MENTAL HEALTH AND THE EXTENDED FAMILY

One of the most important trends in America during the 1950s was what is commonly known as the “nuclear family”. Each family unit consisted of a father, a mother and their children and they lived and worked separately from the rest of their family in houses that were obtained by abundant and inexpensive credit. At the average age of eighteen, the children would be expected to leave this unit in order to set up one of their own. The rest of the family, the aunts, uncles and grandparents, were only seen on special occasions.

If you believe what you see in modern advertising, this has come to be seen as a cultural norm. The reality is that the “nuclear family” was ideal in times of record economic prosperity, but during hard times, it isn’t practical or fair. The “nuclear family” was an invention of the fifties, when a large, prosperous middle class was necessary to prove that the “American way” was so much better than communism. Now, however, the widening gap between the rich and the poor has decimated the middle class, and the happy families dwelling in beautiful suburbs, seen so often on television, are rapidly becoming a complete fantasy.

During the depression, homes were modeled as “extended families” where it was common to have three or more generations living under one roof, and neighbours were included as well, since they would often share in the child rearing and the household work.

Most people who have experienced mental illness in either them or in a family member know that the continued support of family and friends, often well into adulthood, is essential in the eventual recovery of the individual. There is no shame in this, because families have worked together for their common good long before the “nuclear family” was ever invented.

On Thursday, June the eighth a forum was conducted at the Canadian Institute for the Blind in Halifax. Representatives of the four parties who are currently running for office in the upcoming provincial election attended it. Each one spoke on their party’s policies regarding the disabled in this province. They were asked a general question about poverty, and a more specific question regarding three policies the Teamwork Cooperative would like to see instated in this province. Teamwork is a non-profit organization consisting of people with disabilities who were the host for this discussion.

The first policy mentioned was an increase of the money those on long term disability pensions need to return to the province if they find paying employment. This is important because the existing policy penalize those on assistance for finding employment, making it very difficult for those on assistance to join the workforce. The next was about continuing people’s pharmacare assistance after they find work. People who need expensive medications would otherwise not be able to afford their treatment, another barrier to finding employment. It would save the province a great deal of revenue if more people on assistance were able to find work than by saving in short term by imposing these limits on people would otherwise be working and paying taxes. The third policy was financial assistance for post-secondary education.

Howard Epstein, the NDP candidate, seemed to be the only one that had a clear understanding of the policies in question even though these issues were not his department, and stressed that his party knew the importance of these issues and that they would act on them. He spoke of actions he took in his district to create curb ramps for people in wheelchairs, be has recently come to realization that these issues go far beyond accessibility.

Jim Hoskins, the Liberal candidate, spoke eloquently about some of the disabled persons he had encountered during his work as a police officer, but showed no real knowledge about the issues in question. When asked about the three policies he pled ignorance and added that it was “all about the money”.

Shelia Richardson, the Green Party candidate, also spoke of her work with disabled people, both in her personal life and for a number of non-profit groups, but said nothing about what she felt should be done. The Green party, being relatively new to this province, seemed to still be in the process of developing a complete platform to address other issues besides the environment .

Andrew Black, The PC candidate, stressed the need for a balanced budget and spoke of measures that sounded like they were too little, too late. He promised we wouldn’t be left to starve in the streets, he said that we would still be able to feed and clothe ourselves and our families, but it appears that is all we are going to get from a PC government.

It goes without saying that many of the disabled in this province have some sort of mental illness, making these issues very important ones, and also such things as de-institutionalization and community treatment orders. We must continue our pressure on our elected officials to address these very important issues.

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THE VALUE OF HOPE

Traditional therapy has almost only focused on what is wrong with individuals and what is wrong with their lives. Now, hope has become a powerful therapeutic tool. It is well on the way to becoming a powerful force in lives that until now have had no hope at all. This is achieved by focusing on positive elements of people’s lives, and looking for ways to guide events to a positive outcome, and convincing them that things are likely to improve. Their problems are not ignored, but are placed in a healthier context.

Hope is now at a premium in the lives of people suffering from mental illness. More effective medications and a shift in the priorities of mental health practitioners have been very effective in creating stable, normal lives for the mentally ill. The healthier these people become, the more hope they will feel.

Hope is an essential element in the “recovery” model of mental health. This model is an aspect of therapy that can supplement, but not replace, the “medical” model, whose focus is on diagnostics and medications. The recovery model addresses aspects of people’s lives that can be improved and providing them with the skills to do so. It is said that medication can only take us half the way there. Acquiring the necessary strategies and skills can take us the rest of the way.

I recently spoke to a group of chronic patients at a local psychiatric hospital about the changes that have occurred in my life in hopes of instilling a sense of hope. They came away with the knowledge that it isn’t too late to become healthy.