Nuevas clases de formación continua pueden ayudar a los psicólogos neoyorquinos a trabajar mejor con pacientes discapacitados.

Los cursos se centran en la comprensión de las discapacidades , el acceso universal a los pacientes, la ética y la competencia cultural. La doctora Sharon McLennon-Wier, del Centro para la Independencia de los Discapacitados de Nueva York, dice que, al desarrollar el plan de estudios, hubo ciertos aspectos que la gente debería tener en cuenta.

"El primer paso es que la gente entienda que una discapacidad es una discapacidad, y que va a haber barreras entorno a eso," dice McLennon-Wier. "Y tenemos que trabajar juntos para garantizar que todas y cada una de las personas tengan acceso al tratamiento."

Otros puntos a tener en cuenta son la necesidad de que los médicos sean conscientes de sus expectativas, ya que no están capacitados para trabajar con todos y cada uno de los clientes.

Se han necesitado dos años para poner en marcha estos cursos, y McLennon-Wier está impaciente por ver cómo se desarrollan.

El primer curso empieza el 29 de mayo y los interesados pueden inscribirse en línea en www.cidny.org/ce.


También existe la esperanza de que los psicólogos aprendan a enfrentar sus estigmas hacia las discapacidades.

McLennon-Wier siente que esto comienza mirando a través del lente del capacitismo. Dice que la gente debería plantearse cómo aplicar el acceso universal a los pacientes discapacitados.

"¿Tus prejuicios te impiden utilizar el conocimiento que tienes sobre el tratamiento?", cuestiona McLennon-Wier. "¿Funciona con lo que necesita esa persona que tiene una discapacidad, porque lo primero es la practica del tratamiento, pero tambien hay que entender las implicaciones de las discapacidades?"

También hay que tener en cuenta cuestiones como la segregación que crea la discapacidad. Cree que algunos factores determinantes de la salud, como la raza y el género, también influyen en la salud mental de una persona.

Las futuras clases podrían tratar diferentes tratamientos psicológicos con una infusión de competencia multicultural en materia de discapacidad.

A U.S. Department of Justice investigation has found Kentucky is failing to provide access to community-based mental health services for people who need them, and instead relies too heavily on psychiatric hospitals.

The report says the state is potentially in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA.

Licensed Psychologist Sheila Shuster, who is part of the Advocacy Action Network, said years of budget cuts have reduced or eliminated the city's crisis centers - such as the Living Room, which opened its doors in 2018 and was shut down within a year due to lack of funding.

"Three to four hundred people a month coming in and using the services, and getting referrals," said Shuster. "And then boom, it's gone. So, that was May of 2019, and we don't have anything like it back in place."

The University of Louisville Hospital provides emergency psychiatric treatment to more than 2,200 adults with serious mental illness each year.

In a separate investigation last year, the Justice Department concluded the city and the Louisville Metro Police Department violated the ADA by subjecting people with mental illness to an unnecessary police response.

While the new report raises awareness about the needs of people living with mental illness, Shuster said it doesn't capture the full picture.

She cited recent changes the city has made, such its 911 call diversion program for mental health-related incidents, as well as families' view of the role of hospitalization.

"By and large, what I hear from the family members is not that their loved ones are being kept too long in the hospital, but that they're not being kept long enough," said Shuster, "which I think is what is leading to the revolving door."

Marcie Timmerman, executive director at Mental Health America of Kentucky, said the focus should be on early intervention and treatment, so folks don't end up being involved with the police.

"We would love to have more providers available," said Timmerman. "I'm not sure that pinpointing our psychiatric hospitals is really helpful."

She added that a mobile crisis response system, and Medicaid-funded housing and support programs, could help reduce the number of people who continue to cycle through hospitalization and the criminal legal system.





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Mental health experts have released a checklist for parents of students headed back to school in Montana.

Research shows kids who need services are often go without and substance abuse and mental health experts say half of students who are clinically depressed are not getting the mental health care they need.

Caitlin Hochul, vice president of public policy for the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable, said it is important services are available to students as they return to school.

"They help improve access to care and are really one of the most effective tools we have to help
improve children's mental health well-being," Hochul explained. "We are reaching kids where they spend most of their time, and that is in schools. "

The U.S. Department of Education said young people who get school-based services are six times more likely to complete treatment than those who get their services in community settings. A program at Montana State University has shown success in reducing the teen suicide rate by increasing mental health literacy among young students.

Hochul pointed out research showed increasing mental health literacy decreases symptoms of depression, and noted there are several steps to achieving the goal.

"One is making sure that kids understand what brain health is, what mental health is, similar to physical health education," Hochul outlined. "Then there's also training up staff and teachers, too, so they're understanding warning signs and can help with suicide prevention and substance use disorder prevention."

Hochul added regular mental health check-ins with kids, even if they are just informal, can help identify students who may need support.

Between 2016 and 2023, more than 14,000 Missourians died from drug overdoses, making it the leading cause of death for adults aged 18-44 in the state.

Many drug-abuse prevention organizations across Missouri concur syringe service programs reduce the devastating effect abuse has on the community by providing clean, sterile needles to people who inject drugs, in exchange for used ones.

Marietta Hagan, substance abuse initiative project coordinator for CoxHealth, has worked in substance abuse prevention for eight years, primarily in Stone and Taney counties. She is a strong advocate for the syringe programs in Missouri and talked about the roadblock organizations such as hers face.

"Syringe access programs are not allowed and that is because Missouri drug-paraphernalia laws include sterile syringes as drug paraphernalia," Hagan explained. "Organizations are not allowed to hand them out to people and people who use drugs are not allowed to have them on them."

Studies showed the programs can decrease the incidence of hepatitis C and HIV infections by up to 50% among those who participate.

Research also found syringe service programs are economically beneficial, saving more than $75 million in lifetime HIV treatment costs with an annual investment of just $10 million. Hagan pointed out beyond providing sterile syringes, the programs offer vital resources, including safe drug use information and connections to treatment services for people who need help.

"What they found in global research studies is that people who utilize the syringe access programs, they are five times more likely to enter treatment and three times more likely to stop using drugs altogether," Hagan reported.

A legislative task force meets monthly at the Missouri state Capitol to discuss ways to reduce substance abuse in the state.


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