A beautiful mind in Bakersfield

Finding good news about mental health can be positively daunting these days, so thank goodness for Ashley Nommensen, a Bakersfield, California high school senior who is making an impact beyond her years.
According to a December 12 post from columnist Marylee Shrider on Bakersfield.com, this brave young woman helped create a first-of-its-kind peer support group for teens and young adults experiencing mental illness. It is labor of love, borne of her own psychological struggles dating back to a bipolar-induced psychotic break at the age of 13.
Her group's moniker, Outspoken Young Minds, is certainly appropriate for Ashley, who has been traveling to tell her own story to gatherings of school counselors and community organizations. In July, she'll say even more at the 2009 NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) National Convention when she appears there with her mother and Russ Sempell, president of the Kern County NAMI chapter, which has partnered with Ashley on this project.
Ashley's commitment to spreading the word that "normal is just a cycle on the washing machine" is a commendable breath of fresh air.Sphere: Related Content
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Books: A gift for all of us

The tome Poets on Prozac: Mental Illness, Treatment, and the Creative Process edited by poet and psychiatrist Richard Berlin is a fascinating read for all of us in the human sciences. This collection of 16 essays is no mere academic re-exposition of the belabored connection between Psyche and Apollo. Rather, its authors bleed any romance from the sexy madman/woman-as-creative-genius archetype while infusing us with the hope that good therapy begets great art.Sphere: Related Content
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Men, Children and Suicide Assessment

We in the US have vigorously moved toward screening a wide range of patients for suicidal risk, but researchers say we have far to go, especially where men and children are concerned.
Asking men during routine medical consults about suicidal thoughts can be uncomfortable for both physician and patient, leading to an abbreviated conversation along the lines of, "Are you depressed? No? So you don't think about suicide." This apprehensive sort of assessment may miss the real issue, though.
Researchers at the University of Western Sydney are encouraging us to remember that suicide is not necessarily connected with depression, especially in men.
In a fascinating study earlier this month, Professor John Macdonald, Co-director of the UWS Men's Health Information and Resource Centre, and his investigative team studied cases of attempted and completed suicides in Australian men ages 25 to 44. They concluded that there are social “pathways” to suicide for men. These include job pressures, (over- or under- or unemployed), separation from children or partners through divorce or other family ruptures, certain adverse childhood events and abuse of alcohol or drugs.
For more information, contact Mr. Macdonald directly via email.
Meanwhile, children's mental health concerns appear to be overlooked by many primary care providers. Perhaps these physicians, too, are reticent to imply that someone's child is struggling by merely asking the question. The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health issued distressing results on Monday that found 56% of primary care providers are not asking parents about mental health issues their children may be facing.
“We found that more than one-half of parents report that their primary care physician never asks about whether they have mental health concerns for their child,” says Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the National Poll on Children’s Health. “We’re concerned that some PCPs may not ask about mental health problems because of not being able to address the issues themselves or because of the lack of specialty mental health services available to which they could refer kids if problems come up.”
In fact, according to 25% of the parents surveyed, found it difficult to get their children the services they need, although 62% did get them eventually.

Photo: Daniel Diaz

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72-Hour Observations

Weekend Psych News

Georgia on our minds: As published here earlier this week, mental health officials in the Peach State have before them a plan to privatize their entire psychiatric care system. Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Gov. Sonny Perdue's mental health commission is requesting answers to "21 'critical questions' " about privatization in an apparent effort to preclude any hasty decisions.

Stress tips from Mental Health America: MHA has issued guidelines for reduing stress in these uncertain times. You can read about them at HealthNewsDigest.com.

Not in my backyard: Residents in Brooksville, Florida are hopping mad over a proposal that would place a facility treating men with co-occurring disorders in their neighborhood. One such neighbor, Amanda Goodell, is quoted in Hernando Today, "I lost my voice Wednesday going around talking to parents." At issue? Some neighbors are concerned that the facility's residents will pose a threat to area children.Sphere: Related Content
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Psychiatric Issues Weigh Down Economy

In a report by the World Health Organization cited by News Blaze today, mental health issues account for more than 15% of the disease burden, or loss of productivity, in established economies such as the US. Psychiatric illness, then, weighs heavier than cancer.
The findings echo those of the journal Lancet which credited mental health dificulties for 14% of the disease burden.Sphere: Related Content
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