Dr. Danita Johnson Hughes
President & CEO
Time to Change
∗If your mind is not healthy, you are not
healthy.
∗Good mental health is a major factor in
determining a person’s health status.
∗It is time we start thinking and acting like it.
∗Doing so will save lives, build strong
communities and save millions of dollars.
In 2012, an estimated 43.7 million
adults aged 18 or older in the United
States had a Mental Illness.
By 2020, mental and substance
use disorders will surpass all
physical diseases as a major cause
of disability worldwide.
What is Mental Illness?
∗ Medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking,
feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily
functioning.
…NAMI
∗ Involve all aspect of a person’s functioning and life —
their brain and biology, their psychological makeup
and personality, and their social interactions and
relationships with others.
…John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
Some Common Mental and
Addictive Disorders:
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Major Depression
Schizophrenia
Bipolar Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Panic Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Borderline Personality Disorder
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD)
Mental Illness and Addictive Disorders
Cause Suffering and Disability
Some Myths
• Mentally ill persons are violent
• Mental illness is a result of:
• Personal weakness
• Lack of character
• Poor upbringing
• Mental illnesses are not treatable.
Artwork courtesy: Morningside Recovery Newport Beach
Violence and Mental Illness
∗ Most individuals with serious mental illnesses are not
dangerous.
∗ Most acts of violence are committed by individuals
who are not mentally ill.
∗ Being a young male or being a substance abuser
(alcohol or drugs) is a greater risk factor for violent
behavior than being mentally ill.
Continue…
Violence and Mental illness
∗ One in four people with mental illness experiences violence
of some type in a given year.
∗ “Meta-analysis" of 21 studies: The mentally ill are four times
more likely to be victimized.
∗ Only 1% of individuals with untreated severe mental illness
commit acts of violence.
Causes of Mental Illness
∗ Exact cause of most mental illnesses is not known.
∗ Many of the conditions associated with mental illness are
caused by a combination of biological, psychological, and
environmental factors.
Biological Factors
∗ Linked to abnormal functioning of nerve cell circuits
or pathways that connect particular brain regions.
∗ Defects in or injury to certain areas of the brain have
also been linked to some mental conditions.
Other Biological Factors
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Genetics (heredity)
Infections
Brain defects or injury
Prenatal damage
Substance abuse
Poor nutrition
Exposure to toxins
Psychological Factors
∗ Severe psychological trauma suffered as a child, such
as emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
∗ An important early loss, such as the loss of a parent
∗ Neglect
∗ Poor ability to relate to others
Environmental Factors
∗ Certain stressors can trigger an illness in a person
who is susceptible to mental illness.
Types of Stressors
∗ Death or divorce
∗ A dysfunctional family life
∗ Feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, anxiety,
anger, or loneliness
∗ Changing jobs or schools
Continue
Types of Stressors
∗ Social or cultural expectations (For example, a society
that associates beauty with thinness can be a factor in
the development of eating disorders.)
∗ Being unemployed
∗ Being Homeless
∗ Substance abuse by the person or the person's
parent(s)
Poverty as a Stressor
Does poverty play a role in causing a person’s mental
illness or does a person become ill and simply drift
down the socioeconomic ladder into poverty?
∗ Research shows poverty linked to greater mental
illness
Poverty and Mental Illness
Source: Global
Economic Intersection
Mental Illness & Addiction:
The Road to Recovery
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Like other illnesses, can’t be overcome by “willpower”
Fall along a continuum of severity
Leading cause of disability
Without treatment cost is staggering-more than $100 billion
per year
Mental Illness is Treatable
∗ Treatment is highly effective.
∗ With treatment, individuals can realize symptom
reduction in 70-90% of persons treated.
∗ Treatment can lead to an improvement of quality of
life with a combination of pharmacological and
psychosocial treatments and supports.
Recovery is a Process
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Medication
Family education and supports
Illness management
Supported employment
Therapeutic services
Meet our Clients!
THEIR PROBLEM IS NOT UNIQUE
THEIR ENTIRE LIVES ARE AFFECTED
THEIR OPTIONS ARE RUNNING OUT
EDGEWATER SERVICES IS A LIFELINE!
Community Behavioral Health Crisis
Support Services
Source: Morningside
Recovery Newport Beach
COMMUNITY CRISIS SUPPORT
SERVICES:
∗ Intermediate/mid-level and coordinated care to individuals
experiencing a behavioral crisis.
∗ Targeted to individuals experiencing an urgent mental
health or substance use/abuse issue
∗ Available twenty four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a
week
SERVICE COMPONENTS:
∗ Telephone and Walk-in Triage
∗ Crisis Services Intervention
∗ Behavioral Health Crisis Respite
∗ Crisis Stabilization Services
∗ Medically Monitored Crisis Detoxification
∗ Follow-Up Services
∗ Intensive Case Management
∗ Discharge Planning
Benefits at a Glance:
1. Reduction in emergency room visits and
overnight jail stays for individuals who
present non-emergent and non-violent
behaviors but are in need of urgent care.
Continued…
Benefits at a Glance:
2. Patients with immediate behavioral
health needs receive the immediate
substance abuse and mental health
services they need.
Continued…
Benefits at a Glance:
3. Through referral and/or follow-up
improves efficacy of longer-term
outpatient services.
Continued…
Benefits at a Glance:
4. The community, tax payers, medical
institutions, insurers, and public service
agencies save money.
Dr. Danita Johnson Hughes
President and CEO
Edgewater Behavioral Health Services
1100 W. 6th Avenue
Gary, IN 46402
Tel: (219) 885-4264
Source: Morningside
Recovery Newport Beach