Comm Health Project
NCANS 2008-2009Community Health Project:
Promotion of Mental Health Awareness
By the numbers….
Nationally
· One in four adults—approximately 57.7 million Americans— experience a mental health disorder in a given year.
· One in seventeen lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder.
· About one in ten children have a serious mental or emotional disorder.
· Fewer than one‐third of adults and half of children with a diagnosable mental disorder receive any mental health services in a given year.
· Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the U.S., and the third leading cause of death for ages 10 to 24 years. More than 90 percent of those who die by suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder.
In North Carolina
· There are 8,541,263 people in the state of North Carolina
· Approximately 15 to 25 percent of adults suffer from significant mental illness.
· A little over 140,000 adults received mental health services for FY1999 in North Carolina
· That leaves over a million adults with inadequate care of their mental illness..
Our Children
· While 70% of our school age children will not need any mental health services the remaining 30%, will suffer from such disorders as ADHD, depression and Bipolar.
· With a school population of 1,347,247 in our state, an estimated 404,174 children/adolescents in North Carolina public and charter schools needs professional mental health care.
· One-half of these students will drop out of school. Only 42% who remain will graduate with a diploma.
· These are very treatable disorders but only one child in five gets the help he or she needs. This means that in North Carolina, 323,339 children are missing out on the services they and their families need.
Our Soldiers
- The number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder from the Department of Veterans Affairs jumped by nearly 20,000 — almost 70% — in the 12 months ending June 30, 2007, VA records show.
- More than 100,000 combat veterans sought help for mental illness since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, about one in seven of those who have left active duty since then. Almost half of those were PTSD cases.
- The total of mental health cases among war veterans grew by 58% from 63,767 on June 30, 2006, to 100,580 on June 30, 2007. The mental health issues include PTSD, drug and alcohol dependency, and depression.
- In July 2007, a nationwide report indicated that male veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide as compared with their civilian peers in the general US population .
The Reality….
· Mental Illness cannot be overcome through “will power” and does not reflect a person’s intelligence level or personal character.
· The National Association on Mental Illness(NAMI) gave North Carolina a D+ in 2006 when it came to assisting the mentally ill.
· North Carolina ranked near the bottom (43) on per capita mental health spending and ranked 25th in suicide rates.
· Suicide worldwide causes more deaths every year than homicide or war. (WHO, 2001)
· Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the US and Canada for ages 15-44. (NIMH, 6/2006)
· Without treatment the consequences of mental illness for the individual and society are staggering: unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, suicide and wasted lives.
· The economic cost of untreated mental illness is more than 100 billion dollars each year in the United States.
· Early identification and adequate community resources would reduce the risk of suicide, substance abuse, unprovoked aggression, and involvement with the justice system in addition it would provide a support structure to increase student graduation rates.
“Simply put, treatment works, if you can get it. But in America today, it is clear that many people living with the most serious and persistent mental illnesses are not provided with the essential treatment they need.” States by Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of NAMI National.
What’s Being Done
NC 2010 Health Objective on Mental Health (http://www.healthycarolinians.org/2010objs/mental.htm)
· To increase the proportion of children and adolescents, birth to age 18, with serious emotional disturbances who receive treatment.
o Developmental Objective, baseline data to be collected and analyzed in 2001.
· Increase the proportion of adults with mental illnesses who receive treatment.
o Target: 162,228 adults with mental illnesses will receive treatment.
o Baseline, July 1998-June 1999: 141,068 adults with mental illnesses receive treatment from Division of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/ Substance Abuse Services.
o Target Setting Method: 15 percent improvement. Increase the proportion of adults, over the age of 65, with mental illness who receive treatment.
· Increase the proportion of adults over age 65 with mental illness who receive treatment.
o Target: 14,566 adults over age 65 with mental illness will receive treatment.
o Baseline, July 1998-June 1999: 12,666 adults over age 65 with mental illnesses received treatment from Division of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities /Substance Abuse Services.
o Target Setting Method: 15 percent improvement.
Mental Health Parity
· House & Senate (www.house.gov & www.senate.gov)
o On September 23, the House passed the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, H.R. 6983—legislation that will end discrimination against patients seeking treatment for mental illness. This provision requires equity in both financial requirements and treatment limits; does not pre-empt stronger state parity laws, and provides for enforcement of the beneficiaries rights.
· NC General Assembly (http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/)
o House Bill 973 on Mental Health Equitable Coverage passed on July 27, 2007 and went into effect July 1, 2008. The measure requires that nine common mental health conditions be covered at levels equal to physical conditions. The conditions are bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, paranoid or psychotic disorders, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
What you can do….
- Contact your Representatives
Contact your state and national representatives today , urge them to review the facts and make changes. Make your voice heard. - Educate Yourself and Tell a Friend
Raise awareness about the state of mental healthcare in the U.S. Educate your patients and their families. Provided resources like NAMI for them to learn more.
- Find your State or Local NAMI… NAMI-North Carolina’s website is www.naminc.org
NAMI has a state organization in all 50 states as well as in Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. There are also more than 1,100 local affiliates. Each level of the organization provides support, education, information and referral and advocacy. Local affiliates and state organizations identify and work on issues most important to their community and state. - Join a NAMI Walk
Every journey begins with that first step. In 2006, thousands of concerned citizens in more than 60 communities across the nation will walked together to raise money and awareness about our country’s need for a world-class treatment and recovery system for people with mental illness. Won’t you join us? The next NAMI Walk in North Carolina is…
The NAMI- North Carolina 5th Annual NAMI Walks for the Mind of America will be held at Dorthea Dix State Hospital in Raleigh, NC on May 2, 2009. A 2.3 mile walk, registration begins at 9am. For more information go to www.naminc.org
Resources
NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots organization for people with mental illness and their families. Founded in 1979, NAMI has affiliates in every state and in more than 1,100 local communities across the country. Find out more at www.NAMI.org
Programs available at NAMI include:
· The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is a free, 12-week course for family caregivers of individuals with severe mental illnesses.
· In Our Own Voice (IOOV) is a unique public education program developed by NAMI, in which two trained consumer speakers share compelling personal stories about living with mental illness and achieving recovery.
· The NAMI Veterans Council (NVC) mission is to advocate for veterans with serious mental illness and their families in comprehensive and coordinated systems of care in both inpatient and community settings. The Mission also covers active military personnel and their dependents with serious mental illness.
The MHA/NC is the state’s oldest and largest private, non-profit mental health advocacy organization. Our mission is to promote mental health, prevent mental disorders, and eliminate discrimination against people with mental disorders. We accomplish these goals through advocacy, education, service and research. Check it out at http://www.mha-nc.org/english/
Educate Yourself….. NC Mental Health vote www.ncmentalhealtvote.org
North Carolina Mental Hope’s mission is to increase public awareness and support of mental health and to decrease stigma surrounding mental illness through the effective use of news and other communications media. More information at www.ncmentalhope.org
Community Health Project: Insure all of North Carolina
The Facts:
- 1.4 million Residents lack health insurance in NC.
- 1 in 8 children in NC do not have health insurance.
- 11.9% of our children have no health insurance and an additional 39.3 currently rely on health choice or Medicaid.
- Uninsured individuals in NC generate 1.3 billion dollars of hospital cost per year largely repaid through our taxes and increased charges to the general population. If trends continue the uninsured will have a tab of more than $1.8 billion dollars per year by 2010.
- In NC 83% of the voting age population agreed that “The state legislature should make a plan so that all NC residents can get decent health care on a regular basis”
What you can do….
- Learn more about who’s insured and how the state of NC helps to insure its citizens here.
- Be involved in the Back to School Campaign to sign up our eligible, uninsured children of North Carolina.
- Plan an Awareness Event. Download A Guide to Planning a Health and Enrollment Fair.
- Bring information to already planned events in your area. Order FREE materials online.
- Get informed about legislature affecting the uninsured in NC at both www.ncchild.org (specifically about insuring our children) and www.healthcareforallnc.org
- Get out and VOTE! It makes a difference.
Resource Sites:
