The
Mental Health Initiative
Who we are
The Mental Health Initiative, Inc. (MHI) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting mental health awareness and eliminating the stigmas that are associated with mental illnesses through service and research. We strive to educate the general public of the numerous mental illnesses that affect the lives of so many and help those suffering from a mental illness to find out how and where to acquire assistance.
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What we do
Our objective is to take a proactive approach toward community awareness in mental health. We intend to provide information on the affects of mental illnesses, treatment options, and acquiring assistance in local areas through continued outreach, service, research, and advertsiement.
About us
Who We Are
The Mental Health Initiative, Inc. (MHI) is an organization based out of Nashville, Tennessee and was created by Jonathan B. Adair in 2009, while still a graduate student. After receiveing such strong feedback and support for the mental health initiative "cause" on the popular website Facebook, the actual organization was formed with the objective to provide service to the local community. Since then, many have asked for ways to get involved with the initiative in order to raise awareness about mental health and have helped the non-profit organization to become successful in its outreach of mental health education and service in the local Nashville area, as well as, nationally.
The Mental Health Initiatve, Inc. (MHI) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting mental health awareness and eliminating the stigmas that are associated with mental illnesses through service and research. We strive to educate the general public of the numerous mental illnesses that affect the lives of so many and help those suffering from a mental illness to find out how and where to acquire assistance.
The Mental Health Initiative, Inc.'s (MHI) goals are to promote mental health awareness through out the community and to encourage those suffering from a mental illness to learn, accept, and recover in order to lead productive lives.
Our Mission:
• MHI will assist those who are suffering from a mental illness choose the best treatment and find out how to go about receiving assitance and where to receive assistance in their local area.
• MHI will help to educate the community so that others can become aware of mental health and inform those affected by a mental illness of possible symptoms so that they are able to receive the help that is needed for recovery.
• MHI will be dedicated to providing useful information in order to assist those suffering from a mental illness to live a productive life.
• MHI will focus on research that focus on recovery and is useful in reducing the affects of a mental illness or developoing more productive and effective ways to cope.
• MHI will be dedicated to reducing stigmas and dispelling stereotypes in order to allow those suffering from a mental illness to feel comfortable enough to receive necessary assistance or disclose detrimental information that may negatively effect their life.
• MHI will promote involvement and development of a support system, including family members and friends in the recovery process.
Our Values:
• MHI believes that mental health education is necessary for productive and superior mental health and is an effective deterrant against stereotypes and stigmas.
• MHI is committed to the philosophy of “learn, accept, and recover.” If someone who is suffering from a mental illness is willing to learn about mental health, then they are more inclined to accept their condition, therefore, allowing them to begin the recovery process.
• MHI embraces individual differences among members and the community that we serve and will treat all with dignity and mutual respect.
• MHI is committed to ethical and honest business practices where decisions are made in the best interest of the community.
• MHI is dedicated to community service that goes beyond what is expected.
• MHI recognizes the value of its volunteers and provides opportunities for their growth.
Services
What We Do
Community Awareness: Educate and inform the public about mental health.
The Mental Health Initiative is proactive in making the community aware of mental health, including illnesses, treatment options, and ways to cope. Our website covers definitions of mental disorders, other helpful resources, and up-to-date insightful information that helps to increase the understanding of mental illnesses. We aspire to partner with other local programs and initiatives to better communicate mental health education, current research, and developments in mental health within the community. In addition, MHI will facilitate forums, seminars, and training courses in order to effectively educate about mental health.
Eliminating Stigmas: Encourage those suffering to accept in order to receive assistance.
The Mental Health Initiative intends to eliminate stigmas by confronting social issues and publicizing the affects of mental health disorders, as well as, clarifications to well-known stereotypes. In addition, the organization produces frequent advertisement campaigns dispelling stereotypes that is useful in helping to reduce stigmas and promote disclosure so that those who are affected by mental illnesses in any way can feel increase comfort in seeking the necessary assistance.
Provide Assistance: Help to determine treatment options and how to recover.
The Mental Health Initiative provides resources and current, available information on how and where to receive treatment or mental health assistance. In addition, we encourage questions about receiving assistance so that we can help to find the best possible treatment option and program in your local area.
Assistance
Seeking Help for Mental Illness
For many reasons, people may avoid seeking an evaluation for their mental health concerns. Unfortunately, such people continue to suffer without benefiting from the wide range of safe and effective treatments available.
An important first step in recovery is seeking professional evaluation and treatment. The following websites may be helpful in finding a qualified mental health professional:
•SAMHSA'sMental Health Services Locatormay help in finding a professional in your area.
•The article Mental Illness and the Family: Finding the Right Mental Health Care For You from the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) discusses locating appropriate care and describes the different types of mental health professionals.
Yet another option is to talk to your primary doctor. Roughly 60-65% of people with mental health problems are treated by primary care physicians, such as doctors practicing family, pediatrics, or internal medicine.
After the evaluation, your doctor may recommend medication to treat your condition. You may also receive a referral to another professional, such as a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist. Clinical psychologists are trained to provide psychotherapy, also informally known as "talk therapy", to treat mental illness. Psychiatrists are physicians with specific training in mental health and the treatment of mental illness using medication.
Seeking a Professional for Evaluation and Treatment
It is important to remember that talking about your concerns with a professional does not mean you will be placed automatically into an asylum or long-term facility. Mental health professionals always try to choose the most independent form of treatment possible. Thus, outpatient care is favored over inpatient care, if it is clinically safe to do so.
It is also not true that mental health professionals try to radically change patients' beliefs on topics such as religion or culture. Indeed, religion or culture can contribute positively to the course of clinical improvement.
Provided by http://www.netwellness.org/
Treatment Options
Drug Therapy
Drug therapy is used in the treatment of depression to moderate or correct neurochemical imbalances that affect moods. The most popular type of medication prescribed for depression is antidepressant. Antidepressants are medications that prevent or relieve depression. It helps the brains of people who are depressed to produce neurochemicals they may be missing. A different type of medication is prescribed for people with manic depression. There had been a substantial increase in the number of people taking antidepressants, since the introduction of Prozac.
Electroconvulsive Therapy
With electroconvulsive therapy, electrodes are attached to the head, and while the person is sedated, a series of electrical shocks are delivered to the brain to induce a brief seizure. This therapy has consistently been shown to be the most effective treatment for severe depression. Many people treated with electroconvulsive therapy experience temporary memory loss. However, contrary to its portrayal in the media, electroconvulsive therapy is safe and rarely causes any other complications. The modern use of anesthetics and muscle relaxants has greatly reduced any risk. Other forms of brain stimulation, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and vagal nerve stimulation, are under study and may be beneficial for people with severe depression that does not respond to drugs or psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy
In recent years, significant advances have been made in the field of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy, sometimes referred to as talk therapy, works on the assumption that the cure for a person's suffering lies within that person and that this cure can be facilitated through a trusting, supportive relationship with a psychotherapist. By creating an empathetic and accepting atmosphere, the therapist often is able to help the person identify the source of the problems and consider alternatives for dealing with them. The emotional awareness and insight that the person gains through psychotherapy often results in a change in attitude and behavior that allows the person to live a fuller and more satisfying life.
Psychotherapy is appropriate in a wide range of conditions. Even people who do not have a mental health disorder may find psychotherapy helpful in coping with such problems as employment difficulties, bereavement, or chronic illness in the family. Group psychotherapy, couples' therapy, and family therapy are also widely used.
Most mental health practitioners practice one of six types of psychotherapy: supportive psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, behavior therapy, or interpersonal therapy.
Supportive psychotherapy, which is most commonly used, relies on the empathetic and supportive relationship between the person and the therapist. It encourages expression of feelings, and the therapist provides help with problem solving. Problem-focused psychotherapy, a form of supportive therapy, may be conducted successfully by primary care doctors.
Psychoanalysis is the oldest form of psychotherapy and was developed by Sigmund Freud in the first part of the 20th century. The person typically lies on a couch in the therapist's office 4 or 5 times a week and attempts to say whatever comes to mind, a practice called free association. Much of the focus is on understanding how past patterns of relationships repeat themselves in the present. The relationship between the person and the therapist is a key part of this focus. An understanding of how the past affects the present helps the person develop new and more adaptive ways of functioning in relationships and in work settings.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy, like psychoanalysis, emphasizes the identification of unconscious patterns in current thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. However, the person is usually sitting instead of lying on a couch and attends only 1 to 3 sessions per week. In addition, less emphasis is placed on the relationship between the person and therapist.
Cognitive therapy helps people identify distortions in thinking and understand how these distortions lead to problems in their lives. The premise is that how people feel and behave is determined by how they interpret experiences. Through the identification of core beliefs and assumptions, people learn to think in different ways about their experiences, reducing symptoms and resulting in improvement in behavior and feelings.
Behavior therapy is related to cognitive therapy. Sometimes a combination of the two, known as cognitive-behavior therapy, is used. The theoretical basis of behavior therapy is learning theory, which holds that abnormal behaviors are due to faulty learning. Behavior therapy involves a number of interventions that are designed to help the person unlearn maladaptive behaviors while learning adaptive behaviors. Exposure therapy, often used to treat phobias, is one example of a behavior therapy (see What Is Exposure Therapy?Sidebar).
Interpersonal therapy was initially conceived as a brief psychologic treatment for depression and is designed to improve the quality of a depressed person's relationships. It focuses on unresolved grief, conflicts that arise when people fill roles that differ from their expectations (such as when a woman enters a relationship expecting to be a stay-at-home mother and finds that she must also be the major provider for the family), social role transitions (such as going from being an active worker to being retired), and difficulty communicating with others. The therapist teaches the person to improve aspects of interpersonal relationships, such as overcoming social isolation and responding in a less habitual way to others.
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Last full review/revision May 2007 by Caroline Carney Doebbeling, MD, MSc
Organizations
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
• Administrators in Academic Psychiatry
• Adult Children of Alcoholics
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Alzheimer's Association
• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
• American Academy of Neurology
• American Academy of Psychotherapists
• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
• American Association of Suicidology
• American Board of Medical Specialties
• American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
• American College Counseling Association
• American College Health Association
• American College Personnel Association
• American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
• The American College of Psychiatrists
• American Counseling Association
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• American Medical Association
• American Medical Informatics Association
• American Neurological Association
• American Neuropsychiatric Association
• American Osteopathic Association
• American Pain Society
• American Psychiatric Association
• American Psychoanalytic Association
• American Psychological Association
• APA Division 28 (Psychopharmacology)
• APA Division 46 (Media Psychology)
• American Psychological Society
• American Society of Addiction Medicine
• American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology
• American Telemedicine Association
• Associação Brasileira de Psicólogos e Profissionais de Saúde Mental On Line
• Association for Academic Psychiatry
• Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy
• Association for the Advancement of Philosophy and Psychiatry
• Association for the Coordination of Counseling Center Clinical Services
• Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers
• Association for the Study of Dreams
• Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors
• Biofeedback Foundation of Europe
• A. A. Brill Library: FreudNet
• British Healthcare Internet Association
• Canadian Psychiatric Association
• Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention)
• Center for Mental Health Services Research
• Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis
• Chicago Psychoanalytic Society
• Citizens' Council on Health Care
• Citizens for Responsible Care and Research
• Coalition for Patient Rights
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
• Albert Ellis Institute
• Epilepsy Foundation of America
• European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
• Food and Drug Administration
• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
• Illinois Psychiatric Society
• Illinois Psychological Association
• Institute for Behavioral Healthcare
• Institute of Medicine
• International Association of Counseling Services
• International Association for the Study of Pain
• International Medical Informatics Association
• International Society for Mental Health Online
• International Society for the Study of Dissociation
• International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
• International Transactional Analysis Association
• Internet Healthcare Coalition
• InterPsych
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
• Joint Healthcare Information Technology Alliance
• Murray Research Center
• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
• NAMI-Greater Chicago
• National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
• National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
• National Board of Medical Examiners
• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• National Center for PTSD
• National Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome Foundation
• National Institutes of Health
• National Institute of Mental Health
• National Library of Medicine
• National Mental Health Association
• Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation
• Obsessive-Compulsive & Spectrum Disorders Association
• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
• Physicians for Social Responsibility
• Psychiatric Society for Informatics
• Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation
• A. K. Rice Institute
• Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
• Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Sociedad Española para la Investigación de las Diferencias Individuales
• Sociedad Española de Psiquiatría
• Società Italiana di Psichiatria
• Società Psicoanalitica Italiana
• Society of Biological Psychiatry
• Society for Computers in Psychology
• Society for the Internet in Medicine
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Texas University & College Counseling Directors Association
• UK Council for Psychotherapy
• World Federation for Mental Health
• World Psychiatric Association
• World Health Organization
Resources
The following resources can be used to help you find mental health treatment services, including affordable treatment for those without insurance, in your community.
Get Help in Tennessee
Tennessee Service Locator
NAMI has information about the different kinds of providers and links to resources for locating treatment. This is a must for anyone unsure of what all of those letters mean (Ph.D., Psy.D., L.I.C.S.W., etc.).
SAMHSA offers a directory of state mental health resources that includes a general facility locater, services directory, suicide prevention programs index, substance abuse treatment facility locater, and more. Provides an overview of some of the most common types of psychotherapy, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, client-centered therapy, and psychoanalysis.
Psychotherapy:
The APA Help Center provides articles, tips, and information on an array of psychotherapy related topics. This particular article details everything you'll need to know if you're thinking about seeing a therapist, like how to know it's time, insurance coverage, and picking a therapist who's right for you.
The Mayo Clinic can help if you are confused by or curious about all the different types of mental health providers (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, etc.). This site does a quality job of outlining the distinctions in education, licensure, and scope of treatment services.
1-800-THERAPIST has an over-the-phone referral service that will do the leg-work in matching your needs with a therapist's experience and area of expertise. Take the time to read the article called "How NOT to Choose a Therapist" for advice on how to narrow your search. It's a bit of a plug for the site but offers some valuable advice nonetheless. This site also offers helpful information on insurance, intervention, and what to expect from therapy.
Mental Health Hospitals and Mental Care Facilities:
Mental Health America provides this article, which is more of a question checklist for family members and health providers of individuals in need of hospitalization. Questions are based on stages of hospitalization and include: at check-in, during the stay, leaving the hospital, financial and insurance issues, and what to ask the therapist.
U.S. News & World Report publishes 2007 rankings of America's top psychiatric medical centers. Enter your zip code on the left-hand toolbar to find the one nearest you. Rankings are based on hospital "reputation," which is determined by a survey of physicians rather than by hard data. Also, the list is short and includes only a fraction of the psychiatric hospitals in the United States. In other words, this is useful but not an end-all-be-all directory.
The American Psychological Association has a list of links to state and provincial psychological associations. These associations are governing bodies that offer online referrals to licensed/certified mental health practitioners.
The National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology is an organization that credentials psychologists. Search for a qualified psychologist by location, name, theoretical orientation, expertise, and other criteria. This site also features recent news in psychology, information on how to choose a psychologist, and links to information on prominent issues in mental health.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's 24 hour toll-free crisis hotline, 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) can put you into contact with your local crisis center that can tell you where to seek immediate help in your area.
The Child-Help USA 1-800-422-4453 crisis line assists both child and adult survivors of abuse, including sexual abuse. The hotline, staffed by mental health professionals, also provides treatment referrals.
In areas where 211 is available, dialing this number can connect you with mental health crisis services in your area or help you find where to seek immediate help in your area.
affordable community mental health services:
Network of Care offers information including descriptions of community treatment services and other supports for the following states: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. For some states, information about all counties is currently included; for others only some counties are currently listed. Click on your state, then click on Services (top right) to begin your search.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Health Information Network (SHIN) has a Mental Health Facilities Locator that can also help you find community outpatient, inpatient and residential treatment facilities, including affordable mental health services in your area.
The SAMHSA Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator and the National Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) 24-hour information and referral line at 1-800-662-4357 (also part of the SAMHSA Health Information Network) provide referrals to alcohol, substance abuse and dual diagnosis treatment facilities, including facilities that offer sliding scale fees and other special payment arrangements. Dual diagnosis services provide integrated treatment for individuals who have both an alcohol or substance abuse problem and a mental illness. Use the detailed search option on the left hand side of the page to find the facilities that most closely match your needs.
Universities or teaching hospitals may also be a source of low-cost or free treatment services. It is recommended that you contact those in your area.
The World Federation for Mental Health can assist people from other countries throughout the world in finding mental health services in their area.
individual mental health providers:
You can use Psychology Today's Therapy Directory to search for mental health professionals in your area. You can search by zip code, city, last name, etc. For each provider listed, you can read about their therapy approach, specialty areas, information about their fees including whether they accept insurance and whether they offer sliding scale fees, as well as their credentials and contact information. There are a variety of options for sorting your results to find providers who most closely match your needs. You can also send them an initial e-mail.
The Therapist Referral Network at 1-800-843-7274 and 1-858-481-1515 provides referrals to individual mental health professionals. Providers participate in a variety of insurance plans. Some offer affordable fee structures and may accept Medicare and Medicaid.
GoodTherapy offers a searchable database of over 1600 counselors and therapists worldwide. GoodTherapy is dedicated to promoting healthy counseling and psychotherapy.
The Medicare Participating Physician Directory can assist you in finding a psychiatrist who accepts Medicare.
Your state Medicaid office, whose contact information can be found using the map on the National Association of State Medicaid Directors site, may be able to assist you in finding a provider who accepts Medicaid.
Professional associations for treatment services:
1. American Counseling Association
2. American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
3. American Association of Pastoral Counselors and
http://www.aapc.org/content/aapc-accredited-centers
4. American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists
5. American Group Psychotherapy Association
6. American Medical Association (Use the Doctor Finder option; then select Search by
Physician Specialty option to search for psychiatrists in your area)
7. American Psychiatric Association and http://www.healthyminds.org/Main-
Topic/Choosing-a-Psychiatrist.aspx
8. American Psychological Association
9. American Residential Treatment Association
10. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
11. National Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapists
12. National Association of Social Workers
13. National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology
Professional organizations for specific audiences:
1. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
2. American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
3. American Association of Children's Residential Centers (Note:You can sort list of
member treatment centers by state and reach the national office by calling 877-332-
2272 )
4. Association of Black Psychologists
5. Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists
6. Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
7. National Medical Association at 1-800-662-0554 (Physician Locator Service
maintains a list of African American psychiatrists)
8. Self Reliance Foundation/Acceso Hispano 800-473-3003
9. Su Familia (National Alliance for Hispanic Health) at 1-866-783-2645
organizations offering specialized treatment services:
1. ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders) A
description of various types of therapy used in treating people witih eating disorders
is found at the following link Therapy Information
2. Anxiety Disorders Association of America: Treatment Centers
3. ATTACh at 866-453-8224 (Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment
of Children offers treatment referrals for children with attachment disorder)
4. Attention Deficit Disorder Association
Above information was provided by the Mental Health America Resource Center.
Research
Directories of mental health publications :
PubMed Central is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Instiute of Health and is a repository of biomedical and life science journal articles. Read articles or abstracts on mental health or specific disorders. Once you've searched a topic, use a tab under the display options to read articles that are free to access. A box on the front page of the site invites you to create customized updates that are sent to you.
Mental health publications:
The American Journal of Psychiatry is the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association. The journal publishes findings that explore a full range of mental health topics, including diagnosis and treatment. While access to current issues requires a subscription fee, the AJP generously makes full-text articles from past issues available for free online.
The Journal of Abnormal Psychology publishes research exploring abnormal behavior: its causes, changes, and correlates. JAP is a publication of the American Psychological Association, and subscription fees vary significantly for members of the APA and nonmembers. Pricing and membership information are available on the site.
Evidence-Based Mental Health is a quarterly publication that informs health professionals of the advancements made in such areas of mental health as diagnosis, treatment, and etiology across various sectors of the population.
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Here's how to get in touch with us:
The Mental Health Initiative, Inc.
P.O. Box 292794
Nashville, TN 37229
Email: Info_mentalhealthinitiative.org
Phone: 1(888) 507-0911
Please leave us some informaiton about you.
Learn, Accept, and Recover
Currently, one in four American adults, an estimated 26%, are suffering from a diagnosable mental illness (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). However, the real problem is that less than one-third of those adults and half of the children with a diagnosable mental illness have yet to receive any treatment (CDC, 2009). Mental illnesses often go untreated due to lack of knowledge of disorders and symptoms, misconceptions about treatment, stigmas and stereotypes, fear of disclosure, and unawareness of how and where to get assistance
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Our main approaches are:
1
Increasing mental health awareness within the community through services and research.
2
Encouraging disclosure by dispelling stereotypes and reducing stigmas.
3
Aiding in recovery by providing resources for the best treatment options and assistance locations.
For More Information:
MHI Contact Info:
1-888-507-0911
info_mentalhealthinitiative.org
The Helpline:
1-800-950-6264
info_nami.org
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