No Flowers on the Psych Ward

A beautiful narrative that focuses on the hope that nature will someday play a bigger therapeutic role in the healing of psych patients, and artist Anna Schuleit's exhibit commemorating the closure of the Massachusetts Mental Health Center.

"So many items cannot come onto a locked psychiatric ward. Administration looks at everything as a possible weapon of self or mass destruction. No curtains. No jewelry. No art. No glass. And, I learn, no flowers, no plants, no nature."

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/no-flowers-on-the-psych-ward/264923/

Sharing Psychiatric Records Helps Care

Another great find by Deb!

Sharing psychiatric records with nonpsychiatric doctors has been a contentious issue. Only a fraction of hospitals in the US allow nonpsychiatric doctors access to all psychiatric records.

However, a survey of hospitals found that those with both full electronic psychiatric records and unrestricted accessibility to them had a lower rate of readmissions.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/sharing-psychiatric-records-helps-care/

 

Storm Weakened a Fragile System for Mental Care

Another great find by Deb!

The odds of securing mental health treatment in New York City have worsened significantly since Hurricane Sandy knocked out hospitals and disrupted outpatient services.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/27/nyregion/new-yorks-mental-health-system-thrashed-by-services-lost-to-storm.html

Mental Health Services Absent for Traumatized South Sudanese

This is a great follow up clip to Sarah's article. South Sudan was engaged in a civil war for almost 5 decades with the north, and in 2011 gained independence.

Here, you get a glimpse of the postwar situation. Because there are no psychiatrists, health professionals have to rely on sedation and imprisonment to handle mental illness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP1VCjeP1p8

PTSD and Depression in Postwar Libya

A really great illustration of the psychological pain that war and its aftermath can bring to the people who experience it firsthand. This article was just published today in BBC News Magazine, and sheds light on how the fighters and those who lost loved ones in the Libyan revolution are (barely) coping with their trauma. Of particular interest is the city of Misrata, where some of the revolution's bloodiest battles took place, and where there is a severe shortage of mental health professionals:

"Dr Khaled al Madani, head of the psychology department of Misrata University, has been trying to establish proper mental healthcare services in the city for more than a year.

He says at present there is only one part-time psychiatrist from Tripoli available to hold a regular but limited clinic in Misrata."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20629175

Dr. Robert Gupta and the "Soloist"

Also listened to a TED talk by Dr. Robert Gupta who combines his love for music and mental health (posted on 10/2/12):

https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/tedtalks-audio/id160904630?mt=2

Description: "When Robert Gupta was caught between a career as a doctor and as a violinist, he realized his place was in the middle, with a bow in his hand and a sense of social justice in his heart. He tells a moving story of society’s marginalized and the power of music therapy, which can succeed where conventional medicine fails." (c/o iTunes, TED)

Vikram Patel & Mental Health in Developing Countries

I just listened to a great TED Talk by Vikram Patel posted on iTunes on 9/11/12:

 http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=160904630

Description: "Nearly 450 million people are affected by mental illness worldwide. In wealthy nations, just half receive appropriate care, but in developing countries, close to 90 percent go untreated because psychiatrists are in such short supply. Vikram Patel outlines a highly promising approach -- training members of communities to give mental health interventions, empowering ordinary people to care for others." (c/o iTunes and TED)