mental health tagged posts

A Patient’s Guide to Taking Medical Time Off Work

Paul Pendler

Paul Pendler, Psy.D., ABPP
Assistant Professor, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

When mental health issues arise, all areas of a person’s life tend to suffer—work included. Under certain circumstances, people with mental health conditions may need to seek time off from employment in order to focus on recovery and restore functioning.

If you suspect you might need time off for mental health reasons, listed below are some helpful guidelines for how to engage your practitioner and your workplace on this issue.

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Are There Alternatives to Emergency Departments when Facing a Psychiatric Emergency?

Robert Haggard

Robert Haggard, CRSS
Recovery Support Specialist
Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center, Skokie IL

The answer is a resounding yes, there are alternatives to emergency departments (EDs) for psychiatric emergencies. Person-centric, community-based crisis interventions found outside of traditional emergency departments serve a population with much-need, save lives and money, and offer hope. The Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center (TP) where I work is a viable, safe, accessible, welcoming, warm, and caring space that has provided an alternative to EDs since 2011 with an amazing 97% deflection rate from the hospitals in its surrounding area.

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Learning to Live with Bipolar Disorder

Caroline HeeJeon Gale

I am person with bipolar disorder and a suicide attempt survivor. Bipolar disorder has affected my family and me in many hard ways, but it has also encouraged my family to express how much we mean to each other, and how much I mean to them. I would not have made it through without their love and support, and I probably would not be here to tell my story if I hadn’t had the kind of individualized care I received from my county mental health system.

My family emigrated from Korea to the United States when I was 10 years old. As symptoms of my mood disorder surfaced within the next couple of years, my parents, whose primary language is Korean, had difficulty accessing resources in our community. They were supportive, but because of language barriers and unfamiliarity with the mental health care system, they had limited ability to act on their concerns and to help me. Without the aid of translators, my parents would be excluded from participating in my mental health care and treatment.

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The Hospital Failed My Father – And Our Family

Jess and Dad

by Jessica

My father battled depression his entire life but two years ago he suffered a debilitating setback. My mother took him to the local hospital to get help. He stayed for a few days and did very well while he was there. He loved the staff and talked about them for days afterward.

A few weeks later, my dad’s depression worsened. My mother decided to take him to a bigger hospital because they had a psychiatric unit. She thought they would be more help than our local hospital. I went with them to offer my support.

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How Can We Improve Emergency Department Psychiatric Care?

Scott Zeller, MD

Scott Zeller, MD
Chief of Psychiatric Emergency Services for the Alameda Health System

“John,” a 28-year-old man, is brought to a small community hospital emergency department (ED) after difficulty at home; he is at the time of arrival yelling at his mother and pulling painfully at his hair. John’s mother, who lives in the suburbs of a metropolitan area, is employed full-time as a software engineer and is prominent in the local community. Her employer-sponsored health insurance does not include coverage for John, but he does have Medicare.

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Does Collaborative Care Include Working with Faith-based Organizations?

Rev. Douglas Ronsheim, D.Min
Executive Director, American Association of Pastoral Counselors

For many decades, spirituality has been an integral aspect of substance abuse recovery. With the power of faith as part of the equation, 12-step programs have proved effective for millions of participants, saving lives and helping people recover from life-threatening addictions.

In more recent years, the roles of faith and religion have spilled over into the larger conversation surrounding mental health...

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Help Ensure Mental Health Services for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Part 1 of the series on the special mental health needs of victims of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) explained the relationship between IPV, depression, and an increased risk of suicide. In Part 2 CFYM provides actionable steps readers can take to address the disparity of services.

Robin Axelrod Sabag, LCSW, MFT
Jewish Family & Children’s Service

Even women in abusive relationships who do not have a pre-existing mental health issue may find it difficult to leave the relationship...

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Intimate Partner Violence Presents Special Mental Health Concerns

Research reveals there is a strong relationship between being a victim of intimate partner violence (IPV) – defined as physical, sexual or psychological harm and depressive disorders. This research conducted as part of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 showed that experiencing IPV nearly doubled a woman’s risk for subsequently reporting symptoms of depression. More alarming women reporting IPV incident depression were at a higher risk for attempted suicides. In a two-part series, CFYM examines IPV and provides recommendations for self and legislative advocacy.

Robin Axelrod Sabag, LCS...

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