Search Results for: mental health mental health facts

Final Rules About What Health Plans Must Cover

This is exactly what many health insurance companies, and many families, have been waiting to hear. The Obama administration has issued the final rules that define the Essential Health Benefits that must be covered in all health plans, starting in 2014. Here is a quick look at what will be included. The Department of Health and Human Services has announced a final rule that defines what health insurance plans must cover. The rule applies to both individual plans and the small group markets. The purpose is to give consumers a consistent way to compare one health insurance plan with another. … Continue reading →

More Ways the New Health Insurance Rules Help You

The Department of Health and Human Services recently revealed details about new laws for health insurers. In a previous blog, pointed out how those laws help you and your family. In this blog, I go over more new rules, and how those are going to help your family with health insurance. The new rules make it clear that health insurance plans must cover items and services in a minimum of 10 categories that were defined by the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Each category is defined as “essential health benefits”. Those categories include: ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity … Continue reading →

Living with Dogs Might Improve Baby Health

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a real reason to keep our dogs around our babies? Some people are terrified of the idea, thinking that it’s dangerous to let dogs around small children. At first it’s best never to leave dogs alone with babies, to make sure the animals know to be gentle around them. However, we pet owners know that some dogs are great with babies. There have already been some studies about how being around dogs in the first year of infancy can help reduce the chances of a child later developing allergies to dogs, but what about … Continue reading →

Health Insurer Won’t Cover Woman’s Chronic Pain Treatment

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A woman in New Orleans, Louisiana, has suffered from chronic, and debilitating, headache pain her entire life. A brand new form of treatment has been discovered, and it is the first thing that has taken away her pain. Her health insurance refuses to cover it, which means she is being denied this important and effective treatment. Alicia Lissard – Easley has lived her entire life in terrible pain. She says it started when she was four years old. She recalls having headaches that were so painful that they caused her to throw up and to pass out. Imagine going through … Continue reading →

Governmental Funding

I just received a call from one of my friends who is concerned that her sister may have developed breast cancer and does not know what to do. The sister is unemployed and uninsured like so many American’s today should that be enough to worry about? Should she have to worry about affording a diagnostic mammogram? She went to a doctor who said well if you were my wife I would have you seen this week! Well we can send men into space but we cannot provide a potentially lifesaving test to everyone who needs it? Should a woman have … Continue reading →

The HPV Vaccine Does Not Cause “Mental Retardation”

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a statement that emphasizes that there is no scientific validity to the statement made by presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann in regards to the HPV vaccine. It does not, as the politician believes, cause “mental retardation”. Instead, it protects girls from cervical cancer. During a Republican presidential debate, Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann argued with Texas Governor Rick Perry about his executive order that mandated that all female students be vaccinated with the HPV vaccine. It is clear that she is against this particular vaccine. Her statements that night included: “To have innocent little 12-year-old … Continue reading →

Why Do People Care So Little about People with Mental Illness?

I hear some pretty sad stories in my work as a counselor, but the saddest ones are when the family and friends of an emotionally unwell person refuse to help or even try to understand. I know that the sufferer is not deserving of this treatment yet it is relatively common. Why? Because people are afraid of the unknown. The joke is that, if the friends and family were to educate themselves about their loved one’s plight, there would be little reason for fear. Even those people who will mock their family and friends for being “weak” have a modicum … Continue reading →

Bags of Rags and Mental Health

This is probably the strangest title for a mental health article I have written lately but the inspiration came from a home and garden warehouse catalog that was dumped in my mail box. I’m not big on perusing catalogs, especially those involving work, but this particular object for sale really popped out of the page for me. Apparently, for $7.50, I can buy a bag of rags. Marketed as Rags in Bags I looked at it, astounded that anyone would sell such an item, much less buy it. Being the psychologist, I was rather aghast at the ramifications of this … Continue reading →

Domestic Violence: 7 Facts to Be Aware Of

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I did a little research and with some help from outside sources like The National Domestic Violence Hotline, DomesticViolence.org, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Medline Plus in addition to articles referenced herein by other Families.com bloggers, I came up with a list of seven facts about domestic violence. 1. Domestic violence goes by other names. Such as partner abuse and spousal abuse. 2. You don’t have to be married to experience domestic violence. You don’t even necessarily need to be living with your partner to be involved in a domestic violence … Continue reading →

The Myths and Facts About Incest and Child Sexual Assault

October is Sexual Violence Awareness Month in Queensland, Australia. The theme of the month is “Stop Incest”. Before incest can be eradicated, we all need to have an understanding of the pervasive myths that prevent us from acknowledging the seriousness of this horrific crime that is perpetrated by family members or close family friends. MYTH – Children lie about incest. FACT– Both research and the experiences of those who work with sexually abused children have shown that children very rarely lie about incest. Statistics show that in 98% of cases children’s statements are found to be true (Dympna House Editorial/Writers … Continue reading →