The premise of this piece is that there is a trade off the mentally ill. It is a matter of people who are ill, people who work with the ill and the dynamics of the economics between them and the funding agencies for the treatment of the ill.
Let's start off by defining the term economics, as per “the dismal science.” The Greek word for it is ekonomikos and it actually means “housekeeping.” Essentially, this science of the analysis of scarce resources has its root in managing a person's household and by extension the environment around that person.
Funding for a mentally ill person who is so sick that they cannot function comes from either Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income or SSDI. These programs have different rules and both of these are federal programs and they are in jeopardy because Social Security will be bankrupt by 2041 according to reports issued recently. And Medicare is also at risk in the next 11 years.
The government is currently taking a critical look at the above programs in an effort to fix them so they don't go under. I believe that I won't be here 33 years from now but I hope the people who will are going to be taken care of.
I only get SSDI, which is for people with a significant work history. And my check is much bigger than what many people receive because I was a computer programmer/analyst for 7 years. I worked at major companies like AT&T, Consolidated Edison, and Leviton Manufacturing.
People whose income is low enough are eligible for food stamps too. And I had figured out that I was eligible for SSI for the 2 months before my SSDI benefits kicked in. I found out the latter by myself, The Club didn't even tell me. You actually have to be sick for 6 months before you get SSDI.
I am also living in a housing program from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of the State of NJ called Supportive Housing. They give me about ½ the money for my rent each month. So the government (this is a state program) is giving me a lot of help.
My medications are funded by Program For the Aged and Disabled and Medicare Part D. I pay five dollars a medication maximum.
Mental illness is a blanket term that covers a wide variety of problems and symptoms. It is often defined in terms of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder wherein a person has some of the symptoms of schizophrenia but not all of them.
What complicates the illness is that sometimes, it is coupled with bipolar disorder where a person experiences mood swings. That used to be called manic depression and it even made an impact on the late rock and roll musician Jimi Hendrix who wrote a piece called Manic Depression.
Paranoia also can be a problem and many people are diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic. Originally, I was misdiagnosed as such until further analysis led to change in my diagnosis.
A lot of people seem to think that paranoid schizophrenics are dangerous but the statistics are that if such a person in on his medications, he (or she) isn't. In fact, people who are mentally ill are more likely to be the victims of an attack on their person that the perpetrator of an attack.
Many times, people who are ill are stigmatized and there is an ongoing effort by various mental health organizations to overcome that problem. The National Alliance of the Mentally Ill is one of them. There is a local chapter in NJ.
Some years ago, Trenton Psychiatric Hospital had a fire and a newspaper called The Trentonian, had an article called “Roasted Nuts.” While it may seem funny at first, the MHA was on top of the situation and the newspaper wound up running a five day series of articles on mental illness.
My diagnosis is schizoaffective with bipolar. 295.70 is the corresponding number in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV or DSM IV. And my issue revolves around religion and my family's problems with dysfunction due to various religious conflicts. The emotional swings are the bipolar part.
There are many different medications to treat mental illness and I take Zyprexa for my anti-psychotic and Depakote as my mood stabilizer. I also get therapy several times a month at Catholic Charities in East Brunswick, NJ and I am happy with the quality of the care I get.
Over the years, I have had a variety of treatment teams. Catholic Charities seems to be very committed to help me and UMD provides housing and support. I have a good rapport with everyone on the teams and I have a lot of faith that one day I will get better.
