> i have had a very nice year so far, went on trips i never bargained for
>i have been stressed out from school lately
> dont know when i will really fall in love again, i deal with many opposite sex everyday but i have not really felt like it to them.
> why was my ex stilll begging to come back even though a new mate has entered the scenario
> why cant i just relax and have nothing on my mind for like 48 hours
> i thank God everyday for safe journey mercies and life.
> why do people behave very weird sometimes and play it as if you are the weird one, (is it bcos i am weird ;(
>sometimes i feel cut out from the world, but is it just me?
> i am loving the weather right now and dreading the winter months already.
> cannot wait to finish school and have a real focus and goalsssss
>always wishing to be a better christian
>why cant you just focus on your son that u were never in his life than racing after his mother, you are married for heaven's sake
>why is there no world peace
> when would nigeria really be lit up....#lightupnigeria (follow the movement on twitter)
>why did that journalist attack naija artists? did his wife annoy him???
> i am still missing NewYork
>thank God for everything i have been through
Friday, July 17, 2009
Common sense and Y
The Greatest Struggle Is with YourselfThe greatest struggle in your life is not with society; it is with yourself..... Whatever you are, there is something to blame in today’s society: “I shot my parents, but it wasn’t my fault.” You yourselves have lived through this.
Please understand: In this society, my greatest challenge is 9jaot, your greatest challenge is you. And if you can make you better, you will make this society better. Please don’t buy the rhetoric that the external is the problem.
In a free and affluent country like this, we are the problem.
Trust Your Common Sense
Mark Twain was right when he said, “Common sense isn’t common.” Nevertheless, please use this great gift of God, your common sense, when, outside of the natural sciences, you hear the words, “studies show,” and you find that the studies show the opposite of what common sense suggests.Nearly always studies either substantiate common sense or they are wrong.
That is a general rule of life. That doesn’t mean, don’t take studies seriously. It means take common sense most seriously.The greatest of the “studies” is the study of life, not some abstract study. Keep studying it, and trust your common sense
Please understand: In this society, my greatest challenge is 9jaot, your greatest challenge is you. And if you can make you better, you will make this society better. Please don’t buy the rhetoric that the external is the problem.
In a free and affluent country like this, we are the problem.
Trust Your Common Sense
Mark Twain was right when he said, “Common sense isn’t common.” Nevertheless, please use this great gift of God, your common sense, when, outside of the natural sciences, you hear the words, “studies show,” and you find that the studies show the opposite of what common sense suggests.Nearly always studies either substantiate common sense or they are wrong.
That is a general rule of life. That doesn’t mean, don’t take studies seriously. It means take common sense most seriously.The greatest of the “studies” is the study of life, not some abstract study. Keep studying it, and trust your common sense
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Common sense and You
The Greatest Struggle Is with Yourself
The greatest struggle in your life is not with society; it is with yourself..... Whatever you are, there is something to blame in today’s society: “I shot my parents, but it wasn’t my fault.” You yourselves have lived through this.
Please understand: In this society, my greatest challenge is 9jaot, your greatest challenge is you. And if you can make you better, you will make this society better. Please don’t buy the rhetoric that the external is the problem.
In a free and affluent country like this, we are the problem.
Trust Your Common Sense
Mark Twain was right when he said, “Common sense isn’t common.” Nevertheless, please use this great gift of God, your common sense, when, outside of the natural sciences, you hear the words, “studies show,” and you find that the studies show the opposite of what common sense suggests.Nearly always studies either substantiate common sense or they are wrong.
That is a general rule of life. That doesn’t mean, don’t take studies seriously. It means take common sense most seriously.The greatest of the “studies” is the study of life, not some abstract study. Keep studying it, and trust your common sense
The greatest struggle in your life is not with society; it is with yourself..... Whatever you are, there is something to blame in today’s society: “I shot my parents, but it wasn’t my fault.” You yourselves have lived through this.
Please understand: In this society, my greatest challenge is 9jaot, your greatest challenge is you. And if you can make you better, you will make this society better. Please don’t buy the rhetoric that the external is the problem.
In a free and affluent country like this, we are the problem.
Trust Your Common Sense
Mark Twain was right when he said, “Common sense isn’t common.” Nevertheless, please use this great gift of God, your common sense, when, outside of the natural sciences, you hear the words, “studies show,” and you find that the studies show the opposite of what common sense suggests.Nearly always studies either substantiate common sense or they are wrong.
That is a general rule of life. That doesn’t mean, don’t take studies seriously. It means take common sense most seriously.The greatest of the “studies” is the study of life, not some abstract study. Keep studying it, and trust your common sense
Sunday, June 21, 2009
LEVELS!!
Hello blogville, how have u guys been?? I really know I have missed a lot of actions and stuff which I am not too happy about but it was not my fault at all, I had a lot of things going on for me all at once and all. But seriously I have missed browsing through peoples’ pages and finding gist and then having a laugh about it or something. I have been trying to come back for the last few weeks but my summer school classes are kicking my behind, I am taking four classes this summer although not all of them are crazy tough, there are two of them that are like taking 4 classes at once. But anyways, I would not claim to be fully back but I will try my best to be back to “regular” blogging as much as I can.
A lot of things have transpired in my life that I am not sure if to share it all here or not, I think the best I would do, would be to give as much info as I am very comfortable with because I know some people that know who I am and know my blog but they don’t want to tell me, but I put info and info together and I know they know this is my blog, to those people “ you don’t have to continue to hide, just relate to me on all levels lets talk..lol, it would be much better for all of us”.
But anyways let me start from somewhere, my second semester in grad school which ended in April was tough but I got through it by the grace of God. I was taking like five classes and my grades were excellent to the best of my knowledge, except for one called neuroscience, that was a very interesting class just did not like getting tested on it, I enjoyed the material a lot, maybe because of the fact that it had to do with the human body and that you can prove why this is affected after an insult to a different part of the body, it is so lovely. Ok let me give some non science students some knowledge. Did u know that the brain’s hemisphere controls the contra lateral part of the body? I.e. the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body; although some functions are ipsilateral (same side) most of the major functions are controlled on the opposite side. Isn’t that cool? ….awesome ……God is great. So if you see someone who has a stroke and he or she cannot lift their right extremities (limbs), what part of the brain is affected? Another thing that I enjoyed about the spring semester was that although cold at the beginning it did warm up towards the end of the semester and I am so in love with warm weather you have no idea…
I love my department in school, the teachers are ALWAYS willing to help you get through stuff you do not know and they will always be willing to stay behind to help no matter how bad your brains seems to be dull… not that I am saying I am dull but I remember when I was in UNIversity of LAGos, the lecturers just came to class did not yell over you guys voices, gave three hours lectures by dictating notes and then left and did not want to be disturbed by any students, what ever you did not know or get you have to study it yourself and understand, I now know why God took me away from there, not that my GPA was very terrible just that I know I would have not finished with a first class. God knows why he took me away from that place and the course I was studying, which is for now, to me, irrelevant to the Nigerian community until we seat up, I had a buddy then who is very smart, first class candidate, best in the class finished two years ago and has not gotten a job till now. I know he is getting frustrated and all now, but every time I talk to him, I try my best to console him, but as una know there is very little I can do to appease him. I pray he finds a job that is in God’s plan for his life really soon…AMEN.
Ok in May I took a lovely vacation to the west coast, it was off the chain!!!! I went to see some of my family members (three families) I had never seen before and got to know them a little bit. For the first family, It was very awkward at first but as time went on it became sooo cool, I cannot not explain it, but it ended awkward again because I did not want to leave and they sensed that I did not want to leave too, so you know that kind of, I think implicit atmosphere and all, but I met a lot of new people, Nigerian up coming artists and most of all got to tour the beautiful city of San Francisco. That city is one crazy city, the roads in the main city are like you are going on a rollercoaster, up down, curvy and all. But the thing about it is that it is always cool, no matter what, hot in the day but chilly at night… nice weather. Some of the attractions I got to see were the mighty golden gate bridge, the curviest street in the world (Lombard Street) and so on. Then I had to leave, I went on to another part of the gay state, the main gay city Los Angeles. It was fun riding there, got there and met two more families one very very special family and some more cousins, I felt very special meeting those people and I realized that those people are actually really special to me. Then one night while in my deepest tots, I started to realize that the friends I tot were very special and all to me and were always trying to impose their lives on me, were nothing on a scale of one to ten or even hundred, these people I just met were the people that really mattered, all others were counterfeits. Then I made up my mind to prioritize my priorities and some people were sent down the list some were just cut off completely, I don’t feel bad about it but now I really know the people that matter in my life. Thank God. Blood is thicker than water.
It is not as if I am basing my life on the family members I just met, because they are human they will surely disappoint but every one around me now just has LEVELS…lol. I enjoyed, my two weeks off of school in that state and then came back to school for summer school, which has taken up all my time and all.
I am starting to realize that nobody can love your life for you, so I have gradually started taking initiatives to enjoy my life even while still in school and all. I have started working out everyday either play a sport or just lift weights. I started off loosing some weight, I lost like eight or ten pound then I started to build up, now I have gained six pounds back and it is not fat….I hope, I just cant wait to have the muscle definition at least once in my life, even if it would mean for me to just take the pix, hang it on the wall and become fat, I just want to see my linea alba at least for once…lol
The more I learn about occupational therapy, the more I fall in love with it, it is an AWESOME career choice for anybody who likes to play a lot and have fun. The more I look into it the more I know why God chose it for me, because on my own I would have not been able to pick this career choice out. I would have gone with something like computer science or IT and I would have HATED it because I would have had a routine job which is not just me, with occupational therapy you do not have a routine job, it changes daily except if you choose not to be up to date on your stuff. There are many places you can work at. You could choose to work in the medical field, work with athletes in the sports arena, work with older people, and work with kids and adults with developmental delays and anywhere you think you can advocate for the necessity of occupational based therapy. I love my Job.
God has been good to me, he has blessed me with uncountable blessings, the last time I got a pay check was August last year (2008) and I have been surviving by His grace, doing things I never did while I was working and getting to know him more. Thank You Lord.
Don’t let me make you craze with writings, but I still have a lot to talk about but I will be writing about them as time goes on.
A lot of things have transpired in my life that I am not sure if to share it all here or not, I think the best I would do, would be to give as much info as I am very comfortable with because I know some people that know who I am and know my blog but they don’t want to tell me, but I put info and info together and I know they know this is my blog, to those people “ you don’t have to continue to hide, just relate to me on all levels lets talk..lol, it would be much better for all of us”.
But anyways let me start from somewhere, my second semester in grad school which ended in April was tough but I got through it by the grace of God. I was taking like five classes and my grades were excellent to the best of my knowledge, except for one called neuroscience, that was a very interesting class just did not like getting tested on it, I enjoyed the material a lot, maybe because of the fact that it had to do with the human body and that you can prove why this is affected after an insult to a different part of the body, it is so lovely. Ok let me give some non science students some knowledge. Did u know that the brain’s hemisphere controls the contra lateral part of the body? I.e. the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body; although some functions are ipsilateral (same side) most of the major functions are controlled on the opposite side. Isn’t that cool? ….awesome ……God is great. So if you see someone who has a stroke and he or she cannot lift their right extremities (limbs), what part of the brain is affected? Another thing that I enjoyed about the spring semester was that although cold at the beginning it did warm up towards the end of the semester and I am so in love with warm weather you have no idea…
I love my department in school, the teachers are ALWAYS willing to help you get through stuff you do not know and they will always be willing to stay behind to help no matter how bad your brains seems to be dull… not that I am saying I am dull but I remember when I was in UNIversity of LAGos, the lecturers just came to class did not yell over you guys voices, gave three hours lectures by dictating notes and then left and did not want to be disturbed by any students, what ever you did not know or get you have to study it yourself and understand, I now know why God took me away from there, not that my GPA was very terrible just that I know I would have not finished with a first class. God knows why he took me away from that place and the course I was studying, which is for now, to me, irrelevant to the Nigerian community until we seat up, I had a buddy then who is very smart, first class candidate, best in the class finished two years ago and has not gotten a job till now. I know he is getting frustrated and all now, but every time I talk to him, I try my best to console him, but as una know there is very little I can do to appease him. I pray he finds a job that is in God’s plan for his life really soon…AMEN.
Ok in May I took a lovely vacation to the west coast, it was off the chain!!!! I went to see some of my family members (three families) I had never seen before and got to know them a little bit. For the first family, It was very awkward at first but as time went on it became sooo cool, I cannot not explain it, but it ended awkward again because I did not want to leave and they sensed that I did not want to leave too, so you know that kind of, I think implicit atmosphere and all, but I met a lot of new people, Nigerian up coming artists and most of all got to tour the beautiful city of San Francisco. That city is one crazy city, the roads in the main city are like you are going on a rollercoaster, up down, curvy and all. But the thing about it is that it is always cool, no matter what, hot in the day but chilly at night… nice weather. Some of the attractions I got to see were the mighty golden gate bridge, the curviest street in the world (Lombard Street) and so on. Then I had to leave, I went on to another part of the gay state, the main gay city Los Angeles. It was fun riding there, got there and met two more families one very very special family and some more cousins, I felt very special meeting those people and I realized that those people are actually really special to me. Then one night while in my deepest tots, I started to realize that the friends I tot were very special and all to me and were always trying to impose their lives on me, were nothing on a scale of one to ten or even hundred, these people I just met were the people that really mattered, all others were counterfeits. Then I made up my mind to prioritize my priorities and some people were sent down the list some were just cut off completely, I don’t feel bad about it but now I really know the people that matter in my life. Thank God. Blood is thicker than water.
It is not as if I am basing my life on the family members I just met, because they are human they will surely disappoint but every one around me now just has LEVELS…lol. I enjoyed, my two weeks off of school in that state and then came back to school for summer school, which has taken up all my time and all.
I am starting to realize that nobody can love your life for you, so I have gradually started taking initiatives to enjoy my life even while still in school and all. I have started working out everyday either play a sport or just lift weights. I started off loosing some weight, I lost like eight or ten pound then I started to build up, now I have gained six pounds back and it is not fat….I hope, I just cant wait to have the muscle definition at least once in my life, even if it would mean for me to just take the pix, hang it on the wall and become fat, I just want to see my linea alba at least for once…lol
The more I learn about occupational therapy, the more I fall in love with it, it is an AWESOME career choice for anybody who likes to play a lot and have fun. The more I look into it the more I know why God chose it for me, because on my own I would have not been able to pick this career choice out. I would have gone with something like computer science or IT and I would have HATED it because I would have had a routine job which is not just me, with occupational therapy you do not have a routine job, it changes daily except if you choose not to be up to date on your stuff. There are many places you can work at. You could choose to work in the medical field, work with athletes in the sports arena, work with older people, and work with kids and adults with developmental delays and anywhere you think you can advocate for the necessity of occupational based therapy. I love my Job.
God has been good to me, he has blessed me with uncountable blessings, the last time I got a pay check was August last year (2008) and I have been surviving by His grace, doing things I never did while I was working and getting to know him more. Thank You Lord.
Don’t let me make you craze with writings, but I still have a lot to talk about but I will be writing about them as time goes on.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
comedy and rantings
Ok my weekend was nice, kind off
I went to a drive in movie theater to watch Monsters Vs aliens, and it was mad fun, you sit in your car and watch a very big screen while the tune is transmitted to you through your car radio, i loved it and you only pay seven dollars for two movies, also did a few of my school work and still have a lot to do
i have been feeling somehow with my health, i have to squint now to kinda read things that are far away, i wonder if it is because i stay in front of computers too much...hmnn
i have started growing facial hair, and i dont like it, i know i am kinda too old to just start doing that but hey people always say i look sixteen and these facial hair would just change their notion and i dont really like that. i want to look young...like on sunday i went to play tennis in the community park and some high school boys thought that i was their mate, i had to tell them my age before they gave me some respect, but hey i still love my young face.
I have not being very good with my sppiritual life lately, i have slacked a
pls if u read this pray for me, so i can be a better person than even as i was before. Thank you.
This week my finals started and the first one was aiight, i am suppose to be studying now for the next one and i am here..because i am just too fatigued from the semester, i really dont feel like reading at all. i cant wait for the semester break so that i can refil my motivation.
Hope y'all have a great week and pray for me, yourself, the country you are and the great land of NIGERIA.
see this comedy skit, i never saw that coming...lol
I went to a drive in movie theater to watch Monsters Vs aliens, and it was mad fun, you sit in your car and watch a very big screen while the tune is transmitted to you through your car radio, i loved it and you only pay seven dollars for two movies, also did a few of my school work and still have a lot to do
i have been feeling somehow with my health, i have to squint now to kinda read things that are far away, i wonder if it is because i stay in front of computers too much...hmnn
i have started growing facial hair, and i dont like it, i know i am kinda too old to just start doing that but hey people always say i look sixteen and these facial hair would just change their notion and i dont really like that. i want to look young...like on sunday i went to play tennis in the community park and some high school boys thought that i was their mate, i had to tell them my age before they gave me some respect, but hey i still love my young face.
I have not being very good with my sppiritual life lately, i have slacked a
little bitnope, a lot actually, i wont say it is anybody's fault but mine, i have just not been up to par not been myself, i would blame it on fatigue from school work and just lack of motivation and all.
pls if u read this pray for me, so i can be a better person than even as i was before. Thank you.
This week my finals started and the first one was aiight, i am suppose to be studying now for the next one and i am here..because i am just too fatigued from the semester, i really dont feel like reading at all. i cant wait for the semester break so that i can refil my motivation.
Hope y'all have a great week and pray for me, yourself, the country you are and the great land of NIGERIA.
see this comedy skit, i never saw that coming...lol
Monday, April 20, 2009
mental health....and OT
A CALL has gone to Federal government of Nigeria to integrate mental health services into Primary Health Care (PHC), even as the nation is being described as the country with the most retrogressive mental health law in the world. The call for integration was made as part of agitation for complete review of the nation’s mental health programme towards improvement of health service to Nigerians.
Making the call in Lagos last week during a mental health stakeholders” meeting at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Prof. Oye Gureje of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, noted that there exists a major deficit between the need for mental health service and available resources to address the need. He opined that there may be no improved mental health services in Nigeria, until the National Mental Health Programme and Action Plan promulgated in 1991 is well implemented in addition to availability of essential drugs in primary care clinics and reduction of stigma.
Gureje, who lamented the yawning treatment gap in the management of mental disorders in the country, said result of a large Nigerian study revealed that 90 per cent of all cases of mental illness in Nigeria, obtained no treatment within the last 12 mobnths while in serious cases, 82 per cent had no treatment access. Among those who obtained treatment, only 6 per cent do so withing the first do so in the first year of uillnes while it takes an average of six years for the average mental illness patient in Nigeria to seek and obtain treatment.
“Even though 1 in 12 Nigerians will have a mental illness at any given time, and one or two persons in the nation out of eight will experience a mental illness within their lifetime, the real impact of mental disorders is not because they increase chances of dying, but because they cause considerable disability and impairment of role functioning.”
Gureje noted that, in Nigeria, the average loss in earning in 2002 among persons with serious mental disorders was grossed N21.6 billion amounting to N60,126 per person. He described as “grossly inadequate” the general response to the burden of mental health in the country. “Mental disorders often go unnoticed even though effective treatment is available for most, and when treated, it is often too lateand frequently inappropriate.”
He said a functional PHC, is crucial to any attempt to deliver good health care everywhere. “Primary care providers are poor at detecting mental health problems. Most commonly offer inappropriate or inadequate treatment wghile the primary care clinics hardly have the essential medications for common mental health problems. “ In his view, a lot can still be done with the available resources if only the health service system was better organised.
THERE is currently a ratio of one resident doctor to 2000 patients at the Federal Neu-opsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos. President of the hospital’s branch of the Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Niran Okewole noted this while lamenting acute shortage of staff in the system just as he noted that the Associaltion’s industrial action embarked upon last week was to ensure quality patient care.
Okewole argued that even though the hospital has a total number of 80,000 registered patients, total number of resident doctors is just 40 leaving a ratio of 2,000 patients per doctor. He said: “Over the years, there has been an exponential increase in the number of patients being seen in the hospital. this in itself is a good thing because it suggests that public awareness of psychiatric services is growing. However, the number of specialist available to attend to this teeming mass has dwindled.”
Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people.Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who suffer from a serious mental illness.1 In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly related to comorbidity.
What Occupational therapy has to do with Mental health:
The overall goal of occupational therapy in community mental health is to help people develop the skills and obtain the supports necessary for independent, interdependent, productive living. Particular emphasis is given to interventions that result in improved quality of life and decrease hospitalization.
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants provide purposeful, goal-oriented activities that teach and facilitate skills in:
assertiveness;
cognition (e.g., problem solving);
independent living including using community resources, home management, time management, management of medication, and safety in the home and community;
avocational interest and pursuits:
self-awareness;
interpersonal and social skills;
stress management;
activities of daily living (e.g.; hygiene);
role development (e.g., parenting);
self-sufficiency and interdependency; and
wellness.
Occupational therapy services include:
adapting (changing) the environment at home, work, and school to promote an individual's optimal functioning
providing education programs, experiential learning, and treatment groups or classes;
consulting with employers responding to requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act;
functional evaluation and ongoing monitoring of clients for placement in jobs and housing;
providing assistance or guidance with client-run support groups;
goal setting and rehabilitation plan development with client; and
providing guidance and consultation to persons in all employment settings, including supportive employment.
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants working in the area of community mental health are employed by or provide consultation to:
adult day care centers,
day treatment centers,
home health agencies,
community rehabilitation programs,
mental health clinics and hospitals,
clubhouse programs,
outpatient psychiatric clinics,
foster care residents,
sheltered workshops,
group and private homes,
community support programs.
Making the call in Lagos last week during a mental health stakeholders” meeting at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Prof. Oye Gureje of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, noted that there exists a major deficit between the need for mental health service and available resources to address the need. He opined that there may be no improved mental health services in Nigeria, until the National Mental Health Programme and Action Plan promulgated in 1991 is well implemented in addition to availability of essential drugs in primary care clinics and reduction of stigma.
Gureje, who lamented the yawning treatment gap in the management of mental disorders in the country, said result of a large Nigerian study revealed that 90 per cent of all cases of mental illness in Nigeria, obtained no treatment within the last 12 mobnths while in serious cases, 82 per cent had no treatment access. Among those who obtained treatment, only 6 per cent do so withing the first do so in the first year of uillnes while it takes an average of six years for the average mental illness patient in Nigeria to seek and obtain treatment.
“Even though 1 in 12 Nigerians will have a mental illness at any given time, and one or two persons in the nation out of eight will experience a mental illness within their lifetime, the real impact of mental disorders is not because they increase chances of dying, but because they cause considerable disability and impairment of role functioning.”
Gureje noted that, in Nigeria, the average loss in earning in 2002 among persons with serious mental disorders was grossed N21.6 billion amounting to N60,126 per person. He described as “grossly inadequate” the general response to the burden of mental health in the country. “Mental disorders often go unnoticed even though effective treatment is available for most, and when treated, it is often too lateand frequently inappropriate.”
He said a functional PHC, is crucial to any attempt to deliver good health care everywhere. “Primary care providers are poor at detecting mental health problems. Most commonly offer inappropriate or inadequate treatment wghile the primary care clinics hardly have the essential medications for common mental health problems. “ In his view, a lot can still be done with the available resources if only the health service system was better organised.
THERE is currently a ratio of one resident doctor to 2000 patients at the Federal Neu-opsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos. President of the hospital’s branch of the Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Niran Okewole noted this while lamenting acute shortage of staff in the system just as he noted that the Associaltion’s industrial action embarked upon last week was to ensure quality patient care.
Okewole argued that even though the hospital has a total number of 80,000 registered patients, total number of resident doctors is just 40 leaving a ratio of 2,000 patients per doctor. He said: “Over the years, there has been an exponential increase in the number of patients being seen in the hospital. this in itself is a good thing because it suggests that public awareness of psychiatric services is growing. However, the number of specialist available to attend to this teeming mass has dwindled.”
Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people.Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who suffer from a serious mental illness.1 In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly related to comorbidity.
What Occupational therapy has to do with Mental health:
The overall goal of occupational therapy in community mental health is to help people develop the skills and obtain the supports necessary for independent, interdependent, productive living. Particular emphasis is given to interventions that result in improved quality of life and decrease hospitalization.
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants provide purposeful, goal-oriented activities that teach and facilitate skills in:
assertiveness;
cognition (e.g., problem solving);
independent living including using community resources, home management, time management, management of medication, and safety in the home and community;
avocational interest and pursuits:
self-awareness;
interpersonal and social skills;
stress management;
activities of daily living (e.g.; hygiene);
role development (e.g., parenting);
self-sufficiency and interdependency; and
wellness.
Occupational therapy services include:
adapting (changing) the environment at home, work, and school to promote an individual's optimal functioning
providing education programs, experiential learning, and treatment groups or classes;
consulting with employers responding to requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act;
functional evaluation and ongoing monitoring of clients for placement in jobs and housing;
providing assistance or guidance with client-run support groups;
goal setting and rehabilitation plan development with client; and
providing guidance and consultation to persons in all employment settings, including supportive employment.
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants working in the area of community mental health are employed by or provide consultation to:
adult day care centers,
day treatment centers,
home health agencies,
community rehabilitation programs,
mental health clinics and hospitals,
clubhouse programs,
outpatient psychiatric clinics,
foster care residents,
sheltered workshops,
group and private homes,
community support programs.
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