DBSA tagged posts

The Good News: You Now Have Health Insurance. But Will You Be Able to Access a Psychiatrist?

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

“Worsening of symptoms,” “inability to work,” “hope for the best,” “stretch my medication” are a few of the reported consequences people face when they are unable to obtain an appointment with a psychiatrist. These responses and others like it come from a survey conducted by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) that revealed the challenges people face when their health insurance plans lack an adequate number of in-network psychiatrists. The short survey revealed that 38% of respondents were not able to make an appointment with an in-network psychiatrist and 40% believed the wait time between seeking an appointment with a psychiatrist and being seen was too long.

A mental health parity issue
DBSA and other mental health organizations have taken on this concern as a mental health parity issue. One of their goals is to advocate for solutions by identifying and defining the problem. Building on what was learned from the previous survey, DBSA is seeking more insight into the lengths individuals and families go to obtain care. To that end, we invite everyone to take our Access to Psychiatrist survey.

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What’s Your Mental Health Care Wish for 2016?

We asked and you responded! Here are some of the great answers we received; please add your wish in the comments below. Let us know what you think!

Clare MillerI wish that more companies come to understand the incredible opportunity they have to reduce stigma and help people access needed treatment for mental illnesses.
Clare Miller, director of the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, APA Foundation

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Congressional Briefing Informs on the Value of Peer Support Services

“Peer support services work because we instill hope.” That’s the message from Olga Wuerz, an army veteran and certified peer specialist, during a congressional briefing held today by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).

Echoing that message, DBSA president Allen Doederlein shared that by instilling hope through positive self-disclosure, peer support specialists can influence the path to recovery and wellness for individuals living with a mental health condition...

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Live! How to Fix Our Mental Health Care System

Allen Doederlein
President, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

On this Thursday, February 26, I’m excited to participate as a panel member in a mental health policy briefing, Fixing America’s Mental Healthcare System, in Washington, DC, hosted by The Hill. At this important event, we’ll discuss how our nation’s broken system impacts those with a mental health condition, their families, workplaces, and broader communities. We’ll also discuss potential solutions to this crisis. I will be sharing my views as both a patient as well as a representative of all of our DBSA members and families.

Attend the event
For those in DC, register to attend the event! If you can’t be there in person, watch the livestream starting at 8:30 AM EST on Thursday, February 26.

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Workplace Mental Health with Bob Boorstin

During last week’s Kennedy Forum, we had the opportunity sit down with the moderator of the “Getting into the Workplace – and Getting the Most Out of It” panel, Bob Boorstin. The former Director of Public Policy at Google and Clinton Administration official hosted a valuable discussion with panelists on learning to be comfortable and open with your mental health condition in the workplace. “There’s no question that sharing information about our mental health issues will be positive,” said Boorstin, who echoed his opinion in a short video interview after the panel.

An Interview with B...

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Are You Working While Ill?

baker-whiteMyths and Facts About Paid Sick Leave

Andy Baker-White, JD, MPH, Associate Director
The Network for Public Health Law – Mid-States Region
www.networkforphl.org

When you’re not feeling well, do you go to work? Many of us go to our workplace when we’re not feeling well because staying home can mean lost wages, increased workload, missed shifts or deadlines, and loss of momentum on projects. While legislation can’t help with most of that, some states and cities have moved to require employers to provide paid sick time to employees. Eliminating one worry – loss of pay – can entice people to stay home when sick, and thereby help to prevent people from getting sicker, infecting others, and adversely impacting the workplace. In today’s CFYM post, Andy Baker-White reveals truths and untruths about paid sick leave.

It can be difficult for many workers to stay home from work when they are sick. Those who do choose to stay home when sick often suffer lost wages and run the risk of being fired. In fact,

  • close to 40 percent of private-sector U.S. employees do not receive any sort of paid sick days
  • 11 percent of respondents to a 2008 survey by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center reported losing a job after taking time off from work for an illness
  • 13 percent in the same survey, said they were told they would be fired or suspended if they missed work because of illness

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Your Signature Can Help Protect Mental Health Recovery Programs

National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery & National Disability Rights Network

Advocates are actively seeking grassroots support to protect funding for programs that advance mental health recovery and civil rights protection and advocacy. Here, Care for Your Mind shares an “Action Alert” with links so you can learn more and take action.

Congress will soon make decisions that could slash funding for—and restrict access to—state mental health consumer networks, national mental health technical assistance centers, and human and civil rights protections for people with serious mental heal...

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Can Erasing Stigma Lead to Earlier Acceptance of Treatment?

steve
Today, on National Depression Screening Day, CFYM reader, Steve, shares his story of emerging from depression onto a new life path of mental health advocacy. Erasing the social stigma of depressive disorders, he believes, will pave the way to earlier use of depression screenings and encourage people to seek and accept treatment.

After a distinguished career in the Navy, I was proud to join the public sector utilizing the immeasurable discipline and knowledge I had acquired serving in our country’s military. I enrolled in a rigorous doctor of education program at Vanderbilt University with an emphasis in Human Resource Development. I was well on the way to establishing a name for myself as an independent management consultant, focusing on organizational development, prospective employee screening, and middle-management development.

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