10 Key Elements When Supporting the Dually Diagnosed

Written by Lisa Simmons


Continued from page 1

7. Integrate your behavioral & psychiatric information Once you've collected objective data onrepparttar individuals' mental health patterns, it is essential to share this information with your team's psychiatrist. Sendingrepparttar 115895 data (& someone who can explain it in a knowledgeable & straightforward manner) along torepparttar 115896 individual's psychiatric consultation will improverepparttar 115897 accuracy of their treatment & allowrepparttar 115898 individual to reach stabilization as quickly as possible, with a minimum of medication(s) and side effects.

8. Develop a network of support aroundrepparttar 115899 individual Along withrepparttar 115900 well-trained staff mentioned above, it is advisable to helprepparttar 115901 individual develop trusted relationships with a number of other people in their lives. This gives them a variety of options when they are feeling insecure or emotionally charged. It allows them to seek out whoever they feel would best understand their current concern & confide in them, possible avoiding or minimizing a mental health crisis.

9. Always have a back up plan! That being said, inrepparttar 115902 best-laid support plans, there will be moments of crisis. That, unfortunately, is simplyrepparttar 115903 nature of mental illness. So it is critical to think through as much as possible how crises will be managed before they happen. For instance:

** When this set of circumstances occur -- we will seek inpatient psychiatric care at hospital X.

** If there are legal allegations -- we will followrepparttar 115904 individual justice plan developed in cooperation with local law enforcement officials.

** If these symptoms reach this level -- we will increaserepparttar 115905 individual's access to mental health counseling to this number of visits per week.

** If these symptoms occur -- we will implementrepparttar 115906 individual's suicide prevention plan.

** Ifrepparttar 115907 individual cycles in & out of competency to make life decisions -- we will work withrepparttar 115908 local court & family members to establish a plan for conservatorship or guardianship with criteria for when and how long it would be necessary.

10. Know when you need help As with any challenging field, there will be moments when you and your team will simply be out of ideas & unsure what to do next. When that moment occurs, don't be afraid to ask for help. Go to other professionals who are experienced with this population & seek out feedback. Frequently a fresh perspective will get your team back on track or at least offer a direction to head while you re-group.

One final note: This is a highly complex population & this article is by no means exhaustive. Please userepparttar 115909 information provided here as a place to start & learn all that you can about successful treatment methods from our resources & those of others if you are supporting individuals within this population. We would also like to express our thanks to Robert Simmons, one of our consulting psychologists, who providedrepparttar 115910 tips contained in today's column.

© 2001 Lisa Simmons



Lisa is the director of the Ideal Lives Project providing practical support for special needs families & professionals. Visit her online at: http://www.ideallives.com or subscribe to her free newsletter at: mailto:ideallives-subscribe@topica.com


How Amy Copes with Lupus

Written by Lynda Appell


Continued from page 1

"My faith gives me hope and strength." she truly believes. Primarily faith helps me with my condition."
Without faith I would have not made it this far. Withrepparttar lupus you also have depression." You do have mood swings. This can also be a side affect ofrepparttar 115894 medication.

Her current symptoms are lots of joint pain, trouble walking. Sometimes she is able to get around and sometimes not. She can get very fatigued. Joanna helps her spirtually, lovingly and emotionally.

I look forrepparttar 115895 rest of my future as being bright because I came torepparttar 115896 realization that I must cope with my condition forrepparttar 115897 rest of my life. I was in denial inrepparttar 115898 beginning. Now I realize Lupus is a life long condition.

She tries her best to avoid rain and snow since dampness can worsen her condition. She also makes wholehearted attempts not to get to get too stressed out. Amy copes with her Lupus with a strong faith and equally with help and love from Joanna.



Disabled disability activist.


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