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Build Compassionate Communities

Mental, Emotional + Behavioral Well-Being

Identifying Issues 

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

  • Ensure effective learning for all children and youth for life and livelihood.  Achieve health and wellbeing at all ages.

“The World We Want 2015” Priorities

  • Better healthcare
  • A good education

How does our community compare in numbers of people who:

  • Were treated for any mental illness
  • Were victims of domestic violence
  • Were homeless
  • Visited the ER due to drug or alcohol issues (overdose, violence, car crashes)
  • Were unemployed
  • Suffered from isolation and depression (seniors and disabled)
  • Suffered severe stress (child or parent in hospital, child or parent in jail, victim of bullying)
  • Were treated for substance abuse
  • Attempted suicide
  • Committed suicide

Note:  One resource for the U.S. is the data available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (www.samhsa.gov). See state and metro reports at www.samhsa.gov/data/States_In_Brief_Reports.aspx

Prevention and Awareness 

Does our community have:

  • Prevention and awareness materials and programs (substance abuse, suicide, depression, elder abuse, etc.)?
  • School programs and counselors who are trained to recognize mental health and behavioral issues in students?
  • Outreach to ethnic communities or others who may be unfamiliar or suspicious of the mental health system?
  • Outreach to the elderly, the disabled, or otherwise housebound, who may suffer from isolation/depression
  • Peer-to-peer awareness training in our schools?

Professional Support and Training 

Does our community have:

  • An adequate number of trained professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, trained clergy, etc.) to meet community needs?
  • Integration of primary care with mental health care?
  • Training for law enforcement and other emergency personnel in recognizing and dealing with the mentally ill with compassion?
  • Professionals trained to provide compassionate treatment of issues surrounding substance abuse? Other addictions?  Trauma?

Services, Facilities and Access 

Does our community provide:

  • Adequate facilities and “beds” to meet mental health needs (for both emergencies and for ongoing treatment)?
  • Access to mental health treatment for those unable to pay?
  • Facilities such as halfway houses, day centers, respite care, or residential treatment homes to support mental health for a variety of people in need—including the chronically mentally ill, the disabled?
  • Programs and support for families of the mentally ill?
  • Self-help and peer support groups for people experiencing mental or behavioral problems, and for their families?
  • Programs to support single parents (psychologically and in helping with parenting skills)
  • Access to contemplative/mindfulness training/education programs for: mental health workers; schools; police; government; sports; arts; community leaders and adjunct workers (bus drivers, taxi drivers, social group and troop leaders, and the general public)?
  • Programs to prevent bullying, including online bullying (in schools or in the community)

 

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