Main -> In the News: Psychological Disorders

'Henry's Demons': Mental Illness from the Inside (NPR, 2/26/2011) Length: 7 min (http://www.npr.org/2011/02/26/134038233/henrys-demons-mental-illness-from-the-inside)

"Henry was taken first to a regular emergency room, and then to a mental hospital, where doctors diagnosed him as being in the first stages of schizophrenia. Now, almost 10 years later, Henry is beginning to recover, and he and his father have collaborated on a memoir of his experiences, Henry's Demons: Living With Schizophrenia, a Father and Son's Story."

Discussion questions: Is this a book you would like to read?  Why or why not?

Severely Mentally Ill Persons More Likely to be in Jails than Hospitals, State Data Shows Treatment Advocacy Center's 50-State Report Reveals Mentally Ill Persons Three Times More Likely to Be in Correctional Institutions Than Psychiatric Hospitals (CNBC, May 12, 2010) (This link is no longer functional; see below.)

"Americans with severe mental illnesses are three times more likely to be in jail or prison than in a psychiatric hospital."

Link to the original report dated May, 2010 (PDF). (This link is no longer functional; see below.)

Replacement links for the two that are no longer accessible:

1) Summary of original report from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-05-12-Jail12_ST_N.htm

2) Summary of original report from the Treatment Advocacy Center (one of the study sponsors): http://www.citinternational.org/news-items/204-severely-mentally-ill-persons-more-likely-to-be-in-jails-than-hospitals.html

Good videos to accompany this article would be Frontline's The New Asylums and the follow-up to that episode, The Released. Both are available for free viewing online.  Links to those videos can be found on the Psychological Disorders Videos page.

Discussion questions: Why is this a problem? What does this data say about American attitudes toward mental illness?

Other-Than-Honorable Discharge Burdens Like A Scarlet Letter via NPR (12/9/13) 

This story discusses the problems faced by dishonorably discharged veterans when they attempt to seek health care (including mental health care) following dishonorable discharge from the military. The story focuses on cases of dishonorable discharges following 1) behavioral changes follow a traumatic brain injured incurred in the line of duty and b) bad decisions made by individuals suffering with substance abuse problems due to PTSD. This story also highlights the fundamental attribution error, such that the military is attributing these behaviors to the veterans and overlooking their considerable psychological distress.