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.
Details
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.
Details
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.
Details
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.
Details
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.
Details
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.
Details
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.
Details
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.
Details
Dr. Katherine Taylor, Interim Medical Director for Mental Health and Addiction Services at El Camino Hospital, addressed a range of questions that included various treatments and diagnosis, autism spectrum later in life, dual diagnoses, the increase in psychosis due to cannabis use and much more.
Details
After more than 70 years of antipsychotic medications that are mere iterations of earlier discoveries, a door may have cracked open to offer better options for individuals struggling with severe mental illness. There is much more research to be done, said Dr. Jacob Ballon, who specializes in the treatment of individuals with psychotic disorders including schizophrenia and is Co-Director of the INSPIRE Clinic at Stanford.
Details