“People with mental illnesses are marginalized,” said Mr. McNally, indicating that the marginalizing starts with language. I recently heard the same Author Dr. John McGee An old video I came across on Youtube.
“Terms like ‘the mentally ill,’” Mr. McNally said. “There is no such thing as ‘the mentally ill.’ There are people who have mental illness, but by using the term ‘the mentally ill,’ you strip people of their person.” He likened it to referring to people with cancer as “the cancers.”
“There’s a lot of discrimination,” Ms. Blount said. She has heard people use the dismissive words, “those people.”
“We’re your brothers, your sisters, your husbands your wives, your friends,” Mr. McNally said. “We’re everywhere.”
Not enough money
In Florida, though, people with mental illnesses face steeper challenges. Based on state spending, Floridians with such diagnoses are among the most marginalized in the nation.
Where’s the story?
PointsMentioned Map4 Points Mentioned
Recent numbers show Florida’s per capita spending on mental health are 49th in the nation. That’s according to both the National Association of Mental Illness and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which peg Florida’s per capita spending on mental health at $39.55. The national average is $120.19. Only Idaho ($36.64) spends less per capita on taking care of the mental health needs of its citizens.
Things are being done, though. Things such the Leadership Academy, a meeting of the minds of people who work in the field and people affected by mental illness. The academy’s purpose is to share information and spread knowledge.
Mr. McNally is what is called a CLEAR training coordinator. CLEAR stands for Connecting Leadership, Education, Advocacy and Recovery.
Ms. Manning and Ms. Blount are trainers who will, in Mr. McNally’s words, “be facilitating this academy.”
Power to the people
The workshops are designed to help people help themselves, and people with mental illness take part.
“It’s collective selfdetermination,” Mr. McNally said. “Workshops helping people learn to take initiatives … to learn how to collaborate with others.”
“For many years folks who had a mental illness — everybody else spoke for them and they were never involved,” Mr. McNally said. “How does it not make sense to have a person with a mental illness come to the table for collaboration? It would be like having a conflict about how to manage nine months of pregnancy and only having men at the table.
“So one of the things that has happened is that people with mental illness have been marginalized. People taking the attitude that ‘they’re not smart,’ ‘they can’t participate effectively,’ and so ‘we’ll decide what’s best for them.’”
At the academies, people with diagnoses help make decisions. They also learn about how to get involved.
As noted in a CLEAR brochure, “It is about empowerment.”
“We want to see collaboration and teamwork. We’re all in this together,” Mr. McNally said. “There are so many misconceptions about mental health. Part of what needs to happen (is) we need to empower people who have mental illnesses. How do you advocate? How do you make inroads?”
Those questions are addressed at the Leadership Academy workshops.
Participants at the Punta Gorda workshop will come in with a cross-section of diagnoses, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Finding people with a diagnosis of mental illness is easy, Mr. McNally said, because one in four American families is affected.
The National Association of Mental Illness’s website confirms that percentage is about 25 percent, which means about 61.5 million Americans have some form of mental illness. The input of folks with mental illnesses is necessary at the Leadership Academy, and they will be expected to participate.
Mr. McNally asks participants to “come to the table with concerns and bring with you solutions — collaborations to fix the problems. That’s part of what the academy teaches.”
Another topic the workshops cover is using the proper language.
“People say, ‘We’ve got to end the stigma,’” Mr. McNally said. But, he added, “One of the ways we’re going to end the stigma is to not use the word. There is no stigma to mental illness any more than there’s a stigma to having cancer. “
And as with cancer, help is needed.
“There’s so much misunderstanding of mental illness,” Mr. McNally said. “A lot of the attitude is, ‘Just pull yourself up by the bootstraps and get on with it.’”
But not everyone can do that.
Having recently conducted a workshop in Miami, Ms. Manning knows they are challenging.
“One gentleman came to me during lunch the first day and said, ‘I don’t think I’m going to come back.’ He was the only gentleman there. He felt outnumbered. I said, ‘What can I do to make this academy a positive experience for you?’ He said, ‘Could you tell them they’re not listening to me?’ I said, ‘Absolutely. I will do that.’
“They apologized to him. He stuck it out. By the weekend, he had us laughing and in stitches … He was one of those who lives with mental illness.”
Meanwhile, Florida muddles along with little funding support. The need is great, but the funding is not.
So people are working together to make a difference through programs such as the Leadership Academy workshop.
Mental health conference calls on all concerned
BY GLENN MILLER
Florida Weekly Correspondent
Florida’s mental health need is great, but the funding isn’t. And though Florida spends far less than the national average on mental health, that doesn’t mean Floridians don’t care. Some care passionately: People such as Michael McNally, Jane Manning and Lisa Blount, who will meet with a dozen or so other caring Floridians for what is called a Leadership Academy. The Jan. 21-23 conference will be held at Charlotte Behavioral Health Care in Punta Gorda.
Six of these academies are conducted in Florida every year, one in each region of the state’s Department of Children and Families, and the need for such workshops is great.
“People with mental illnesses are marginalized,” said Mr. McNally, indicating that the marginalizing starts with language.
“Terms like ‘the mentally ill,’” Mr. McNally said. “There is no such thing as ‘the mentally ill.’ There are people who have mental illness, but by using the term ‘the mentally ill,’ you strip people of their person.” He likened it to referring to people with cancer as “the cancers.”
“There’s a lot of discrimination,” Ms. Blount said. She has heard people use the dismissive words, “those people.”
“We’re your brothers, your sisters, your husbands your wives, your friends,” Mr. McNally said. “We’re everywhere.”
Not enough money
In Florida, though, people with mental illnesses face steeper challenges. Based on state spending, Floridians with such diagnoses are among the most marginalized in the nation.
Where’s the story?
PointsMentioned Map4 Points Mentioned
Recent numbers show Florida’s per capita spending on mental health are 49th in the nation. That’s according to both the National Association of Mental Illness and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which peg Florida’s per capita spending on mental health at $39.55. The national average is $120.19. Only Idaho ($36.64) spends less per capita on taking care of the mental health needs of its citizens.
Things are being done, though. Things such the Leadership Academy, a meeting of the minds of people who work in the field and people affected by mental illness. The academy’s purpose is to share information and spread knowledge.
Mr. McNally is what is called a CLEAR training coordinator. CLEAR stands for Connecting Leadership, Education, Advocacy and Recovery.
Ms. Manning and Ms. Blount are trainers who will, in Mr. McNally’s words, “be facilitating this academy.”
Power to the people
The workshops are designed to help people help themselves, and people with mental illness take part.
“It’s collective selfdetermination,” Mr. McNally said. “Workshops helping people learn to take initiatives … to learn how to collaborate with others.”
“For many years folks who had a mental illness — everybody else spoke for them and they were never involved,” Mr. McNally said. “How does it not make sense to have a person with a mental illness come to the table for collaboration? It would be like having a conflict about how to manage nine months of pregnancy and only having men at the table.
“So one of the things that has happened is that people with mental illness have been marginalized. People taking the attitude that ‘they’re not smart,’ ‘they can’t participate effectively,’ and so ‘we’ll decide what’s best for them.’”
At the academies, people with diagnoses help make decisions. They also learn about how to get involved.
As noted in a CLEAR brochure, “It is about empowerment.”
“We want to see collaboration and teamwork. We’re all in this together,” Mr. McNally said. “There are so many misconceptions about mental health. Part of what needs to happen (is) we need to empower people who have mental illnesses. How do you advocate? How do you make inroads?”
Those questions are addressed at the Leadership Academy workshops.
Participants at the Punta Gorda workshop will come in with a cross-section of diagnoses, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Finding people with a diagnosis of mental illness is easy, Mr. McNally said, because one in four American families is affected.
The National Association of Mental Illness’s website confirms that percentage is about 25 percent, which means about 61.5 million Americans have some form of mental illness. The input of folks with mental illnesses is necessary at the Leadership Academy, and they will be expected to participate.
Mr. McNally asks participants to “come to the table with concerns and bring with you solutions — collaborations to fix the problems. That’s part of what the academy teaches.”
Another topic the workshops cover is using the proper language.
“People say, ‘We’ve got to end the stigma,’” Mr. McNally said. But, he added, “One of the ways we’re going to end the stigma is to not use the word. There is no stigma to mental illness any more than there’s a stigma to having cancer. “
And as with cancer, help is needed.
“There’s so much misunderstanding of mental illness,” Mr. McNally said. “A lot of the attitude is, ‘Just pull yourself up by the bootstraps and get on with it.’”
But not everyone can do that.
Having recently conducted a workshop in Miami, Ms. Manning knows they are challenging.
“One gentleman came to me during lunch the first day and said, ‘I don’t think I’m going to come back.’ He was the only gentleman there. He felt outnumbered. I said, ‘What can I do to make this academy a positive experience for you?’ He said, ‘Could you tell them they’re not listening to me?’ I said, ‘Absolutely. I will do that.’
“They apologized to him. He stuck it out. By the weekend, he had us laughing and in stitches … He was one of those who lives with mental illness.”
Meanwhile, Florida muddles along with little funding support. The need is great, but the funding is not.
So people are working together to make a difference through programs such as the Leadership Academy workshop.
“If we were 20th instead of 50th, the funding stream would be significantly larger,” Mr. McNally said, “which would mean access to care would not be as much of a serious issue.” But as it is now, he said, “You have to wait three to six months for a psychiatric appointment.”
The Leadership Academy is a workshop, with the emphasis on the work.
Topics to be covered include identifying issues, developing clear goals and action plans, community advocacy organizations, how to conduct effective meetings, handling votes, the legislative process in Florida and funding sources and strategies.
The Leadership Academies give participants tools to help themselves and others.
Those interested in participating in the Leadership Academy — health-care professionals, those affected by mental illness and their family and friends — can call 260-7313. For further information, call (800) 945-1355 or visit namicollierco.org. ¦
“If we were 20th instead of 50th, the funding stream would be significantly larger,” Mr. McNally said, “which would mean access to care would not be as much of a serious issue.” But as it is now, he said, “You have to wait three to six months for a psychiatric appointment.”
The Leadership Academy is a workshop, with the emphasis on the work.
Topics to be covered include identifying issues, developing clear goals and action plans, community advocacy organizations, how to conduct effective meetings, handling votes, the legislative process in Florida and funding sources and strategies.
The Leadership Academies give participants tools to help themselves and others.
Those interested in participating in the Leadership Academy — health-care professionals, those affected by mental illness and their family and friends — can call 260-7313. For further information, call (800) 945-1355 or visit namicollierco.org.