Brainstorming SessionHow to Change the Mental Health System and

Build AwarenessIn Memory of Joshua Steingraber

Introduction-Why are we here?Jonathan SteingraberCaitlin ColandreaDr. Norma Bowe“From those of us who still live in the shadow

of the ignorance of the world, thank you.”We are here because what is happening in the

Mental Health System affects all of us. Especially our loved one’s that have a mental illness and their families.

We need your help, this cause will only succeed if we work as a team and do this together.

Josh’s Story Http://www.JoshyBoy.com

Josh’s Story Continued..March 9th 1996 our father murdered our mother by

stabbing her 12 timesOur dad tried killing us by driving us into a bridge

going 75 MPHOur dad went to TPH for 2 years and then he was

incarcerated in Rahway Prison, after 7 years in prison he took his life with

When Josh was 21 he started to show signs of Schizophrenia

He was hospitalized at Trinitas, Runnels, and TPHOnly 3 ½ months after being discharged Josh

committed suicide

Caitlin Colandrea- Statistics

Who is suffering? • An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and

older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.

• 1 in 17 — suffer from a serious mental illness, such as: Schizophrenia, Bi-polar disorder, and Major Depression

• Approximately half of all individuals with severe mental illnesses have received no treatment for their illnesses in the previous 12 months.

• The majority (55 percent) of those not receiving treatment have no awareness of their illness

• Source: Surviving Schizophrenia

More on Mental Illness Mental illness is the leading cause of

disability in the United States and Canada for people between the ages of 15 and 44.5

Adults with serious mental illness die 25 years sooner than those who do not have a mental illness (The Global Burden of Disease)

Schizophrenia • About 100,000 people in the United States will be

diagnosed with schizophrenia this year.• The approximate number of people in the United

States suffering from:– Schizophrenia: Over 2.2 million people– Multiple Sclerosis: 400,000 people– Insulin-dependent Diabetes: 350,000 people– Muscular Dystrophy: 35,000 people

• The earlier that Schizophrenia is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome of the person and the better the recovery. (Source: Yale University Medical School)

Schizophrenia Cont… • People with the condition have a 50 times higher risk

of attempting suicide than the general population• Suicide is the number one cause of premature death

among people with schizophrenia, with an estimated 10 percent to 13 percent killing themselves and approximately 40% attempting suicide at least once

• Anti-psychotic medications are the generally recommended treatment for schizophrenia. If medication for schizophrenia is discontinued, the relapse rate is about 80 percent within 2 years. With continued drug treatment, only about 40 percent of recovered patients will suffer relapses.( Source: NIMH)

Suicide NAMI reports research findings that about 90

percent of persons who completed suicides had a diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder.

Teen suicide is a growing problem -- and teens with schizophrenia have approximately a 50% risk of attempted suicide

Mental Illness and Prison • As many as one in five (20%) of the 2.1 million

Americans in jail and prison are seriously mentally ill, far outnumbering the number of mentally ill who are in mental hospitals- Source: Human Rights Watch

• In New York 60% of patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals are re-hospitalized within a year. Source: Surviving Schizophrenia

• Many of the mentally ill, particularly those who are poor and homeless, are unable to obtain the treatment they need.  Ignored, neglected, and often unable to take care of their basic needs, large numbers commit crimes and find themselves in the criminal justice system. 

Mental Illness and Prison Cont… • Few accommodations are made for the needs of

mentally ill prisoners• Few correctional officers have the training in and

understanding of the nature of mental illness that would help them cope better with the challenges posed by offenders with severe illnesses

• A study in 2002 of New York prison suicide risk factors by New York's Office of Mental Health, which provides mental health services to New York prisoners found that 70 percent of prisoners who committed suicide had a history of mental illness.

Prison Cont… • For all newly discharged offenders, the

highest risk of recidivism is in the first six months after release from prison.

• According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 81.2 percent of the mentally ill in state prisons have prior criminal histories, 26.3 percent have three to five prior sentences to probation or incarceration, 15.6 percent have six to ten, and 10 percent have eleven or more.

Mental Illness in Juvenile Detention • More than 106,000 teens are currently in

custody in U.S. juvenile facilities.• Among these teens in juvenile detention,

nearly two thirds of boys and nearly three quarters of girls have at least one psychiatric disorder, compared to the estimated 15 percent of youth with Mental Illness in the general population – Linda A. Teplin, Ph.D., Northwestern University, and colleagues,

report on their findings in the December, 2002 Archives of General Psychiatry.

Homelessness and Mental Illness • Approximately 200,000 individuals with

schizophrenia or manic-depressive illness are homeless, constituting one-third of the approximately 600,000 homeless population (total homeless population statistic based on data from Department of Health and Human Services).

• At any given time, there are more people with untreated severe psychiatric illnesses living on America’s streets than are receiving care in hospitals. Approximately 90,000 individuals with schizophrenia or manic-depressive illness are in hospitals receiving treatment for their disease. Source: Treatment Advocacy Center

• Remember: 2.2 Million Americans are suffering from Schizophrenia alone in U.S.

Bed Shortage by State • Critical bed storage (less than 12 beds per 100,000

population) : Nevada 5.1 , Ohio 10.6 Arizona 5.9, South Carolina 10.6, Arkansas 6.7, Oklahoma 11.0, Iowa 8.1 , Idaho 11.3 Vermont 8.9, Alaska 11.3, Michigan 9.9,

• Severe bed shortage (12–19 beds per 100,000 population): Florida 12.1 Colorado 16.9, Texas 12.1, North Carolina 17.1, Rhode Island 12.5, New Hampshire 17.2, Maine 12.6, California 17.5, Wisconsin 13.0 , Tennessee 18.1, Hawaii 13.5 , Georgia 18.5, Utah 13.8, Pennsylvania 18.9, West Virginia 14.2 , Washington 18.9, Illinois 14.3 , Oregon 19.2, Kentucky 15.6, Indiana 19.3, Massachusetts 15.8

Bed Shortage by State • Serious bed shortage (20-34 beds per 100,000

population): Louisiana 20.2, New Mexico 22.3, Nebraska 20.7, Wyoming 24.1, Montana 20.9, Connecticut 25.4, Missouri 21.5 , North Dakota 25.9, Maryland 21.6 , Minnesota 26.8, Kansas 21.7, New York 27.4, Alabama 22.1, New Jersey 32.4, Virginia 22.2, Delaware 33.8

• Marginal bed shortage (35–49 beds per 100,000 population): South Dakota 40.3

• Meets minimal standard (50 or more beds per 100,000 population): Mississippi 49.7

Bed Shortage Experts estimated a need for 50 public

psychiatric beds per 100,000 population for hospitalization for individuals with serious psychiatric disorders.

The total estimated shortfall of public psychiatric beds needed to achieve a minimum level of psychiatric care is 95,820 beds.

New Jersey • The current severe shortage in public psychiatric beds is in part

responsible for the increase in homelessness, the increase in the number of mentally ill persons in jails and prisons, the increase in mentally ill persons in emergency rooms, and the increase in violence, including homicides.

• New Jersey still uses a treatment standard based primarily on a person’s likelihood of being dangerous instead of using a more progressive “need for treatment” standard as in many states.

• For both inpatient and outpatient care, a person must be a danger to self/others/property, unwilling to be admitted voluntarily, and in need of treatment. Danger to self explicitly includes the inability, without assistance, to satisfy need for nourishment, essential medical care or shelter. Under the new law, the determination shall take into account a person’s history, recent behavior and any recent act, threat or serious psychiatric deterioration.

Urgent Needs In New Jersey Resolve civil rights and safety issues in state

hospitalsInvest in services for people with co-

occurring disordersStatewide implementation of jail diversion

and community reentry programs (NAMI)

ResourcesAll of the Resources that we’ve come across

will be on the website soon. www.JOSHYBOY.com

If anyone knows of any good resources please email them to us.

We need everyone’s help and experiences

How the mental health system failed Josh : Dr. Bowe

Our Mission and GoalsOur mission is To Market to the public, Raise

Money, and Influence Politicians for the purpose of improving the Mental Health System and to de-stigmatize the Mentally Ill. Our mission speaks for EVERYONE, not just the mentally ill.

What positive things will come from changing the MHS?

Next EventJanuary 31 st Sunday from 1pm-4pmProbably in the same room

How you can be involved? Team NamesBuilding Awareness

Videos-Events-Speaking Opportunities-Talk ShowsPublic Relations/Media

Press Releases-Petitions-Introductions-Articles-TVResearch

Marketing-Statistics-Resources-ProgramsRaising Money

Fundraisers-Grant Proposals-Grant Research-Event Plan

Story SharingWe need people to share their story so we can

share them with the public

How to stay in touch with us?FACEBOOK PAGEEmail: JonSteingraber@GMAIL.COM Phone: (908) 868 2178www.JoshyBoy.com