HIPPA, Privacy Rights and Improved Patient Outcomes

By Rich Faillla, CEO
I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal about the problems that family members run into when they try to get information on their adult children who suffer from mental illness. Due to HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the other privacy rules family members cannot get any information about their loved ones without a signed release. This is especially troubling for families of patients who are diagnosed with schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder.

Oftentimes if the family of these patients knew that they were not taking their medication, or refused community living arrangements, or did not make an outpatient follow up appointment, the families could intervene. Many times Psychiatric patients loose all touch with reality and have hallucinations, delusions, or hear voices which make them paranoid.

The New DSM V - Helping Patients or Hurting Them?

By: Richard Failla, Chief Executive Officer

It is interesting to follow all the articles about the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V (DSM V). We are seeing more criticism about DSM V then we have about any other previous manual revision. Actually, the criticism is not new. Almost every edition has had its critics going back to the early 1990’s when 'The Selling of the DSM', a book by Stuart Kirk, and 'Making us Crazy', a book by Herb Kutchins, appeared on the scene. What makes the current criticism of note is that the attacks are coming from within the Profession of Psychiatry. One of the leading psychiatric researchers who was in charge of developing the DSM IV, Allen Frances, says that the authors for the DSM V have failed to ask the most important question: Will the new diagnosis help patients or harm them?

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.

Remembering Anna

By: Ed Plese, RN, BSN

I would like to share some thoughts about my sister-in-law Anna, who passed away last week.  Anna was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was a young adult. She struggled with the symptoms of the illness throughout her years, and at times felt overwhelmed to the point that she required hospitalization and medication adjustments. She was able to survive some of the difficult times with the support of the O.U.R. HOMES community in Lincoln NE.

Managing a chronic mental illness and living a productive life is possible with the support and understanding of mental illness by the community.  All of us have a part to play with understanding and accepting people who act differently from the “norm”.