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Mental
Health to Mental Illness: Jane E. DeVries, Ph.D. Mental Health and Mental Illness means different things to different people. Just as there are multiple definitions of recovery there are many definitions of what makes up mental Health and mental Illness. The continuum of Mental Health to Mental Illness can be depicted in two ways: Prevention Model Recovery Mental Health <------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Mental Illness Intervention Model Recovery Mental Illness <------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Mental Health Prevention or Intervention Often our family history can give us a clue about our behavior and mental illness. If we know we are predisposed to depression there are multiple symptoms we can be aware of and take inventory of our own behavior. The same holds true if we have a mental illness and are in recovery we need to take inventory of ourselves, identifying what is good for us and what is bad for us. Once we know ourselves we can respond to how we are acting and feeling to return to the mentally healthy end of the continuum. Mental health really depends upon who you are; your history, current life circumstances, your heredity and other events. Lots of us are going to be different since we’ve had different life experiences, different parents, and have lived in different places. All of us fall somewhere on these continuums as we traverse life. Many individuals may never develop a mental illness or brain disorder, while others will be part of the 25-30% of the population who develop a mental illness. One doesn’t need to be a psychologist or mental health professional to identify mental illness, but most of us are not sure where to draw the line. Even though many of us are not diagnosticians we can usually identify when we are well and unwell. Often we can recognize those behaviors in others more readily than we can ourselves. Health Continuum Well <--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Unwell When one becomes so “unwell” enough that he/she can’t function in daily life, something is going to happen. For some of us conscious behavior change can move us back to the “well” part of the continuum, for others it takes an outsider to prompt us to make the changes need to live a “normal and fully functionally lives”. Following treatment protocols, taking and/or changing medication, getting a job or changing our living quarters may make or break our road to recovery. Ideally we could use the Well <---> Unwell continuum for all aspects of life: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, intellectual, economical, environment, and so forth. If every one of us looked at the Well <---> Unwell continuum every day maybe we could prevent problems in any of these areas. Finally, Recovery is on a continuum just as mental health and mental illness are part of a continuum. There are multiple definitions of Recovery and multiple levels. For some recovery is symptom free and for others it is living life differently, but as we have said “living a normal and fully functional life”. Recovery Continuum <------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> A Glimmer of Hope Living a satisfying Life Life is not preoccupied with mental illness For any person with a mental illness or who has had mental illness there is a first step to recovery. The Glimmer of Hope as showcased in Kai Mauri Tau (See International Recovery – New Zealand) is the first step we used to start our continuum. The second phase may include having a mental illness but living a satisfying life anyway. Our far end of the continuum of recovery is a life no longer preoccupied with mental illness. For some this may mean symptom free or no more mental illness. For others this may mean the mental illness is present but life is too healthy and full for it to occupy much of thought. In this section of Recovery tools there is a self-help assessment tool that asks multiple questions to assist a person in identifying where they are on the recovery continuum. This assessment tool is a self-help tool designed to assist people in moving on down the recovery continuum or in maintaining a place on the continuum where they can live a “normal and fully functional life”. Look at the assessment tool and see what is missing. Please let us know what’s missing by contacting us at info@recoveryawareness.org or go to our Message Board and give us some feedback. We want this tool to work for as many people as possible. Thanks for your help! The goal of this website is to provide those who are in, wish to be in, or wish to maintain recovery some tools to help them get there. We found one website, Star Center which said “Self-help is recovery.” We hope that your review of these pages will be part of your self-help project. We’d really like to hear from you once you’ve looked at our site. Searching the Internet for recovery solutions is daunting and challenging however it is also rewarding. The exciting aspect of searching for mental illness or mental health recovery is that there are many out there with stories of hope. Since so many are out there with a message, it gives hope to those who are seeking recovery alternatives rather than the standard past line “this is something you’ll just have to live with”. Please write to us by clicking on the Forum button at the bottom of Let’s Talk and let us know what you think is important to house on a recovery awareness website. The following questions may be food for thought. What do those on the road to recovery need to know? What do those who love them need to know? What do those who serve them need to know? What do the designers of these websites need to know? Contact us provides plenty of space for your feedback. Thank you for sharing with us and for letting us share with you!
One of the tools for recovery used by the Share Center is Aspire – Skills for better living. Aspire was developed by Summit Pointe the Community Mental Health Organization of Calhoun County. Basic life skills are essential for recovery but they are not often taught specifically for those with Mental Illness. The following content description has been designed specifically for those in recovery. Your can be part of these sessions though connecting with Cafe Can Do (269) 966-9050 or you can order these modules for your own organization through www.summitpointe.org.Aspire—Skills for Better LivingAspire is a psycho-educational program designed for adults needing assistance in changing high incidence behaviors that interfere with interpersonal success. Aspire teaches participants skills that change their lifestyle, enhances their therapy and assists them to live more productive and fulfilled lives. Program ComponentsThis program is an intense set of 90-minute sessions that provide the participant with nine different concepts to learn and practice. Each module is divided into three separate sessions giving the participant the time necessary to learn the concept, practice it, receive feedback from peers and implement the new behaviors in their lives. The program modules are designed to be totally self-contained. At the beginning of each module are the Facilitator Information section and all the presentation and participant materials needed to present each session to participants in a turn key manner. Participants can take each module or selected modules depending on their needs and/or the recommendations of their therapist. Aspire is appropriate for:
The Contents of Aspire are:
Coping with Fear
Coping with Nervousness and Stress
Connecting with People: How to Talk to Anyone
Creating Positive Relationships
Creating Positive Self-Talk
Decision Making
Forming Good Habits
Problem Solving
Taming Anger
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Recovery Models n Definitions n Barriers to Recovery n Recovery Tools n International Recovery Awareness
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