Mental health services key to reducing violence

Created on Wednesday, 16 January 2013 10:06 Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 January 2013 10:06 Published on Wednesday, 16 January 2013 10:06 Written by Rebecca Nuttall - Courier Staff Writer Hits: 992

LIFE LOST—Pastor Joyce Stoudemire of Mt. Piski Church leads a vigil march for Ka’Sandra Wade. (Photo by Rossano P. Stewart)

by Rebecca Nuttall
On Jan. 12, advocacy group Action United held a vigil in memory of Ka’Sandra Wade, a 33-year-old mother who was shot and killed by her boyfriend Anthony Brown on New Year’s Day. The following day Brown shot and killed himself after police surrounded the building where he lived.
This recent local tragedy is just one of many similar incidents over the past year, including the murder-suicide involving Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, who killed his girlfriend and later shot himself last December.
In searching for answers in these tragedies, many are advocating for stricter gun laws and programs to address domestic violence. Others are advocating for increasing access to mental health services.
According to a 2009 study of murder-suicides, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, these incidents most commonly involve a man killing his wife, girlfriend, ex-wife or ex-girlfriend. The study, found that depression was the leading diagnosis found in murder-suicide perpetrators.
Despite the apparent link between murder-suicide and depression, African-Americans are less likely than other racial groups to seek help when dealing with depression. According to a 2007 study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry that surveyed more than 3,500 Black respondents, only 45 percent of those in need of treatment for depression received it.

There are many barriers that keep African-Americans from acquiring mental health services including the stigma of mental illness in the Black community, and for some, a lack of health insurance. However, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services is working to reduce these barriers.
“We’ve been doing a couple special projects like our behavioral health inclusion project working with churches to do more education with the ministry about acceptance, specifically for ministry in African-American churches,” said Mary Jo Dickson, administrator for the Bureau of Adult Mental Health Services, DHS Office of Behavioral Health. “Anything we can get out there to the public helps in making people understand there are services available to the public.”
The county’s mental health department includes a wide range of services including inpatient and outpatient treatment, case management, rehabilitation, residential treatment, and medication management. The county contracts with community organizations that provide the services to county residents.
Among their key partnerships is the resolve Crisis Network, which provides round-the-clock, mental health crisis intervention and stabilization services. This voluntary mental health crisis service is available to county residents regardless of their age, income, or previous mental health diagnosis.
DHS uses state based funding to support individuals without health insurance or income. Those with income are placed on an income-based payment plan. They also provide psychiatric prescription medications at no cost to eligible individuals.
Despite the stigma, Dickson said there has been an increase in the number of mental health services being utilized by the public. According to their numbers there were 40,400 services utilized in the 2010-2012 fiscal year and 58,000 services utilized in the 2011-2012 fiscal year.
“Actually there’s been an increase from the 2010-2011 fiscal year to this last fiscal year. We’re doing about 1000 in new services,” she said. “So we’re definitely seeing an increase in the number of services to individuals.”
For more information on DHS mental health services visit http://www.alleghenycounty.us/dhs/mhservices.aspx. For more information on re:solve visit http://upmc.com/Services/behavioral-health/Pages/resolve-crisis-network.aspx