Clubhouse programs could possibly stop shootings like the events recently in the news. “Those kinds of things could have been prevented. These are not guys that just snapped, this built up over time, I’m certain,” Stoeltje said.

OECD Better Life Index – February 8, 2013

Summary:  Julia Laplane of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) recently wrote about the importance of mental health and the cost of mental illness to society. Of the 36 countries within the OECD, approximately 20% of the working-age population suffers from a mental disorder (most commonly depression, anxiety or substance abuse). Recent studies show that mental health is often linked to poor physical health. According to a recent Australian study, young people are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues: 75% of all mental illnesses develop before the age of 24. The cost of mental illness is significant, representing 3-4% of the European Union’s gross domestic product:
• People living with mental illness tend to have more difficulty entering or remaining in the workforce.
• Workers with mental disorders need more help to maintain their jobs and many struggle in the workplace.
• Mental illness is correlated with more absence in the workplace and risk of reduced productivity.

Also, many people still do not feel comfortable acknowledging mental health issues. As Laplane states, “Mental disorders still represent a taboo, which has been neglected for too long.” 

The New York Times – January 25, 2013

Summary: The New York Times recently published an Op-Ed article by law professor and author Elyn Saks, which highlights the fact that some people with severe mental illness are capable of high levels of achievement and happiness. Dr. Saks describes her life since being given a diagnosis of schizophrenia thirty years ago. Her diagnosis had been “grave” and she was left with little hope of living independently, working or living a full life. Today, she is a chaired professor at USC Gould School of Law, has an adjunct appointment in the department of psychiatry at USC medical school and has received a MacArthur Foundation genius grant. She also married in her mid-40s and leads a fulfilling personal life. She describes how she deals with the limitations of her mental illness on a daily basis, and the techniques she has learned to manage her symptoms. One of the most important techniques for her has been work and keeping her mind challenged and active. “…the work piece – using my mind – is my best defense. It keeps me focused, it keeps the demons at bay. My mind, I have come to say, is both my worst enemy and my best friend.” To read the entire article click here.

December 20, 2012

We are all very shocked and saddened by the shootings and deaths in Newtown, Connecticut last week. Although words don’t seem to be nearly enough, we offer condolences to all of the families who lost loved ones and to the entire Newtown community as it struggles to make it through this difficult time.

As the details of the tragedy and the young man behind this unthinkable act of violence against innocents become clear, it may or may not be true that he was living with mental illness or other disability. Eventually, we will know more about him and his circumstances. However, what he did will never, ever be excusable or even understandable.

In the coming weeks there will be much discussion and hopefully effective action to help significantly reduce the chances of this ever happening again.

There will be dialogue about the state of our mental health systems and what we can do to make them better.

One thing that we know already is that people living with a mental illness are often alone, overlooked and forgotten about in their own communities. We also know that if this is changed those same people can thrive and live successful and meaningful lives. We know from years of experience, study and research that access to a caring community of support can make all the difference for a person isolated by their disability. Belonging somewhere, with others who care, might be the single most available and effective means of preventing desperation.

It is past time that we recognize our obligation to come together to create and support places in every community where people living with mental illness can find the belonging they need.

Establishing an ICCD Clubhouse in every town and city in this country – much the same way that every town and city has a library, or a YMCA, or a community center – would provide a community base of support for hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of Americans living with mental illness. It would widen the tent of our society. Rather than isolation, hopelessness and despair, the expanding ranks of Clubhouse members would have access to community, hope, jobs, and a reason to wake up in the morning.
 
Please support the development of ICCD Clubhouses. Together, we can change our world.    

psychiatryonline.org – December, 2012

Summary: Mark Glickman, ICCD Board Member, recently wrote about his recovery and his Clubhouse experience. He began his journey with mental illness at the age of 18 and over the years experienced hospitalizations, therapy and disabling depression. In 1973, he arrived at Fountain House in New York and gradually began a long and painful recovery. Mark eventually had several successful transitional employment jobs, found his own job and later went back to graduate school at age 40 to study broadcast journalism. He made a documentary about the Fountain House program and co-authored a book. “I had to regain my confidence, my courage, and my basic sense of competency…I believe that clubhouses offer an ideal environment to fulfill one’s potential.” Download full article.

November 27, 2012

I recently watched “Psycho” again, and – pardon the pun- was of two minds about it.  As a lover of film, I was sucked into the mood of high anxiety and dread from the opening moments. On the other hand, from my perspective as an advocate for people with severe psychiatric illnesses, I was troubled that the film grotesquely caricatured mental illnesses that affect millions of people.

Today, more than 50 years since the infamous “shower scene,” we understand that schizophrenia and bipolar disorders are illnesses caused by brain chemistry, not bad mothers like Mrs. Bates.  Nevertheless, the stigma still remains.  Those of us who have suffered from these illnesses and those who fight against them have a tough battle in combating stigma.  Look at our use of language.  We equate being wrong with being crazy.  Someone says something we disagree with and we say “he’s crazy.”

Unfortunately, violent acts are occasionally committed by people with untreated mental illnesses.  Those stories too often capture the attention of the media and perpetuate the erroneous view that violence and criminality are prevalent in people with psychiatric disorders. The reality, however, is that men and women with mental illnesses are much more likely to be the recipients of violence then the perpetrators of it. 

Further, the reality is that long before “Psycho” opened in 1960, a quiet revolution began in the realm of recovery from mental illness.  Starting in the late 1940’s in New York City, a non-profit organization called Fountain House pioneered a model of psychiatric rehabilitation in which former mental patients came to a place called a “Clubhouse.” Today, there are almost 350 Clubhouses around the world.

Clubhouses focus on the positive healthy parts of the person which still exist no matter how severe their illness.  Clubhouse “members” come in each day and participate in all  the work needed to run the program, such as cooking, cleaning, outreach, putting out newsletters, answering phones, research and data entry.  When members are ready, they can go on to part-time entry level jobs in the community, continue their education, and ultimately get their own independent jobs.  Working side by side with a small professional staff, members build relationships, skills, self esteem and confidence.  The Clubhouse model is a cost-efficient and effective path to recovery from mental illness.    

Almost everyone knows about “Psycho” and its depiction of Norman Bates as a dangerous, homicidal “crazy person.”  But few know about the hope that Clubhouses have brought to tens of thousands of people who have regained their mental health.  The stigma of mental illness reinforced by films like “Psycho” will only be eradicated when these Illnesses are brought into the light of day and talked about without shame.