Public Policy Position on Mental Illness
Background
At the time of "deinstitutionalization" of mental patients and the creation of Community Mental Health Centers, the concept of Positive Mental Health was born: Mental Health is more than the absence of Mental Illness. It comprises a list of characteristics, among which are: 1) feeling comfortable about myself; 2) feeling right about others; while 3) meeting the demands of life.
An unfortunate result of the Community Mental Health Movement has been that the mentally ill people in the community somehow got left out. They have the same mental health goals as outlined above, but they often have a great deal of difficulty achieving them. They frequently find themselves entangled in the criminal justice system, without housing or jobs, ill-fed and ill-clothed, perceived as an embarrassment by family and community, and seen by the mental health system as non-rewarding both emotionally and financially.
Specific attention must be paid to developing Community Support Systems for the mentally ill. Perhaps a third of the people diagnosed as having a mental illness (schizophrenia, depression, manic-depressive illness, personality disorder), after a short and intensive period of hospitalization and/or transitional community supportive care, recover and take their place in the community without recurrence of the illness. Another third have been shown capable of participation in community life with occasional intensive care and the help of a Community Support System. The remaining third need more intensive community support over a long period of time.
A number of studies throughout the country over the last few years have demonstrated that there are some particular services that, when organized into a system and implemented with good humanitarian underpinnings and integrated citizen review for quality control purposes, can indeed keep people out of hospitals and also allow them to be more active participants in a quality community life.
These services are: housing and transportation; job training and placement; socialization training and social activities; case management; support to family, landlord, and employers; mental health/medical care; legal protection and 24 hour crisis care. These services are very basic. Yet they present a major problem to those who deliver mental health services, to families and to consumers of services.
The most pressing of these needs in New Mexico is HOUSING which needs to be provided within a continuum - group homes, halfway homes, supervised and semi-supervised housing, independent apartments. Housing facilities should include long-term community housing that is not time-limited and short-term "respite" housing for emergencies not requiring hospitalization or for family relief and time off. Without housing, none of the above mentioned services can be provided, although they all also belong in the continuum.
Policy Position
The New Mexico Conference of Churches recognizes that a Community Support System is needed for the mentally ill. It will support efforts to establish the framework for Community Support Systems and appropriate funding for implementation. In this process, the responsible state agencies should continue to seek input from a wide variety of sources, including family groups, consumers, professionals and providers.
The New Mexico Conference of Churches will support funding for Community Housing for the mentally ill. Funding should not be limited to Mental Health Centers. Housing entrepreneurs should be encouraged to apply for funding through the Mental Health Bureau as well as through foundations and other community services for new and innovative types of housing for the mentally ill.
The New Mexico Conference of Churches calls for up-grading of professional standards and improvements of staff training at the State Hospital for the mentally ill (Las Vegas). We will support legislation to provide adequate funding for staff at the Hospital which will insure quality care and rehabilitation for patients. This funding should also insure that competent pastoral care will be provided at the Hospital.
The New Mexico Conference of Churches will support periodic citizen review for quality control purposes at all levels of the system, including the State Hospital.
