Monday, November 08, 2004

VA Says Culture Change Will Transform MH Services
Psychiatric News story - "The VA has responded to the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health with proposed action steps that promote "functional recovery" and expansion of mental health services. Federal agencies were asked to respond to the recommendations of the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health after submission of the commission's report to President George W. Bush in July 2003..." See VA Announces Action Plan at the same source and the related items in the October issue of the VA mental health program's "Consumer Council News" (Adobe Acrobat format).  
  

Complex Factors Keep Many Blacks From MH System
Psychiatric News story - "Stigma surrounding mental illness in African-American communities is preventing many from receiving quality mental health services. Underrecognition of a range of mental health problems by clinicians, a lack of trust in the medical community, and poor access to mental health services are keeping many African Americans with mental illness from recovery. William Lawson, M.D., Ph.D., who is chair of the psychiatry department at Howard University in Washington, D.C., illustrated these points at a seminar titled 'African Americans: Facing Mental Illness, Experiencing Recovery,' which was held in conjunction with the 2004 annual conference of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill."  
  

Anxiety Abounds For Mentally Ill, Advocates
Column in the Washington Post - "Amental health day walkathon was the place for me on Saturday. Billed as a 'post-election stress buster' by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the stroll through downtown Washington helped me see beyond America's red states of mind and find solace in a clear, azure blue sky. ... About 500 people participated in the walkathon, which helped mark the organization's 25th anniversary as an advocate for the mentally ill and raise money for research and education efforts." [Viewing Washington Post stories requires registration, which is free.]