Interview with UT

I was recenlty interviewed by a grad student with the University of Texas for a study they are workin on.
The gentelman's name is Adrian Castillo and he was nice enough to send me a copy of the results of our short, but intense conversation. (grin)

See the results below:


Target Population Adolescents with mental illness
Group Members Jaclyn Bedsole, Adrian Carrillo, Cassie Howell, Robert McFerren


Name of Person Interviewed:
Deborah Rose

Position of Person Interviewed:
Director of Education Development

Name of Agency or Community Event:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Visions for Tomorrow

Interviewer(s): Adrian Carrillo Date:2/26/08


NEEDS (including causes and consequences of problems identified)

What are the main needs of adolescents with mental illness?
Proper treatment and quality treatment that treats the whole person – physically, emotionally and mentally.
Education is key for both the families and the professionals, including school employees, that work with children.

What are the main causes of mental illness?
There is not one cause, there are many causes. It could be part of a chemical imbalance, genetics or environmental factors, or a combination of all three.

What are the main problems faced by adolescents with mental illnesses and their families?
Being able to recognize mental illness in the adolescent is one of the main problems. Many families don’t understand why adolescent is behaving different and mental illness develops untreated.
Misdiagnosis
Many people do not get help because they are scared of the stigma that’s is created with mental illness
Once the child has been stabilized, helping them with progressive social skills is often overlooked, adding to the burden of the illness.

RESOURCES (resources in Austin: names of agencies and information on how accessible they are)

What services in Austin are available to help adolescents facing the problem of mental illness­­­­­­­­­? How accessible are services?
NorthStar-available to juvenile teens
Limited services that provide quality treatment
Limited to none services that are available to low-income families
Middle income families have even fewer services than low income families as their private insurance does not have parity coverage for mental illness and often times, their income is too high to qualify for state or federal services.

What is being done in or around the Austin community to address the needs of children with mental illness ?
NAMI- Great Minds Think Alike- provides teens 13-18 yrs. Education and Teaching program







INTERVENTIONS NEEDED (ideas on possible solutions to the problems)

What do you think needs to be done at an individual level to address the needs of children with mental illness­­­­­­­­­?
Individuals and professionals need to address Empathy not sympathy
Help people help themselves- true empathy. This come with extended therapy such as CBT, and social skills training and behavior modification.
We make up society and if you help one person a day, that is 30 people a month and 356 people a year. Sometimes, a kind word is all that is needed by someone that you encounter.

What do you think needs to be done at a community/society level to address the needs of children with mental illness?
Create more education programs in schools, build more community centers and play areas
Continue to promote awareness through organizations: NAMI, Mental Health Association, VFT, community schools. Centers should offer training classes, living skills classes and offer teachings that help individuals become successful and independent – job interview skills, how to balance a checkbook and plan a budget, how to shop on a budget and so on.

Joy to you, this Easter and every day!

I’ve really been overwhelmed the past month. My daughter has been struggling and work has been demanding. However, not to use that as an excuse for being silent here, I will however use it as my reason for posting the General’s Message for Easter. (The General is of course the General of the Salvation Army, since Josh, my son, works there.)

Joy to you this Easter.

The General's Easter Message
The Son of Man must be lifted up
It was to Nicodemus that Jesus spoke these words: 'The Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life' (John 3:14,15 New International Version). Then followed the famous, most often-quoted words in Scripture from John 3:16: 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.'Lifted up? Yes. That is exactly what they did to Jesus at Calvary. They hoisted him high on a cross of wood and nailed him there. Some thought it would get rid of a troublemaker. Others genuinely believed he had blasphemed by claiming to be the Son of God. A few, a precious few, knew who he was and wept their hearts out as they watched him die. They could not take it in. A good man condemned like a thief. Some who had been close to him had deserted. While he suffered, they ran away and hid.Lifted up? Yes. There on a high hill, Calvary, at a place called Golgotha, they executed the best person ever to have walked on the face of the earth. Jesus was innocent of the charges leveled against him. He took it all in virtual silence, never protesting his innocence. He knew he was at the centre of the Heavenly Father's plan of salvation for all of humankind.Lifted up? Yes. They looked at him, some mocking. They taunted him with cheap, hollow words: 'Come on down and save yourself!' Even now some will still deride and cheapen what was done that fateful day.Lifted up? Yes. Into dreadful pain, more of the soul than of the body. He was made sin for us that day, carrying all the weight of my sins and yours as a perfect, atoning sacrifice. He felt utterly cut off from God, crying out in agony of spirit as he experienced crucifixion of both body and mind.Lifted up? Yes. His cross stands starkly as a sign for ever of the loving heart of God towards us despite our sin and disobedience. It is a constant reminder that we can make a new beginning whatever we have done with our lives thus far. Jesus 'lifted up' means forgiveness for the truly repentant, sincerely seeking sinner and the real possibility of a pure and holy life even in a sin-sick world.Lifted up? Yes. Still today Jesus is lifted up for all to see through the lives of those who have received him as their Savior. The nailed-down Jesus, the dead Jesus, was not the end of the story but only the beginning. He defeated sin; he defeated death. The grave could not hold him and they found the tomb empty, the grave clothes lying discarded, no longer required. Hardly do we commemorate his dying before we find ourselves caught up in the wonder of his resurrection. Christ is alive! Lift up your hearts!Lifted up? Yes. You can lift him up: by the way you live for him; by witnessing for him; by loving and serving him; by obeying his words found in the Bible. You can lift him up: by having a heart of concern for the lost; by feeling the pain of a broken world; by sympathy, compassion and an aching heart for others in their lostness and need. You can lift him up: by devoting yourself to the sacred work of soul-winning, making it your daily business; by responding to a sacred calling into Salvation Army officership if that is what God is speaking into your life just now; by simply being his loving and obedient child.Lifted up? Yes. There he is in Heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father. The Ascended One waits for you, and for me. One day we will be in Heaven too, lost in wonder, love and praise. We will see him face to face. Will you be there? He did it all for you, all for me.This Easter, let all Salvationists lift up Jesus, for all the world to see and believe that Jesus is the Christ, so that they might have eternal life. God bless you. He is alive and is with you day by day, moment by moment.
Shaw Clifton, General of The Salvation Army

Give to NAMI so NAMI can give to us!

www.nami.org/namiwalks08/DAL/vft
If you read my little blog here, you know how important NAMI is to me and my family. It has provided us with the education and support we have needed in helping both of our kids dealing with bipolar disorder. Right now, with Caiti being in and out of the hospital and unstable and cycling rapidly, it is the support I get from NAMI members who I now consider wonderful friends who are getting my family through the day, hour by hour, sometimes.

Look at nami.org and see what all they offer. Read my blog and see the needs of families like ours, dealing with mental illness. Find your compassion and empathy and click on the link above and give. Even five dollars makes a difference on NAMI being able to provide books to classes for families. And realize that over 75% of NAMI’s efforts are provided by volunteers like my husband and I were and still are. Even though I now work for the state affiliate, I still donate additional time and resources to NAMI because I believe in what NAMI is and does.

Please give and know that you are helping thousands of others when you do. Click on the link above now.
Thank you.
Deb

Needs for the elderly

NAMI Texas is very interested in what the needs of our society are and what they might become. Below is an link for a survey that will help us to determine the needs of our population as it matures. Mental illness knows no boundaries, including age. Alzheimer's is a form of dementia that is attacking our elderly and even people still in their prime. What do you need for your family if this happens to one of your loved ones? What do you need now if you are already dealing with mental illness as your loved one who is ill grows older. Please click on the link below and tell us what YOU are needing and may need in the future. Thank you very much.



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Cut and paste this link into your browser.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9fy0F1XWAOUuDB3WCETXEg_3d_3d