With the new decade, mental health professionals are taking this time as an opportunity to re-evaluate how we look at mental health.
The World Health Organization 2013-2020 mental health plan (bit.ly/3a9kJe5) called for a worldwide change in the attitudes that stigmatize mental illness. It also aimed to add strategies for promotion and prevention in mental health and strengthen information systems and research for mental health. Now, work is underway to develop a new set of goals for the next decade (Healthy People 2030, bit.ly/2Rhsxlh).
As of 2004, an estimated 1 in 4 adults in the United States had a mental health disorder in the past 12 months (bit.ly/381DtKst/about-ro-dbt) – typically anxiety or depression – and 1 in 17 had serious mental illness. It is not unusual for either adults or children to have more than one mental health disorder.
Mental health advocates offer advice on how to help an individual battling a health crisis – primarily, recognizing when a crisis is happening and then assisting an individual to get the help they need. Usually it begins with a call to a crisis hotline.
But what happens after a crisis is over?
“Once an individual is out of immediate danger, the bigger task of how to navigate through daily life is the next step,” says Cheryl Wallace, vice president of programs at Rose Hill Center in Holly, a long-term mental health facility offering comprehensive treatment and residential rehabilitation services for adults.
“One of the most important things to minimize relapse or another crisis is to improve or change one’s lifestyle to reduce stress, have a support system and to find the proper treatment to best suit the individual.”
New technique
The term “mindfulness” has been a definitive word of the past decade. In 2020, a new therapy based on an old one is expected to get much attention.
“The stigma of mental health still exists, but it has vastly improved in the past 10 years,” Wallace says. “Treatments evolve – treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and (talk therapy) are still used. But what many experts are looking to now to assist with treatment of very difficult-to-treat disorders such as anorexia nervosa, chronic depression and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO DBT) (radicallyopen.net).
“RO DBT builds upon the importance of being a part of a social tribe, flexible thinking and mindfulness skills.”
This treatment approach involves individual treatment sessions and skills training classes. It helps individuals cope in social situations to make true friendships, and activates brain systems that regulate more fluid ways of interacting with others.
“Recovering from mental illness includes understanding there are ups and downs, new discoveries and setbacks in the life of an individual with mental illness,” Wallace says. “RO DBT helps an individual with coping skills.”
How can I help a loved one?
Supporting a loved one with mental health issues can be difficult. You may not understand the behavior, or may find it difficult to adjust your own behavior to avoid upsetting a loved one. It can be a delicate balance, but recovery can happen in time.
Wallace offered some general advice that may help the families of individuals seeking therapy, or staying in therapy:
* Ask your loved one how you can help them.
* Be patient – learning new coping strategies takes time.
* Listen and validate their concerns. Instead of dismissing their perceptions, try to empathize with their feelings and tell them, for instance, “I understand why you are angry/afraid.”
It helps to keep an open mind, she adds.
“Continuing to work toward improvement doesn’t happen easily or naturally, which is why staying in treatment is crucial,” Wallace says. “Thankfully today, there are many options for effective therapy to best suit an individual’s needs. One-size-fits-all for treatment is never the best approach.”
Lana Mini is a communications professional who represents Rose Hill Center. For more information about Rose Hill Center, including its therapeutic programs and services for adults with serious mental illness, visit rosehillcenter.org.