“I’m Too Busy!”

By: Anne Snider, RN, BSN

Nurse Manager, Partial Hospital Program

Many of us have a tendency to put our own needs on hold.  We may think that, “oh, this will pass” or “I just don’t have time to be sick”.  We all face demands, be they with work or school or family.  Unfortunately, left unattended, our difficulties often times mount instead of pass.  But, we all know that we can’t be for others what we would like until we are healthy for ourselves. 

Why Counseling?

Sometimes people come to see me, or they end up at the mental health facility, and wonder why they’re there.   It’s a common problem that people have, and it boils down to one question:
Why counseling?
Or more importantly,
Why would I need counseling?
First, I would like to say that one of the most common statements I hear from people that wonder if they made the right choice is:  “I was worried it looked bad/spoke ill of me if I went to counseling.”

You wonder what it says about you if you see a psychiatrist or counselor, and should friends/family/work find out. You encounter comments and sideways looks that make you question yourself.  It happens, and frankly, people can be insensitive to say the least.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek help.

Top 5 Elderly Mental Health Concerns - Do Services Meet the Needs?

Rosanne Parks, BSN, MSN, Director SAGE Unit
Managed by Research Psychiatric Center

Since our SAGE Geri-Psychiatric unit deals mainly with those who are 55 years of age or older, I often do research looking for more creative ways to evaluate and engage our patients.  During one such search, I came across an article that discussed the top five mental health issues for the elderly. 

After thinking about this article and how it accurately reflects the patients that we see daily, I once again came to the conclusion that I've reached before - public/private services for the elderly mentally ill simply can not keep pace with the need. Given the increased number of seniors, the limited resources available to educate families and treat their loved ones (especially in rural areas like ours at SAGE) I'm afraid that too many aging dementia and Alzheimer's patient will continue to suffer needlessly.

The top five elderly mental health issues are:

Depression, Alzheimer's disease, Dementia, Anxiety, Suicide

Our Journey To Excellence: MQA, Baldrige and Beyond

Richard F. Failla, CEO

By: Richard F. Failla, CEO

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program

In January of 2009, Research Psychiatric Center implemented the Baldrige Framework for Performance Excellence, including a five-year plan for overall hospital improvement. The goal is this: demonstrate measurable improvement across all metrics through the Baldrige program.

What is the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program?

The Baldrige program is a strategically developed set of questions which focus on the critical aspects of management and help guide an organization toward success and sustainability. There are seven categories:

1. Leadership
2. Strategic Planning
3. Customer Focus
4. Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management
5. Workforce Focus
6. Operations
7. Results

People Fear That Which They Don’t Understand

By: Peggy Cunningham, MA, NCC, LPC

Director of Therapeutic Services

Mental illness surrounds us every day.  It lives beside us in our friends, family, co-workers, and the people we pass on the street.  Often there are no visible signs that a problem exists and we just greet the person and go about our daily lives.  On the other hand, sometimes we see that person on the street corner carrying on a conversation with a person whose not really there and wonder what is going on.  Another time we see someone walking down the street when it is 108 degrees with a stocking hat on and do not understand the hat keeps the voices away.  On another occasion a family comes home to find their home in chaos.  One member of the family reports that while others were away aliens invaded their home and a war was waged.  There are stories of being able to read people’s minds, television and radio frequencies that carry special messages to certain people and strange communication skills.  There are discussions of hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and thought broadcasting that we avoid and don’t understand.

Elderly, Depression and the Loss of Pets

By: Patty Putnam, R.N., B.S.N., Director, Senior Adult Unit

RPC's Senior Adult Unit admits many patients who suffer from severe depression as a result of life changing events or losses, often seemingly beyond their control. One loss that is frequently overlooked by both family and physicians is the loss of a special pet. The loss of a beloved pet could be due to the death of the pet or due to the patient having to leave their home and transfer to a long-term care facility where pets aren’t allowed. In many cases, the loss of a pet can be an extraordinary pain for an elderly person. This is especially true for the elderly who have already lost many family members, friends, as well as their spouse. In some cases the pet may have been the last significant 'personal' attachment they had in the world.

The loss of a pet in these cases needs to be treated more seriously. Counselors and other care givers must be alert to the potentially dramatic negative response that can occur following the loss of a beloved animal. Without the relationship and bond that comes from having something or someone to care for, as is often the case with pets and their owners regardless of their age, seniors become susceptible to falling into depression and may lose the will to live. If the elderly person is healthy enough, a new pet or hobby should be sought after. 

We have witnessed the loss of a beloved animal be the last straw, the final blow to a senior's emotional and physical well being. Those who are alert to this often overlooked risk can help reduce the negative impact on the individual and lessen the potential for depression and sense of loss that may follow.

Bruce Springsteen Blues: Musicians ‘Self-Medicating’ Through Their Performances

Stephen M. Jolly, Director, Business Development

Courtesy of yahoo.com

A profile of Bruce Springsteen in the latest New Yorker magazine reveales how the world-renowned rock star has battled depression for most of his life, to the point of considering suicide on several occasions. It should hardly be surprising that many musicians (and other kinds of artists, for that matter) use the stage as a means to purge themselves of the loneliness or the feelings of inadequacy (the “paralyzing depression” in Springsteen’s case) that many of them may feel, despite their rock-god status.

Springsteen goes on in the article about how he wrestles with and expresses his difficult relationship with his father. “My parents’ struggles, it’s [sic] the subject of my life,” Springsteen says. “It’s the thing that eats at me and always will.”

“Summertime and the Living is Easy”

By: Sherry Montgomery, LSCSW, LCSW

Summertime and the living is easy, right?  According to Kelly Sanders, an expert contributor to “Child and Adolescent Issues”, not for the more than 66% of women who work full time jobs and are still responsible for making sure their children are cared for, safe and provided with summer activities to enjoy.

Historically, women have been and continue to be the primary caretakers of their children.  During summer the stressors increase, kids out of school, daycare problems, heat, and a tendency to feel overwhelmed.

The 3 P’s (Patience, Persistence, Perseverance)

By: David Robbins, LPC

A lot of people come to Research Psychiatric Center or to my office with an expectation of getting an immediate fix for their problems.  It’s understandable, especially in our society, but decidedly so when you’re feeling intense depression, anxiety, or whatever symptom or stress you are under.  We humans seek pleasure, and avoid pain.  No one wants to feel the pain.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic pill to make things instantly better when it comes to mental and emotional health and wellbeing.  Patients frequently ask me to give them some simple things to keep in mind that apply to all situations, and so I always give them “The 3 P’s”

The More You Know, the More You Grow

By: Cynthia Benbow, MSW, Manager Case Management

“Weak minded,” “troubled spirit,” “crazy talk” are common words used in the African American community to describe someone living with a mental illness.   Despite progress made in the last decade with regard to understanding mental illness, the African American Community continues to lag behind in seeking services for mental health treatment.

According to Dr.  Sarah Vinson, Department of Psychiatry at Emory University, 

“Misinformation, an absence of trust in the system, racism and financial circumstances are some of the forces that can create barriers in making appropriate decisions about seeking treatment,”