Viet-CARE Blog
If you want me to share your questions/ experience/ concerns in regard to mental illness...email them to phoang@viet-care.org
June 3, 2009
It is now 10:54 PM, California time. In reviewing the website I decided to start this blog to communicate and interact more with the larger community to bring to the front the concerns for improvement and more services to those suffering from mental illness.
My main work deals with psychiatric emergency, where individuals are contemplating or active with their suicidal/ homicidal ideation with or without a plan or at imminent risk of endangering their life from not being able to care for themselves. In the past, the population I have encountered and been dispatched to respond were people struggling with the "usual situation": experiencing a psychotic episode due to their mental illness, being off their medication, consequences of abusing drugs, and/or acting out their paranoia or delusional reality.
Recently, as many people are aware and affected by the local and global financial crisis, more and more people are experiencing emotional and psychological "crisis." Many of my current cases are individuals who have recently loss their jobs, which led to the loss of their benefits, social status, financial status, their home, and in some cases, their family. The shock of a sudden loss had a domino effect on the weakening of their mental state and ability to cope/ manage their situation.
Individuals who identified themselves--their Self identity, with their job, financial status, and social status are among the ones most affected by the curent local and global financial crisis. Individuals who loss their job and/or status has an existential experience loosing their whole Self. They can't cope with the loss of Self and their sense of purpose and direction in life, which pulls them into a deep state of depression.
It is very important for friends and family to monitor individuals who are experiencing this deep state of depression (major depression) because they are at high risk for suicide, and in some cases homicide. Provide emotional and moral support when you can. Encourage them to join you or friends in healthy and active activities. Contact your local mental health service provider for immediate intervention. Contact your local emergency respond service providers if the individual exhibit behaviors or actively in their plan to harm themselves or others.