Gracefully Insane: Life and Death Inside America’s Premier Mental Hospital

Its landscaped ground, chosen by Frederick Law Olmsted and dotted with Tudor mansions, could belong to a New England prep school. There are no fences, no guards, no locked gates. But McLean Hospital is a mental institution-one of the most famous, most elite, and once most luxurious in America. McLean “alumni” include Olmsted himself, Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, James Taylor and Ray Charles, as well as (more secretly) other notables from among the rich and famous. In its “golden age,” McLean provided as genteel an environment for the treatment of mental illness as one could imagine. But the golden age is over, and a downsized, downscale McLean-despite its affiliation with Harvard University-is struggling to stay afloat. Gracefully Insane, by Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam, is a fascinating and emotional biography of McLean Hospital from its founding in 1817 through today. It is filled with stories about patients and doctors: the Ralph Waldo Emerson protégé whose brilliance

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The Package Deal: Mental Illness, Stigma, and Discrimination

My longtime friend, Jean Lyon, encouraged me to write a book about my experiences with the mental health system. “You should write a book,” she said.”No, I couldn’t. No one would believe me,” I replied. “Yes, you could,” Jean insisted. “You could call it One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the Sequel–it’s worse than the original.” The Package Deal is a short, 4500-word memoir that takes the reader into a world that most people do not know about. My non-fictional account provides an inside, uncensored look at societal discrimination against people with mental illness.This eBook consists of two distinctly different parts. Part one, titled Unplanned Patienthood, provides a humorous glimpse of the mental health professionals whom I have been fortunate, and not so fortunate, to encounter. Part two, titled A System Without Oversight, opens with my voluntary admission to a psychiatric unit in Northern Virginia. This part chronicles my conflict with the mental health system, which began when

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My Silly Boss

Thanks for the post from Sylvester Campbell

My boss keeps talking about small business xo and so I got put on the task of finding out what package made the most sense for us. I know he’s going to want to go with the cheapest option but I tell you what, in my experience it’s not always the smartest idea to go with what saves you the most money in the short term – it’s important to try to save money all around. I think we’re going to need to get something with a T1 line as well as some website solutions. I’ve heard from more than one person that our website is really out of date and it almost kept them from calling in so I know that’s something we need to get on and fast. I need to sit down with Greg, that’s my boss, and have a talk with him about why the not-so-cheap option is the best one for us but you know, he’s the boss so no matter what I say he’s going to be the one to decide.

Does Freedom From Pain Ease Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy that is based on talking about one’s life and problems, sometimes referred to as talk therapy, requires that the patient be reasonably alert and lucid. But people suffering from chronic pain may be either distracted by the pain or drowsy or muddled by the effects of prescription painkillers. That could make therapy more difficult in some cases.

If the pain can be eased without prescription drugs, people are likely to be more clear-headed, which can be especially important in some forms of therapy. Since inflammation has been found to be a major source of pain and other medical conditions, reducing inflammation could not only make life easier, it could also facilitate psychotherapy.

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software Is Good News for Patients and for Hospitals

The big news in medical records is Electronic Medical Records (EMR) software. They make it possible for hospitals to efficiently store and organize medical information about patients so that data are not lost and reports are not duplicated.

That not only lowers costs by eliminating paper and lowering storage costs. It also makes medical records more accurate and facilitates treatment.

Electronic medical records include ADT and resident information, the electronic chart (eChart), point-of-care (POC) documentation, automated MDS, integrated Electronic Health Records from various doctors and hospitals, billing and financial records, physicians’ orders, medication administration records and treatment administration records, pharmacy and lab records, and records of each patient’s complete therapy, integrated with resident clinical records.

OptimusEMR, a leader in EMR software, develops hospital software that allows hospitals to easily share patient data, so no information is lost.  OptimusEMR software also provides a management dashboard, fully integrated billing and financial modules, complete support for integrated CCRC campuses, and much more, including Long Term care and Nursing Home Software.

Comprehensive, patient medical records can now be accessible from anywhere. That is an added safety factor, especially for patients with chronic illnesses who are being treated by multiple physicians, in different hospitals, and taking multiple medications.

Comprehensive electronic medical records are a big step forward for patient care and safety and for efficient medical treatment. Mental healthcare records can and should be integrated with physical healthcare records—and vice versa.

Drug Abuse Rehab: Choosing a Center

If you or someone you love has a substance abuse problem, you must get help. The health and future of a substance abuser and their family depend on stopping the progression of the disease, getting clean and sober, and staying that way.

Professional help is almost always needed for drug abuse recovery. For a safe and full recovery, medical care is often needed in addition to counseling.

You need a total program to keep from relapsing, which can be even more dangerous than not stopping at all. And you need a comprehensive outpatient program to support the recovering addict as long as necessary for complete recovery.

Ideally treatment begins in a drug abuse rehab center. Family and friends may be supportive, but to successfully quit drug abuse, you need professional help.

Those who have been in drug abuse rehab can tell you that the choice of rehab program is critical. You need a complete program with a professional team that has the right combination of knowledge, techniques and experience.

A good example of that is the Birmingham rehab center of Bradford Health Services. With over 30 years of proven success in treatment of addiction, Bradford offers separate, comprehensive treatment programs for adults and for adolescents.

Bradford recognizes that people in certain professions have special treatment needs. So they provide specialized treatment programs.

You can discretely take a virtual tour of their facilities on their website. You can also watch videos that show informative interviews about specific programs and that explain Bradford’s overall approach to treatment.

Hubby’s new job and dream home

Guest post of the week by Deangelo Spencer

My husband has decided it is time for a change. I always lived in the same house and never moved. He, on the other hand, moved all of the time and actually loved packing up things into boxes. A couple months ago, my husband started looking for new jobs and found a great one. I have to admit I am happy for him and excited about the increase in pay, but I didn’t want to move. I really liked the house we were in and didn’t think I would find anything better. I was wrong. With my husband’s pay increase, we were able to afford a lot of better houses this time. We found my dream home. It has a wonderful kitchen that is made for a chef. It has a state of the art Piedmont home security system, so I always feel the kids and I are safe. It even has a pool and hot tub. I am one lucky girl to be moving into such a wonderful house. I actually feel a little bad for being so reluctant to move. My husband just wanted what was best for me and the kids.

Quit Smoking While Staying Healthy and Positive

A young person is 2000 time more likely to get lung cancer if they smoke. Smoking is associated with heart disease, emphysema, and other life-threatening diseases, but it also damages skin and causes other unpleasant, unhealthy conditions.

So if you don’t smoke, don’t start.  Nicotine is the most addictive substance on earth. That makes quitting smoking both emotionally and physically very difficult.

If you have been a smoker for a few years, you most likely  know how damaging smoking is, yet how hard it is to quit. You may have tried several times, knowing how bad smoking is for your health. Some people try to quit even though they enjoy smoking, because they are worried about the effects of smoking on their present and future health.

Some resent having to stop smoking. Others feel trapped in the habit and start to feel hopeless, as though they can never get free of it.

If you are quitting smoking for the sake of your health, you especially want to stay healthy while quitting. You also want to stay balanced and positive.

Many people smoke more when under stress, and some claim that they smoke to alleviate stress. So staying positive is especially important.

If you are under stress while quitting smoking, you do not want to create even more stress by being irritable with coworkers and family. You also want to avoid gaining weight or taking up some other habit you will need to break later.

In the past, some smoking cessation systems relied on continuing to ingest nicotine through adhesive skin patches or gum. While that may work for some people, the fact is that continuing to ingest nicotine is really unhealthful, even if it eventually works.

One way to ease the stress of quitting smoking, without continuing to ingest poisonous nicotine is to use a smokeless artificial cigarette. That way you get the comfort of having a cigarette to hold without any of the smoke or nicotine of real cigarettes. So your mind is comforted but your body is free of toxins.

Another method that works for many people is hypnosis. Although group hypnosis can work for some, one-0n-one sessions with a hypnotherapist who is a former smoker and who has a good success rate of helping others quit is optimal.

Whatever method or combination of methods you choose, the most important thing is to stop smoking and never start again.

Is Fun Good for Mental Health?

Does fun contribute to mental health? I think it not only contributes to mental health but is actually essential. And not having any fun could be a symptom of depression or other mental disorder.

Certainly participation in sports, dance, and other forms of physical exercise have been shown to contribute to mental health. Participation can help alleviate depression, perhaps because of the release of endorphins.

My ballet teacher used to say that sweating releases or purges toxins from the body. That is one of the ideas behind sweat lodges, saunas, and steam rooms, too.

When we are having fun, we usually forget other cares, and we tend not to mind exerting ourselves, sweating, working hard. We ignore discomforts because when we’re having fun, we go into “the zone,” and we just don’t care about them.

Water sports like surfing, snorkeling, water skiing, and scuba diving are major fun for the people who love them. People speak almost poetically of being transported to other worlds while indulging in the sports they love.

Some like the adrenaline rush of extreme surfing, for example, but many find it relaxing to become one with the rhythm of the surf, riding waves that would not prepare them to win any competitions but still provide a sense of accomplishment and fun.

One way to keep the fun in having fun is to use the appropriate gear and dress safely and comfortably. Everyone can see the importance of good, well-maintained scuba gear, for example. A good quality wetsuit can be equally important for surfers, snorkelers, divers, and even for water skiers.

If you enjoy water sports much of the year, not just in summer, or if you live where the water is cold, don’t forget to stay warm with wetsuits and other accessories. Staying warm and comfortable can be a matter of safety—or just a matter of keeping the fun in having fun.

Whatever you find fun, be sure to save some time to do it. Having fun is important, and if combined with vigorous exercise, it is doubly important. Holiday stress can make it even more essential to take care of yourself and your mental health.

Practicing Caroling for the Holidays

Guest post written by Cyretha Kilton

There are a few things that my family and I love to do every year around the holidays. It’s always been that way. One thing that I always take charge of is when our family gets together and goes caroling in our housing development a Saturday night. I’ve been doing it for a few years by now and right now I’m in charge of everyone getting together to practice.

While I was looking through some carol lyrics online to print off and for us to sing, I ran across some info on miracle ear. After I looked through it a little bit I decided to go and get a hearing test to get fitted for some hearing aids.

I did find some good carols for us to sing while we’re caroling. They’re some ones that I think the kids aren’t familiar with so I’m sure that should make things interesting and maybe my job a little tougher. But if it comes down to the end and we don’t have the songs down, we can always just stick with all the classics that the kids already know!