General Catalyst’s Post

Two excellent NADSA Webinars you won’t want to miss! “Mental Health & Older Adults” Wednesday, July 26, 2023, 1:00 pm EDT As people age, they may experience certain life changes that impact their mental health, such as coping with a serious illness or losing a loved one. Mental health is important at all stages of life, but there is still a strong mental health stigma among older adults. This webinar will discuss resources to cope and build mental health resiliency. “Standing Up to Falls in Adult Day Programs” Wednesday, August 16, 2023, 2:00 pm EDT Falls are the primary cause of injury and fatal injury among older adults. This webinar will provide you with practical interventions to reduce falls and hospital readmissions. To register:

Connection and Belonging. Imagine if this was the overarching focus of Childrens services agencies - at every part fo the workflow? Imagine if - when decisions are made to ‘remove’ children from their parent/s, alongside all the questions CP professionals and Court officials are asking about the care of the child/ren, they asked ‘who is doing what and how to make sure the children can maintain a strong sense of connection to the people they belong to, regardless of whether they are in out of home care for 2 days or until they age out. Imagine that kind of system? Imagine if, when children are in longer term out of home care, and CP practitioners are doing ‘care planning’ across the dimensions of thier lives, the primary focus centred around connection and belonging being the most significant need for all children? Not a ‘part of the plan for kids’ but THE organising factor around which all other dimensions of care are arranged. Safety without healing is temporary, healing happens in relationships (in the natural networks). Children in care systems are dying from loneliness. Lack of belonging is one of the biggest unmet needs for children aging out of care. We need to stop focusing on the things important to ‘us’ - school, social activities, independent living, finance management etc etc - because if they’re lonely it wont matter how well they can budget or how much they attended school or how well they did in the final year exams. If we are serious about reducing offending, mental health problems, suicide, addiction then we need to focus on connection and belonging.

Governor Hochul's recent initiatives in New York resonate with our mission at BeMe. Her plans to integrate youth perspectives in policy-making and establish school-based mental health initiatives are steps in the right direction. Our experience with the Teen Advisory Board at BeMe underscores the value of including youth voices in shaping solutions that affect them. At BeMe Health, our commitment to Child Rights by Design principles and children's privacy is unwavering. We believe in creating technology that inherently respects and protects the rights of young users. Our approach transcends mere compliance; it embodies a deep-seated commitment to safety, privacy, and empowerment. As we continue to navigate through this youth mental health crisis, our guiding principle should always be the welfare of children. This requires a collaborative effort from policymakers, technology companies, and communities. At BeMe, we stand ready to lead this endeavor, ensuring a future that is not only bright but also safe and respectful for our children. #teenmentalhealth #kidtech #CRbD #D4CR #mentalhealth #policy #privacybydesign

We never know what people are coping with at home. There are a plethora of challenges facing us in life, including being a parent, and being a parent to a child that is struggling is that bit harder. One of my children has experienced particularly acute challenges. He experienced a traumatic health event when he was young. He became non-compliant at school, and at home. He was excluded from a young age, and later had to change schools when he came home with bruises from incorrect use of restraint - which made everything worse, and made school traumatic. He would continually run away from school. He has an EHCP and one to one support, but there was no classroom or school fence that could hold him. When covid hit, we didn't feel the school was properly supported, and we had to remove him as we felt he was unsafe. Eventually, he ended up in a specialist SEMH provision where he still managed to escape, and sadly as his time came to an end there, he experienced something so traumatic we felt the need to refer it to the police. Again, school was not a safe space, and was in fact traumatising. Today, he is starting to thrive at a specialist secondary unit. What support did he get? The provider of child mental health services within the NHS is CAMHS. He was referred to CAMHS repeatedly, and rejected repeatedly. He was eventually accepted after escalation, whilst at home and unable to access education. After a brief assessment, he was again discharged. The closing statement of his discharge letter is in the picture, and included: "We will be happy to consider re-referral in future once the function of his behaviours is better understood" - there were no other services that would understand him - CAMHS was our only route. That was the end of our NHS journey. We were fortunate to be able to pay for a private paediatric psychiatrist, and our child came away with 5 separate diagnosis, a prescription, and confidence that the appropriate time had been taken, and that the answer felt right. This prescription, and detailed understanding of our child has changed our lives. What would I Iike people to take away from this? 1) As leaders, please create a safe place for your employees to be honest about the challenges in their lives, and offer them all support and flexibility possible. We're all generally doing our best. 2) NHS mental health (and other) services are incredibly underfunded. I am desperate to see this properly addressed, so robust mental health support is not limited to a privileged few who can self fund. This is applicable to both the NHS, and to support available to schools. 3) If you see a child being "naughty", please try not to judge. We have no idea of the journey the child and parents have been on. 4) On a plane, you're instructed to put your own mask on first. Never be afraid to seek mental health support for yourself. #mentalhealth #neurodivergent #timetotalk #anxiety #autism

I want to believe that better reimbursement is coming for MN clinicians. At the same time, its likely too little, too late. According to NAMI, 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 youth experience mental health challenges each year. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10-14 year olds. The stigma associated with mental health keeps many from reaching out and even if they do the shortage of therapists is widespread. The truth may just be that we need a radical or downright obvious, approach because our healthcare system is inflexible and moves too slowly. I’m trying new things. How about you? #mentalhealthawareness #talkaboutmentalhealth #artwithpurpose #teachempathy #getoffyourphone #crochetyourstressaway

As we continue to navigate the complexities of mental health in the digital age, innovative solutions are more critical than ever. In this insightful Q&A, we delve into how Kooth Digital Health and Aetna Better Health® are making a significant impact by providing accessible, confidential, and effective youth mental health support. Discover the strategies, challenges, and future directions in this compelling conversation. Read the full article with Rushil Desai, CEO of Aetna Better Health of Illinois and Bob McCullough, VP of Clinical Strategy at Kooth Digital Health to learn more about supporting young people at their moment of need. https://lnkd.in/gCeaDV3c #MentalHealth #DigitalHealth #Innovation #Healthcare #Kooth #AetnaBetterHealth #MentalWellbeing

Unsuprisingly "...findings highlight the importance of early identification of and support for caregivers, including younger caregivers. This is important to break the cycle of caregiving and future care need." A REALLY important paper from Rebecca Lacey and colleagues showing mental health declines when becoming a carer, incl in young adulthood, particularly the case for those providing intense care and to someone in the household. https://lnkd.in/g4qBXBfe

A step in the right direction

ClickOrlando.com outlines how $2.5 billion in funding for mental health and substance abuse programs is set to be allocated. Click the article below to learn more about this allocation. #mentalillness #mentalhealth #substanceabuse

Heard this on the radio today and I have so many questions! Government funding for mental health in schools has 'ran out' so now the NHS is having to raid their own budget and pick up the slack with a "target" of 35% coverage across the country and reaching 26% of students who need support with their mental health. Great of the NHS to do this, but a target of 26%? What about the remaining 74% of the students that won't be seen or heard when they need help? The government should be figuring out a way for funding to increase that number rather than leaving it to the NHS School isn't always the best experience for young people and mental health issues can stem from these times, so surly more needs to be done to support young people that need it! If 100 of students fell and broke their leg, what percent of them would be treated? - 100% When these students sit their exams, What are they aiming to achieve - 100% So how is it acceptable that 74% of these same students are being left high and dry to figure it out if they're struggling mentally! Why? How is this ok? How many mental health cases or tragedies amongst students is it going to take for government to realise and react? #mentalhealth #schoolmentalhealth #backtoschool #governmentfunding #nhs