Re: Largest problem in the mental health field

[Guest guest]

That's wonderful! I think the biggest problem in the USA RE mental health is

that there is no screening process in place to assess whether an individual is

mentally healthy enough to be raising children. This would include anyone

responsible for a child: the bio-parent, a nanny or a relative.

People have to pass tests, both written and performance tests, to earn the right

to have a driver's license; I think there should be a parenting license. Parent

wannabes should have to pass tests to show that they know the rules (so to

speak), are emotionally stable and not riddled with personality disorders in

order to be entrusted to care for the most vulnerable members of our society on

whom the future of our society depends.

-Annie

>

> Hey Guys, I'm writing my PhD program apps for Psychology programs in my

> state. I was thinking it might be cool/impressive to include a few quotes

> from survivors of mental illness - in other words, us.

>

> What would you say is the greatest mental health problem in America? And

> what suggestions do you have for addressing it? Where do you see a need for

> research?

>

> Thanks so much! Wish me luck,

> Girlscout

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

That's wonderful! I think the biggest problem in the USA RE mental health is

that there is no screening process in place to assess whether an individual is

mentally healthy enough to be raising children. This would include anyone

responsible for a child: the bio-parent, a nanny or a relative.

People have to pass tests, both written and performance tests, to earn the right

to have a driver's license; I think there should be a parenting license. Parent

wannabes should have to pass tests to show that they know the rules (so to

speak), are emotionally stable and not riddled with personality disorders in

order to be entrusted to care for the most vulnerable members of our society on

whom the future of our society depends.

-Annie

>

> Hey Guys, I'm writing my PhD program apps for Psychology programs in my

> state. I was thinking it might be cool/impressive to include a few quotes

> from survivors of mental illness - in other words, us.

>

> What would you say is the greatest mental health problem in America? And

> what suggestions do you have for addressing it? Where do you see a need for

> research?

>

> Thanks so much! Wish me luck,

> Girlscout

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

This isn't in quotable form, but my first gut reaction answer to that question

is that the mental health field is too damn shallow. I can't count the number

of failed therapy attempts I've had because the therapist went on the model of

come in once a week for 50 minutes, talk about what's buggin' ya. That *can*

lead to some important insights and revelations, but it also literally could

take years to make real progress. It takes months before I have confidence

that therapist understands enough to even be able to grasp the entire situation

I'm facing. Clients need to have a way beyond just checking the credentials

and asking questions in the first appointment to understand the depth of a

clinician's experience. After about two months I can figure out how much

someone can help me or not, and it's not always that something awful happens it

is just that is where I finally can tell. That's two months off of my

insurance, two months of having to lay open my heart and life to a stranger

(again), and how much less likely am I to try and make the effort yet again?

Okay...to summarize:

1) This 50 minute once a week format is lame. It is vastly inefficient and

ineffective for people in real distress who have complicated situations without

immediately obvious solutions.

2) Clients need a better way than they have today to determine the real

experience of who they are seeing beyond that person's self-report.

Gettin' off my soap box now.

P.S. - LOL, Girlscout I just reread your post and I just answered a question you

weren't asking. I wrote what I believe is the biggest problem with the mental

health system....not mental health, haha. Okay biggest problem in mental health

today is clearly that they miss the damage being done to children by mentally

unfit parents and this damage is now being covered up by the overmedication of

children who displaying the results of said damage.

>

> Hey Guys, I'm writing my PhD program apps for Psychology programs in my

> state. I was thinking it might be cool/impressive to include a few quotes

> from survivors of mental illness - in other words, us.

>

> What would you say is the greatest mental health problem in America? And

> what suggestions do you have for addressing it? Where do you see a need for

> research?

>

> Thanks so much! Wish me luck,

> Girlscout

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

As a KO, a child of divorce, addictions, I think the greatest problem is

that we don t take it seriously. The sick minds are not bleeding, the

scars they leave are not on the back, so we don t treat them as real.

How few are we, the KO s who try to heal, compared to the many who just

blow it off?

Doug

>

> Hey Guys, I'm writing my PhD program apps for Psychology programs in

my

> state. I was thinking it might be cool/impressive to include a few

quotes

> from survivors of mental illness - in other words, us.

>

> What would you say is the greatest mental health problem in America?

And

> what suggestions do you have for addressing it? Where do you see a

need for

> research?

>

> Thanks so much! Wish me luck,

> Girlscout

>

>

>