Blog articles from NAMI Santa Clara County
The South Bay arm of AbilityPath offers individuals with a mental illness a door into the working world. The nonprofit works with the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) and San Andreas Regional Center to provide employment programs for people with disabilities. This includes individuals with a mental health condition or intellectual and developmental disabilities.
In Santa Clara County, there are more than 10,000 homeless people trying to find their way back into the mainstream of life—a crisis that has grown by 63% in the last decade. Of that number, one third to more than 50% may be struggling with mental health issues. The United Effort Organization, aims to assist people in need of safe housing or public benefits through hands-on support.
For decades, physical health and mental health were viewed as separate conditions. Anything above the neck—an ear infection, sore throat, or common cold—meant a trip to primary care doctors. But if the patient showed symptoms of mental instability, doctors wrote referrals to psychiatrists.
When an individual is in the midst of a mental health crisis, time is precious and treatment is critical—finding a hospital bed, doctor, or psychologist oftentimes comes down to luck and luck doesn’t equate to care.
Stanford psychiatrist Dr. Rona Hu is a fighter when it comes to patients with serious mental illnesses. She has been at Stanford Hospital for almost three decades and is the Medical Director of the hospital’s acute psychiatric inpatient unit, where she specializes in the care of those with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.
Mental health in the workplace, it may be invisible but it’s always there. An employer’s level of transparency and support on the topic can mean the difference between a productive, healthy environment or one where employees may struggle to do their jobs.
Joe Simitian grew up with the notion that if “you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”
For the more than 40 years he served in government, he has lived by that tenet, whether it was as councilman in Palo Alto, California State senator or assemblyman, or Santa Clara County supervisor. During his 12 years as a county supervisor, he took that mantra and applied it to the mental health sector where he was chair of the Health and Hospital Committee.
The holiday season is supposed to be a time full of joy, parties and gatherings with friends and families. But the holidays can be a difficult time for many persons dealing with:Personal Grief, Loneliness, Illnesses of all Kinds, Economic Concerns, Separation From Family Members and Relationship Issues Like Separation or Divorce.
It’s been more than two years since Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Community Assistance Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act. The legislation is designed to provide better treatment access for those with a serious mental illness like schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.
The situation was dire. Mark had been hospitalized seven times for acute psychiatric care. Several times were due to severe reactions to medication, one time for trying to take his life, others for suicidal ideation. He tried Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), for depression. It failed. He went to multiple psychiatrists who ran the gamut of medications. Nothing worked.