Hi Bill, You are very correct regarding joining support groups. I do, currently, attend two groups locally when my time allows... I am a member of NAMI and our local chapter, meets twice a month and a group for "Families of People with Mental Illness" a once a month meeting. They have both been helpful to me and I now have some experience under my belt to share with the newcombers....but...I am needing something else...I am not sure what...as I feel as if I am either always taking care of, or learning how...there is not much in between. But I guess that is the way things are supposed to be at the moment. I am a firm believer of being right where I am supposed to be at any given time. My activisim is very important to me, perhaps I should put that into "high gear". However, time does play a big part in my being able to actually "get out of the house" to do things. You must know that your newest cause is one very dear to my own heart! It saddens me to hear of this, as, for the grace of God, go I... I could see that without the help Jeff has received, he could have very well gone down this same road. I have said it before, I am so very grateful for the help he has received and the people that support him! He is truely one of the lucky ones! My heart just bleeds for this family! The story literally brings tears to my eyes! I want to scream at the top of my lungs...somebody, please, help this young man! Please, do keep us posted...I look forward to the whole story...if I can help, you know I will... In Peace, Julia

Hello Julia and Friends The following article is an example of a mental health system that is inherantly too late and apparrently does too little. Over the years that I have been involved with mental health I have seen many cases similar to this one. Usually not as severe but sometimes even more severe. I personally know many people who are able to live a perfectly normal life with the help of treatment and medication in some instances. This is an example of what can happen when someone either just stops taking their meds or for some reason is unable to obtain their meds. As some of you know, last year I lost someone very dear to me because she got off her meds and relapsed into a state of sheer diluson and paranoia. It breaks my heart to see so many lives wasted and so many families torn apart because of a mental illness that could be treated successfully but isn't. So, here is where I stand on this issue as of right now. Even though I have been publishing stories about mental illness and the mental health system for a long time, it just isn't enough. I have met the father and mother personally who this story is about. I have seen the scars, both physical and mental, that are the result of a system that is failing us. Another young man is looking at spending years and years in prison for a crime that he did not fully comprehend due to the lack of treatment for his mental illness. Right now, our nations largest provider of mental health care is the penal system. There are more people with a mental illness behind bars than there are in treatment. Roughly %16 of all U.S. prison inmates suffer with a mental illness and this is wrong. Especially considering the fact that so many of them could have been treated for their illnesses prior to going to jail in the first place. I know that treatment and medication works because it has worked for me for several years and for many others that I know personally who have been fortunate enough to get treatment rather than jail time. I am asking everyone who reads this forum to forward this article to everyone you know. I am going to begin a letter writing campaigne to congressional members about this. News papers, television and any other type of media that I can contact will be contacted. On their own, this family will most likely get the same results that they have been getting. None. All of us together can make a difference in the lives of this family and of the many other families in similar situations. PLease join me in my biggest endeavor yet. With your help, I am going to put the Saga of the Jones family in front of as many people as I can. I want to see something positive, something good, come about as a result of sharing what this poor family has had to endure at the hands of a mental heath system that doesn't work. At the hands of a government that doesn't seem to care. I want to see the Jones family become the ray of hope that others need to see so that they too might begin to find ways to heal and recover from the "potential havock that mental illness has caused in their lives." Please write into this forum with anything you have to share. Tell us your story and I promise to help you get your story heard by those who can make a difference. Now, here is the story of The Jones Family. Thank you kindly for hearing this plea for help. Father Defends Son Accused of Stabbing Him By Rodney L. Sherman Clarion News Editor A Monroe Township man stabbed by his son May 14 says investigators aren’t telling the whole story about the incident. Jeremiah Clark Jones, 27, of Clarion, is charged with criminal attempt of criminal homicide, a first-degree felony, aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, and three counts of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, all second-degree misdemeanors, at 2 p.m. May 14 at 374 Siverling Road, Monroe Township. According to court documents, filed by state police Tpr. David Sprankle, state police were notified of the domestic incident involving Jeremiah Jones and his father, Daniel Clark Jones. Daniel Clark Jones’ wife, Mary Elizabeth Jones alleged she heard the two arguing then heard her husband say, “No please don’t. Please, dear God don’t.” But Daniel Clark Jones told the CLARION NEWS he was not arguing with his son. “I had only been home about 10 minutes,” said Daniel Clark Jones. “We were not arguing at all that day.” The older Jones said that he was stabbed just twice, with one of those wounds being a cut on his arm. Daniel Clark Jones said his son has been mentally ill for about 10 years. “I place a lot of the fault for this with (Clarion County) mental health (agency),” said Daniel Clark Jones. “I called them about two weeks prior to this to say we were having some problems with my son and they did nothing. “He’s been pretty sick and as far as I’m concerned, it’s mental health’s fault.” “It’s been hard to correspond with mental health because of my son’s rights,” said Daniel Clark Jones. “His rights are protected and I can’t talk to his doctor and my son won’t give the doctor permission to talk to me because he’s paranoid.” Following the incident, Daniel Clark Jones was transported to Clarion Hospital via ambulance and then flown to a Pittsburgh-area hospital due to the seriousness of his injuries. Daniel Clark Jones said he was released from the hospital after 72 hours and denied he was ever in critical condition. Jeremiah Clark Jones was arraigned before District Judge Duane Quinn and placed in the Clarion County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail. Daniel Clark Jones said his son has been in jail before and added he believes the time in prison made his son more violent. Daniel Clark Jones said his son was a “good boy” before his illness who earned good grades in school. “There’s son much more to this story,” said Daniel Clark Jones, who declined to comment further on his opinions regarding Clarion County Mental Health’s treatment of his son. May a smile follow you to sleep each night,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and be there waiting,,, when you awaken. Sincerly, Bill Vanderbilt Mental Health And Political Forums Respectively http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/8212/ShowForum.aspx http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/9637/ShowForum.aspx Great New Product And Biz Op. Came to me highly recommended by a very good friend. I am just starting and I will keep you all informed as to progress. It really looks good. Here is my link http://www.aatcm.com/billdaddy

Hi Bill,

 

Thank you for this story...it is one that I am very familiar with.  Even tho my son is in recovery and taking his medications, attending counciling, making all of his doctor's appointments and trying to maintain some sort of normality in his life.....I live with the fear every day of the possibility that things could change in the blink of an eye.  My main fear is not being able to obtain his medications.....right now, we are getting them on a month to month basis for a minimal amount through patients assistance ($18 as opposed to $600 for just one of the 3 he takes).....but there are no guarantees that this can or will continue. Like in any kind of recovery, we have to take it one day at a time.

As for the the "Jones Family Saga".....what would you like me to do?  Where and who do you suggest I write letters to?  The Clarion News? The court? State reps of PA? County Mental Health? NAMI?  Perhaps a letter of hope to Jeremiah's parents....or one to Jeremiah? OR all of the above? 

I have passed this story on to my cousin there in PA in hopes that his network of friends may be able to bring some awareness to this cause. 

I am beside myself with the heartache that these people are going through....This isn't right! This shouldn't be happening! Oh, how I know their pain and I want to reach out and tell them it is all going to get better.

 

In Peace,

Julia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Bill,

 

Me again!  I had another bit of info I'd like to share...

 

Currently, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has joined forces with university medical schools across the country, including Harvard, UCLA, USC, Mount Sinai, University of Pennsylvania, University of Washington, and the University of Colorado, for a collaborative research project.  It is hoped that this project will reveal more about the genetic basis of schizophrenia.  Understanding schizophrenia's genetic components is crucial to finding out about the risk factors and heritability of this illness. It may also help in the creation of more effective treatments and, hopefully some day, a cure.

A couple of questions/answers regarding schizophrenia research:

Question:  What if my family does not live near any of the schools listed?

Answer:  In some cases, accommodation may be available for family members who do not live near any of the testin sites. Each situation is different. It is hoped that as many families can be included as possible.

Question:  Will I be required to alter my medication?

Answer:  No. Your are not asked to change your medication in any way.

Question:  How much time will participants be asked to give?

Answer:  The study lasts about two half-days. Each participant is paid for time spent participation in the study.

If you would like to participate or would like more information......please call (866) 359-2486 or go to www.schizophreniaresearch.net

 

In Peace,

Julia

 

 

 

Hello Julia

   Thank you for taking such an interest in this matter. I knew you would. Besides your own personal experiece with the trials and tribulations of mental illness , you are just a very caring and compassionate lady.

    Well. as far as this campaigne goes to help the Jones", I am not completely organized yet. I do think that writting letters to the Clarion News could help us get some attention. If they get enough response I think they will at least run a follow up to this story. Also, it will serve as notice to this community that maybe people need to start asking questions about their local mental health system. The Clarion county mental health system is one of several that I have personal experience with  and actually, Clarion does a pretty good job with the budgetary limitations placed on their programs. There really are a lot of very dedicated mental health workers in Clarion and they all wish that they could do more. I have been researching the woes of  community mental health services for quite a while now and what I have found to be the case is that most communities do the best they can with what little they have to work with. The two biggest problems faced by local agencies is the lack of funding from the state and the nearly complete lack of insurance coverage for mental illness. The states two biggest problems are the lack of federal funding and the lack of insurance coverage for mental health patients. So, we have to address this at the federal

level for both problems. The feds have to fund mental health better and insurance

 companies  have to be forced to stop discriminating against those with a mental illness. It is no different than if insurance companies all of the sudden decided not to pay for cancer treatment.. An illness by any other name is still an illness and for insurance companies to be able to decide what illnesses to cover or not cover sets us up for a mental health system that cannot work. Over the comming weeks I hope to gather and post important information about upcomming bills in congress. I hope to collect enough personal stories and opinions to present to all state legislators to encourage them to enact new laws that will end the discrimination against the mentally ill.  Please stay tuned for more information about this situation and what we can do about it in the future. I will be posting names, addresses and information about who to contact and how to contact them.           

    Thanks again Julia , for your care and compassion in this matter. With more people like yourself getting involved, I really believe that we can make a difference. It is definately worth the effort/

 

May a smile follow you to sleep each night,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
           and be there waiting,,, when you awaken.

Sincerly, Bill Vanderbilt

Mental Health And Political Forums Respectively
http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/8212/ShowForum.aspx
http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/9637/ShowForum.aspx

Great New Product And Biz Op. Came to me highly recommended by a very good friend. I am just starting and I will keep you all informed as to progress. It really looks good. Here is my link

http://www.aatcm.com/billdaddy