Mental Health Order

There are specific symptoms that family members, friends, coworkers and professionals can look for to help determine whether there are other problems besides drug use. Identifying other mental or physical health concerns can help a person advocate for specialized services for a client or his or her loved one, friend, or coworker in order to provide for the best care possible. However, identification of these signs or symptoms only warns there may be another problem — it does not tell you what the problem may be. If signs of other problems are noted, you should recommend a comprehensive evaluation by a professional trained in this type of assessment (e.g., a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or mental health professional with similar skills) if you do not feel ready to make that assessment yourself. That way you will know for sure what your client needs help with. 

If a family member notices any of the symptoms previously mentioned in a loved one, then it may be that the loved one is depressed and should be evaluated by a mental health professional. If a loved one is expressing suicidal thoughts, or it is discovered that he or she has put his or her affairs in order (has sold or given away significant amounts of personal property, written a will, settled debts, etc.), then it would be critical to get help for that person as quickly as possible. Suicide is a major concern with people who abuse drugs, since a majority of suicides in the United States are attempted under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 

Byrne, Andrew. Lessons from 20 Years of Addiction Treatment Look After Individuals and Public Health Improvements Follow. Journal of Addiction and Mental Health, vol. 7, Autumn 2003, p. 20. Drawing on his considerable experience, the author suggests that standardization of treatment is important in order to make programs widely available, but that treatment strategies must also be tailored to the individual. Harm reduction and public health-oriented measures have reduced overdose deaths in Switzerland and HIV transmission rates in Australia, but the United States has been slow to adopt needle exchange programs. 

Because of the tremendous scope of the Twin Towers disaster, and the fact that there were so few of the physically injured to care for, 9/11 turned out to be primarily a mental health disaster. Experience with such disasters has served only to emphasize the importance of recruiting, screening, and training mental health professionals, paraprofessionals, and volunteers in order to have the personnel necessary to respond to the specific short- and long-term needs of those exposed to the disaster. 

In order to fulfill its very broad mission of promoting health in our nation and the world, the PHS has designed programs and created agencies that help control and prevent diseases conduct and fund biomedical research that will eventually lead to better treatment and prevention of diseases protect us against unsafe food, drugs, and medical devices improve mental health and deal with drug and alcohol abuse expand health resources and provide health care to people in medically under-served areas and to those with special needs. 

Therefore, knowledge of the philosophical directive, technological advances, and rapidly expanding information about the brain is essential. This is not to say that all social workers must have an in-depth knowledge of all the types of medications used in the professional helping relationship. An awareness of the types of medications available (particularly the mental health medications) as well as where and when to seek additional information in order to assist the client is considered an ethical and competent practice necessity (Dziegielewski, 1998). 

To date, simple studies such as Dziegielewski s (1991) lend added support by providing more evidence for psychosocial interventions that can assist individuals who suffer from mental health difficulties. In addition to psychosocial intervention, particularly in more serious cases, medications continue to be used to supplement the treatment regimen (Schatzberg Cole, 1991). The participants in Dziegielewski s (1991) study wanted more information about medication and wanted to know how and why they were being used. It is essential that social workers be versed in the common medications that their clients are using in order to help the individual and the family learn how environmental, situational, and other psychosocial factors can impact the intervention process. 

For example, it is not uncommon when working in a mental health inpatient unit to see medication administered to reduce or eliminate violent or self-destructive behavior. The medication s sedative effect will calm one person immediately and may produce sleep another client of similar age, weight, and height may remain extremely combative. In order to achieve the same result, the second client may require a subsequent dose. Why does this happen There are no definitive or easy explanations for variability in client responses to medications. In many cases the combination of the client s unique biological system coupled with the variability of medications confirms that the use and application of medication is not an exact science. 

It has become apparent to many social workers that clients are starting to rely on herbal medications and preparations in order to obtain an increased sense of control over their physical and mental health and wellness. At a recent workshop, it was obvious to these authors just how much interest there was in learning more in this area. The workshop was scheduled for 7 30 a.m. and was titled Herbal Medications and Social Work Practice. It was held at a state conference sponsored by the National... 

INVOLVE and make all social workers aware of the change process that needs to occur in order to affect changes in the traditional ways that health and mental health social work have been delivered in the past. 

In this era of managed care, social work and many other disciplines have been forced to examine treatment methods and modalities with a new vigor. In order for social workers to survive in the physical and mental health care arenas, it is clear that we must provide the most effective and accountable care. This care must incorporate knowledge of the medications that are being used to supplement therapeutic interventions. In this volume, we will provide an overview of issues and concerns about medication that social workers will encounter in practice. 

Zilboorg does not question the mental health of the inquisitors. Nor does he present any evidence to show that the witches were mentally ill. Instead, he simply declares that they were ill and seeks to establish the validity of this interpretation by constantly repeating it. His recitation of the case of Frangoise Fontaine (on whose inquisitorial treatment I have commented earlier ) is illustrative. How do we know that this woman was mentally ill Here is Zilboorg s proof It would be idle, of course, to try to subject to modern scrutiny the symptoms of Frangoise Fontaine in order to prove the obvious fact [sic] that she was a mentally sick girl. ... 

In nerve gas attacks where the enzyme acetylcholinesterase is inhibited, signs of central and peripheral nervous system poisoning include apathy, mood liability, thought disorders, sleep disorders, and delusions and hallucinations, in addition to psychological stress sequelae. Mental health staff will need to rapidly identify and differentiate the diagnostic characteristics in order to refer and treat these victims as well as rescue workers, who may also suffer from emotional exhaustion and overload. 

Clearly, one of the most important prevention strategies is physician and patient education in this area. In addition, there has been much debate over thiamine fortification of alcoholic beverages in order to prevent Wernicke s encephalopathy in alcoholics, the most susceptible population,. In 1987, Australia s Mental Health Committee recommended fortification of all Austrahan beer and flagon wine but this was never implemented. In most developed countries, bread (white flour) is enriched with thiamine to restore what is lost from the whole wheat in the process of milling. Australia adopted this plan in 1991, using the same level of enrichment as the United States (6.4 mg thiamine hydrochloride/Kg flour). The incidence of WE in the five years after the above implementation in Australia was 40% lower (perhaps fortuitously) than in the five year period prior to bread fortification. In addition, the post-mortem diagnosis of WE in Sydney, Australia has declined from 2.1% to 1.1% (Truswell, 2000). 

Emergency Hold Orders Mental Health/Chemical Dependency Medical Accidents and Disclosure, including Sentinel Events Medical Device Reporting Infant Abduction... 

---