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Health Integration Activities in the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
In recent years, health has come to be recognized more as a state of physical, mental, behavioral and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The link between physical and behavioral health has been measured in New York’s own population. According to the 2004 New...
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Healing from Within
The connection between our mind, body and spirit has been documented widely. When we feel balanced, loved and connected, the immune system is stronger and the body finds its own health. Heartbreak, loss, anger and other forms of stress inevitably take a toll, not only on our personal lives, but on...
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Improving Access to Health Care for Mental Health Consumers
Recently published studies have startled mental health professionals with the assertion that persons with serious mental illnesses in the United States can now expect to live, on average, 25 years less than everybody else. The CATIE and the State Mental Health Program Directors studies detail a...
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Improving Cultural and Linguistic Competence: The Case of Integrated Physical and Mental Health Care
Health is not possible without mental health, and quality mental health care cannot be achieved without culturally and linguistically relevant services. These are the two principles that guide the work of the Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence at New York State Psychiatric Institute...
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The Diabetes Co-Morbidity Initiative – The Institute for Community Living Responds to Health Crisis
Do you know someone who is living with diabetes? Most likely you do: About 1 in 3 people will develop diabetes during their lifetime. Moreover, it is more than twice as common in people with serious mental illness when compared to the general population. These are some pretty staggering numbers,...
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Physical Health Should Be a Priority of the Mental Health System and Mental Health Should Be a Priority of the Health System
Over the past couple of years, it has become increasingly clear that physical health needs to be a priority of the mental health system and that mental health needs to be a priority of the health system. Why it took so long to realize this is not entirely clear to me, because the basic facts have...
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New York State Agencies and Vet Centers Team Up to Provide Mental Health Screening To New York’s National Guard Soldiers
The New York State Division of Veterans Affairs and New York State Office of Mental Health are teaming up with the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs to provide mental health screening to Citizen Soldiers returning from war zones. The state agencies coordinated with the...
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Integrative Healing: Linking Emotional and Physical Wellness to Recovery
Recovery from mental illness is a complex process marked by ebbs and flows of wellness and relapse. Furthermore, it involves the interaction of many internal (i.e., physical and psychological) and external (i.e., housing and family) systems. Our past two articles have focused primarily on how...
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The Effects of Depression on Physical and Mental Health
Depression is a significant and pervasive problem across educational, socioeconomic, racial and ethnic groups. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fourth Edition (DSM IV) has helped to standardize the definition of depression across practice disciplines such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing and...
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Exploring Creative Approaches to Improve Health and Wellness
It is widely recognized that a strong connection between physical health and mental health exists. But where do we go from here? What creative approaches can health care providers explore for improving general health and mental wellness to enhance recovery? With a growing shift toward...
