Blog | Tag: Mental Illness

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.

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.  

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.

This May Disability Rights Florida is observing our nation’s 72nd Mental Health Awareness Month. This year’s observation is especially important as we recognize how COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted individuals living with mental illness, as well as the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of millions of individuals worldwide. We begin with a week of special awareness for Tardive Dyskinesia (TD), one of the most serious and stigmatizing side effects of antipsychotic medications used to treat mental illness.

Our society’s judgments and prejudices about body size can play a major role in our relationships with food and body. Worrying about weight and body size is a main element of many eating disorders, including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. Many people engage in disordered eating behaviors to attempt to alter the size of their body to conform to societal ideals.

Many of us look forward to the last few months of the year in anticipation of warm family gatherings, festive celebrations and cherished religious traditions. Unfortunately, this year has been anything but a typical year.

In thinking about the upcoming Mental Health Awareness Month, October 4-11, I wanted to offer some thoughts about the students entering into the postsecondary college settings. Over the past 30 odd years, I have worked in Disability Service offices for a community college, a private, liberal arts residential college, a research university, and a state college. The commonality of college students with mental illness, from my experience, is that they battle the stigma and seek understanding and acceptance. In my experience, the families of the student are seeking the same.