That is the title of this article I have reviewed today. "Why does the general public continue to believe that mentally ill people are more dangerous than those without mental illness? Scientists at the University of Basel and the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel sought to find out how dangerous the general public considers mentally ill people to be and which factors influence this perception. Although a small number of mental illnesses can lead to a relatively increased risk of violence, most people with mental disorders are not violent." I will admit I was violent before I had this mental illness because I used to drink and always ended up in jail. Since I had this mental illness since 1989 I have not went to jail or even been stopped by the police.
The article continues: "'People with mental illnesses suffer from severe social stigma and often avoid necessary treatment because of it. In addition to the actual symptoms of disease, societal discrimination leads to further conditions such as anxiety, stress, and low self-esteem among those affected. 'We want to understand whether the stigma arises from noticing symptoms or from finding out that somebody has had psychiatric treatment,' said Professor Christian Huber. To this end, they surveyed 10,000 people in the Swiss canton of Basel Stadt. The respondents had to estimate how dangerous they considered people in a number of fictional case histories to be. Half of the cases portrayed symptoms of various mental illnesses (alcohol dependency, psychosis, borderline personality disorder), while the others reported on the location where psychiatric treatment took place (general hospital with psychiatric wards, psychiatric hospital, psychiatric hospital with forensic wards). In the case histories describing only the location of the treatment, as well as in those featuring a description of symptoms and behavioral problems, the patients were generally regarded as dangerous. A description of symptoms led to a stronger attribution of danger; people with symptoms of alcohol dependency were perceived as particularly threatening. Treatment in a general hospital, however, was associated with a lower dangerousness attribution.'" There it is alcohol make people dangerous even when they are sober and not. I am sorry I for one do not tell people I have a mental illness they start treating you different.
The article ends: "'Furthermore, it was found that people who had had personal contact with psychiatry or with psychiatric patients in the past generally rated the potential for danger as lower.
The study, which appears in the journal Scientific Reports, shows that how patients are treated in psychiatry influences the prejudices they have to deal with. Indeed, treatment in a psychiatric unit, which is included in a general hospital, was associated with a lower dangerousness attribution than treatment in a specialized psychiatric clinic. Moreover, people who had personal contact with psychiatry or with psychiatric patients in the past generally rated the potential for danger as lower.
The authors of the study argue that contact between the general public and mentally ill people should be encouraged in order to break down prejudices. 'Our results show that campaigns to destigmatize public perception should be realistic about the low risk that people with mental illnesses pose.'
And a shift in inpatient psychiatric treatment from independent clinics to general hospitals with psychiatric wards could encourage destigmatization, they added.'"People have to get to know us, because we are no different except we have a mental illness and some do not have the memory or other things to pass as they call normal.
Showing posts with label Violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Violence. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Study identifies key indicators linking violence and mental illness
That is the title of this article I am reviewing today. "'New research from North Carolina State University, RTI International, Arizona State University and Duke University Medical Center finds a host of factors that are associated with subsequent risk of adults with mental illness becoming victims or perpetrators of violence. The work highlights the importance of interventions to treat mental-health problems in order to reduce community violence and instances of mental-health crises. 'This work builds on an earlier study that found almost one-third of adults with mental illness are likely to be victims of violence within a six-month period,' says Richard Van Dorn, a researcher at RTI and lead author of a paper describing the work. 'In this study, we addressed two fundamental questions: If someone is victimized, is he or she more likely to become violent? And if someone is violent, is he or she more likely to be victimized? The answer is yes, to both questions.' The researchers analyzed data from a database of 3,473 adults with mental illnesses who had answered questions about both committing violence and being victims of violence. The database drew from four earlier studies that focused on issues ranging from antipsychotic medications to treatment approaches. Those studies had different research goals, but all asked identical questions related to violence and victimization. For this study, the researchers used a baseline assessment of each study participant's mental health and violence history as a starting point, and then tracked the data on each participant for up to 36 months.'"They are forgetting substance abuse. I am not violent although when I had an episode for the second time and I drank I was violent and went to the state hospital because of a crime that happened when I was psychotic and drunk.
The article goes on to say: "'Specifically, the researchers assessed each individual's homelessness, inpatient mental-health treatment, psychological symptoms of mental illness, substance use and as victims or perpetrators of violence. The researchers evaluated all of these items as both indicators and outcomes -- i.e., as both causes and effects. 'We found that all of these indicators mattered, but often in different ways,' says Sarah Desmarais, an associate professor of psychology at NC State and co-author of the paper. 'For example, drug use was a leading indicator of committing violence, while alcohol use was a leading indicator of being a victim of violence.' However, the researchers also found that one particular category of psychological symptoms was also closely associated with violence: affective symptoms. 'By affect, we mean symptoms including anxiety, depressive symptoms and poor impulse control,' Desmarais says. 'The more pronounced affective symptoms were, the more likely someone was to both commit violence and be a victim of violence. 'This is particularly important because good practices already exist for how to help people, such as therapeutic interventions or medication,' she adds. 'And by treating people who are exhibiting these symptoms, we could reduce violence. Just treating drug or alcohol use -- which is what happens in many cases -- isn't enough. We need to treat the underlying mental illness that is associated with these affective symptoms.'" That is what worked for me to stop drinking and it has been 27 years since I last took a drink. Since then I have not been stopped for a crime or been charged with anything alcohol is bad for me and I know it.
The article ends: "'The research also highlighted how one violent event could cascade over time.
For example, on average, the researchers found that one event in which a person was a victim of violence triggered seven other effects, such as psychological symptoms, homelessness and becoming perpetrators of violence. Those seven effects, on average, triggered an additional 39 additional effects. 'It's a complex series of interactions that spirals over time, exacerbating substance use, mental-health problems and violent behavior,' Van Dorn says. 'These results tell us that we need to evaluate how we treat adults with severe mental illness,' he adds. 'Investing in community-based mental health treatment programs would significantly reduce violent events in this population,' says Desmarais. 'That would be more effective and efficient than waiting for people to either show up at emergency rooms in the midst of a mental-health crisis or become involved in the legal system as either victims or perpetrators of violence. 'We have treatments for all of these problems, we just need to make them available to the people that need them,' Desmarais says.'"You have to recognize the problem and then deal with it. I did not need AA even though I had to go my crime was so bad in my mind that I did not want to drink again. I have not went to AA for the last twelve years because I will never drink again I hit the bottom and do not need alcohol to put me back in jail.
The article goes on to say: "'Specifically, the researchers assessed each individual's homelessness, inpatient mental-health treatment, psychological symptoms of mental illness, substance use and as victims or perpetrators of violence. The researchers evaluated all of these items as both indicators and outcomes -- i.e., as both causes and effects. 'We found that all of these indicators mattered, but often in different ways,' says Sarah Desmarais, an associate professor of psychology at NC State and co-author of the paper. 'For example, drug use was a leading indicator of committing violence, while alcohol use was a leading indicator of being a victim of violence.' However, the researchers also found that one particular category of psychological symptoms was also closely associated with violence: affective symptoms. 'By affect, we mean symptoms including anxiety, depressive symptoms and poor impulse control,' Desmarais says. 'The more pronounced affective symptoms were, the more likely someone was to both commit violence and be a victim of violence. 'This is particularly important because good practices already exist for how to help people, such as therapeutic interventions or medication,' she adds. 'And by treating people who are exhibiting these symptoms, we could reduce violence. Just treating drug or alcohol use -- which is what happens in many cases -- isn't enough. We need to treat the underlying mental illness that is associated with these affective symptoms.'" That is what worked for me to stop drinking and it has been 27 years since I last took a drink. Since then I have not been stopped for a crime or been charged with anything alcohol is bad for me and I know it.
The article ends: "'The research also highlighted how one violent event could cascade over time.
For example, on average, the researchers found that one event in which a person was a victim of violence triggered seven other effects, such as psychological symptoms, homelessness and becoming perpetrators of violence. Those seven effects, on average, triggered an additional 39 additional effects. 'It's a complex series of interactions that spirals over time, exacerbating substance use, mental-health problems and violent behavior,' Van Dorn says. 'These results tell us that we need to evaluate how we treat adults with severe mental illness,' he adds. 'Investing in community-based mental health treatment programs would significantly reduce violent events in this population,' says Desmarais. 'That would be more effective and efficient than waiting for people to either show up at emergency rooms in the midst of a mental-health crisis or become involved in the legal system as either victims or perpetrators of violence. 'We have treatments for all of these problems, we just need to make them available to the people that need them,' Desmarais says.'"You have to recognize the problem and then deal with it. I did not need AA even though I had to go my crime was so bad in my mind that I did not want to drink again. I have not went to AA for the last twelve years because I will never drink again I hit the bottom and do not need alcohol to put me back in jail.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Does the Media Unfairly Portray Mentally Ill People as Violent?
That is the title of this article I am reviewing today. "Nearly 40 percent of news stories about mental illness report a mentally ill person committing violence toward others. These numbers paint a misleading portrait of those with mental illness, because in reality, less than five percent of violence in the United States is directly related to mental illness, according to a new analysis by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers, who studied news articles from top-tier media outlets over a 20-year period, say that this heavy reporting of such a small figure unfairly alters the perception of the readers to believe that most people with mental illness are prone to violence when extensive research has shown that only a small percent ever commit such acts.
The researchers were quite surprised at how little has changed regarding this subject over the last several decades. In fact, the portrayals may have increased the stigma toward people with mental illness. For example, in the first decade of the study period (1994 to 2005), just one percent of newspaper stories linking violence with mental illness appeared on the front page, compared with 18 percent in the second decade (2005 to 2014). 'Most people with mental illness are not violent toward others and most violence is not caused by mental illness, but you would never know that by looking at media coverage of incidents,' says study leader Emma E. “Beth” McGinty, Ph.D., MS, an assistant professor in the departments of Health Policy and Management and Mental Health at the Bloomberg School.'" A person with mental illness gets very tired of hearing all theses stories of violence and mental illness. It has been twenty seven years since I had a drink of Alcohol and twenty eight years since I have been locked up for any crime under the influence. Twenty eight years since a police officer has even stopped me.
The article goes on to say: "'Despite all of the work that has been done to reduce stigma associated with mental health issues, this portrayal of mental illness as closely linked with violence exacerbates a false perception about people with these illnesses, many of whom live healthy, productive lives.
'In an ideal world, reporting would make clear the low percentage of people with mental illness who commit violence.' In any given year, 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from mental illness and, over a lifetime, roughly 50 percent receive a diagnosis. For the study, the researchers studied a random sample of 400 news articles that had covered some aspect of mental illness over a 20-year period. All articles appeared in 11 high-circulation, high-viewership media outlets in the United States. The findings show that the most frequently mentioned topic across the study period was violence (55 percent), with 38 percent mentioning violence against others and 29 percent linking mental illness with suicide. Treatment was mentioned in 47 percent of the stories, but just 14 percent described successful treatment for or recovery. 'Stories about successful treatment have the potential to decrease stigma and provide a counter image to depictions of violence, but there are not that many of these types of narratives depicted in the news media,' McGinty says. A deeper look into the media coverage found that stories of mass shootings by individuals with mental illness increased over the course of the study period, from nine percent of all news stories in the first decade to 22 percent in the second decade.'" I hate to admitted it but I had some violence on my record and went to prison for two years where I had my first breakdown before I won my appeal. I was provoked although that is not an excuse but I would have only done six months in the county jail instead of prison but the judge did not want to give me the law because she knew I would win.
The article ends: "'The number of mass shootings, however, has remained steady over that time period, according to FBI statistics. Among the stories that reported violence toward others, 38 percent mentioned that mental illness can increase the risk of such violence while only eight percent mentioned that most people with mental illness are never or rarely violent toward others.
The specific mental illness most frequently connected to violence in the news was schizophrenia (17 percent) and the two most frequently mentioned risk factors for violence other than mental illness were drug use (five percent) and stressful life events (five percent). One limitation of the study is that it did not include stories from local television news, where a large proportion of Americans get their news. McGinty says that the negative reporting adds to the perception that people with mental illness are dangerous. This is a stigmatizing portrayal that prior studies have shown leads to a desire for social distance from people with mental illness. She concedes, however, that it may be difficult for members of the news media not to assume mental illness is in play because of the idea among many that anyone who would commit violence, especially mass shootings, must have mental illness.
'Anyone who kills people is not mentally healthy. We can all agree on that,' McGinty says. 'But it’s not necessarily true that they have a diagnosable illness. They may have anger or emotional issues, which can be clinically separate from a diagnosis of mental illness.' 'Violence may stem from alcohol or drug use, issues related to poverty or childhood abuse. But these elements are rarely discussed. And as a result, coverage is skewed toward assuming mental illness first.'" I know all my times being arrested were the result of alcohol. After twenty eight years of not drinking I do not miss it at all. For me it a matter of being free to do what I want to do. I can say today if I was provoked again I would walk away it is wrong for me to put my freedom in the hands of others. Plus I now have my grandkids that I do not want to grow up the way I did I do not blame anyone but myself because I was a lot smarter than that but alcohol changes a person to make stupid mistakes.
The article goes on to say: "'Despite all of the work that has been done to reduce stigma associated with mental health issues, this portrayal of mental illness as closely linked with violence exacerbates a false perception about people with these illnesses, many of whom live healthy, productive lives.
'In an ideal world, reporting would make clear the low percentage of people with mental illness who commit violence.' In any given year, 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from mental illness and, over a lifetime, roughly 50 percent receive a diagnosis. For the study, the researchers studied a random sample of 400 news articles that had covered some aspect of mental illness over a 20-year period. All articles appeared in 11 high-circulation, high-viewership media outlets in the United States. The findings show that the most frequently mentioned topic across the study period was violence (55 percent), with 38 percent mentioning violence against others and 29 percent linking mental illness with suicide. Treatment was mentioned in 47 percent of the stories, but just 14 percent described successful treatment for or recovery. 'Stories about successful treatment have the potential to decrease stigma and provide a counter image to depictions of violence, but there are not that many of these types of narratives depicted in the news media,' McGinty says. A deeper look into the media coverage found that stories of mass shootings by individuals with mental illness increased over the course of the study period, from nine percent of all news stories in the first decade to 22 percent in the second decade.'" I hate to admitted it but I had some violence on my record and went to prison for two years where I had my first breakdown before I won my appeal. I was provoked although that is not an excuse but I would have only done six months in the county jail instead of prison but the judge did not want to give me the law because she knew I would win.
The article ends: "'The number of mass shootings, however, has remained steady over that time period, according to FBI statistics. Among the stories that reported violence toward others, 38 percent mentioned that mental illness can increase the risk of such violence while only eight percent mentioned that most people with mental illness are never or rarely violent toward others.
The specific mental illness most frequently connected to violence in the news was schizophrenia (17 percent) and the two most frequently mentioned risk factors for violence other than mental illness were drug use (five percent) and stressful life events (five percent). One limitation of the study is that it did not include stories from local television news, where a large proportion of Americans get their news. McGinty says that the negative reporting adds to the perception that people with mental illness are dangerous. This is a stigmatizing portrayal that prior studies have shown leads to a desire for social distance from people with mental illness. She concedes, however, that it may be difficult for members of the news media not to assume mental illness is in play because of the idea among many that anyone who would commit violence, especially mass shootings, must have mental illness.
'Anyone who kills people is not mentally healthy. We can all agree on that,' McGinty says. 'But it’s not necessarily true that they have a diagnosable illness. They may have anger or emotional issues, which can be clinically separate from a diagnosis of mental illness.' 'Violence may stem from alcohol or drug use, issues related to poverty or childhood abuse. But these elements are rarely discussed. And as a result, coverage is skewed toward assuming mental illness first.'" I know all my times being arrested were the result of alcohol. After twenty eight years of not drinking I do not miss it at all. For me it a matter of being free to do what I want to do. I can say today if I was provoked again I would walk away it is wrong for me to put my freedom in the hands of others. Plus I now have my grandkids that I do not want to grow up the way I did I do not blame anyone but myself because I was a lot smarter than that but alcohol changes a person to make stupid mistakes.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Psychosis Seldom Leads to Violence
That is the title of this article I am writing about. "The hallucinations and delusions associated with psychosis seldom foreshadow acts of violence, according to new research led by the University of California, Berkeley. The findings, published in the online journal Clinical Psychological Science, challenge the media-fueled stereotype of psychosis-induced aggression. For the study, researchers conducted a meticulous review of 305 violent incidents by mental health patients in the United States, and discovered that only 12 percent of these were preceded by psychosis. Numerous studies have shown that violence and murder are more likely to be sparked by anger, access to firearms, and substance abuse. The new study is the first to analyze the regularity of psychosis-induced violence among the mentally ill. 'High-profile mass shootings capture public attention and increase vigilance of people with mental illness. But our findings clearly show that psychosis rarely leads directly to violence,' said study lead author Dr. Jennifer Skeem, a clinical psychologist and associate dean of research at University of California, Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare. " People with mental illness are usually the subjects of violence happening to them. My mental illness had some violence although I was drunk on tequila or it would have never happen at all.
The article goes on to say: "Skeem and fellow researchers at the University of Virginia and Columbia University focused on the most violent patients tracked in the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment study, a major 1998 analysis of more than 1,100 offenders who had been discharged from psychiatric facilities. Specifically, the researchers focused on 100 high-risk patients, who had been involved in two or more violent incidents in the year after they were discharged from a psychiatric facility. The goal was to establish their mental states at the time they were engaging in acts of violence. 'We wanted to examine the small group of people with repeated violence and see how consistently these violent incidents were caused by hallucinations and delusions,' Skeem said. In addition to reviewing records, they interviewed former patients about what they were thinking and feeling just before they committed acts of violence, and also sought the perspectives of their friends and family members." I have not committed an act of violence in the twenty six years of having a mental illness since that day. There are more regular people who commit violence everyday than people with mental illness.
The article ends: "The findings revealed that psychosis preceded only 12 percent of the violent acts they committed following their release. Furthermore, if psychosis was the basis of one violent incident, it was rarely implicated in subsequent ones. Mental health professionals and advocates assert that high-profile cases perpetuate the stigma of mental illness, and keep people who are suffering from psychiatric disorders from talking about their condition and seeking help. In fact, they say, people with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violence than the perpetrators. 'None of this detracts from the message that people with mental illness need access to psychiatric services,' Skeem said. 'But it’s important to remember that risk factors for violence, such as substance abuse, childhood maltreatment, neighborhood disadvantage, are mostly shared by people with and without mental illness, and that’s what we should be focused on if maximizing public safety is our goal.'" They tell the truth I would never commit a violent act again. I would not have committed that one if I was not drunk. I know that is not a good excuse although it happened and I will never let it happen again.
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The article goes on to say: "Skeem and fellow researchers at the University of Virginia and Columbia University focused on the most violent patients tracked in the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment study, a major 1998 analysis of more than 1,100 offenders who had been discharged from psychiatric facilities. Specifically, the researchers focused on 100 high-risk patients, who had been involved in two or more violent incidents in the year after they were discharged from a psychiatric facility. The goal was to establish their mental states at the time they were engaging in acts of violence. 'We wanted to examine the small group of people with repeated violence and see how consistently these violent incidents were caused by hallucinations and delusions,' Skeem said. In addition to reviewing records, they interviewed former patients about what they were thinking and feeling just before they committed acts of violence, and also sought the perspectives of their friends and family members." I have not committed an act of violence in the twenty six years of having a mental illness since that day. There are more regular people who commit violence everyday than people with mental illness.
The article ends: "The findings revealed that psychosis preceded only 12 percent of the violent acts they committed following their release. Furthermore, if psychosis was the basis of one violent incident, it was rarely implicated in subsequent ones. Mental health professionals and advocates assert that high-profile cases perpetuate the stigma of mental illness, and keep people who are suffering from psychiatric disorders from talking about their condition and seeking help. In fact, they say, people with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violence than the perpetrators. 'None of this detracts from the message that people with mental illness need access to psychiatric services,' Skeem said. 'But it’s important to remember that risk factors for violence, such as substance abuse, childhood maltreatment, neighborhood disadvantage, are mostly shared by people with and without mental illness, and that’s what we should be focused on if maximizing public safety is our goal.'" They tell the truth I would never commit a violent act again. I would not have committed that one if I was not drunk. I know that is not a good excuse although it happened and I will never let it happen again.
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The News and Recovery
I usually do
not talk about the news when someone with a mental illness kills someone. Although this latest one hit home, because I
have grandchildren and I would never want them harmed in anyway. My heart goes out to those families. It is stories like this that bring on a bad
image to people with mental illness.
There are online websites trying to change laws like the TreatmentAdvocacy Center I read their website every week.
To see what they say about what happened during the week and the changes
happening around the country. Also I
heard on the news this morning that Governor Hinkenlooper is asking for changes
in policies in the City of Denver concerning the mentally ill.
When I became mentally ill for the second time here in Denver, my mom called a mental health place and they told her that she could not do anything I would have to ask for help. That was the law and I think it still is. The same night she asked for help I was drinking and committed a crime and was sent to the state hospital. I do not like the state hospital, although it was the best thing that happened to me. If I would have asked for help out here on the streets I would not have succeeded as well as I did. The state hospital gave me a chance to start not only my typing from zero also my life. I was able to take a different fork in the road and change everything about my life.
It worked out good for me because I did not kill anyone. For that I thank the lord. I hate being mentally ill when it happens. I know when I read that someone with a mental illness killed a lot of people. It makes others look bad at that person and all people with mental illness. I also think how that person ruined their life because they or those around them did not seek help. Locked up for life in prison or a state hospital is no fun. I can remember when I was doing thirty days for a DUI and a person I knew told me he had just received a life sentence and laughed about it. That freaked me out. Although then life was twenty year before parole now it is forty years or without parole. That is insane and I do not wish it on anyone.
I do not glamorize my years locked up especially to my grandchildren. They only know me now and that is the way I will always keep it. I do not put blame on anyone in the past for the way I was. I am just thankful for my life now. The people and the times in the past were just the way they were brought up and they loved in the way they knew how. Although I would never want anyone to become an alcoholic or drug addict. I saw too many young people become addicted to drugs and throw their life away and just want to do that drug and forget family and everything.
That is one reason I wanted to become a drug counselor was to help young people. Although the politics of that profession made me change my mind and go for my masters in a different field. I could not help the ones I wanted to.
When I became mentally ill for the second time here in Denver, my mom called a mental health place and they told her that she could not do anything I would have to ask for help. That was the law and I think it still is. The same night she asked for help I was drinking and committed a crime and was sent to the state hospital. I do not like the state hospital, although it was the best thing that happened to me. If I would have asked for help out here on the streets I would not have succeeded as well as I did. The state hospital gave me a chance to start not only my typing from zero also my life. I was able to take a different fork in the road and change everything about my life.
It worked out good for me because I did not kill anyone. For that I thank the lord. I hate being mentally ill when it happens. I know when I read that someone with a mental illness killed a lot of people. It makes others look bad at that person and all people with mental illness. I also think how that person ruined their life because they or those around them did not seek help. Locked up for life in prison or a state hospital is no fun. I can remember when I was doing thirty days for a DUI and a person I knew told me he had just received a life sentence and laughed about it. That freaked me out. Although then life was twenty year before parole now it is forty years or without parole. That is insane and I do not wish it on anyone.
I do not glamorize my years locked up especially to my grandchildren. They only know me now and that is the way I will always keep it. I do not put blame on anyone in the past for the way I was. I am just thankful for my life now. The people and the times in the past were just the way they were brought up and they loved in the way they knew how. Although I would never want anyone to become an alcoholic or drug addict. I saw too many young people become addicted to drugs and throw their life away and just want to do that drug and forget family and everything.
That is one reason I wanted to become a drug counselor was to help young people. Although the politics of that profession made me change my mind and go for my masters in a different field. I could not help the ones I wanted to.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Experiencing Violence the Mentally Ill
It is said, that the number of people with mental illness experience violence of some kind every year, which is a higher ratio than the rest of the population. Physical, sexual or domestic violence is much higher in those whom are mentally ill, than adults without disabilities; and this is stated by doctors in Liverpool England in an analysis of a study on the victimization of people with mental illness.
The violence against those with disabilities is common, for those with learning disabilities or mental disabilities and others. As you would expect compassion towards adults with disabilities, the stigma of the public exist and is that they, (the public), fear violence from those with disabilities, especially those with severe mental illness. As you can see, those with disabilities have as much to fear as those that fear others of a mental illness. The stigmas exist, and trust is hard to find when you have experienced a violent crime whether you are disabled or not. As such there should be programs based in disabled settings, including training for staff members unaccustomed to violence. This is recommended for mental health center staff members as well, to reduce victimization, especially with the mental health client which may be verbal as well as physical victimization.
Medical News: Mentally Ill Often Targets of Violence - in Psychiatry, General Psychiatry from MedPage Today
Having had exposure to violence throughout their lifetime some mental health clients with a disability who are threatened with violence live in fear of becoming a victim, and here you would foresee that there is a percentage of violently linked crimes either linking those with a mental illness or being subjected to crimes they would not have committed.
Written by Donald Sammons
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Homeless Count
In this article it says that Denver has more homeless people this year than last. “A total of 12,605 homeless people were counted in the survey of the region’s homeless Jan. 23- a survey that occurs on one night in January every year.” That is a lot of homeless people that are out on the streets and shelters. They do not all get into shelters some sleep at night on the street.
They did this study just a week before the city council is supposed to have the final vote in which I wrote about in last week’s blog. They found out in the study that: “Nearly 1,000 people were unsheltered that night; 600 respondents said domestic violence was the reason for their homelessness, and 3,239 people were considered “newly homeless.” Nearly 1000 people lived on the streets and not in a shelter. They have about 1,700 shelter beds in Denver. “.. about 10,000 fewer than needed.” If this ordinance passes where are they going to put all those people; in jail?
The police it would seem would be spending most of their time catching homeless people? Who are these homeless people? “We see this rise every year… That changes the stereotype of what people think a homeless person is. These are children.” They are family with kids. If there is no room in shelters what are they going to do with these children? A lot of unanswered questions, it seems they are pushing this through so fast and are not thinking about the consequences of what will really happen.
It is more than just the mentally ill. “You have to have somewhere to go… adding that families with children make up about 64 percent of the region’s homeless population. They should think of a way to help these people rather than pass a bill making camping illegal on the streets of Denver. To me I think they are just pushing this measure through and not given a chance to stop and think what might happen.
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