Better Is Not Well 2014
Better Is Not Well is a dynamic forum for individuals and their families alongside clinicians, to address one of the chief barriers to wellness among people who live with depressive disorders—raising expectations for treatment from crisis management and reduction of symptoms to wellness. Too often, when a person is out of immediate risk and able to function in most day-to-day activities, the assumption is made, by both clinician and patient, that they have achieved treatment success, and as such further steps aren't taken to facilitate complete well-being. While the person's condition may have improved greatly, they are still living with residual symptoms of their condition and/or not living to their full potential. I.E. The expectation and reality of wellness is not realized.
Individuals too often don't know they should expect more and their clinicians too often don't realize they can do more for their patients. DBSA believes that the problem of diminished expectations of wellness and lack of next step conversations and actions is best addressed jointly, and in equal partnership, between people who live with these conditions and those who treat them.
Please let us know your thoughts on the presentation.
Panelists
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Allen Doederlein Allen Doederlein is President of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), the nation’s premier peer-led mental health organization focusing on mood disorders. DBSA reaches 2,000,000 people each year with current, readily understandable information about depression and bipolar disorder and empowering tools focused on an integrated approach to wellness. DBSA’s reach is further expanded by its national network of 15 state organizations, 300 chapters, and 900 support groups, which provide life-saving, free peer support to tens of thousands of individuals who seek information and support on their paths to the healthy lives they want to lead. Allen works with the Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board to develop, articulate, and steward DBSA’s vision, mission, and core values. As the staff leader, Allen facilitates DBSA’s strategic initiatives, organizational alliances, and partnerships; serves as organizational spokesperson; and oversees generation of both contributed and earned revenues. |
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Judith Cook, PhD Dr. Cook is an internationally recognized authority on mental health services research, specifically the study of clinical and rehabilitation outcomes of children and adults receiving community-based care. She directs a federally funded research center along with numerous grants focused on intervention science and psychiatric epidemiology. She designs and implements innovative programs to enhance health and behavioral health of vulnerable populations. She works with federal, state and local authorities on behavioral health service system redesign and alternative financing strategies. Her recent work focuses on randomized controlled trials of evidence-based practice treatments for serious mental illness, and outcomes of individuals with co-occurring mental illness and chronic medical conditions. She consults with federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health, Social Security Administration, Department of Labor, Government Accountability Office, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and Veteran’s Administration. She is currently the Principal Investigator for the first national study of the prevalence of psychiatric and substance use disorders among women living with HIV/AIDS. She was a member of the NIMH Study Section on Mental Health Services in Specialty Settings from 2006–2009. |
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Rebecca Fulk Rebecca Fulk is a contractual data analyst and accounting professional for the State of Illinois and is a free-lance website designer and photo editor. She founded DBSA Central Illinois in July of 2009 and currently serves as its board president. In her work with DBSA-CI, she facilitates peer support groups, conducts relapse prevention groups for a partial hospitalization program, and educates local law enforcement professionals in Crisis Intervention Team training. She presented the breakout session, "Joining Forces: Partnering with Professionals," at the 2013 DBSA Chapter Leadership Forum in Miami. Rebecca is majoring in biology at the University of Illinois at Springfield in preparation for a clinical career in mental health. |
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William Gilmer, MD William S. Gilmer, M.D., Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Northwestern University, specializes in the treatment of depression and bipolar disorder for more than 24 years. He maintains a private practice and his clinical and research interest include identification of bipolar spectrum disorder, treatment resistant depression, and investigation of novel depression treatments including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. |
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Robert Haggard, BA, MHP Robert Haggard is a Peer Recovery Crisis Counselor at Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center, Skokie, IL. Prior to moving to Chicago in 2008, Robert graduated with his Associate's and his Bachelor's degrees in Arts, from Washburn University in Topeka, KS. He has served on the NAMI Topeka Board of Directors, presented for a number of Police CIT trainings, and served as a member of the Topeka Mayors Council on Youth Suicide Prevention. Robert hopes to educate people, advocate for those directly affected and works to eradicate mental illness and its stigma wherever possible. Robert is hopeful and actively helps those in acute crisis work toward a more wholly recovered modality of living health. Robert helped open The Living Room at Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center, Skokie, IL, three years ago. He joined the Turning Point team’s part-time clinical staff as a Peer Recovery Crisis Counselor, is testing for the Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) state certification this year and is a Mental Health Professional (MHP), in Illinois. |
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This program is funded in part by a contribution from Lilly, USA, LLC, which had no control over its content. No personally-identifiable information regarding attendees is provided to any grant supporters. |
