Seasons of Change:
Mental Health Past, Present,
and Future
Paolo del Vecchio, M.S.W., Director
SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services
On Our Own of Maryland
Columbia, MD • November 5, 2013
Autumn Is Upon Us
50 Years Ago…A New Frontier
“…reliance on the cold mercy of custodial isolation will be supplanted by the
open warmth of community…” – President John F. Kennedy in a special message to
Congress about the state of mental health, February 5, 1963
A New Era in Behavioral Health
This Is My Story
This Is My Story
Milestones
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA)
protects Americans with
mental and physical
disabilities against
discrimination. The act is a
landmark piece of
legislation signed into law
in July 1990.
Milestone
Olmstead
On June 22, 1999, the Supreme Court
decided the case Olmstead v. L.C.
Tommy Olmstead was the director of
the Georgia Department of Human
Resources. L.C., a woman with
schizophrenia, believed it was the state’s
responsibility to transition her from a
publicly-run psychiatric hospital into the
community.
Tommy Olmstead said that the state
didn’t have money for these services.
In a landmark decision, the Supreme
Court ruled that the state must pay.
Mental Health: A Report of the
Surgeon General
This report covers:
• Mental Health Mental Disorders
• Mental Health Services
• Confidentiality Legislation as
• Topic Attention Deficit Disorder
with Hyperactivity Mental
• Disorders Diagnosed in
Childhood Anxiety Disorders
• Mood Disorders Schizophrenia
• Depressive Disorder
• Alzheimer Disease
The President's New Freedom
Commission on Mental Health
This report describes a strategy
for mental health care
transformation that ensures
services and supports that
actively facilitate recovery and
build resilience. Identifies six
goals of transformation and
showcases model programs to
illustrate goals in practice.
Recovery & Resilience
“When we learn how
to become resilient,
we learn how to
embrace the
beautifully broad
spectrum of the
human experience.”
― Jaeda DeWalt
Defining Recovery
A process of change
through which
individuals improve their
health and wellness, live
a self-directed life, and
strive to reach their full
potential.
– SAMHSA, 2011
Eliminating Seclusion & Restraint
“It is the very use of coercion, positive or negative, that breaks or deadens the
spirit, which is the source of motivation.”
― Kelly Bryson, Don't Be Nice, Be Real: Balancing Passion for Self with Compassion for
Others
Milestone
Working Definition of Trauma
Individual trauma results from an event, series
of events, or set of circumstances that is
experienced by an individual as physically or
emotionally harmful or threatening and that has
lasting adverse effects on the individual's
functioning and physical, social, emotional, or
spiritual well-being.
SAMHSA, 2013
Dimensions of Wellness
– Adapted from Swarbrick, M. (2006). A wellness approach. Psychiatric
Rehabilitation Journal, 29,(4) 311- 314.
Health Disparities
Health
Disparities
A Life with Purpose
Feed Your Spirit
Affordable Care Act
Milestone
Peer Support in Health Care
Where Are Peer Supports Delivered ?
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– Centre of Excellence in Peer Support
Recovery community centers
Faith and community-based organizations
Recovery homes and sober housing
Emergency departments
Addiction and mental health service
agencies
Jails and prisons
Probation and parole programs
Drug courts
HIV/AIDs and other health and social
service centers
Children, youth, and family service
agencies
Mental Health Is a National Priority
www.mentalhealth.gov
Changing the Conversation
Myths about Mental Health
Let’s Talk About It
www.mentalhealth.gov
Harvesting Hope
“Hope is the seed for recovery. It may begin in isolation, but grows and
flourishes in community. We must plant and protect the seeds to reap
the harvest.” – Paolo del Vecchio
Closing Thoughts
“Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again
next year.” ― Chad Sugg
For More Information
SAMHSA
1 Choke Cherry Rd.• Rockville, MD • 20857
Phone: 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727)
TTY: 1-800-487-4889
Fax: 240-221-4292
http://www.samhsa.gov
CMHS
Phone: 240-276-1310
Fax: 240-276-1320