Prison inmates work outside in a chain gang. Photo courtesy of CNN.

A prison inmate with a mental illness is less likely to commit another crime and return to jail than an inmate who does not have a mental illness or one who has a mental illness and also abuses drugs, according to a study from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University.

Case Western assistant social work professor Amy Hall said researchers took inmates from the Philadelphia jail system, one of the largest in the nation, and divided them into four groups.

The categories were those with severe mental illnesses, those with a substance abuse problem, those with dual problems of mental illness and substance abuse, and those with neither problem.

The study found that at the end of four years, 54 percent of inmates with severe mental illnesses returned to jail,  compared to 66 percent of those with substance abuse problems, 68 percent with mental illness and substance abuse issues, and 60 percent of those who did not have either problem.

More study is needed but the lower recidivism rate for those who are mentally ill could be a sign they can more readily get treatment than those with dual problems, Wilson said.

“These findings point to a possible need for more integrated services for mental and substance abuse, and more attention being paid generally to the ways that substance abuse involvement among people with serious mental illness complicates these individuals involvement with the criminal justice system,” she said.

Click here to read more about the study at NewsRx.com.

To learn more about how social workers help people overcome mental illness and addictions visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Mind and Spirit web site by clicking here.

Call Richmond and sister Rebecca Schaper. Photo courtesy of "A Sister's Call" Website.

Call Richmond disappeared in 1977 and his sister Rebecca Schaper did not hear from him for 20 years. Then Call suddenly reappeared, homeless and suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia.

Schaper’s husband Jim and two daughters were at first hesitant to let this gray bearded, scruffy, bear of a man even visit their Atlanta home, afraid his mental illness could drive him to violence.

But Schaper decided to do everything she could to get Call on the path to recovery. Their journey is recorded in her soon-to-be-released documentary “A Sister’s Call.”

Schaper, 57, a photographer, learned to use a digital camcorder so she could record her interactions with Call, 60, who lived a few hours away in Greenville, S.C.

The film is brutally honest, never sugarcoating the sexual abuse, suicide and mental illness that plagued the seemingly idyllic middle class Greenville home where Call and Rebecca grew up in the 1960s and 70s.

The film is a rollercoaster ride. Up until the last minute viewers are left wondering whether Call will find balance in his life or sink deeper into mental illness.

“I can’t explain it,” Schaper said. “I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to do a documentary. It was a leap of faith. And Call feels like this film is his purpose, too.”

The film shows the travails people who have mental illness and their caregivers experience. Call had problems finding the right mix of medications as well as housing. At one point in the film Schaper’s daughters questioned why she was giving so much attention to her brother and not immediate family.

“I was really hurt,”Schaper said. “But how can you turn away from a brother or sister who needs help? How can you turn your back?”

The film also demonstrates the help social workers provide. At one point a frustrated and almost burned out Schaper turns to a social worker named Cathy to help her and Call navigate the social service system so he could get the help he needed.

In "A Sister's Call" Call Richmond had trouble finding the right mix of medication to control his mental illness. Photo courtesy of "A Sister's Call" Website.

Other social workers and caseworkers who were not filmed were also helpful, Schaper said. In fact, Schaper said social workers are able to arrange the best care possible when they work as a team with people with mental illnesses, their family or caregivers.

“There were a couple of them — they were great,” Schaper said. “I’m telling you they were a godsend.”

Schaper and her production team plan to finalize “A Sisters Call” before Christmas. They have submitted the film to more than 60 film festivals around the country and also are trying to get as many community screenings as possible.

Schaper hopes the film will prompt the public to become more open about mental illness.

“People who have issues in their family and are open and want to learn more will gravitate to this film,” she said. “I wanted to help stop the stigma. Fear is the lack of knowledge.”

To learn more about Schaper’s film visit the official Website of “A Sister’s Call” by clicking here. And to learn how social workers help people struggling with mental illness visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts here” Mind and Spirit Website by clicking here.

Pat Howe. Photo courtesy of Michigan Live.

Cheers to Michigan Live for profiling social worker Pat Howe, MSW, executive director of Hope Network’s statewide behavioral health services in Michigan.

Howe was inspired to help people with mental illness from when she was a child. Her grandparents lived near a psychiatric hospital and Howe wondered what she could do to relieve the loneliness and suffering of people kept behind the facility’s barred windows.

Howe’s family was also very active in the Salvation Army, so she was raised to be concerned about the welfare of others.

“With that very rich heritage comes a passionate view and commitment to serving others,” Howe said.

To read the full article click here. And to learn more about how social workers help people with mental illnesses visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Mind and Spirit Website by clicking here.

Jacob Berelowitz (inset upper left) interviews caregiver Stella Bledsoe.

Social worker Jacob Berelowitz says many Americans get blindsided when it comes to dealing with mental illness.

“I was doing direct care working at a psychiatric hospital,” said Berelowitz, MSW, LMSW. “I just found there was so much information lacking for families coming in and the patients themselves needed a lot of education.”

So what did Berelowitz do? The New York University School of Social Work graduate launched a New York City cable public access program —”Talk Therapy Television” — to educate the public about mental health issues and how to find care for themselves and loved ones.

As of mid March four episodes of “Talk Therapy Television” had aired and three more segments were in the works. Guests have included some prestigious mental health professionals, including Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health Michael Hogan and Dr. Frances Brisbane, dean of the Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare.

“Talk Therapy Television” is shown on Queens Public Television and Brooklyn Community Access Television, Berelowitz said. There are about a million viewers in this market.

Last year, 10.6 million Americans said their need for mental health care went unmet, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The main aim of “Talk Therapy Television” is to encourage more people to seek mental health care and boost the amount of mental health services available to the public, Berelowitz said. The show also raises awareness of the role social workers play in helping people get good mental health care.

Berelowitz, who is a National Association of Social Workers member, urges other social workers create public access television programs to highlight what they do. SocialWorkersSpeak.org has already done features on two New Jersey social workers who run such programs — Dr. Ginny Klein and Valerie Persaud, MSW.

Berelowitz offered these tips on how to create your own social worker television program:

• Find out which cable company runs public access channels in your neighborhood and if they have a time slot available. Some states have more public access channels than others.
• Once you locate a public access channel  find out how to apply for a slot and what type of technical specifications the station requires. For instance, some stations want shows recorded on DVD, mini DVD or videotape.
• Consider doing a one-time social work television special. That way you can test whether being a producer and host of a longer running television program is what you really want to do.
• If you want to get more serious and use studio cameras and other equipment you may have to take a training class at a station, which sometimes cost a few dollars. Public access stations offer these classes so consumers don’t break their equipment.
• To find guests reach out to colleagues and other social work professionals in your expertise area. Social workers already make good television show guests because many are experts who do presentations or teach classes. There are also many videos produced by state health departments that social workers can use on their programs.

The awards honor film and television writers and producers who create “dignified, respectful and accurate” potrayals of people with mental illness. The award is also given to mental health consumers who have given a voice to other people with mental illnesses.

Did you see a television show or program that portrayed mental illness well? Or do you know a person with mental illness who has been a champion of the community?

Send your entertainment industry nominations to SAMHSA by April 30 and your mental health consumer nominations by May 14.  For more information on how to do nominations click here.

The Voice Awards will be present at a gala ceremony in Los Angeles on Oct. 13.

New Jersey social worker Maureen Tillman LCSW has always been fascinated by life transitions.

So eight years ago she launched College with Confidence, a psychotherapy service that helps parents and young people deal with what can be one of life’s biggest changes — the period when teenagers leave the nest, go to college, and transform into adults.

Tillman’s work with families and online articles attracted the attention of New York Times editor Tina Kelley. Tillman’s meetings with Kelley led to the August launch of “College Corner,” a blog on the New York Times local Web page serving Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange, N.J.

College Corner has resources, tips and information for families going through the college process.

“It’s an educating role that’s I’ve taken about the importance of developing life skills as kids are growing and also about the mental health issues of students on college campuses,” Tillman said.

Many mothers and fathers can’t wait until their teenagers leave home, believing the hard part of parenting is over. But Tillman, who has a grown son who is a filmmaker and daughter who is a news reporter, said the most difficult times for parents could be just beginning.

Some children begin experimenting with drugs and alcohol and participating in risky sex practices in college, she said. Others become lonesome, anxious, depressed or develop mental illness. And suicide is the third leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 24.

 ”I saw a lot of kids in my office that bounced back home,” she said “Their parents were pulling out their hair — they thought it was all lined up and they were despondent.”

Tillman’s blog gives families advice on a wide range of issues, including how to tour prospective colleges, help their kids address mental health issues , and what topics to bring up with children when they come home for Thanksgiving and winter breaks. She even has three college students writing about their first-year campus experiences.

Tillman hopes her blog will let the public know about the wide variety of resources social workers can offer them.

“Yes, there can be misconceptions about social workers having a limited scope which is so far from the truth,” she said. “My blog educates parents and students and professionals as well as demonstrating the exciting and creative niches that social workers can carve.”

She urges other social workers blog too, provided they have something interesting and important to say.

“It takes a lot of dedication. It takes a lot of time. It takes creativity. And it takes persistence,” she said.

To find out more about how social workers help college students overcome anxiety, read this article by Mary Anne Knapp, MSW, LCSW on the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Web site.