Markham's Behavioral Health back on Blogger

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Mental health of populations should be an indicator in measuring a countries gross domestic productivity, GDP

 Here is an interesting short article on Conversation.com about the addition of "mental health" as an indicator of well being in a country's GDP.

While Indonesia’s economic prospects seems promising, an essential factor of productivity needed to sustain growth is often overlooked: mental health.

How mental health affects the economy

People with moderate to high distress levels typically demonstrate reduced productivity and need higher levels of healthcare. This increases the societal economic burden.

The World Health Organization (WHO) found a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide in 2020, the first year of the pandemic.

New York State legislature considers changes to Child Protective Services laws

From the Public News Service

A bill in the New York state Legislature would implement new standards for Child Protective Services. The bill requires CPS workers to get a court order and inform parents and caregivers of their rights before searching homes.

A ProPublica/N-B-C News investigation found New York City's Administration of Child Service has a warrant less than 0.2 percent of the time it conducts searches.

Jasmine Wali, director of policy and advocacy for JMAC for Families said it is time for these agencies to abide by the Fourth Amendment of the U-S Constitution. She describes what CPS workers would need to do.

"At the first point of contact, Child Protective Service workers would notify them of their rights. You do not have to let me in, you have the right to an interpreter, you have the right to legal counsel, you have the right to do preventive services. If you want, you have the right to refuse entry," she said.

She added this bill is not creating any new rights, but aims to inform parents of the ones they already have. The bill was introduced in the state Legislature during the past two sessions. Competing issues took precedence over this one, Wali said, but added additional public education done on the issue has bolstered its support. The bill is currently under review in the Senate Children and Families Committee.

Wali added there are numerous other ways child protective services can be improved, and said the practice of mandated reporting needs to be re-examined.

"Thousands of reports are coming in that are later found to be unsubstantiated, but the family is still experiencing all this trauma and this stress from this investigation, because, once a CPS worker enters the home, they search all the cabinets, they can sometimes strip-search children," she said.

Wali added a different bill has been introduced to change the current system of anonymous reporting to confidential reporting, and said survivors of domestic violence she has worked with have had their perpetrator use the CPS system to harass them. This bill is also under review by the Senate's Children and Families Committee.

Editor's note:

In my experience as a family therapist these changes are long overdo. 

What are common problems of couples in their 40s and 50s?

The usual things that couples in their 40s and 50s are facing are:

Midlife crisis:  Many people experience a midlife crisis in their 40s, which can lead to feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and depression. This can put a strain on relationships.

Empty nest syndrome: When children leave home, couples may experience a sense of loss and emptiness. This can lead to conflict and resentment.

Career changes: Many people make career changes in their 40s, which can add stress to relationships.

Health problems:  Health problems are more common in middle age, which can impact relationships.

People have a tendency to blame their partner or their relationship for their unhappiness rather than take responsibility for themselves. This stage of the marriage is what is sometimes called "the do your own thing stage of the marriage" because the individual needs to take responsibility for their own unhappiness and not expect other people to make them happy. They need to realize that they are not a victim but an agent in creating a life of satisfaction and fulfillment. 

Finding a way to do one's own thing and yet still stay connected takes patience, persistence, negotiation, assertiveness, and compassion which are qualities not always easy to develop without coaching and support.

Being able to give one's partner the space to do their own thing without jealousy and withdrawal takes a high degree of security, curiosity, and self sufficiency. It is what the people who apply Bowen theory call the "differentiation of self", DOS.

Finding an experienced mature therapist who can help the couple navigate this transformation in their relationship can be a challenge. The best way to find such a person is to ask friends who have seen counselors themselves.

Integral model of stages of psychosocial development video.

 

 

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