Advocacy Archives - KARTAR DIAMOND

Taking Care of the Seriously Mentally Ill Should Be Like Good Parenting by Kartar Diamond

How would you feel about someone who allowed their child to live out doors just because they wanted to? Would you respect a parent who allowed their child to eat out of a dumpster, take harmful drugs or wander around in a drunken stupor? Would you feel comfortable knowing your neighbor’s violent teenager is allowed to cause property damage and make threats to hurt people? Of course not! You would know that the parents needed to buck up, set boundaries and consequences, and [...]

By Kartar Diamond|2023-04-09T23:07:42+00:00April 9, 2023|Advocacy, Mental Illness, Policy|0 Comments

When Your Parent is Mentally Ill by Kartar Diamond

Much has been written about struggling parents when they have a child or an adult son or daughter who is mentally ill. But what about the reversal, when it is the mother or father who has a brain illness? As a once active member of a local NAMI Family Support group, the vast majority of attendees were mothers, concerned about their offspring, and the occasional father in attendance. Less often, a young adult would show up for the meeting, stressed and overwhelmed with [...]

By Kartar Diamond|2022-07-28T15:51:39+00:00July 28, 2022|Advocacy, Family, Mental Illness|0 Comments

What is Anosognosia? by Kartar Diamond

Anosognosia. The word itself is a mouthful. A-no-sog-no-sia. This is a medical term which has had another meaning entirely, but it has been adopted by the mental health world to describe the state of a person with mental illness who has no insight into their illness. This is a very important distinction to be made because a mentally ill person could be accused of being in denial about their illness. When a person is in denial, they may consciously know they have [...]

By Kartar Diamond|2022-07-13T15:30:20+00:00July 13, 2022|Advocacy, Mental Illness, Treatment|0 Comments

Snap Out Of It by Kartar Diamond

You don’t hear a lot of young people use the expression, “snap out of it,” but I heard those words on TV and in movies regularly while growing up. It’s a response to a person who may be in a funk, another dated term, to describe a depressed state. The individual who says “snap out of it,” is usually annoyed or exasperated because they don’t understand what the troubled person is actually experiencing or the seriousness of their dysfunction. A stereotypical example of [...]

By Kartar Diamond|2022-03-27T22:11:08+00:00March 27, 2022|Advocacy, Book Reviews, Family|0 Comments

A Hospital Run By the Patients, Entry #1 by Kartar Diamond

I’m sure I will periodically post excerpts from my memoir, Noah’s Schizophrenia, but the incident I’m about to recount wasn’t included in the book. It just surfaced from the memory banks as I lay awake in bed this morning. It’s a worthy illustration of what kind of behavior falls under the category, “a hospital run by the patients.” Unfortunately, I have many of these stories, alarming behavior by mental healthcare providers, which no one ever seems to be held accountable for. Back in [...]

By Kartar Diamond|2021-12-26T23:08:02+00:00December 26, 2021|Advocacy, Mental Illness, Treatment|0 Comments

Mental Illness and I.E.P. Programs by Kartar Diamond

I.E.P. stands for Individual Educational Program. Since a child who is a U.S. citizen is entitled to an education, the I.E.P. programs exist for those children who cannot effectively participate in a regular public school setting. These programs cater to any number of developmental or behavioral disabilities in minors., which inhibit their ability to learn with other students in a regular school environment. Additionally, when it is determined that a child cannot receive an adequate education while living at home, some I.E.P. programs [...]

By Kartar Diamond|2021-09-07T21:50:01+00:00September 7, 2021|Advocacy, Mental Illness, Treatment|0 Comments

What Are ADL’s by Kartar Diamond

When a person is seriously mentally ill, health care providers will take note of something referred to as “ADL’s.” This stands for “Activities of Daily Living.” People with serious mental illness often have trouble accomplishing these activities of daily living, most of which the non-mentally ill take for granted. Activities of Daily Living include: bathing, brushing teeth, other aspects of personal hygiene like washing and combing hair, changing regularly into clean clothes, and eating sensible meals on a consistent schedule. ADL’s can also [...]

By Kartar Diamond|2021-08-22T21:28:20+00:00August 22, 2021|Advocacy, Mental Illness, Treatment|0 Comments

What Is A Mental Health Case Manager? by Kartar Diamond

Each jurisdiction has its own terminology, so the job description of a case manager may be called something else in other areas. In our experience, a “case manager” is a social worker who assists a person with mental illness. Case managers may work in conjunction with a therapist or psychiatrist, as part of a mental healthcare team and they work for the Department of Mental Health directly or through an agency that is contracted with the Department of Mental Health. Case managers may [...]

By Kartar Diamond|2021-08-02T15:22:10+00:00August 2, 2021|Advocacy, Policy, Treatment|0 Comments

Do Euphemisms Help When It Comes to Mental Health? By Kartar Diamond

I try to make a point of referring to myself as a mental “illness” advocate and not a mental “health” advocate. Why? The reasons are varied, but the literal truth is that I advocate for those who suffer from serious mental illness and who cannot advocate for themselves. The rest of us who enjoy reasonably good mental health, and as highly functioning individuals, we know how to seek professional help when or if we have a set-back or psychological issue we cannot resolve [...]

By Kartar Diamond|2021-05-28T01:37:20+00:00May 28, 2021|Advocacy, Mental Illness, Treatment|0 Comments

Government Discrimination Against Those With Serious Mental Illness by Kartar Diamond

There are many ways in which people with serious mental illness are discriminated against by the U.S. government. This article exposes just one area, in contrast to those with Developmental Disabilities. The current phrase “Developmental Disability,” or alternatively “intellectual disability,” refers to those with Autism, Downs’ Syndrome and other causes of mental retardation (which is a medical term that has somehow become politically incorrect). Those with Developmental Disability need moderate to significant amounts of long term treatment and services, as well as supportive [...]

By Kartar Diamond|2021-05-03T15:24:09+00:00May 3, 2021|Advocacy, Treatment|0 Comments