How to spot a liar, charlatan or 'used car salesman' in 60 seconds or less

Pinocchio, the character who lied so much his nose grew long

What your doctor won't tell you. What your government is hiding from you. These are clues to discovering in 60 seconds or less how to uncover a liar, a charlatan or quack or someone who just wants your money by creating anxiety you did not have before you started reading those first few words.

For it is often catch phrases, used over and over again, throughout an article, letter or post that are misleading you to the wrong conclusion and perhaps to a purchase as well.

Mental health care disparities increasing between rich and poor

[caption id="attachment_10938" align="alignleft" width="500"] Many homeless are mentally ill[/caption]

Carol Forsloff---A number of shooting incidents involving people who were, or are, mentally ill have again reminded people of the need to expand mental health evaluations and treatment; however, access to mental health care continues to lag far behind physical medicine.

And it is the poor who suffer the most, since 50% of psychiatrists refuse to take insurance, leaving many people with no alternative than to pay directly.  This is true despite the parity places on mental health care by the Affordable Care Act.  Many psychiatrists have opted out of taking insurance for mental illness.

The rich pay; the poor can't; and the problems related to mental health continue to grow, as frontline social service agencies continue to struggle with financial burdens following the recession.  In addition cuts in funding have created problems in having enough social workers available to meet the growing needs of the mentally ill.  More and more of these people end up on the streets or without services.  It is estimated that at least one-third of those living on the streets are mentally ill, and the numbers are growing, including those with severe illnesses such as schizophrenia.

A New Year's resolution to solve the problem of getting treatment for the mentally ill who can't afford private pay might be to increase funding for physician training with the recommendation that universities and hospitals promote psychiatry as a specialty, as fewer trained psychiatrists again reduces the possibility of people getting the mental health services they may need.  In addition, some psychiatrists may want to consider the importance of having a few more patients in the mix who have insurance and to treat these same people with the same level of care as the rich and famous.

Blog talk radio host calls attention to mental health problems and barriers

[caption id="attachment_11074" align="alignleft" width="300"] schizophrenic[/caption]

Marsha Hunt---According to the National Institute of Mental Health, (NIH) "Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older (about one in four adults) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Yet the stigma of mental illness remains a major barrier for folks to get help and be understood, and so some radio podcasts are changing that.

Mental disorders impact many people and are widespread, but the main burden of the illness is concentrated in about six percent of the population or one in 17 persons. Mental illness is the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada, and many people have more than one mental illness at a time. Many receive no help and find many obstacles when they try to get attention to their illness. "Lack of access to treatment and resources, stigma against those with mental illness, and an uninformed society compounds the dearth of quality treatment professionals who offer affordable or sliding-scale payment options," a mental health professional states.

She was 38 when she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was working as an associate of Salvador Dali, the great artist, as a sculptor. Her future looked bright as an artist, and she had many friends among the very educated and those who favored the arts. Her parents were wealthy Chinese who did not know how to manage a daughter with the illness, but offered money for her care. She first lived in a series of apartments until her attempts at suicide so frightened her family that she was placed in a care facility in a rural area where she had ample room and opportunity to be outside and not just locked away in a ward somewhere and could be involved with others in crafts and special activities. But it took many years and much effort for her to reach the attention of those who could really help her.

Journalist, Suzanne Marcus Fletcher, Anchor and Host of The Body Politic Radio show, on Blog Talk Radio and iTunes has put together a series that shines a light on the range of mental health problems. These can be downloaded or heard regularly over the Internet. It is a way to call attention to the great need and challenge of mental health problems and a way to support those who are trying to help the mentally ill receive kind support and attention.

Social Security disability hard to prove with mental illness

[caption id="attachment_16648" align="alignleft" width="300"] Virginia Woolf - renowned author with severe depression[/caption]

Gordon Matilla---Those with disabilities can apply for Social Security Disability payments so long as certain criteria are met, usually the inability to work and difficulty  performing certain tasks of everyday living.  But for those with mental illness proving a disability that impedes function is much more difficult than establishing a disability claim with a physical disability.

Given the fact that six percent of Americans struggle with mental illness according to the National Institute of Mental Health the problem of having mental illness more seriously questioned as a disability is an issue in helping people who can’t work or do ordinary daily tasks without help.  Mental illness is a common disability that include major depression, which is listed by NIMH as the most disabling of mental illnesses that impacts the most people, schizophrenia, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder,  obsessive compulsive disorder and autism.  There are also those who have other problems that can be treated with medication and therapy in order to minimize the conditions, such as eating disorders and attention deficit disorder; however mental illness in general has more barriers in terms of a patient’s ability to receive government assistance in the form of Social Security.

Attorneys point out how much harder it is to prove a mental than a physical disability.  That’s because the tests for confirming the problem interferes with function includes evaluations that examine social functioning, activities of daily living, concentration and other factors.

Proper documentation is very important to establish credibility.  It is also important to include records of treatment, laboratory results and any records of hospital stays.

Social Security disability has specific guidelines for meeting the criteria to receive disability payments.  The problem is, however, that those with mental illness fare less well in receiving them.

Mental illness and gun deaths: the devil is in the details

[caption id="attachment_4340" align="alignleft" width="640"] Guns non violence sculpture[/caption]

Carol Forsloff ---In the past 48 hours newspapers across the country have reported incidents of shootings, many of which have occurred during of domestic disputes during the past week.  So as public officials and ordinary citizens debate gun control and mental illness, how would mental illness be defined and under what conditions?

The following are just a few of the gun incidents that happened between family members during the past week, as reported by the nation's newspapers:

Steven R. Johnson, age 34, allegedly shot his wife, Manya,  to death, then dismembered her body and stashed the remains in a friend’s garage.  St Paul, Minnesota, according to the New York Daily News.

This past week in Kentucky police reported 68-year-old Tommie Summers shot and killed 67-year-old Linda Summers and their son, 38-year-old Brian Summers., then killed himself.

In Ravenden, Arkansas Robert Shouse was arrested and charged with attempted murder after shooting at his wife's car as he followed her vehicle down a rural road.

In Gardendale, Alabama:  54-year-old Dr. Terry Greer, a local pastor,  reportedly shot and killed his wife, 52-year-old Lisa Greer,

In Hayden, Idaho police reported that Daryl Clark shot and killed his wife, Tina,  leaving behind a young son.

In Dallas, Texas Ferdinand Smith allegedly shot and killed his wife, Karen,  as she was leaving work and is being held on a charge of murder.  He is also being held on a charge of felony family violence assault after being accused of previously attacking his wife in December.

In Circleville, Ohio a man was hospitalized after shooting at his wife.  He missed, then shot himself, but was lucid and talking at the hospital according to initial reports.

These were not mass shootings but rather the type of gun violence police often report around the nation.  Would these shooters be classified as mentally ill according to the discussions presently taking place about gun control, when these incidents constitute the bulk of the "non-criminal" shootings, i.e. gun deaths unrelated to any other crime?

The Southern Poverty Law Center has seen an uptick in the membership of hate groups, many of whom have been found to have stashes of weapons.  Would these people be classified as mentally ill?

Depression is the major mental illness around the world.  It constitutes a mental illness in the psychiatric categorization of mood disorders.  Would someone with a history of depression be among those restricted from having a gun under potential and existing gun laws?

While gun rights advocates point to mental illness and the media as critical areas of examination and restriction, the ambiguities in classifying  those mental illness as well as the fact that many gun deaths, unrelated to other crimes, occur between people who know each other offer complex questions for those anticipating changes in gun laws.

It is indeed the devil in the details that make the issue of gun control far more complex than simply restricting gun ownership of the mentally ill or those with criminal histories.