Mental Health Affairs: The Final Solution to the Mental Health Crisis

MENTAL HEALTH AFFAIRS

Never surrender to mental illness and never give up!

Establishing the 1st International Treaty for Rights and Duties in Mental Health

Posted on 15 May 202215 May 2022 by Marcelo Henrique, PhD

Experience makes us see the importance of seeking standardized protocols in the treatment and daily maintenance of people in mental

Deputy Director of South American Affairs

Posted on 15 May 202215 May 2022 by J. Peters

Mental Health Affairs has always been an international mission at its core. Our vision is a final solution ⚡️⚡️. After

CELEBRATING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

Posted on 7 May 20227 May 2022 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

There are significant reasons for having Mental Health Awareness Month.

Resilience is my great love

Posted on 5 May 20225 May 2022 by Phillip Cooke

There are many battles in this war

GOOD SUPPORT IS VITAL FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

Posted on 2 May 20223 May 2022 by J. Peters

People battling extreme conditions need support in their lives

We need Human Rights in Mental Health

Posted on 30 Apr 202230 Apr 2022 by Marcelo Henrique, PhD

Life is the greatest of all Rights

GRIEVING YOUR PAST ‘SELF’

Posted on 21 Apr 202222 Apr 2022 by Meghan Nelligan

There is a lot in life that we lose as we live

Managing Your Mental Health on the Job

Posted on 13 Apr 202222 Apr 2022 by Chris Bruni

How does this factor into managing your mental health on the job?

Help! Mom and Dad Didn’t Teach Me How to Live in This Crazy World

Posted on 11 Apr 202222 Apr 2022 by Ember Manos Belle

Religious writing offers emotional and spiritual guidance

SELF MANAGING DELUSIONAL SYSTEMS

Posted on 6 Apr 202222 Apr 2022 by J. Peters

Delusions put the ‘crazy’ in madness. Delusions can carve out the imaginary and marry it in misleading ways with a

MODIFYING A CULTURE THROUGH WELLNESS

Posted on 26 Mar 202227 Mar 2022 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

what is ‘Culture’?

dedication to 'those lives lost to eating disorders' (order of service)

RETHINKING TREATMENT FOR NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER (NPD)

Posted on 26 Mar 20223 May 2022 by J. Peters

Psychotherapy’s primary focus should not be symptom management

Little Itty Bits of Fear

Posted on 15 Mar 202222 Apr 2022 by Ember Manos Belle

There are windows that I fear everywhere in life.

HOW TO BENEFIT THE MOST FROM YOUR MENTAL HEALTH THERAPY

Posted on 12 Mar 202229 Apr 2022 by J. Peters

The ‘work’ or doing ‘work’ in therapy makes the difference in treatment every time

FINDING THE COURAGE TO BREAK FREE

Posted on 11 Mar 202211 Mar 2022 by Phillip Cooke

I don’t see a lot of people of color in the world of peer support

MARCHING AHEAD

Posted on 11 Mar 202211 Mar 2022 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

Winter is over and Spring wi

TREATMENT FIT WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS

Posted on 5 Mar 20225 Mar 2022 by J. Peters

When I arrived at their E&R, I was taken into a room and told I was no longer welcome at the clinic and needed to go elsewhere for services.

TELLING MY STORY

Posted on 25 Feb 202225 Feb 2022 by Phillip Cooke

Label me and put me in some “neat” category?

MY BATTLE CRY

Posted on 25 Feb 202222 Apr 2022 by Phillip Cooke

You want the motion, you gotta move

Green Grass No More

Posted on 13 Feb 202218 Feb 2022 by jmarich17

The foundation you were forged from is forever gone

How do social workers define help

Posted on 13 Feb 202211 Mar 2022 by J. Peters

Social work means answering questions in people’s lives without clear resolution.

The Fear of Self-Disclosure🗣

Posted on 12 Feb 202213 Feb 2022 by J. Peters

Share, feel free to disclose all aspects of your lived experience and mental health history.

selective focus photography of person holding the adventure begins mug

Winter Storm Alert! Are We Prepared?

Posted on 3 Feb 202212 Feb 2022 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

I try my best to deal with the cold

Winter can be challenging when you have a mental health condition

Posted on 1 Feb 202213 Feb 2022 by J. Peters

This article explores the importance of maintaining wellness during the cold winter

Disability Visibility

Posted on 26 Jan 202226 Jan 2022 by Chris Bruni

Give me joy and cheer and hope

A Little Help From My Friends

Posted on 25 Jan 202213 Feb 2022 by Ember Manos Belle

Red flag! You feel it in your gut. Something is not correct.

HOPE FOR EVERY SEASON

Posted on 23 Jan 202225 Jan 2022 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

All people need HOPE

HOW DATING APPS WORSENED MY MENTAL HEALTH

Posted on 23 Jan 202223 Jan 2022 by Meghan Nelligan

it was modern dating

New Freedom, The Manifesto of J. Peters

Posted on 23 Jan 20229 Apr 2022 by J. Peters

J.Peters came with his brave experiment. And we all became more human.’

On-and-on-and-on-ymous

Posted on 11 Jan 202213 Feb 2022 by Dr. Robert Lefever

Sometimes I rabbit on for far too long. Perhaps there should be a Fellowship for people like me. When an

Recovery and self-Determination

Posted on 5 Jan 202217 Mar 2022 by J. Peters

I believe in self-determination

The problem with measuring progress in treatment

Posted on 30 Dec 202130 Dec 2021 by J. Peters

Therapists monitor the progress of their patients.

Psychotic ‘Break’ Survival Skill Kit

Posted on 23 Dec 20218 Feb 2022 by J. Peters

Most people don’t realize something is wrong with their thinking

STIGMA and DISCRIMINATION ARE HERE, but SO IS HOPE!

Posted on 7 Dec 202113 Feb 2022 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

Ho, Ho, Ho! Hope is in the air.

Where the Past Meets the Future

Posted on 30 Nov 202113 Feb 2022 by Ember Manos Belle

And tomorrow, we will be what we are today

Solid Ground and the Rescue Line

Posted on 30 Nov 202113 Feb 2022 by Ember Manos Belle

Everyone knows you have problems

The ‘System’

Posted on 28 Nov 20214 Mar 2022 by J. Peters

I have worked at various levels of the mental health system

Gratitude

Posted on 19 Nov 202113 Feb 2022 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

Gratitude is closely associated with our mental health

When Person-Centered Care takes a WRONG turn

Posted on 10 Nov 202125 Jan 2022 by J. Peters

I’ve been in treatment for severe mental illness my entire adult life.

Resentment

Posted on 10 Nov 202129 Apr 2022 by Dr. Robert Lefever

We forgive and forget. Mostly.

Issues of Longevity and Mental Health

Posted on 9 Nov 202115 May 2022 by J. Peters

Issues of Longevity and Mental Health There is no question people with a severe mental health diagnosis die on average

Embracing 2022 and living in the ‘Now’

Posted on 9 Nov 202113 Feb 2022 by J. Peters

2022 must be a time of change

Language and Mental Health: Living and Communicating our Lived Experience

Posted on 8 Nov 202113 Feb 2022 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

There is tectonic shift in mental health language

The Communication and Support That Allows Progress in Treatment

Posted on 8 Nov 20218 Nov 2021 by Dave Meyers

Patients are triggered by treatment providers without empathy

Inside the mindset of defeat

Posted on 30 Oct 202112 Feb 2022 by J. Peters

Operation Clausewitz was the German solution to the military situation in Europe in 1945

I WANT TO PUT CAHOOTS ON WATCH

Posted on 28 Oct 20219 Feb 2022 by J. Peters

We also need to think about what practice means given the current state regulatory instruments

Going to Social Work school with a Schizophrenia diagnosis

Posted on 22 Oct 202129 Oct 2021 by J. Peters

Careful about managing my schizophrenia symptoms

Consenting to infection~ HEP C and the Pandemic

Posted on 17 Oct 202125 Jan 2022 by J. Peters

My mistake was giving up on life

This is a PRO Tobacco Use Argument in Mental Health Settings

Posted on 15 Oct 202113 Feb 2022 by J. Peters

This trend defies the age-old image of ‘mentally ill’ folks pacing around outside their treatment center or a hospital smoking like chimneys

Until when? (Full Translation Espanol/Portugues)

Posted on 11 Oct 202111 Oct 2021 by Human Rights Coalition for Latin America, Mental Health and Social Justice

We can learn together that we are stronger even in the face of natural catastrophes—human response and action triumphs in the end.

Partying with a Mental Health Disorder

Posted on 11 Oct 20219 Apr 2022 by J. Peters

I told him, point-blank, that Medicaid doesn’t pay for out-of-state trips to the ER

RELATIONSHIP ABUSE and DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Posted on 9 Oct 202110 Oct 2021 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

Relationship abuse occurs across a broad spectrum of the population

How to Self-Manage Our Frustration

Posted on 30 Sep 202130 Sep 2021 by J. Peters

Suppose you cannot maintain safety with yourself or with others.

Targeting the clinical grey areas in mental health treatment

Posted on 30 Sep 202116 Mar 2022 by J. Peters

Treating clinical ‘symptoms’ is not the biggest clinical issue

SPECIAL REPORT: Re-thinking ‘Extended Care’ units in State Hospital Centers

Posted on 30 Sep 202131 Dec 2021 by J. Peters

Remaining patients in the long-term state psychiatric centres must be discharged and released from the eternal holding

How to Define Recovery A Radical Idea

Posted on 29 Sep 202129 Sep 2021 by Chris Bruni

Here’s the thing: having a normal life shouldn’t be the barometer of how well a person is doing in recovery.

Advocates that stigmatize

Posted on 24 Sep 202116 Mar 2022 by J. Peters

At the root of it, they are pathologizing advocates. I have met them.

MYSTERY DUO, WRAPPED IN A MYSTERY

Posted on 23 Sep 202123 Sep 2021 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

Who is the mystery two-some?

How a brain injury through an accident enabled the help, I deserved but wasn’t getting

Posted on 18 Sep 202118 Sep 2021 by Dave Meyers

I had been searching for 4 years starting in 2003 for a treatment that could help my whole sense of being.

I am a mental health advocate, but still feel shame about my own struggles at times.

Posted on 18 Sep 202118 Sep 2021 by Meghan Nelligan

Sometimes, I felt guilty about keeping my mental health to myself.

Vitor Sallys Story according to His siter Vitoria Sallys

Posted on 9 Sep 202110 Sep 2021 by Human Rights Coalition for Latin America, Mental Health and Social Justice

The mental health system brutally violated Vitor’s rights.

cutout paper leaf on natural fallen foliage

Another September Morn

Posted on 9 Sep 202113 Feb 2022 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

Do you know where you were on that fateful day?

Healthy fascinations went awry

Posted on 31 Aug 202131 Aug 2021 by Dave Meyers

With thoughts moving at breakneck speed, at 16, I did not see an end to the downward spiral. I was

Human Rights Coalition for Latin America Mental Hygiene & Social Justice

Posted on 26 Aug 202120 Sep 2021 by Human Rights Coalition for Latin America, Mental Health and Social Justice

The OBDH (Observatorio Brasileiro de Diretos Humanos) have been working intensively ever since its creation helping and supporting all Brazilian peopl

The Impact of Words on our Psyches

Posted on 25 Aug 20214 Dec 2021 by Craig Lewis

This is about you doing you, because no one else can do you better.

Peers betraying Peers, and Relapse

Posted on 25 Aug 202125 Jan 2022 by J. Peters

The reasons are so multifaceted and nuanced, flagrant, and most assuredly un peers like

Gross Violence Against People with a Mental Health diagnosis in Brazil

Posted on 19 Aug 202119 Aug 2021 by Human Rights Coalition for Latin America, Mental Health and Social Justice

On June 17, 2021, in Brazil, Police invaded a home and, with three shots, killed Hamilton Cesar Lima Bandeira, a

Working with a Mental Health diagnosis/disorder

Posted on 18 Aug 202118 Aug 2021 by J. Peters

Dictate what you want to do in life

Human Rights Violations in Brazil: The Case of Vavá

Posted on 15 Aug 202115 Aug 2021 by Human Rights Coalition for Latin America, Mental Health and Social Justice

Vavá is a young man with the mental disorder Schizophrenia

Cooling Off From the Heat

Posted on 4 Aug 20214 Aug 2021 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

One hot summer day, we are basking in the sunshine with SPF30 lotion all over our bodies, but it is

Different Perspective On Schizophrenic Delusion

Posted on 20 Jul 2021 by Dale Walsh

I chose a Path of immersion and recovery

Calmigo Reviewed: AromaScam?

Posted on 9 Jul 2021 by Tina Marsdale

Initially, it seemed like an exciting purchase

Crisis Interventions: Cops. Peers. What is the right path forward?

Posted on 5 Jul 20219 Feb 2022 by J. Peters

The issue that hinges on the docket is Emergency Mental Health

An Effort To Explain “Psychosis”

Posted on 1 Jul 2021 by Dale Walsh

In society, “reality” is a cultural construct defined by the majority of that culture

My life as an Artist with Psychosis

Posted on 1 Jul 2021 by Dave Meyers

My time playing was plagued by paranoia and hallucinations in the meantime.

Exercising the Right to Speak Out

Posted on 28 Jun 202128 Jun 2021 by Dave Meyers

Clinicians must respect our rights

Derangement

Posted on 27 Jun 202127 Jun 2021 by Dr. Robert Lefever

if we can’t see these behaviours in ourselves, how would we describe them in other people

Effects Of “Broken Brain Syndrome”

Posted on 25 Jun 2021 by Dale Walsh

I was led to believe I would be forever “sick” no matter how successful my recovery or how creative my writing production.

INDEPENDENCE FOR ALL

Posted on 22 Jun 2021 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

We need to discuss Independence

The Value of Good Complex Case Management for Comorbid Psychiatric Issues

Posted on 12 Jun 202112 Jun 2021 by Dave Meyers

However, my efforts were not always enough, and on two occasions, I was given rental violations due to my disorganized apartment.

ALWAYS TURNING AND TURNING

Posted on 8 Jun 20218 Jun 2021 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

Another month ended, and a new one turned and began anew. “Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers …one season following another”,

Breaking The Rules Saved A Man’s Life

Posted on 30 May 20214 Dec 2021 by Craig Lewis

I told him he “looked like shit” and asked if he had slept or eaten.

‘Identity Politics’ and Mental Health

Posted on 26 May 202118 Nov 2021 by J. Peters

Cultural re-appropriation is rife and considered business as usual in Western psychiatry

Melancholy

Posted on 25 May 202125 May 2021 by Dr. Robert Lefever

Sufferers from ‘depression’ have fearful difficulties in trying to come off antidepressants because they revert to their involutional melancholia.

When Creativity Calls, When Your Alibi is Art

Posted on 18 May 202118 May 2021 by Ember Manos Belle

Around the same time I registered for class I walked into a shrink’s office

My journey in mental health housing and recommendations for change and reform

Posted on 18 May 20213 Jun 2021 by Dave Meyers

Those of us with mental illness know full well that there are many challenges required of us. Acquiring and maintaining

Systems-based disparities for African American Medicaid Recipients in the NY OMH Article 31 Clinic

Posted on 15 May 202122 Jul 2021 by J. Peters

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’VE BEEN DISCHARGED?” “YOU’VE MISSED TWO SESSIONS. WE TALKED ABOUT ATTENDANCE, AND IN THIS CLINIC, IF

Finding Higher Purpose in Affection

Posted on 8 May 20219 May 2021 by Dave Meyers

I think it’s important to ask: when I say “I need you,” what am I saying?

MARCH WINDS AND APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY REVENGE

Posted on 4 May 202118 May 2021 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

With therapy every other week and medication from a psychiatrist monthly, his life has improved

I’m not going to putz around: adult euthanasia program

Posted on 2 May 20214 Jul 2021 by J. Peters

I have several plans in place for my doctors for life preservation.

Upward mobility: Steering recovery in the right direction

Posted on 25 Apr 2021 by J. Peters

The vehicle can crash on its way to point B and not make it to its destination

Plan B: Relapse and reconstitution

Posted on 25 Apr 2021 by J. Peters

Like most thoughts surrounding fear, paranoia, and anxious thinking, they all snowball

Lived experience as a self-diagnostic tool

Posted on 24 Apr 202130 May 2021 by J. Peters

I would like to explore my own lived experience with first-onset psychosis

Socializing with the Insane

Posted on 21 Apr 202111 May 2022 by J. Peters

Before I came to my senses, he was restrained in a crash cart.

STIGMA: PEER SERVICES, DOUBLE STANDARD, AND SELF-DISCLOSURE

Posted on 20 Apr 202120 Apr 2021 by J. Peters

Peers, through the act of self-disclosure, reveal their lived experience at work in the agency all the time.

From sickness to illness, we have now birthed the modern mental health disorder

Posted on 20 Apr 202120 Apr 2021 by J. Peters

From an illness of the soul to the mind, medicalization has crept into mental health in all ways.

Eleven years and no progress

Posted on 20 Apr 202120 Apr 2021 by J. Peters

I would later find out that cases like Minerva exist everywhere, and she is no more unique than her biography is to other people with a mental health disorder who share their story.

faceless woman with pill in teeth and nose piercing

Reflections on Mental Health treatment: Recommendations for reform

Posted on 19 Apr 20218 Nov 2021 by Dave Meyers

My overreactions were to behaviors I considered as threatening

THERAPIST JUDGEMENT CALLS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

Posted on 17 Apr 202117 Mar 2022 by J. Peters

he client, the same one I requested be transferred, attempted suicide the night before.

Reflections on ‘Peerness’, Social Work and Supported Housing

Posted on 13 Apr 20219 Feb 2022 by Neesa Suncheuri

I love this work

The ‘Sign’, ‘Signified’ and “Psychosis’: The Intersection of Language and Psychosis

Posted on 12 Apr 202115 May 2022 by J. Peters

Ultimately, the symptoms are overwhelming and become so profound that life becomes too distant and unrecognizable to live without incident.

Lack of caring can create unthinkable tragedy

Posted on 22 Mar 20213 Jun 2021 by Dave Meyers

I find it problematic to count all the regrets I have had throughout my life.

Introducing: Urban Space and Race

Posted on 22 Mar 202122 Mar 2021 by Phillip Cooke

Starting the week of April 4, 2021, I will be posting weekly episodes of a series called “Urban Space and Race”

What is considered ‘normal’ behavior for a teenager in High School?

Posted on 10 Mar 202117 May 2021 by J. Peters

Some students fall into a social “no-fly zone”

VOLUNTEERING FOR OUR MENTAL HEALTH

Posted on 5 Mar 20218 Mar 2021 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

I am aware that not all volunteer jobs lead to paid employment

time lapse photography of cars on road during night time

The relationship between “Inner work” and Symptom Management

Posted on 1 Mar 20213 Jun 2021 by Dave Meyers

Resolution of inner conflicts has a direct impact on how my life has unfolded

Blockages to reforming the ‘system’

Posted on 1 Mar 20211 Mar 2021 by J. Peters

The mental health movement was a civil rights movement, but what happened?

The ‘Point’ Person: Care-Coordination

Posted on 28 Feb 202117 May 2021 by J. Peters

Being a leader means knowing the immediate mental status of their patients

Preventing, Predicting, & Dismantling Problems Ahead

Posted on 25 Feb 20218 Nov 2021 by J. Peters

Asking yourself: “What issues seem to pop up consistently?”

SNL’s ‘LOCO’ Speaks a Truth about ‘Displays’ rooted in Mental Illness

Posted on 24 Feb 202118 May 2021 by J. Peters

hen the worker finds him or herself front and center in the life of the client. Becoming the object of their desire and madness, emotions and even feelings of safety become subsumed into the client’s new playground.

LADY MACBETH AND OCD

Posted on 18 Feb 202124 Apr 2021 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

she is obsessively washing her hands while sleepwalking due to guilt.

FEBRUARY STILL REFLECTING ON DECEMBER

Posted on 18 Feb 2021 by Howard Diamond CPS (Certified Peer Specialist)

Success and failure are different for each of us, but we do strive for the former

What exactly does it mean to be a Peer?

Posted on 15 Feb 202125 Aug 2021 by J. Peters

Either we disband every manual out there in mental health, or we must only use the DSM-5

BOOK REVIEW: Better Days by Craig Lewis (CPS)

Posted on 8 Feb 20214 Dec 2021 by J. Peters

Mr. Lewis dishes out recovery in fabulously palatable forward-thinking pieces of narration and encouragement

De-bunking ACCCEPTANCE and COMMITMENT THERAPY (ACT)

Posted on 8 Feb 202120 May 2021 by J. Peters

ACT is a ‘third wave’ behaviour therapy approach with a supposedly ‘expanded perspective on how to guide clients to skilfully self-regulate.emotional distress and conflicting states of mind’,