Transcript: Bringing Wellness Home (July 2007)
WELCOME
Hello and welcome to the July edition of "Chiming In," the 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 personal wellness, reports on research and policy trends and profiles of communities and everyday Americans living with mental health problems.
Today we cover the exciting events and guests from Mental Health America's 2007 Annual Meeting, which was held in June in Washington, D.C., under the theme, "Bringing Wellness Home." You'll hear from some of this year's rousing speakers, including U.S. Representatives Patrick Kennedy and Jim Ramstad, the leaders of Mental Health America's Campaign to Insure Mental Health and Addiction Equity, and Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the Human Genome Research Institute.
Also on today's show, we'll speak with the people behind an innovative new program working to help mental health consumers quit smoking and with the recipient of Mental Health America's 2007 Clifford W. Beers award, Lucindia Claghorn. But first, here's an overview of the Annual Meeting from our President and CEO, Dr. David Shern.
PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE
Hi, I'm Dr. David Shern, President and CEO of Mental Health America. Welcome to the July edition of "Chiming In."
Last month, Mental Health America held its 2007 Annual Meeting, "Bringing Wellness Home." The focal point was wellness - a core component in our nearly century-old movement, which has gained renewed focus given the indisputable connection between mental and overall health. The meeting brought together advocates, consumers and community leaders to explore the importance of wellness and recovery and how we can incorporate them more fully into our advocacy, programs, services and our lives.
Over the course of four days, Mental Health America hosted a diverse selection of speakers and honorees from within the mental health movement and beyond. On today's program, we showcase just a few of the guests, events and programs featured at the meeting - from members of the U.S. House of Representatives to an international research project mapping human DNA. But there are also many other highlights worth quickly mentioning:
During our opening night ceremony we presented the 2nd annual forWARDs that honor the people, actions and events that advanced the cause of mental health over the past year. Honorees included former Maryland gubernatorial candidate, Doug Duncan, for speaking openly about seeking treatment for his depression; college student, Jordan Nott, who challenged George Washington University for dismissing him from school because he sought emergency mental health care; and Grammy-nominated rock band, The Fray, whose hit single, How to Save a Life, raises awareness of teen suicide and addiction.
At our annual Media Awards luncheon, Mental Health America honored 15 journalists from such outlets as CNN and The Tampa Tribune for their outstanding coverage of mental health issues. And at the Closing Night Dinner, we presented six young advocates with mpower awards for their exceptional efforts to raise awareness of mental health issues among America's youth. On this high note, attendees returned home invigorated and better-equipped to create lasting change in their communities across the nation.
Thanks again for listening to the July issue of "Chiming In." For more info on Mental Health America, or to check out photos, quotes and other highlights from the 2007 Annual Meeting, please visit our website, http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/.
2007 CLIFFORD W. BEERS AWARD-WINNER, LUCINDIA CLAGHORN
Each year, Mental Health America presents its highest honor, the Clifford W. Beers Award, to a mental health consumer whose service and leadership best emulate the example set by the Mental Health America founder in his efforts to improve conditions for, and attitudes toward, people with mental health conditions. It has been presented annually since 1976.
On June 9, at the Closing Night Dinner of its Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, Mental Health America presented the 2007 Beers Award to Lucindia Claghorn, of Mobile, Alabama. Lucindia is a life-long mental health advocate and community service leader. She is the founding member and first president of the Mobile Mental Health Center Consumer Council, a spokesperson for Mental Health America of Southwest Alabama, and a thirty-year volunteer for the American Red Cross.
In addition, Lucindia graduated cum laude with a degree in criminal justice from the University of South Alabama, speaks more than three different languages and has recently published a book of poetry for people with mental health conditions.
Lucindia's achievements are remarkable - especially in light of the countless challenges she has faced throughout her life. As a teenager, for example, she was abandoned by her family because of her schizophrenia and entrusted to the care of the Mobile Mental Health Center. She was told repeatedly that because of her illness, she would not be able to enter a religious order, go to college, graduate with honors or live on her own. Yet she accomplished all these things, and much more. As she stated in her acceptance speech:
Lucindia Claghorn: Now the mental health center doesn't tell me what I can't do or won't do because I've proven them wrong so many times!
Lynn Anderson, Lucindia's long-time mentor and a member of the board of directors of the Mental Health America of Southwest Alabama, says Lucindia's beauty lies in her never-ending desire to be seen as a whole person - rather than as an illness.
Lynn Anderson: She fights for her right to be Lucindia and not Lucindia the mental patient. And that has made her a whole person, because she is not an illness; she is a person with an illness. She doesn't live her illness; she lives to have a whole life.
As an advocate, Lucindia not only fights against the stigma she sees and experiences, but works to empower other consumers to reach their full potential.
Lucindia Claghorn: I believe that God gives you challenges; I don't call them problems, but challenges. And what does a challenge mean? It means that you take lemons and make lemonade. And that is what I've tried to do with my life because I envision a time when there will be no more shame to being diagnosed with a major mental illness than there is if you are diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease. I envision a time when the mental health system will not be fragmented but will be person-centered and recovery-centered. I envision a time when mentally ill people will be accepted as valued members of society.
Our heartfelt congratulations and appreciation go to Lucindia for all that she does and continues to do. Thanks to Lynn Anderson for "Chiming In" with us today. For Mental Health America, I'm Megan Sparks.
CHOICES PROGRAM
On the last edition of "Chiming In," we highlighted a report, which reveals that people with serious mental health conditions - on average - die 25 years earlier than the general population. A leading contributor is cigarette smoking. According to a 2000 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, as much as half of all tobacco consumed in the U.S. is used by people living with a mental health condition. Yet the problem extends beyond just physical health - by depleting their income, it can limit the ability to purchase food, pay rent and, ultimately, degrade their quality of life.
Three years ago, Marie Verna, Advocacy Director for the Mental Health Association in New Jersey, decided to do something about it. She teamed up with Dr. Jill Williams, a psychiatrist specializing in the treatment of tobacco and other addictions in people with serious mental health conditions. Together, they formed an innovative public education program, Consumers Helping Others Improve their Condition by Ending Smoking, or better known as CHOICES, in which mental health consumers - called Consumer Tobacco Advocates - help their peers quit smoking.
The program is based upon the principle that consumers can make choices about their health. Though some consumers take responsibility for caring for their mental well-being, Marie Verna says their physical well-being is often neglected.
Marie Verna: They actually have choices about what kinds of physical illnesses they're also going to have to experience. If a consumer chooses to quit, they actually deserve the treatment and supports that are necessary to do so.
Consumer Tobacco Advocates are central to the CHOICES program. They educate their peers on healthy choices and help connect them with treatment resources and peer networks to support healthy lifestyle changes. And, as consumers themselves, they are naturally suited to engage with their peers.
One Consumer Tobacco Advocate, Wayne Holland, who lives with schizoaffective disorder, explains that because of his success in quitting smoking, he can identify with the difficulties faced by consumers trying to quit.
Wayne Holland: Every time when I had a mood problem, I would reach for that cigarette. It was always there, it was like my buddy. And so getting rid of something that actually becomes almost a major part of your life is a big block to overcome.
Another Consumer Tobacco Advocate, Yasmin Halim, says that as a consumer herself, the people she works with know she understands them and are more inclined to trust her. In this way, Consumer Tobacco Advocates are models for consumers to develop healthier lifestyles.
Yasmin Halim: That's neat that people with mental illnesses can be role models for each other, and they're also role models for me because everybody has something that they have been able to overcome.
As of July 2007, Consumer Tobacco Advocates have carried their message to more than 4,000 consumers. Mental Health America honored Marie Verna and Dr. Jill Williams for their work on the CHOICES program with an Innovation in Programming award at its 2007 Annual Meeting and is now working with them to explore bringing the program to communities nationwide.
For more information about the CHOICES program, please visit http://www.njchoices.org/. Many thanks to Marie Verna, Wayne Holland and Yasmin Halim for "Chiming In" with us today. For Mental Health America, I'm Eileen Sexton.
ADVOCACY DAY WITH U.S. REPRESENTATIVES PATRICK KENNEDY AND JIM RAMSTAD
During the Mental Health America Annual Meeting each June, hundreds of mental health advocates take to Capitol Hill to discuss their legislative priorities with policymakers. On June 7, Mental Health America kicked off its annual "Capitol Hill Advocacy Day" at a breakfast plenary. We honored Representatives Patrick Kennedy and Jim Ramstad with forWARDs for their public leadership in mental health and their tireless efforts to ensure passage of mental health parity legislation. They accepted these honors - and in doing so, crystallized many of the messages Mental Health America advocates would carry to the Hill later that day.
Rep. Kennedy and Ramstad spoke of many critical issues - but the biggest one on their minds this year is making insurance parity real. Over the past year, they led the highly successful Campaign to Insure Mental Health and Addiction Equity along with Mental Health America and its affiliates across the nation. Now they are working to pass the Paul Wellstone Memorial Act, which would end the insurance discrimination facing Americans who need or will ever need mental health or substance abuse treatment.
Rep. Kennedy addressed the inequality in insurance coverage at the Advocacy Day plenary.
Patrick Kennedy: This has always been a country that has moved forward in opening up the circle of opportunity where all people in this country could come together and fully realize their God-given potential. But that dream is still an illusive dream for millions and millions of Americans who also have mental illnesses.
And Rep. Ramstad drove home the urgent need to bring fair insurance coverage to Americans to open this circle of opportunity for people with insurance coverage:
Jim Ramstad: With 267 co-sponsors supporting this critical life saving legislation, we should not have to wait one day longer. With 54 million Americans suffering the ravages of mental illness, we should not have to wait one day longer. With 26 million American suffering the ravages of chemical addictions, we should not have to wait one day longer. The American people cannot afford to wait one day longer to pass this legislation.
After stirring remarks from these leaders, conference attendees headed for Capitol Hill. They met with their legislators to communicate the urgent need to pass parity, and the importance of prioritizing mental health and supporting the needs of Americans with behavioral health problems. The majority returned feeling triumphant and empowered.
In fact, Paddy Kutz, the Executive Director of Mental Health America of Licking County, Ohio, made four Hill visits, which included one with Representative Zack Space and one with Senator George Voinovich. Afterward, Rep. Voinovich, a Republican, signed on as a parity supporter and Rep. Space's staff contacted Paddy requesting to attend her annual conference.
Paddy Kutz: We talked to them to speak up for Medicaid. To speak up for SAMHSA funding. Parity was the biggest one. We had a consumer with us who told her story about not being able to have coverage, so we connected well and were very excited to be in a Congressman's office who understands and supports mental health.
Paddy Kutz, like other Mental Health America advocates, is tireless in her efforts in Washington and at home. You too can stay in engaged in the Mental Health America movement by going to http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/ and joining our online advocacy network.
Thanks to Paddy Kutz for "Chiming In" with us today. For Mental Health America, I'm Heather Cobb.
DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN GENOME RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Anisha Imhoff-Kerr was 3 months old when she was adopted from India to American parents. Because she was adopted, she had no knowledge of her family's medical history.
Anisha Imhoff-Kerr: I was never able to have an answer to that famous question that every doctor asks about your family history. And so when the diagnosis of my bipolar disorder came at age 11, it came as a great shock to myself and my parents.
And that diagnosis marked the beginning of a long process toward recovery. Mental health treatments are highly individualized - no two individuals react the same way to any given treatment - which is why people often try many different combinations of medicines before finding the right one. But knowing of a parent or sibling who's been treated successfully for the same disorder can sometimes help doctors zero in on the right medications, because family members share a similar genetic makeup.
That was not a possibility for Anisha, now 22 and a Mental Health America board member and student at American University in Washington, D.C.
Anisha Imhoff-Kerr: It was very hard because we had tried so many things and so many different doctors and of course after that medications. I've gone through 32 different medications in the process of being treated.
But the science of genomics is about to change all of that. Although it may sound like science fiction to many of us, the mapping of the entire human genome has sparked developments that are beginning to revolutionize the way we diagnose, prevent and treat disease - including mental health disorders.
Dr. Francis S. Collins, who directs the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, discussed the tremendous mental health implications of genomics at Mental Health America's 2007 Annual Meeting, held in June in Washington, D.C. Dr. Collins led the ground-breaking effort to complete the famous Human Genome Project, which in 2003 completed the mapping and sequencing of all human DNA. Many consider the project to be the most significant scientific undertaking of our time.
So what is DNA and why would anyone want to map it? For those of us who've long forgotten our high school biology, Dr. Collins described DNA as a giant instruction manual to the human body:
Francis Collins: If you're looking for a metaphor about what DNA is, it's instruction book - an instruction book written in funny language and it sits in nucleus of each cell. Inside each cell then, this set of instructions is there to kind of direct the cell's activities.
And now that scientists have access to that instruction book, it's allowing them to identify the genetic glitches that can predispose us to getting a particular illness and to develop better treatments. But genetics is just half of the story. Merely having a certain glitch in our DNA won't necessarily result in illness. Environmental conditions, such as the food we eat or our daily stress levels, play an equally large role in determining our health.
Francis Collins: If you look at identical twins - they're nature's way of telling us what's genetic and what's environmental - you will guess that most of these conditions like schizophrenia must have more than genes going on because there's not a complete concordance in people who have the same DNA sequence. Many of those conditions seem to be about 50/50, genes and environment.
The goal for researchers, therefore, is to better understand the interplay between our individual genetic glitches, or predispositions, and what we're exposed to in the environment. It's the interaction of these two factors that can trigger diseases, including mental illnesses. And new research is pushing the science forward. Two recent studies on bipolar disorder may help to pave the way for more targeted medications. And a new public-private partnership led by the National Institutes of Health focus on four different mental health conditions.
But, said Dr. Collins, our ability to calculate the effects of environmental exposures is not what it should be. This led the NIH to launch yet another study: the Gene and Environment Initiative, co-run by Dr. Collins and David Schwartz of the Environmental Health Sciences Institute. The initiative will examine environmental data that's already been collected and help scientists develop better technology to assess environmental exposure.
Francis Collins: This is a new model where in fact you're going to have potentially dozens of investigators working with these data trying to see what can be learned and particularly looking at any evidence of gene and environment interactions that might give us a clue about prevention and treatment.
Based on these studies, Dr. Collins expects that major genetic risk factors for common diseases may be identified in as soon as two or three years. But how will it all play out in real practice?
Francis Collins: I think the real principle here is to try to go from one-size-fits all medicine - you wouldn't think of buying shoes in a single size - and applying this individual approach, which genomics gives us a chance to do.
At some point, he said, we'll be able not only to predict who's at risk for specific illnesses but to predict what intervention might succeed, and then develop interventions that go to the very heart of that particular individual's condition based on his or her genetic make-up. That, he said, is the part that takes the longest and greatest amount of resources.
We've already seen that kind of success in a few instances with cancer drugs, and Dr. Collins predicts we're at least four of five years from reaching that type of goal for a variety of drugs that treat mental health problems.
These drugs will also address concerns about what can often be dramatic variations in how individuals metabolize the same medications differently. Depending on racial, ethnic or other differences, a drug that may work well for one person may not work at all for someone else - or could even make someone sick. Current research projects therefore involve a wide diversity of participants.
But before we can realize the promise these advances hold for the future of medicine, Dr. Collins warns that there are a number of ethical, legal and social concerns that must be addressed. One controversial issue is how to protect consumers against the misuse of genetic information by health insurers and employers. A bill awaiting vote in the Senate would offer such protections. Mental Health America recently joined the Coalition for Genetic Fairness to make that bill part of its legislative agenda. Other challenges include ensuring the scientific validity of genetic tests and increasing our nation's investment in preventative medicine. Yet another major stumbling block is one all-too-familiar to mental health advocates - access to care. Genetics, like behavioral health services, are poorly reimbursed and, Dr. Collins said, that needs to change.
All the challenges aside, the future for genetics appears especially bright. The work of the Human Genome Project, Dr. Collins said, is taking us to a better place when it comes to prevention and treatment of mental health conditions. In the meantime, Anisha Imhoff-Kerr and the millions of others living mental health disorders are looking forward to the day when that dream will become a reality.
For more information on this topic, visit http://www.nih.gov/. For Mental Health America, I'm Holly Seltzer.
CLOSING
That's it for our July edition of "Chiming In." Stay tuned for future programs by visiting http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/, where you can listen to clips or entire podcasts and subscribe to receive new shows as soon as they're available.
I'm Holly Seltzer and this is "Chiming In" from Mental Health America. We are "Bringing Wellness Home."
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