Blog | Tag: Mental Health

January brings a lot of expectations. For many people, that pressure feels less like motivation and more like weight. This January, it may help to question the message that says you should already be moving faster. The pressure to “start over” is loud, but it is not always true, and it is not always helpful.

The PAIMI (Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness) program is a federally funded initiative that protects the rights of individuals with mental health conditions, particularly those in institutional settings. PAIMI empowers us to investigate complaints, monitor facilities, and provide legal and advocacy support, and promotes dignity, safety, and accountability in mental health care, helping both individuals and families understand rights and navigate complex systems.

As you prepare for your 2022 holidays, we invite you to consider how you can make your celebrations more accessible for all of your disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent, survivor, and healing friends. We hope these five examples will be helpful to you as you prepare for a very merry holiday season.

May is the month of Mental Health Awareness, a time to advocate for mental health wellness, community services, and equitable access to care for those with mental illness. This May is especially important due to the significant upcoming changes on the mental health horizon with the coming of the national 988 Suicide Hotline and crisis response system.  

It’s March 1st, which means it’s Self-Injury Awareness Day. This is a globally recognized event intended to draw attention to self-harm and the resources available to help those who may need them. The prevalence of self-injury has increased over recent years, and studies show that about 17% of all people self-harm during their lifetime. Self-injury, which can also be known as self-harm or self-abuse occurs when a person harms themselves in a way that is intentional and repeated. With the spread of COVID-19, folks have faced unprecedented mental health challenges that may contribute to even higher self-injury rates. So with this, let’s take today and the month of March to look at how we can help ourselves and help others in the community who may struggle with self-injury. 

Many bills which have the potential to directly impact people with disabilities have been filed by lawmakers this year. Below are just a few of the issues Disability Rights Florida is focused on for this session.

Legislative and policy education is one of the authorized protection and advocacy tools utilized by Disability Rights Florida. Each year during the state’s legislative session, our organization closely monitors, reviews, analyzes, and seeks to provide input to policymakers and the public across a wide range of bills that impact the interests, rights, and opportunities of Floridians with all disabilities. Read about the bills that successfully passed during the recently concluded Regular Session of the 2021 Florida Legislature and have been signed into law by the Governor.

In observation of Men’s Health Month this June, Disability Rights Florida would like to bring awareness to common barriers that many men must overcome to access appropriate care for their mental health needs. Of the many barriers that men deal with, gender roles, accessibility, and cultural influences are among the most common.

Since 1986, the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) System in every state has worked through the PAIMI program to protect the rights of individuals with mental health conditions. PAIMI authorizes P&As to investigate abuse and neglect and rights violations in public and private facilities and community settings, oversee the entities that regulate these programs, and ensure access to community-based services and supports. 

A woman has just been mugged and it has caused her to experience symptoms of her PTSD. She shouts at her apartment manager - “I’m going to burn the office down!” Every room in a woman’s apartment is full to the ceiling with clothes, crafts, and magazines. Only a narrow path remains for walking. A man is wandering around his apartment complex, shouting at people nobody else can see. Each of these people faced eviction and homelessness as the result of symptoms of their mental illness.