In the News I Came Back to Princeton House:  A Patient's Perspective Carol Kivler is a former college professor, a published author, owner of a successful business, a mother of three, and she successfully manages her chronic clinical depression day by day. Since 1990, when she was first diagnosed, Carol has periodic acute bouts of depression, with psychotic features. During these times, she has found that her particular illness is only responsive to electroconvulsive therapy. Every four to six years, Carol says she requires what she calls her "occasional tune up." "During my recovery, I continue to write books, run my business, speak professionally, teach classes and workshops and pursue other exciting accomplishments," she adds. Carol has coined what she refers to as her "bounce-back-ability." This resilience is reinforced through the care that she gets at PHBH during the acute phase, regular psychotherapy when she is recovering, a new medication regimen that provides more clarity of thought and on-going self-management of her symptoms through exercise, nutrition and rest. Why I Came Back… An informed consumer and frequent speaker for the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), Carol shared with us, that of the facilities she has tried, she has chosen to come back to PHBH when she requires a "tune-up" for five vital reasons: The nurses "They acted as my advocates and saw me as a person. Sensing the depth of my suffering, they encouraged me and helped me keep track of my progress." The interdisciplinary care team "It truly takes a team to provide the care I need in an acute phase. Nurses, physicians, social workers, mental health educators and others all worked together to contribute to my care and speedy recovery." The continuum of care "The smooth transition that Princeton House Behavioral Health provided between inpatient and outpatient care helped me to get back to my regular life as quickly as possible." The life skills training "The daily sessions from assertiveness training to yoga made a lasting impression and served as a springboard for enhancing the quality of my life. These sessions helped me to get back into a regular routine, including consistently sleeping again." The positive environment of care "There is openness to the design of PHBH that made me feel that I maintained some independence. On the new secured unit that I recently toured as a visitor, there is an open area for patients that is gorgeous, maintaining a homelike atmosphere." Princeton House Behavioral Health is committed to maintaining full patient privacy and confidentiality per Federal Statute 42 C. F. R. Part 2, Section 2.1 et seq. This story has been printed at the request and with the permission of Ms. Kivler. On the Other Side of Psychosis: A Patient's Perspective Too often, both the lay and the professional community are unfamiliar with the high functional level that many individuals with major mental illnesses can achieve when they are in recovery. As Carol stresses when she speaks to audiences through her work with NAMI, "Recovery is possible — and, for many, it has become increasingly probable." She offers these words of wisdom — learned firsthand — to those who treat, work with, know or care for individuals recovering from mental illness: - Even in the midst of a full-blown psychotic episode, patients retain their intelligence and remember what is said to them and how they are treated. - Providers should be careful about giving a long-term prognosis. How this is addressed could limit potential and inadvertently track patients to fail. - Mental illness does not define a person. Just as a person with cancer is not defined by the disease, so, too, an individual with depression or anxiety disorder is much more than just that diagnosis. - Individuals with mental illness can and do lead full productive lives when they are not in crisis. Many providers see patients only when they are in crisis, but don't get the opportunity to see "the other side of psychosis" when they are fully functioning individuals. About 80% of individuals with severe mental illness can achieve recovery.* Unfortunately, nearly two-thirds of all diagnosed and treatable mental illness goes untreated because of the stigma attached to seeking mental healthcare. - Recovery is a very individual thing and takes a unique shape for each patient. "In its initial stages, recovery for me means that I can go to the grocery store and make dinner," said Carol. "But ultimately I felt good enough to complete graduate school, start a business and write two books." - There should not be a "cookie cutter" approach to therapy. Providers need to take the time to get to know patients, understand what they value, and determine the financial and supportive resources they will have available to them during their recovery. - Patients should be empowered to manage their own mental health — to make the lifestyle changes that will foster their continued good health and recognize the early symptoms that may signal a relapse. - Providers should normalize the illness and experience as much as possible for patients. "It is so important to let them know that they are not the only ones who have experienced this and they should not be ashamed of their illness nor of their need for care," said Carol. * Statistics courtesy of NAMI. This was reprinted with permission by Princeton House Behavioral Health. Carol A. Kivler Courageous Recovery "Changing the face of mental illness" 33 Traditions Way, Suite 101 Lawrence, NJ 08648 (609) 882-8988 carol@CourageousRecovery.com www.CourageousRecovery.com A Division of Kivler Communications www.kivlercommunications.com