mental illness Archives - Off the Charts

The Hidden Crisis: Unveiling the Mental Health Struggles of Teen Boys

In today’s world, teenage boys are facing a crisis that often goes unnoticed: their mental health. Anxiety, depression, despair, and even suicidal thoughts plague young boys and young men alike. Shockingly, teenage boys and young men in the United States are more than twice as likely, and sometimes up to four times as likely, to die by suicide compared to their female counterparts. They are also at a higher risk of gun violence and drug overdoses. It’s time to shed light on this crucial issue that often remains overlooked by both the public and health care professionals.

The increase in youth mental health issues has garnered considerable attention in recent times, with the U.S. surgeon general calling it “the defining public health crisis of our time.” But a lot of this has focused on the struggles of adolescent girls and LGBTQ+ teens.

Undoubtedly, these issues deserve our utmost attention and support. However, it is a mistake to assume that teenage boys and young men are faring well. As someone who writes and speaks about boys and has personal experience raising four sons, I understand that male depression and anxiety often manifest as irritability, rage, or anger. Many young males turn to alcohol or drugs as […]

Guest Author2023-06-01T07:53:32-04:00June 1st, 2023|mental illness, Nursing|0 Comments

When Studying Mental Illness in Nurses Means Studying Yourself

Carrying the burden of depression as a nurse.

As I read Anna’s (not her real name) description of how much effort it took to drag herself into work, how much she felt like a burden to her family, and her fear of being “found out,” tears welled up.

“I know,” I said to myself.

I was analyzing an interview transcript for a qualitative study of psychiatric-mental health nurses (PMHNs) who have experienced mental illness. More specifically, my colleagues and I wanted to know how their illnesses impacted their work as nurses.

I have been a PMHN for over 40 years, with an even longer experience of a mental illness. I recognized many of the participants’ stories in my study as my own, but none affected me the way hers did. An alarm bell inside my head went off. If I couldn’t create a clear boundary in my mind between Anna’s experiences and my own, I might be at risk of unduly influencing the study results.

Reflecting on shared experiences of depression.

I was grateful that a colleague was also analyzing these transcripts; to minimize the effects of my own potential bias, I took the opportunity to write down my thoughts and feelings in my reflexivity journal. This is […]

Guest Author2023-02-02T10:33:57-05:00February 2nd, 2023|mental illness, Nursing, patient experience|1 Comment

Cross-Sector Collaboration and the New York City Involuntary Hospitalization Policy

Although currently living upstate, I’ve closely followed news of Mayor Eric Adams’ policy for removing residents who appear mentally ill on city streets. As a nurse with a background in health care administration, I find this policy ethically problematic. As a PhD candidate studying how organizations collaborate to transition patients lacking homes at discharge, I know the complexities of implementing this policy.

Mayor Adams is proposing a close read of section 9.58 of Article 9 of the New York State Mental Hygiene law, which is the state’s legislation pertaining to involuntary hospitalization of people experiencing acute mental illness. To “939” someone, as it is often informally termed, means to place them under involuntary psychiatric hospitalization because they pose an imminent threat to themselves or others; ‘imminent threat’ is usually interpreted to mean active suicidal ideations or homicidal threats or actions. What Mayor Adams proposes is to allow peace officers and mobile outreach units to apply a wider interpretation of this clause such that it includes any behavior that might threaten an individual’s ability to take care of their daily living needs.

I believe that housing first policies are the bare minimum for giving a person with serious mental illness or any significant […]

Guest Author2023-01-30T10:31:58-05:00January 25th, 2023|mental illness, Nursing, nursing roles, Public health|0 Comments

Psych Nursing: When the Goal Becomes ‘Simply Caring, Not Curing’

“As nurses we all care. It’s what we do. We care until our hearts hurt like an overused muscle. To find myself presiding over a void of trapped souls was not what I thought I was getting into…”

Ben Blennerhassett/ Unsplash

The above passage is from the Reflections essay, “The Suffering of Simone,” in the April issue of AJN. The author, Eileen Glover, is a psychiatric RN in New England, and her one-page essay reflects on the arc of her relationship with a patient who much of the time seems unreachable.

The essay brings to life the question of how a nurse, trained to heal or at least to soothe, can find an attitude of acceptance with patients whose psychiatric disorders defy all treatments and—most of the time—prevent meaningful contact between nurse and patient. […]

Jacob Molyneux, senior editor/blog editor2022-04-04T10:46:45-04:00April 4th, 2022|mental illness, Nursing, nursing roles, nursing stories|0 Comments

For the Mentally Ill in Crisis, Someone Safe to Call for Help

A troubling encounter.

by julianna paradisi

Although it happened over two months ago, I’m still haunted by the memory, particularly during this cold, harsh winter following on the heels of a politically tumultuous summer and fall.

I’ve run the same loop along the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, for years. This particular morning, a young man walked some 20 feet ahead of me on the sidewalk. He carried by its neck a 1/2 gallon jug of apple juice. Unexpectedly, he tossed an opened box of granola bars, with several individually wrapped bars inside, to the ground and kept walking.

He stopped abruptly at the same time I stopped to wait on the curb for traffic to subside so I could cross to the other side of the street, which is what I routinely do on my route.

We were now six to eight feet apart. From my peripheral vision I noticed him turn and face me. Because we’re in the middle of a pandemic, I was wearing a mask; this and my proximity seemed to disturb him. I stepped away a few paces, giving him more space.

Over my shoulder he said, “You’re a bitch.” I ignored him. He stepped closer, and repeated more loudly, “You’re a […]

Julianna Paradisi, RN, OCN2021-02-25T10:54:11-05:00February 25th, 2021|mental illness, mental illness|0 Comments

The Hidden Crisis: Unveiling the Mental Health Struggles of Teen Boys

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When Studying Mental Illness in Nurses Means Studying Yourself

Carrying the burden of depression as a nurse.

Reflecting on shared experiences of depression.

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Cross-Sector Collaboration and the New York City Involuntary Hospitalization Policy

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Psych Nursing: When the Goal Becomes ‘Simply Caring, Not Curing’

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For the Mentally Ill in Crisis, Someone Safe to Call for Help

A troubling encounter.

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