Transcript: May is Mental Health Month (May 2007)
WELCOME
Hello and welcome to "Chiming In," the brand new podcast from Mental Health America - the country's leading nonprofit dedicated to helping ALL people live mentally healthier lives. "Chiming In" delivers regular features on mental health issues, including information for improving you personal wellness, reports on research and policy trends and profiles of everyday Americans living with mental health problems.
The focal-point for today's program is Mental Health Month, a half-century old observance that Mental Health America to communicate the importance of mental health and promote mentally-healthy lifestyles. Each May, Americans recognize Mental Health Month with events and activities in communities across the country. Later, we'll chat with event organizers and tell you how to find events in your area and get involved.
Also on today's program, you'll hear about the vital connection between mental and overall health, and about a new report revealing the effects of severe mental illness on longevity. We'll also explore the national movement to end health care discrimination. But first, here's an introduction to Mental Health Month and to our movement, from Mental Health America President and CEO, Dr. David Shern.
PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE
Hi I'm Dr. David Shern, President and CEO of Mental Health America. Thanks for listening to "Chiming In."
More than 50 years ago, Mental Health America created Mental Health Month to raise awareness about mental illness and the importance of mental wellness for all. That's why each May, Mental Health America, our affiliates, partner organizations and everyday citizens conduct activities and public education initiatives in their communities to communicate that mental wellness is central to overall health and well being.
So what exactly is mental health? Simply put, mental health is the ability to effectively cope with daily life and the challenges that it brings. When we have good mental health, we deal more effectively with what comes our way. Poor mental health, such as feeling overwhelmed by stress or suffering from an untreated mental illness, can make even day to day life difficult.
In November 2006, our organization took on a new name. We were formerly known as the National Mental Health Association. On November 16th, we became Mental Health America. We chose the new name to communicate our renewed focus on all people and our fundamental belief that mental health is essential to health. For too long, mental health problems have been viewed as affecting only people with serious mental illnesses. The reality is that mental health affects us all - in our daily lives, whether at home or at work - and in difficult times.
Moreover, mental illnesses are common and can strike anyone - we are all at risk. The good news, however, is that mental illnesses are very treatable and most people who get treatment, get better.
As a nation, we've got a lot of work to do. That's where Mental Health America comes in. Mental Health America is the country's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthy lives. We are a movement of people with more than 320 affiliates nationwide, who work to promote wellness in their communities throughout the nation.
Thank you for joining us for "Chiming In." We hope you enjoy today's program. For more info on Mental Health America, May is Mental Health Month or any of the topics discussed here, please visit our website, http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/. Thanks so much.
WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS MENTAL HEALTH MONTH
May is Mental Health Month and across the country, Mental Health America affiliates are hosting events in their communities to help people recognize mental illnesses and the importance of good mental health. Countless activities are scheduled - some small and others on a grander scale.
In Maryland, the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County is celebrating Mental Health Month with a gala reception for friends and supporters of the association over the last 50 years. Executive Director, Sharon Friedman, explains:
Sharon Friedman: We have been very involved in the fabric of the community in terms of delivery of mental health services and this is one of our opportunities during our 50th year to celebrate with those people who have worked very closely with us to achieve our mission. We'll be celebrating 50 years of improving thousands of lives.
The 50Fest, held at Strathmore Music Center, brings together Montgomery County officials, elected leaders, financial supporters and volunteers for a reception, dinner and silent auction. Emceeing the evening's events is Kojo Nnamdi, host of the popular DC-area public affairs program, the Kojo Nnamdi Show.
Sharon Friedman: We do such serious work here at Mental Health Association, its nice to be able to take an evening to celebrate our staff, the volunteers and all the people in the community who have supported us over the years.
Meanwhile, in Florida, the Mental Health Association of Volusia & Flagler Counties is holding its 6th Annual Cool Blues Fest - an evening of music, food and festivities designed to raise community awareness about mental health. Here's Gail Gregory, President and CEO:
Gail Gregory: This is the sixth year we've been doing it and we've found a really positive way to have the community become very aware of mental illness and mental health and what it means to us. It's in a very non-traditional setting - in a blues club.
The festival, held at the popular Bank and Blues Club in downtown Daytona Beach, brings together as many as 300 mental health consumers, music lovers and other members of the community. Entertainment is provided by Orlando's Bird Dog Bobby and his band. After 6 years playing the event, they are well known to the Cool Blues Fest crowd - and can always count on a great response.
Gail Gregory: They always are so happy to come do this event because they say we're such a great crowd to play for and to work with.
For more information about May is Mental Health Month, or to locate a Mental Health Month event in your area, visit http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/ or contact your local Mental Health America affiliate.
Thanks to Sharon Friedman and Gail Gregory for "Chiming In" with us today. For Mental Health America, this is Eileen Sexton.
MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS
The mental health community knows that people who have serious mental illnesses - such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia - have a shorter life expectancy than people in the general population. But a recent from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, reveals that the number of years lost has increased significantly since the 1990's. We now know that people in the public mental health who have serious mental illness, on average, die at least 25 years before than the general population.
Dr. Joe Parks, Director of Psychiatric services for the Missouri Department of Mental Health, was lead author of the report. He cites three broad reasons for the increase. First, people with mental illness have more of the general risk factors for chronic medical disorders.
Joe Parks: In general, people with severe mental illness have lower levels of physical activity, they have more obesity, they have poor nutrition, they smoke a lot more cigarettes. 75 percent of people with severe mental illness smoke cigarettes. The biggest danger with smoking is actually not cancer, but heart disease and the biggest killer of people with mental illness is heart disease, not suicide.
Second, people with serious mental illnesses are less likely to get routine preventive medical care - including screening for cancer, cholesterol and high blood pressure - and are less likely to received follow up once a condition has been identified. And third, some mental health medications can have significant adverse effects on health - from causing weight gain to increasing susceptibility to diabetes.
The report's findings make clear that just as mental health is essential overall health, our overall health is also essential to mental health.
Joe Parks: Many people get onset in their twenties, they struggle for a decade, they start to get a handle of their symptoms and how to manage their illness in their thirties, and they don't get solidly into recovery until their forties. And it's just a cruel outcome to then have somebody die in their fifties, just when they've gotten a solid recovery from mental illness. We have to take care of these physical health problems also.
So what can be done to reverse this trend? A key recommendation from the report is to increase the integration of mental and general health services. In other words, mental health professionals are in a key position to encourage consumers to maintain their physical health care. This means encouraging patients to go to their primary care visits and reminding them to take their medications, or developing programs to help them quit smoking and increase physical activity.
Dr. Parks also believes that people living with mental illnesses should learn to improve their general health, from their exercise and eating habits to their choice of medications.
Joe Parks: The choices they make make a difference. They can choose to get up and take a walk around the block. They can choose to use the stairs. They can choose to use diet soda - I mean, a can of soda has a hundred calories. You drink four cans a day, that's four hundred calories and there are lower-calorie alternatives. Health is really the compilation of many small decisions we make.
To access the full report, entitled "Morbidity and Mortality in People With Serious Mental Illness," visit http://www.nasmhpd.org/.
Thanks to Dr. Joe Parks for "Chiming In" with us today. For Mental Health America, I'm Holly Seltzer.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENTAL AND OVERALL HEALTH
Most Americans rarely think - or even talk about - mental health. We may know someone who has depression or we may have even struggled with a mental health problem ourselves, but few of us actually consider how our mental wellness plays out on a day-to-day basis. Yet mental health influences all aspects of our lives - our relationships, our ability to function at work or at school, or even our ability to function.
If we were to place mental health on a spectrum, we'd see untreated illness at one end, with complete wellness at the other. Given our fast-paced culture and high-stress lifestyles, most of us are somewhere in the middle. And that's not only bad for our mental health - it affects our overall health as well.
In fact, research shows that when our mental health is poor - due to stress or other challenges - it can affect our entire body. For example, did you know that stress is closely linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity? Or that people who feel depressed or overly stressed may be at greater risk of physical illness?
Dr. Stephen Boyle of Duke University Medical Center conducted studies on the effects of depression, anger and hostility. He says that these kinds of negative psychological traits can lead to inflammation - a process that contributes to the development and progression of chronic diseases.
Stephen Boyle: Inflammation has been identified as an important risk factor for heart disease. But it has also been identified as an important risk factor for other diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, and there are huge health risks that go along with those things.
Dr. Boyle's study, which examined people over a ten-year period, found that those with higher levels of anger, hostility and depression, had the greatest increases in inflammation - and consequently, a higher risk for coronary heart disease.
Stephen Boyle: We know that other things increase inflammation like smoking, obesity and lack of exercise. But the implication of this study is the way you think and feel also influences your body in an adverse way.
Other studies have shown that healthy lifestyle habits - once thought to only improve our physical health - may improve our mental health as well. Exercise, for example, can help reduce stress and improve anxiety and depression.
It's important to recognize the role that mental health plays in our lives. Yet it's equally - if not more important - that we develop healthy habits that can protect and strengthen our overall health. Here are some tried and true techniques:
1) Set Manageable Goals - The more control you have over work, the less stressed you'll feel. Be realistic about your workload and deadlines.
2) Live a Healthy Lifestyle - Taking care of your body makes a difference. Limit intake of caffeine and alcohol, get enough rest, exercise and balance work with play.
3) Spend Time With Others - Family and friends are important. Reach out to someone you haven't talked to in a while or call on a friend or relative to join you on errands or everyday activities. It will help raise your spirits and engage others in your life.
4) Take a Time Out - Taking time to unwind can decrease your stress levels and improve your health and relationships. Try meditating, take a walk or engage in a favorite activity. Whatever you choose to do, remember: it's your time, so spend it doing something you enjoy.
5) And finally, be prepared to ask for help if you need it. Allow friends and family to assist with housework, child-care or any activities you find stressful. If you persistently feel overwhelmed, seek help from a mental health professional. The ability to ask for help may be your greatest asset.
Thanks to Dr. Stephen Boyle for "Chiming In" with us today. For Mental Health America, I'm Jason Halal.
MENTAL HEALTH INSURANCE PARITY
For the good part of two decades, mental health advocates from across the nation have fought for federal legislation that is commonly and simply referred to as mental health parity. In short, parity would end the discrimination that currently faces millions of Americans. It would bar employers and health plans from imposing stricter limits on insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse care than those set for other health problems.
Right now there are bills in both the House of Representatives and the Senate that have broad, bipartisan support. According to Ralph Ibson, Mental Health America's Vice President for Government Affairs, enactment of a strong parity bill in 2007 is the necessary first step in improving access to behavioral health care.
Ralph Ibson: Parity legislation is really about helping ensure access to care and all of us are subject to the risk of mental health disorders, so we all stand to benefit.
Since all Americans will benefit from federal parity legislation, it's understandable that it has broad, bipartisan support. In fact, a survey released by Mental Health America earlier this year revealed that nearly all Americans support parity, including 83% of Republicans, 92% of Democrats and 89% of employees and managers alike.
Ralph Ibson: Parity is very much about bipartisanship. It has been a long struggle, but it's a struggle that has united advocates and leaders in Congress and it's a struggle we're going to win.
Behind the concept of parity and behind federal legislation are thousands of advocates and supporters. Parity efforts are led by mental health advocates, people living with mental illnesses, family members and concerned citizens, as one would expect. But support is much broader. Because mental health affects us all, it's likely that in any given American town, a police chief, professor, business leader or grocery store clerk supports parity.
Ralph Ibson: Parity has united mental health advocacy groups, all of whom support it, and the circle is ever-widening with many, many groups beyond the traditional mental health community supporting parity.
To broaden the movement of parity supporters, Mental Health America created the Campaign to Ensure Mental Health and Addiction Equity, so advocates from all over the nation can make history through the fight for parity.
Ralph Ibson: That campaign is everyone's avenue to reach and press legislators to take action on this important measure.
Thanks to Ralph Ibson for "Chiming In" with us today. And again, please join the growing movement of parity supporters by visiting http://www.equitycampaign.net/. For Mental Health America, I'm Heather Cobb.
CLOSING
That's it for our May edition of "Chiming In." Stay tuned for future programs by visiting our website at http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/, where you can listen to clips or entire podcasts and subscribe to receive new podcasts as soon as they're available.
And don't forget to register for Mental Health America's upcoming 2007 Annual Meeting, under our theme, "Bringing Wellness Home," June 6th through 9th in Washington D.C. Details and registration forms are available at http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/
Thanks for joining us. This has been "Chiming In," from Mental Health America. We are "Bringing Wellness Home."
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