Lawmaker urges mental health reforms after Robin Williams's death

[SPQR]

There is a stigmatism toward people who have depression. That is why many of them who do not turn to their families for help

http://www.mentalhealth.wa.gov.au/mental_illness_and_health/mh_stigma.aspx

Depression is called the silent killer. Instead of getting these people some help we are playing politics.

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/108583/depression/the_silent_killer___clinical_depression.html

[SPQR]

There is a stigmatism toward people who have depression. That is why many of them who do not turn to their families for help

http://www.mentalhealth.wa.gov.au/mental_illness_and_health/mh_stigma.aspx

Here is a website on understanding suicide.Instead of getting these people some help we are playing politics.

http://www.mentalhealth.wa.gov.au/mental_illness_and_health/mh_suicide.aspx

[truth_seeker]

Himself not his family. Usually people who have depression keep it to themselves. Both of my aunts never knew that their sons had depresson until it was too late.

Williams knew he had depression. He was very public about his alcoholism, and his depression.

Even when all your family and friends know, that doesn't mean they can watch you 24/7 if the individual is determined to end it.

[SPQR]

Even when all your family and friends know, that doesn't mean they can watch you 24/7 if the individual is determined to end it.

He had a wife didn't he and a housekeeper? She and the  should noticed the changes in his attitude. I noticed the changes in my cousin when he died.Clinically depressed people usually have had signs of a depressed mood or a decreased interest in pleasurable activities for at least a 2-week period. The wife may have known the changes because of her close proximity to him. When I get depressed people notice a subtle change in my attitude so I know how he may have felt.

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/108583/depression/the_silent_killer___clinical_depression.html

[olde north church]

There comes a point where you are no longer your brother's keeper.  Cold?  Definitely.  Correct?  Absolutely.

[Oceander]

I have met people who have severe mental problems through the Relief Society of the LDS church. Mormons are to help people in need and provide help.We are in constantly involved in the homeless community so we see these things.  In 1989,Ensign Magazine(which is the official magazine of the LDS church) the Relief Society wrote an article titled "Mental Illness: In Search of Understanding and Hope". It gives information on all the mood disorders and how to deal with . The reason Robin Williams committed suicide because there was no one to help him in his time of need. He was possibly self medicating himself with alcohol or drugs.Also there is a stigma attached for people are mentally ill or depressed. They languish in the shadows then it gets to a point its easier to kill oneself. That is why he kept it quiet for so long. Maybe you should check out these websites  about people who have depression,mentally ill and suicide:

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20521915_4,00.html
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20521915_7,00.html
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20521915_9,00.html

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1989/02/mental-illness-in-search-of-understanding-and-hope?lang=eng

*UPDATED*

With all due respect, your proposed solution is not thought out and would lead to nothing less than wholesale control and "management" of individuals by the government for the sake of their own mental health.

How so?  Since, according to you, people with mental health problems never tell anyone - an extremely dubious proposition by the way, and refuted by reams of evidence - then the only way for us to tell, ex ante, if someone has mental health problems is to comprehensively insert ourselves - via our government mental health agencies - into every individual's life to see if he or she is hiding a mental illness.

Pardon the pun, but that way lies madness.

[GourmetDan]

There comes a point where you are no longer your brother's keeper.  Cold?  Definitely.  Correct?  Absolutely.

Unfortunately, there is no point where the government no longer thinks it needs to increase it's power and ability to intervene...

[SPQR]

There comes a point where you are no longer your brother's keeper.  Cold?  Definitely.  Correct?  Absolutely.

Very heartless

[SPQR]

With all due respect, your proposed solution is not thought out and would lead to nothing less than wholesale control and "management" of individuals by the government for the sake of their own mental health.

How so?  Since, according to you, people with mental health problems never tell anyone - an extremely dubious proposition by the way, and refuted by reams of evidence - then the only way for us to tell, ex ante, if someone has mental health problems is to comprehensively insert ourselves - via our government mental health agencies - into every individual's life to see if he or she is hiding a mental illness.

Pardon the pun, but that way lies madness.

Government will not run this. It will be run by health care professionals

[GourmetDan]

It will be run by health care professionals

Whose actions will be dictated by the government...

[SPQR]

With all due respect, your proposed solution is not thought out and would lead to nothing less than wholesale control and "management" of individuals by the government for the sake of their own mental health.

How so?  Since, according to you, people with mental health problems never tell anyone - an extremely dubious proposition by the way, and refuted by reams of evidence - then the only way for us to tell, ex ante, if someone has mental health problems is to comprehensively insert ourselves - via our government mental health agencies - into every individual's life to see if he or she is hiding a mental illness.

Pardon the pun, but that way lies madness.

I never told anyone because of stigma attached to it. It people like you who do not understand the day to day struggle with this condition.

[SPQR]

Whose actions will be dictated by the government...

 Also there would be oversight committee the money is being spent correctly.There is already oversight committees.The State of California Department of Public Health watches and regulates policies.On November 2004, voters in the U.S. state of California passed Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which has been designed to expand and transform California’s county mental health service systems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Mental_Health_Services_Act

[SPQR]

With all due respect, your proposed solution is not thought out and would lead to nothing less than wholesale control and "management" of individuals by the government for the sake of their own mental health.

How so?  Since, according to you, people with mental health problems never tell anyone - an extremely dubious proposition by the way, and refuted by reams of evidence - then the only way for us to tell, ex ante, if someone has mental health problems is to comprehensively insert ourselves - via our government mental health agencies - into every individual's life to see if he or she is hiding a mental illness.

Pardon the pun, but that way lies madness.

Clinically depressed people usually have had signs of a depressed mood or a decreased interest in pleasurable activities for at least a 2-week period.

.thers function appropriately in their interactions with the outside world by exerting great effort and forcing themselves to mask their distres
These sensations are frequently manifestations of depressions. The depression is undiagnosed about half of the time and masquerades as physical health problems. I suffer from clinically depression.When I get depressed people notice a subtle change in my attitude so I know how he may have felt.

 

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/108583/depression/the_silent_killer___clinical_depression.html

In California this is how mental healthcare is implied:California State Department of Mental Health (DMH)[edit]

In accordance with realignment, the DMH approves county three-year implementation plans, upon comment from the MHSOAC,[18] and passes programmatic responsibilities to the counties. In the first few months immediately following its passage, the DMH has:
##Obtained federal approvals and Medi-Cal waivers, State authority, additional resources and technical assistance in areas related to implementation
##Established detailed requirements for the content of local three year expenditure plans
##Developed criteria and procedures for reporting of county and state performance outcomes
##Defined requirements for the maintenance of current State and local efforts to protect against supplanting existing programs and their funding streams
##Developed formulas for how funding will be divided or distributed among counties
##Determined how funding will flow to counties and set up the mechanics of distribution
##Established a 16 member Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), composed of elected State officials and Governor appointees, along with procedures for MHSOAC review of county planning efforts and oversight of DMH implementation
##Developed and published regulations and provide preliminary training to all counties on plan development and implementation requirements

The DMH has directed all counties to develop plans incorporating five essential concepts:
##Community collaboration
##Cultural competence
##Client/family-driven mental health system for older adults, adults and transition age youth and family-driven system of care for children and youth
##Wellness focus, which includes the concepts of recovery and resilience
##Integrated service experiences for clients and their families throughout their interactions with the mental health system

The DMH, in assuming and asserting its primacy over MHSA implementation, has dictated requirements for service delivery and supports as follows:
##Full Service Partnership (FSP) Funds - funds to provide necessary services and supports for initial populations
##General System Development Funds - funds to improve services and infrastructure
##Outreach and Engagement Funding - funds for those populations that are currently receiving little or no service
The MHSA stipulates that the California State Department of Mental Health (DMH) will contract with county mental health departments to develop and manage the implementation of its provisions. Oversight responsibility for MHSA implementation was handed over to the sixteen member Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) on July 7, 2005, when the commission first met.

In accordance with realignment, the DMH approves county three-year implementation plans, upon comment from the MHSOAC,[18] and passes programmatic responsibilities to the counties. In the first few months immediately following its passage, the DMH has:
Obtained federal approvals and Medi-Cal waivers, State authority, additional resources and technical assistance in areas related to implementation
Established detailed requirements for the content of local three year expenditure plans
Developed criteria and procedures for reporting of county and state performance outcomes
Defined requirements for the maintenance of current State and local efforts to protect against supplanting existing programs and their funding streams
Developed formulas for how funding will be divided or distributed among counties
Determined how funding will flow to counties and set up the mechanics of distribution
Established a 16 member Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), composed of elected State officials and Governor appointees, along with procedures for MHSOAC review of county planning efforts and oversight of DMH implementation
Developed and published regulations and provide preliminary training to all counties on plan development and implementation requirements

The DMH has directed all counties to develop plans incorporating five essential concepts:
Community collaboration
Cultural competence
Client/family-driven mental health system for older adults, adults and transition age youth and family-driven system of care for children and youth
Wellness focus, which includes the concepts of recovery and resilience
Integrated service experiences for clients and their families throughout their interactions with the mental health system

The DMH, in assuming and asserting its primacy over MHSA implementation, has dictated requirements for service delivery and supports as follows:
Full Service Partnership (FSP) Funds - funds to provide necessary services and supports for initial populations
General System Development Funds - funds to improve services and infrastructure
Outreach and Engagement Funding - funds for those populations that are currently receiving little or no service

The authors of the MHSA created the MHSOAC to reflect the consumer-oriented focus of the law, mandating at least two appointees with severe mental illness, two other family members of individuals with severe mental illness, and various other community representatives. This diverse commission holds the responsibility of approving county implementation plans, helping develop mental illness stigma-relieving strategies, and recommending service delivery improvements to the state on an as-needed basis. Whenever the commission identifies a critical issue related to the performance of a county mental health program, it may refer the issue to the DMH.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Mental_Health_Services_Act

[GourmetDan]

Also there would be oversight committee the money is being spent correctly.There is already oversight committees.The State of California Department of Public Health watches and regulates policies.On November 2004, voters in the U.S. state of California passed Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which has been designed to expand and transform California’s county mental health service systems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Mental_Health_Services_Act

Unfortunately, there is no point where the government no longer thinks it needs to increase it's power and ability to intervene...

[SPQR]

In my opinion, the act provides money to the state and the oversight if you read it carefully.

[olde north church]

Very heartless

There are people who believe the mentally ill are capable of taking care of themselves and fought to "protect their rights" by putting them back on the streets.  Is that heartless?

[SPQR]

There are people who believe the mentally ill are capable of taking care of themselves and fought to "protect their rights" by putting them back on the streets.  Is that heartless?

They cant take care of themselves. When I am helping the homeless for the Church half of these people do not know what planet they are on.

[SPQR]

I think that this topic has run it course. I cannot believe the inhumanity and callousness toward people who cannot defend themselves on this board. When your family member is clinically ill or commits suicide I hope that you feel the anguish and helplessness 54 million Americans go through each day. It makes me sick what is going on around here. People are playing politics instead of saving lives

[EC]

They cant take care of themselves. When I am helping the homeless for the Church half of these people do not know what planet they are on.

Ease down, my friend. You are both on the same side of the coin, just opposite edges.

You work with the Church (and  to that. Wish more gave a crap and gave their time). Not my church, but still. Something people trust. The government is a different kettle of fish. Ever seen a government program that didn't get hijacked at some stage to make some politician look good and shore up votes?

You are endlessly and eternally right - mental illness is horrible and depression is the most creeping and creepy aspect of it. It sneaks up on you. It gets dismissed by your friends - "Oh, you are just feeling down, come out and have a few beers/meal/game of darts." People do self medicate with booze or drugs - not to feel better, but to simply not feel for a while. Right now you are - I hope - tailing off on the pain killers after your surgery. Do you know just how appealing that numbness and feeling of being disconnected is to a depression sufferer?

Pills don't work though as a full time measure. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort to fight through depression. I'd like to see something like the AA or recruiting stations. Good therapists, paid from the public purse, in walk in clinics. And the government keeps it's nose out (the AA part). No stigma if no one knows, right?

[Oceander]

I think that this topic has run it course. I cannot believe the inhumanity and callousness toward people who cannot defend themselves on this board. When your family member is clinically ill or commits suicide I hope that you feel the anguish and helplessness 54 million Americans go through each day. It makes me sick what is going on around here. People are playing politics instead of saving lives

Don't feed me that strawman b.s.  I'm sorry to be so hard, but the fact of the matter is - personal admission here - I myself dealt with depression during my early twenties and flirted with the idea of suicide.  But I didn't kill myself; I recognized that my feelings were "out there" and I went and got some help before my descent into the morass became irreversible.  And I had a mere pittance of money and no insurance; I found a doctor who provided basic help for low cost and I took it upon myself to make sure I got, and took, the medication prescribed for me.

So don't try to bully me with my alleged lack of compassion just because I disagree with the idea that the government should be everybody's mental nanny.

[Oceander]

They cant take care of themselves. When I am helping the homeless for the Church half of these people do not know what planet they are on.

I took care of myself, thank you very much, and on my own initiative; I didn't need a mental nanny to do it for me.

[SPQR]

I took care of myself, thank you very much, and on my own initiative; I didn't need a mental nanny to do it for me.

People who are on the streets cant. That is why they need help. I double dare you to go to spend a day at the Fred Jordan Mission and see the homeless and mentally ill.

[SPQR]

Don't feed me that strawman b.s.  I'm sorry to be so hard, but the fact of the matter is - personal admission here - I myself dealt with depression during my early twenties and flirted with the idea of suicide.  But I didn't kill myself; I recognized that my feelings were "out there" and I went and got some help before my descent into the morass became irreversible.  And I had a mere pittance of money and no insurance; I found a doctor who provided basic help for low cost and I took it upon myself to make sure I got, and took, the medication prescribed for me.

So don't try to bully me with my alleged lack of compassion just because I disagree with the idea that the government should be everybody's mental nanny.

You have no compassion. You are displaying it very well

[EC]

I took care of myself, thank you very much, and on my own initiative; I didn't need a mental nanny to do it for me.

You did. 

Some can't.

[SPQR]

You did. 

Some can't.

Some people cannot afford your help Oceander. Thumbs up, EC