Search results for 'shared decision making'

Roberta Tovey
Director of Communications, MoodNetwork

The concept of patient-centered care is not, on the face of it, a very complicated one. Nor is it new: developed in the 1980s, and based on the famous psychiatrist Carl Rogers’ humanistic approach to psychotherapy in the 1950s and ’60s, it has been widely promulgated in modern healthcare theory and has been the credo of family practice medicine for decades. Nevertheless, patient-centered care has turned out to be harder to implement than to describe, and is still not incorporated into most medical practices. This is especially true of the area of mental health.

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Family members are an inescapable fact of life for most of us—good and bad. So how do peers navigate personal decisions about their own treatment options and living a life of recovery with their family members? Today we continue our series on HIPAA with peers sharing their thoughts on the role of family members vs the right to direct their own treatment and recovery.

Balancing Family Rights to Know with Patient Rights to Privacy
It can be difficult for family members, who often have the best interest of their loved ones at heart, to provide enough space for their loved one to accept their disorder, seek treatment and build a life of recovery based on personal choice. But when speaking with individuals living with a mood disorder, many state that this is exactly what needs to happen. While it can be tempting to place oneself in a position of “knowing what’s best,” loved ones may need to recognize that they are on their own separate journey with an unknown destination.

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Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

When an individual with a mental health condition in need of intensive psychiatric care is hospitalized, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, the individual, family, and friends may have mixed reactions. They may feel relief that the individual is safe, but they may also feel emotionally, physically, and potentially financially drained. Yesterday on CFYM, Dr. Sederer shared his expertise in navigating what can be daunting legal and medical legalities on patient psychiatric hospitalization treatment rights. DBSA believes that patient protections are important to ensuring individuals are the lead decision-makers in their own wellness. The best wellness outcomes are achieved when individuals living with mental health conditions and their family and friends are educated and prepared for crisis.

Education is Power

DBSA encourages individuals to become knowledgeable about (1) mental health laws in the states in which they reside; (2) options for treatment centers and outpatient programs other than hospitals; and (3) the rules and regulations regarding admission and release in hospitals and treatment facilities, both for voluntary and involuntary entry.

Whether hospitalized voluntarily or involuntarily, individuals have the following rights:

1. to have treatment explained;
2. to be informed of benefits and risks of treatment;
3. to refuse treatment the individual feels is unsafe;
4. to be informed about any procedures that the individual feels may be unnecessary; and
5. to refuse to take part in research and experimental treatments, and to disallow students or observers.

DBSA supports adherence to these patient rights in all circumstances.

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Senator David Carlucci
Chair, Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
New York State Senate

On this blog a few days ago, Andrew Sperling of the National Alliance on Mental Illness raised questions about access to mental health treatments under the Affordable Care Act (ACA); and he voiced concerns about people being able to receive the specific mental health drugs they require once the health reform law is implemented.

As Mr. Sperling pointed out, restricting access to a full class of drugs and limiting prescribers’ option to one drug per class—which health plans can opt to do under ACA—can be short-sighted from an economics standpoint and disastrous from a health perspective. Without access to clinically appropriate medication, individuals with mental illness have higher rates of emergency room visits, hospitalization and other health services.

As Chair of the New York State (NYS) Senate Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, I understand that in order to manage the health of people living with serious mental illness, patients need guaranteed access to the full range of drugs and services that are most likely to improve their health. Even more important, I recognize that no one understands a patient’s needs better than his or her healthcare provider; and it’s presumptuous—if not irresponsible—to remove decision-making authority from that provider.

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