9 SEPTEMBER 2018 BODY OF CHRIST NEWS I have been a member of KCCC for over 10years now. There has been a tremendous change in my life since I started worshipping and serving in KCCC. Bishop ISRAEL has been my spiritual father, guardian, mentor and his prophetic teachings has elevated my life in every positive way which I will always be grateful to him and Our Good Lord Jehovah Elohim. My entire life as a member of KCCC has been a testimony and I have been so blessed through Bishop Israel’s Ministry. I conceived and delivered my precious baby girl SOMMA after ten years of marriage. I got my Green Card and became an American Citizen after seven years in the United States.This is just a few out of a hundred of my testimonial life as a KCCC member. I pray that Our Good Lord will bless, shield, protect and continue to shine his light upon him as more people will be blessed through Bishop Israel Ade-Ajala’s Ministry. The Issue of Mental Health: A Historical Summary It is GREAT to be back sharing with inspirational insights. Some of you may recall I wrote for the Body of Christ a while ago. It has always been an inspiration to me and to the Denver metropolitan community and other locations. While it is my intention to share with you through this venue for a long while, I will begin with a series addressing an exponentially important issue, Mental Health. Everyone is speaking about this issue and defining it as an individual, family, community, and public policy crisis. The purpose of this series is to understand the crisis and explore solutions….So let’s begin with the his- tory of the issue. Many people ask the rhetorical ques- tion, when did mental health become a crisis. This question makes sense when we are not aware that this issue did not evolve over night. Believe it or not, it has been in the making for more than 70 years. It began in the mid-forties under the administration of President Harry Truman who signed the national men- tal Health Act which called for the establishment of the National Institute of Mental Health, formerly established on April 15, 1949. Through the National Mental Health Act and the NIMH, a new form of diag- nosis and treatment was created to better help those facing mental health problems. It was championed by some draftees and veterans and their families in response to the poor mental health services provided to individu- als who served their country suffering PTSD of WWII. Because of the legislation, new psy- chotropic drugs were established, and psychiatry emerged as a viable option in the medical field. This was the beginning of the institutionalization of mental health. While advances were made, the issue of warehousing those suffering from mental illness became a rallying point. Deinstitutionalization began in the 1960’s. While psychotropic drugs were helpful in managing challenging behavior, many patients existed in a zombie like state, also suffering loboto- mies, and electronic shock treatments that were often deemed inhumane. This issue was publicized through the book “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” by Ken Kesey, 1962 and was produced into a move in 1975 starring Jack Nicholson. AN ASIDE: Have you ever wondered why this title referred to the mentally ill? One aspect is found in the fact that the Cuckoo bird does not even create a nest. It lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. To even refer to a Cuckoo nest would be absolutely in error. The actual term comes from the rhyme, which is part of a nursery rhyme about three geese that left their flock, “one flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo's nest”. Some say the book motivated the establishment of the Community Mental Health Act in 1963. This was during the Kennedy Administration and was championed by President Kennedy. Perhaps the book had an impact, perhaps the plight of the president’s sister who was mentally ill had an impact. Perhaps they both had an impact. The movement also gained momen- tum through then, Governor Ronald Reagan who it is believed, in the 1960's he "closed down" the state's mental hospitals. This is the genesis of the deinstitutionalization of mental health. The final leg of deinstitutionalization was the establishment of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 (MHSA), signed by President Jimmy Carter. The sentiment against mental health institutions and the reprogramming of funds from these institutions to com- munity-based facilities was the anoth- er factor contributing to the deinstitu- tionalization of mental health. Finally, around 1988, two differ- ent policies established autonomy of choice to receive mental health and the public re-appropriation of funds to community-based institutions. These factors resulted in mentally challenged individuals not having a place to be. As a result, the mentally challenged/ill have been marginalized and criminalized. This is genesis of the crisis. Now that we have history we will continue the topic exploration detail- ing issues, and what we can do as a community. By Marjorie B. Lewis, Ph.D., D. Min. HEALTH Marjorie B. Lewis Because of the legislation, new psychotropic drugs were established, and psychiatry emerged as a viable option in the medical field. This was the beginning of the institutionalization of mental health.