14 September 2020
Jay Fram Joe Yancey {says|states} most behavioral health {disorders|conditions} are the {result|outcome} of {unidentified|unknown} {trauma|injury}.
{To {treat|deal with} {mental illness|mental disorder} at the source, he {says|states}, {collective|cumulative} {community|neighborhood} {trauma|injury} {must|should|need to} be {addressed|dealt with|attended to|resolved} {first|initially}.|To {treat|deal with} {mental|psychological} {illness|disease|health problem} at the source, he {says|states}, {collective|cumulative} {community|neighborhood} {trauma|injury} {must|should|need to} be {addressed|dealt with|attended to|resolved}.} When Joe Yancey {began|started} working for the St. Louis {nonprofit|not-for-profit} Places for {People|Individuals} in 1978, behavioral health {providers|service providers|companies|suppliers} were still {helping|assisting} {people|individuals} {move out of|vacate} state-run psychiatric {facilities|centers}, the default {option|choice|alternative} for {treating|dealing with} {people|individuals} with {serious|major|severe} {mental illness|mental disorder}.
“We were {pretty much|practically|basically} on the tail end of what {has|has actually} been called deinstitutionalization, where states {across|throughout} the {country|nation} were {releasing|launching} {people|individuals} from these {large|big} {institutions|organizations},” Yancey {said|stated}.
In the {decades|years} after {institutions|organizations} were shuttered, evidence-based treatment {models|designs} and the {introduction|intro} of {new|brand-new} medications continued to {transform|change} {best|finest} practices for {mental|psychological} {health care|healthcare}. And {people|individuals} {suffering from|struggling with|experiencing} {mental illness|mental disorder} {began|started} to {seize|take} control of their own treatment. Yancey {referred to|described} this shift in {thinking|believing} as “the {Consumer|Customer} {Movement|Motion}.”
“{People|Individuals} that {had|had actually} {dealt with|handled} their {mental illness|mental disorder} {for years|for many years|for several years} {started|begun} to {basically|essentially|generally} {rise up|rise} and {say|state}, ‘Wait a minute– {nothing|absolutely nothing} about us without us,'” he {said|stated}. “We {want|desire} a life {just like|much like|similar to} {anybody|anyone|any person} else that has any other {type of|kind of} {chronic|persistent} {illness|disease|health problem}.'”
The {movement|motion} {proved|showed} a game-changer for a system that {previously|formerly} saw {mental illness|mental disorder} as a barrier to {building|developing|constructing} a life and having relationships and {a career|a profession}, Yancey {said|stated}.
{During|Throughout} his more than 40 years in the field, Yancey worked to {help|assist} those with {mental illness|mental disorder} {receive|get} the treatment and {support|assistance} they {need|require}. He retired last month as Places for {People|Individuals}’s CEO.
He {reflected on|assessed|reviewed} his time with the {organization|company} on Monday’s St. Louis on the Air, {emphasizing|highlighting|stressing} that while we{‘ve| have actually} come a long {way|method} from the days of institutionalization, society {needs|requires} to {better|much better} {prioritize|focus on} {mental|psychological} health treatment.
“We are still in {a very|an extremely|a really} {novice|beginner|newbie|amateur} {stage|phase} in regard to behavioral health, {which includes|that includes} {mental|psychological} health {disorders|conditions} {as well as|in addition to|along with} {substance abuse|drug abuse} {disorders|conditions},” he {said|stated}. “Behavioral health [and] {mental|psychological} {health care|healthcare} {has|has actually} {always|constantly} been subservient to physical {health care|healthcare}, both in {terms of|regards to} resources, in {terms of|regards to} parity around {insurance|insurance coverage}, in {terms of|regards to} {access|gain access to}, in {terms of|regards to} {so many|a lot of|many|numerous} things. And part of our {fight|battle} is … to bring behavioral health {up to|as much as|approximately} that {same|exact same|very same} level. {Frankly|Honestly}, I {believe|think} it is {more important|more crucial|more vital}.”
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and {the people|individuals} who live, {work and {create|produce|develop}|{create|produce|develop} and work} in our {region|area}. The {show|program} is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
Source: news.stlpublicradio.org