ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. NEW JERSEY TAKES A BETTER PATH FOR TREATING THE MENTALLY
ILL
2. MENTAL HEALTH LOGJAM
3. DUAL DISORDERS RARELY TREATED PROPERLY
4. WORK STALLS ON 'NON-PROFIT MALL' AT GREYSTONE PSYCHIATRIC
COMPLEX
5. NAMI NJ TO HOLD SPANISH-LANGUAGE CONFERENCE ON MENTAL
HEALTH
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NEW JERSEY TAKES A BETTER PATH FOR TREATING THE MENTALLY
ILL
New Jersey created a great opportunity to provide better
outpatient treatment for individuals with severe mental
illnesses when Gov. Jon Corzine signed Senate Bill No. 735
last Tuesday. New Jersey now joins 42 other states that
have improved their mental health treatment laws to allow
assisted outpatient treatment as a less restrictive, less
costly alternative to hospitalization for individuals suffering
from severe mental illness. Such laws authorize a judge,
typically only after a showing of medical necessity or danger,
to order a person to follow a treatment plan, which can
include medication, while living in the community.
Read more:
http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2009/08/by_james_pavle_and_kristina.html
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MENTAL HEALTH LOGJAM
A growing number of psychiatric patients - including adolescents
- are spending days and in some cases more than a week in
emergency departments without specialized care because there
is no room for them at psychiatric hospitals. In a July
survey by the New Jersey Hospital Association, 25 hospitals
reported wait times averaging 48 hours for psychiatric patients
to be transferred out of emergency departments. It is not
uncommon for hospitals to report three to seven psychiatric
patients waiting in the emergency department on any given
day.
Read more in The Record:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/mental_health_placeholder.html?c=y&page=1
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DUAL DISORDERS RARELY TREATED PROPERLY
Danny Watt was a walking symbol of a phenomenon called
co-occurring disorders, or dual diagnosis, which is estimated
to affect 7 million adults in the United States. These people
are both seriously mentally ill and abusing drugs or alcohol.
About half of all adults who are seriously mentally ill
are also thought to be addicted. The mental health community
calls this "self-medication." The federal government
estimates that 90 percent of people with co-occurring disorders
do not get the treatment they need. Danny's death shows
how hard it can be to treat people with co-occurring disorders
and why so many die young.
Read the Washington Post Story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/27/AR2009072702248.html?hpid=topnews
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WORK STALLS ON 'NON-PROFIT MALL' AT GREYSTONE PSYCHIATRIC
COMPLEX
Creating a "non-profit mall'' in an old psychiatric
complex in Parsippany has slowed because of budget constraints,
but Morris County hopes to at least move some police and
court operations into the former Central Avenue Complex
by early next year. The plan calls for charitable groups,
mostly with a mental health bent, to be charged a minimal
fee to use the building that would offer central secretarial,
purchasing and other services, saving money and allowing
a coordination of offerings.
Read more:
http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/08/work_stalls_on_nonprofit_mall.html
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NAMI NJ TO HOLD SPANISH-LANGUAGE CONFERENCE ON MENTAL HEALTH
NAMI New Jersey is holding a Mental Health in the Latino
Community conference in Spanish Sunday, Oct. 3 at St. Mary
& St. Peter Catholic Academy, 165 Somerset St. The goal
of this conference is to offer valuable information to the
Latino community on mental illness. Experts in the field
will discuss the causes and symptoms of common emotional
disorders. In addition, they will talk about treatment modalities
available and a variety of skills you can learn to cope
with mental illness.
For more information or to register, download a form at:
naminj.org.
