Saturday, November 29, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Do Mother's Fully Understand How Daughters Identify With Body Image? Clinical Psychologist Explains The Parallels.
HuffPost: How Your Body Image Affects Your Daughter's Self-Esteem
By Dr. Margaret Rutherford / Clinical Psychologist, Mental Health / Midlife Blogger
Sometimes a post just hits a nerve.
Anne Parris' recent offering on Midlife Boulevard was that for me. It was about another Dove commercial. Highlighting the unintentional messages about body image that mothers give daughters. It's pretty shocking. Please. If you haven't seen the commercial, you need to.
It's called "Legacy".
The subject? Moms talking about what they liked and disliked about their bodies. Stating with assurance that they had only taught their daughters positive messages about their own. The daughters, interviewed separately, were asked the same questions. The result? The daughters mirrored their mothers' criticism of her body. Almost exactly.
The mothers' surprise and sadness was palpable. What they had honestly tried to prevent, they were creating in their daughters. Self-consciousness and even self-loathing.
I read it slowly. Appreciated Anne's frank words. Thought I would tuck away the message. Maybe ask my son if I had affected him somehow.
Instead, the video stuck with me. I mentioned it to patients, struggling with their own image.
What I got from my mom was just wrong.
"Ladies never eat everything on their plate". I left more bites of food than I like to think about.
"You have never looked better!", she once exclaimed. I was 21. I weighed 101 pounds, 25 pounds less that I weigh now. Had had double pneumonia. Twice.
"You really need to do something about yourself". My mother had sat me down. Expressed what would pass for condemnation. I had gained 12 pounds after being married for 1 year.
I promise, sadly enough, that I gave my parents lots of reasons to confront me.
This was the only time in my life she did so.
What effect did all this have?
Full-blown anorexia in college. Not allowing friends to visit before I got married because I had gained 3 pounds since I had seen them. Seeking diet pills in my later 20s that left me so hyped up, I felt like I was practically flying.
Starving before trips home. Knowing my body would be quietly assessed. Always putting on a false front.
Acting like none of this got to me.
My mom was caught in the same trapped thinking she taught me. Without a doubt, she did not mean to hurt me. She wanted me to feel attractive. Have wonderful self-esteem. Catch a man.
It's just sad.
After she died, many people said, "Your mother was so beautiful. Always so well-dressed".
If she just could have valued herself.
Read more: www.huffingtonpost.com
By Dr. Margaret Rutherford / Clinical Psychologist, Mental Health / Midlife Blogger
Sometimes a post just hits a nerve.
Anne Parris' recent offering on Midlife Boulevard was that for me. It was about another Dove commercial. Highlighting the unintentional messages about body image that mothers give daughters. It's pretty shocking. Please. If you haven't seen the commercial, you need to.
It's called "Legacy".
The subject? Moms talking about what they liked and disliked about their bodies. Stating with assurance that they had only taught their daughters positive messages about their own. The daughters, interviewed separately, were asked the same questions. The result? The daughters mirrored their mothers' criticism of her body. Almost exactly.
The mothers' surprise and sadness was palpable. What they had honestly tried to prevent, they were creating in their daughters. Self-consciousness and even self-loathing.
I read it slowly. Appreciated Anne's frank words. Thought I would tuck away the message. Maybe ask my son if I had affected him somehow.
Instead, the video stuck with me. I mentioned it to patients, struggling with their own image.
What I got from my mom was just wrong.
"Ladies never eat everything on their plate". I left more bites of food than I like to think about.
"You have never looked better!", she once exclaimed. I was 21. I weighed 101 pounds, 25 pounds less that I weigh now. Had had double pneumonia. Twice.
"You really need to do something about yourself". My mother had sat me down. Expressed what would pass for condemnation. I had gained 12 pounds after being married for 1 year.
I promise, sadly enough, that I gave my parents lots of reasons to confront me.
This was the only time in my life she did so.
What effect did all this have?
Full-blown anorexia in college. Not allowing friends to visit before I got married because I had gained 3 pounds since I had seen them. Seeking diet pills in my later 20s that left me so hyped up, I felt like I was practically flying.
Starving before trips home. Knowing my body would be quietly assessed. Always putting on a false front.
Acting like none of this got to me.
My mom was caught in the same trapped thinking she taught me. Without a doubt, she did not mean to hurt me. She wanted me to feel attractive. Have wonderful self-esteem. Catch a man.
It's just sad.
After she died, many people said, "Your mother was so beautiful. Always so well-dressed".
If she just could have valued herself.
Read more: www.huffingtonpost.com
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Virginia gets failing grade in human trafficking laws “We need to do better” says Fairfax County delegate
Virginia was recently given a near-failing grade for its human trafficking legislation by an international legislative watchdog group that also claims Virginia is the only state in the U.S. without a specific human trafficking law code.
Washington-based Shared Hope International’s Protected Innocence Challenge is a comprehensive study of existing state laws designed to combat human trafficking.
Under the challenge, every state receives a report card that grades it on 41 key legislative components in a state’s laws in order to effectively respond to the crime of domestic minor sex trafficking. In addition, each state receives a complete legislative analysis and practical recommendations for improvement.
The 2014 Protected Innocence Challenge report card, released Nov. 6, gives Virginia an overall grade of 62 out of 100, as well as a grade of “D” for its legislative initiatives toward battling human trafficking.
“This is the fourth year we’ve graded states on their laws against child sex trafficking. The first year, over half the nation failed,” said SHI spokesperson Taryn Offenbacher.
This year, the 56-page SHI report states that Virginia remains the only U.S. state without specific human trafficking code within its law books.
Read more: www.fairfaxtimes.com
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Mental Illness Should Not Be Punished As A Crime. There Is A Better Way.
Los Angeles D.A. Jackie Lacey Wants To Change The Way Police, Prosecutors Deal With Mentally Ill In Los Angeles
November 11, 2014, Scpr.org
The Los Angeles County criminal justice system – from police and prosecutors to judges and social workers – is failing to humanely and effectively deal with mentally ill people who commit crimes, according to a report District Attorney Jackie Lacey plans to deliver Wednesday.
The report, prepared by consultants with Policy Research Associates, Inc., calls for better training, coordination and resources to help the thousands of men and women who pass through the justice system each year.
L.A. County jails hold more than 18,000 people on any given night. An estimated 3,500 are mentally ill. Forty-three percent of them are African American, according to one study. (See the full report below).
The report comes as the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to impose reforms on the way the county treats mentally ill inmates. Lacey formally delivers her report to the Board of Supervisors Wednesday.
Too few police officers are adequately trained to de-escalate encounters with mentally ill people on the streets, the report says. In addition, there are insufficient resources for the county’s Psychiatric Mobile Response Teams.
Bottom line: It’s simply easier to take someone to jail than get them help.
“It is often more time efficient for law enforcement to book an individual into jail on a minor charge…rather than spend many hours waiting in a psychiatric emergency department for an individual to be seen,” the report says.
And while there are an estimated 1,800 hospital beds for psychiatric patients in L.A. County, “only a small percentage of those beds can actually be accessed by individuals who are uninsured.” Consultants collected much of their information during an all-day conference with law enforcement officials and social workers earlier this year.
The report describes a system in need of significant changes: In the jails, mentally ill people are receiving inadequate care. At the courthouse, prosecutors, judges and social workers often “lack alignment” when deciding whether its safe to divert someone from criminal prosecution into treatment.
Once someone is released from jail, there’s often no place to go for help. The Department of Mental Health “needs more resources to keep pace with the high volume of referrals and short time frames with which to link individuals to needed services.”
The report identifies five points at which the criminal justice system can divert a mentally ill person into treatment – starting with the moment of police contact. It recommends the Board of Supervisors fund more training for police officers and expand diversion programs. It also recommends creation of a resource center for “criminal justice/mental health technical assistance,” so the justice system can collect and share data on mentally ill offenders.
The report does not include budget recommendations, but mental health advocates have said treating mentally ill people will be cheaper in the long run than locking them up. The report acknowledges this.
“Alternatives to incarceration have gained momentum as a humane and cost effective strategy to reduce criminal justice costs, and improve access to needed services and support - without compromising public safety,” the report states.
“This is an excellent start,” said Peter Eliasberg, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. Other activists agreed.
“We think the report exposes tremendous suffering for mentally ill people,” said Marc-Anthony Johnson of Dignity and Power Now. The report also is further evidence the county should abandon plans to spend $2 billion to replace the aging Men’s Central Jail, he added.
“We think the Board of Supervisors should stop the $2 billion jail plan and move forward with a mental health diversion program that is comprehensive."
Source: www.scpr.org
The Los Angeles County criminal justice system – from police and prosecutors to judges and social workers – is failing to humanely and effectively deal with mentally ill people who commit crimes, according to a report District Attorney Jackie Lacey plans to deliver Wednesday.
The report, prepared by consultants with Policy Research Associates, Inc., calls for better training, coordination and resources to help the thousands of men and women who pass through the justice system each year.
L.A. County jails hold more than 18,000 people on any given night. An estimated 3,500 are mentally ill. Forty-three percent of them are African American, according to one study. (See the full report below).
The report comes as the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to impose reforms on the way the county treats mentally ill inmates. Lacey formally delivers her report to the Board of Supervisors Wednesday.
Too few police officers are adequately trained to de-escalate encounters with mentally ill people on the streets, the report says. In addition, there are insufficient resources for the county’s Psychiatric Mobile Response Teams.
Bottom line: It’s simply easier to take someone to jail than get them help.
“It is often more time efficient for law enforcement to book an individual into jail on a minor charge…rather than spend many hours waiting in a psychiatric emergency department for an individual to be seen,” the report says.
And while there are an estimated 1,800 hospital beds for psychiatric patients in L.A. County, “only a small percentage of those beds can actually be accessed by individuals who are uninsured.” Consultants collected much of their information during an all-day conference with law enforcement officials and social workers earlier this year.
The report describes a system in need of significant changes: In the jails, mentally ill people are receiving inadequate care. At the courthouse, prosecutors, judges and social workers often “lack alignment” when deciding whether its safe to divert someone from criminal prosecution into treatment.
Once someone is released from jail, there’s often no place to go for help. The Department of Mental Health “needs more resources to keep pace with the high volume of referrals and short time frames with which to link individuals to needed services.”
The report identifies five points at which the criminal justice system can divert a mentally ill person into treatment – starting with the moment of police contact. It recommends the Board of Supervisors fund more training for police officers and expand diversion programs. It also recommends creation of a resource center for “criminal justice/mental health technical assistance,” so the justice system can collect and share data on mentally ill offenders.
The report does not include budget recommendations, but mental health advocates have said treating mentally ill people will be cheaper in the long run than locking them up. The report acknowledges this.
“Alternatives to incarceration have gained momentum as a humane and cost effective strategy to reduce criminal justice costs, and improve access to needed services and support - without compromising public safety,” the report states.
“This is an excellent start,” said Peter Eliasberg, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. Other activists agreed.
“We think the report exposes tremendous suffering for mentally ill people,” said Marc-Anthony Johnson of Dignity and Power Now. The report also is further evidence the county should abandon plans to spend $2 billion to replace the aging Men’s Central Jail, he added.
“We think the Board of Supervisors should stop the $2 billion jail plan and move forward with a mental health diversion program that is comprehensive."
Source: www.scpr.org
Monday, November 10, 2014
Monday, November 3, 2014
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