May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Understanding Mental Illness
This year for Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re taking a closer look at the small habits that can make a big impact.
Consider these 6 subtle everyday habits you can easily change to support a healthier mindset, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. Sometimes the smallest shifts in routine can lead to the biggest changes in how we feel.
1. Perfection
2. Lack of exercise
3. Too much social media
4. Taking life TOO seriously
5. Not enough quality sleep
6. Regretting too much
Stigma, Prejudice & Discrimination Against People with Mental Illness
More than half of people with mental illness don’t receive help for their disorders. Often, people avoid or delay seeking treatment due to concerns about being treated differently or fears of losing their jobs and livelihood. That’s because stigma, prejudice and discrimination against people with mental illness are still very much a problem.
Stigma, prejudice and discrimination against people with mental illness can be subtle or obvious—but no matter the magnitude, they can lead to harm. People with mental illness are marginalized and discriminated against in various ways, but understanding what that looks like and how to address and eradicate it can help.
The Facts on Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination
Stigma often comes from lack of understanding or fear. Inaccurate or misleading media representations of mental illness contribute to both those factors. A review of studies on stigma shows that while the public may accept the medical or genetic nature of a mental health disorder and the need for treatment, many people still have a negative view of those with mental illness.
Public stigma involves the negative or discriminatory attitudes that others may have about mental illness.
Self-stigma refers to the negative attitudes, including internalized shame, that people with mental illness may have about their own condition.
Structural stigma is more systemic, involving policies of government and private organizations that intentionally or unintentionally limit opportunities for people with mental illness. Examples include lower funding for mental illness research or fewer mental health services relative to other health care.
Stigma around mental illness especially an issue in some diverse racial and ethnic communities and it can be a major barrier to people from those cultures accessing mental health services. For example, in some Asian cultures, seeking professional help for mental illness may be counter to cultural values of strong family, emotional restraint and avoiding shame. Among some groups, including the African American community’s, distrust of the mental healthcare system can also be a barrier to seeking help.
Why is Mental Health Important?
Whether through a minor bump in your journey or a full-blown crisis, you may have struggled with your mental health in some capacity in the last few years. It can be difficult to prioritize yourself while pursuing educational and professional goals.
Focusing on your mental health is perhaps the most powerful step you can take to improve your overall quality of life.
If you are in crisis or are experiencing difficult or suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273 TALK (8255).
Sincerely,The Door Switch™
WHAT IS A SENTINAL EVENT?
The Joint Commission defines sentinel events as occurrences to patients in medical facilities “…involving death or serious physical or psychological injury, or the risk thereof.” As you will note from the pie chart above, patient suicides are a comparatively frequent sentinel event identified by The Joint Commission. The Door SwitchTM was developed to mitigate the most common method of suicide employed in medical facilities—hanging using a door as a ligature point.
Please visit The Joint Commission for more information on sentinel events.
ABOUT US
The Door SwitchTM is the original top-of-the door ligature attempt warning system and holds U.S. Patents RE 42,991 and RE 44,039. We have been serving mental health professionals since 2006.
Each Door SwitchTM is a pressure sensor activated by approximately one to two pounds of downward pressure applied to the top, rather than the face (front or back surfaces), of the door. With system activation at the top of the door, ligature devices applied from either side of the door result in system alerts. Hospital staff are notified of system alerts by a combination of audible alarms, strobes, and door identification provided at a keypad typically located at a nurses’ station. The system utilizes proven Honeywell electronic components, including the Honeywell Vista 128BPT panel as the controller.
The Honeywell Vista 128BPT control panel provides an event log that records the times and dates of 512 events. The controller records the application of pressure to one of the system’s Door SwitchesTM, the removal of that pressure, and the turning of a key switch to silence the alarm. Logged events can be viewed from the keypad or downloaded to a computer and printed.
The Door SwitchTM has been installed in mental health facilities across the country. We are proud to state that we have many satisfied mental health facility clients and can provide you with their contact information for reference purposes.
For additional information, a demonstration of The Door SwitchTM, or a free quote, please call or email us at info@thedoorswitch.com.
