Mental illness is more prevalent than most people realize. One in five adults in the US lives with a mental illness; in Santa Clara County, that’s about 340,000 adults—or enough people to fill Levi’s Stadium five times. Mental health parity requires that commercial insurance plans provide the same level of coverage for mental health services…
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By Moryt Milo For years, Dr. Po Wang has studied and treated individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a brain disease that causes severe mood swings and significantly impacts a person’s ability to function. The Stanford psychiatrist, who collaborated with Dr. Terence Ketter in establishing the Stanford Bipolar Disorders Clinic, said although the disease is defined…
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Dr. Po Wang will cover the course of illness for bipolar disorders (emphasizing the depressive component) and will discuss the newest medication options, and how they differ from earlier treatment options. Bipolar disorders treatment has come a long way since the discovery of lithium in 1949. Treatment options and outcomes for bipolar disorders were limited and similar to schizophrenia prior to the 1990s’ “decade of the brain.”
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By Moryt Milo For individuals living with mental illness, proper treatment and safe housing top the list. The right treatment can enable some individuals with mental illness to live independently. But finding affordable housing on a fixed income in the Bay Area is challenging. The county is trying to change that for low-income individuals and…
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The Independent Living Empowerment Project (ILEP) is a new program to Santa Clara County by the Independent Living Association (ILA) and Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP). Independent Living Homes provide a shared living environment for individuals with mental health challenges, various disabilities, and low income. The mission of the ILEP is to support Independent Living…
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By Moryt Milo Ken Duckworth knew NAMI needed a book driven by individuals with lived experience, not your standard doctor-patient saga. He sensed what would resonate with the readers since he too had mental illness in his family, having grown up watching his father suffer from severe mood swings caused by bipolar disorder. As the…
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By Moryt Milo At a holiday party in December 2014, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian was pulled aside by a friend and asked a very simple question: Why are there no inpatient psychiatric beds for children and adolescents in mental health crisis in Santa Clara County? Even though Simitian had been serving in public…
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By Moryt Milo For those who are uninsured and in need of mental health services, the prospect of finding help is daunting. But there is a solution. Santa Clara County operates a long-time program that caters to this demographic. It starts with a phone call to the county’s Behavioral Health Call Center. The screener determines…
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Receiving a diagnosis of a mental health condition can be a traumatic experience. It can leave a person feeling hopeless and alone. However, recovery is possible! Studies have shown that in addition to medical treatment and psychotherapy, social connections play a significant role in recovery. NAMI-Santa Clara County’s Community Peer Program (CPP) is a 4-month…
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CARE is a compassionate civil court process that provides individuals with schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders with a clinically appropriate, community-based set of services and supports that are culturally and linguistically competent. Stephanie Welch, Deputy Secretary of Behavioral Health for the California Health and Human Services (CalHHS) Agency, will provide an overview of CARE,…
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