These summits will encourage congregations and faith-based organizations to sign up for the National Guard's Partners in Care program, which coordinates support for National Guard members and their families through partnerships with local faith communities. The no-cost, one-day summits, Connecting and Equipping Faith-Based Communities to Support Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families, are being held in four states. Registration and information are now available for the upcoming summit in Minnesota.
The Weekly Spark: Friday, May 18, 2012
Announcements
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SAMHSA, Action Alliance and State National Guard Chaplains Offices sponsor faith-based summits focused on providing care for service members
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SPRC/AFSP add Supportive Families, Healthy Children: Helping Families with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Children booklet to the Best Practices Registry
The Supportive Families, Healthy Children: Helping Families with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Children booklet is a research-derived resource that educates diverse families on how to support their LGBT children; provides key prevention information for a range of readers; and teaches providers how to talk with families about decreasing risk for suicidality and related risks among LGBT youth and young adults. Electronic versions of the booklet are available from the Family Acceptance Project without charge; printed copies are available for a fee.
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DSM-5 draft criteria open for final public comment, May 2nd through June 15th, 2012
The American Association of Psychiatry (APA) is inviting public comment in this third and last opportunity to provide input on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5). The formal release is slated for May 2013. The APA has highlighted eight "key changes" from earlier DSM-5 drafts. Among these is a proposal for a new diagnosis of Suicidal Behavioral Disorder that is intended to complement the previous proposal for Non-Suicidal Self Injury Disorder. Registration is required to provide comment.
News
National News
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Bipolar symptoms may begin in teen years: study
For many Americans, bipolar disorder may begin during adolescence, according to a new study published in Archives of General Psychiatry. The research found that 2.2 percent of teens had experienced mania and depression within the past 12 months. This is similar to the rate among adults (according to the National Institutes of Mental Health, 2.6 percent of adults have had bipolar disorder in the past 12 months). The new results contradict “the traditional wisdom…that mania begins in your 20s and 30s,” said lead study author Kathleen Ries Merikangas. The study included more than 10,000 teenagers who participated in extensive interviews about their moods and behavior. About one in five adolescents who had experienced mania or depression had made a suicide attempt.
Read the full text of “Prevalence and Correlates of Bipolar Spectrum Disorder in the World Mental Health Survey Initiative”
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Asian American Mental Health: Inside Out
Erica Mu is a journalist who spent six months examining the issue of mental health from an Asian American perspective. Her radio series on the topic is called Asian American Mental Health: Inside Out. This interview with Mu brings to light some of issues Asian Americans may face when it comes to mental health. One issue is the great diversity within the Asian American population and the scarcity of culturally competent clinicians. Mu illustrates this point using the example of a psychiatrist who understands that her Vietnamese patients have had very different refugee experiences depending on what year they arrived in the United States. Other interviewees described a strong stigma against mental health treatment within many Asian American communities, which makes Asian Americans less likely to access needed services. Even among those who decide to access services, language barriers can make it difficult to navigate the mental health care system.
May 9, 2012 -
Facebook joins fight against military suicides
Facebook has announced that it will offer suicide prevention services tailored to active-duty military, veterans, and their families. Concerned family and friends of service members and veterans can connect to a crisis line through Facebook, and VA personnel can respond via phone, online chat, or text message. The new initiative was developed in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the nonprofit military family support organization Blue Star Families.
Learn more about Blue Star Families.
Check out these U.S. Army slides regarding this campaign. Facebook and Suicide Prevention
State News
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Oregon teens in crisis can now text for help
The Lines for Life youth crisis line, which launched a texting option just last month, has already logged about 700 text messages from 50 teens. According to teen volunteer Elena Lopez, teens who use the texting option appreciate the ease of texting and the privacy it allows. Teens who volunteer at the crisis line say that handling the texts can be challenging because of the lack of vocal cues, but there’s an upside: the pauses between texts give volunteers extra time to confer on the best response.
May 9, 2012Learn more about Lines for Life.
International News
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First Nations’ suicide prevention guide celebrates diversity
CanadaThe National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) has just released a report on suicide prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) aboriginal people. Many aboriginal LGBT people prefer the term “two-spirited,” which reflects traditional cultural views and describes fluid gender and sexual roles. “Two-spirited people were accepted in First Nations [aboriginal] communities prior to European contact,” said NAHO acting CEO Simon Brascoupé. “Since then there has been a sense that being two-spirited is wrong, resulting in them feeling marginalized and increasingly alienated…This guide is a reminder of the values that First Nations culture is based upon, such as inclusiveness and diversity.” The guide includes suggestions on how individuals and service providers can support two-spirited people, such as speaking out against homophobia and creating safe and inclusive environments.
Funding
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Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration grants
The purpose of this program is to provide coordinated and integrated services by co-locating primary and specialty care medical services in community-based mental and behavioral health settings. The goal is to improve the physical health status of adults with serious mental illnesses who have, or are at risk for, co-occurring primary care conditions and chronic diseases; to enhance their experience of care; and to reduce and control the per capita cost of care.
The deadline is June 8, 2012
Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration grants
Show DetailsThe purpose of this program is to provide coordinated and integrated services by co-locating primary and specialty care medical services in community-based mental and behavioral health settings. The goal is to improve the physical health status of adults with serious mental illnesses who have, or are at risk for, co-occurring primary care conditions and chronic diseases; to enhance their experience of care; and to reduce and control the per capita cost of care.
The deadline is June 8, 2012
Qualified community mental health programs, as defined by the Public Health Service Act
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
32 awards of up to $400,000 for up to four years
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National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative - Category III Community Treatment and Services Centers (CTS)
The purpose of this program is to provide trauma treatment and services in communities for children, adolescents and their families who experience or witness traumatic events and to increase access to effective trauma-focused treatment and services for children and adolescents throughout the nation as part of a national network of grantees, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Children of military families are a priority population for this funding opportunity.
The deadline is June 12, 2012
National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative - Category III Community Treatment and Services Centers (CTS)
Show DetailsThe purpose of this program is to provide trauma treatment and services in communities for children, adolescents and their families who experience or witness traumatic events and to increase access to effective trauma-focused treatment and services for children and adolescents throughout the nation as part of a national network of grantees, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Children of military families are a priority population for this funding opportunity.
The deadline is June 12, 2012
Domestic public and private nonprofit entities
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
56 awards of up to $400,000 per year for up to four years
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System of Care Expansion Implementation Cooperative Agreements
This cooperative agreement is intended to support the provision of mental health and related recovery support services to children with serious emotional disturbances. It also addresses the implementation of systemic changes in policy, financing, services and supports, training and workforce development, and other areas that are necessary for expanding and sustaining the systems of care approach. The agreement promotes the accomplishment of these goals through linkages with other health reform implementation efforts. Priority will be given to states, tribes, and territories that have demonstrated their interest in, and ability to expand and sustain, the systems of care approach.
The deadline is June 19, 2012.
System of Care Expansion Implementation Cooperative Agreements
Show DetailsThis cooperative agreement is intended to support the provision of mental health and related recovery support services to children with serious emotional disturbances. It also addresses the implementation of systemic changes in policy, financing, services and supports, training and workforce development, and other areas that are necessary for expanding and sustaining the systems of care approach. The agreement promotes the accomplishment of these goals through linkages with other health reform implementation efforts. Priority will be given to states, tribes, and territories that have demonstrated their interest in, and ability to expand and sustain, the systems of care approach.
The deadline is June 19, 2012.
Public entities such as: state governments; Indian or tribal organizations (as defined in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act); governmental units within political subdivisions of a state, such as a county, city or town; Washington, DC and island nations (territories).
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
15 awards of up to $1,000,000 per year for up to four years
The SPRC is supported by a grant (1 U79 SM059945) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). No official endorsement by SAMHSA or DHHS for the information on this web site is intended or should be inferred.
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) is a project in EDC's Health and Human Development Division
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