Slovenia : where mental illness is a crime

A unique program at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center is combining prenatal care with psychiatric treatment for low-income women who might otherwise not seek help for mental health issues during pregnancy.

Assertive community treatment teams working through outreach-centered programs in Maricopa County have become an industry standard for treating those with persistent and severe mental illnesses who have recently been incarcerated. They provide a long-term approach, aiming to halt a cycle of incarceration and hospitalization by focusing on underlying issues such as what caused the police interaction and incarceration.

After a brutal incident led to a violent attack and the death of his son, Senator Creigh Deeds was determined to reform the mental health system in Virginia. The Deeds commission passed a series of reforms, among them a law that created a registry of open psychiatric beds, a transportation program so that people don’t have to be detained by police, and a program that offers housing for people with mental illness.

A Colorado bike builder creates adapted cycles for athletes who otherwise rely on wheelchairs for mobility. The cycles allow adventurous people with disabilities to ride trails and access difficult terrain.

Injectable antipsychotics make adherence easier for the estimated 40-90 percent who struggle to remember their pills. These injections can help stabilize moods and symptoms for patients of psychological disorders like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. There is still stigma associated with injections.

An Army veteran who served in Iraq saw that post traumatic Stress disorder afflicted too many of his peers. He started a mental health technology company that tracks health data from heart rate to exercise to time spent meditating or journaling. The app can signal to users when they should check in with professionals. The business is attracting funding and partnerships.

Crossroads for Women, a New Mexico nonprofit, is helping formerly incarcerated women find community, support, and recovery. Using trauma-informed care practices, the program offers a comprehensive list of services like housing, mental health treatment, employment counseling, and substance abuse treatment. Underlying all services is the understanding that no individual is trauma free and that community and relationships are crucial to sustainable recovery.

As colleges and universities across the United States have shifted to online classes and shut down their campuses, not every student simply has the ability to move home. To help support these students, many of whom are low-income or international, the Stay Together Appalachian Youth Project began working with local communities to find housing for displaced students, as well as to provide other support like money or supplies.

Lidem, u kterých je vysoké riziko sebevraždy, může pomoct cílená péče na míru. V rámci reformy psychiatrie v Česku vznikají státem financovaná Centra duševního zdraví, která se zaměřují na cílenou, přístupnou a na klienta zaměřenou psychiatrickou a psychologickou péči. Centra zaměstnávají nejen psychiatry a zdravotní sestry, ale též sociální pracovníky, kteří jsou zapojeni do různých aspektů léčby člověka s duševním onemocněním. Klíčový je vztah s klientem, který s lékařem spolupracuje a spolurozhoduje o typu léčby. Služba zatím není v Česku moc známá a pomoc se tak nedostane ke všem, kteří ji potřebují.

Grand Rapids is working to reform behavioral health services and the way law enforcement interacts with those in a mental health crisis through efforts like its county-run crisis access center. An increased need has led to an expansion of these programs, and the city now has a psychiatric urgent care center, mobile crisis teams that make house calls, social workers who join the police on 911 calls and plans for a 24/7 behavioral health crisis center that will open in November.