Carol Anne Costa : Carpe Diem

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Carol Anne Costa, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

As we stand a mere stone’s throw away from the September primary, political camps continue to tighten their ranks, protect their flanks, and proceed with angst, it is August after all. While I was ready to comment on the recent flurry of political ads I refer to as “adWars,” my attention shifted abruptly when the funny, talented, and beloved actor Robin Williams took his own life. At that moment, the politics of the day took an immediate backseat. The news of his passing shifted my attention from local, domestic, and foreign politics, to the politics of mental illness, substance abuse, our fantastically callous dissemination of prescription drugs, and how we, as a nation, treat these devastating conditions. Perhaps the recent news will provide a momentary examination of when politics, policies, and public health collide.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. Each year 339,000 Americans take their own lives. Another 487,000 people present to health facilities for self inflicted wounds. My good friend and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Rita Martin expressed the problems in the field with this: “I have worked in mental health for over 40 years and have witnessed positive changes but many more negative changes. We have more medicine available, but insurers control what medicine practitioners can order. It is not unusual to wait 3-6 months for a psychiatric appointment.” The stress many people find themselves battling arises from a plethora of circumstances, including but not limited to; financial problems, unemployment, trauma and loss, a shredded support system, bullying, hate, domestic violence, intolerance, homelessness, depression, substance abuse, rape, assault, PTSD, war and heredity. Given the state of the economy, the paralysis of our elected officials, our overwhelmed health care system, easy access to guns and illicit and prescription drugs. Are we prepared to seize the day and the issues and make our policies match our grief?   

Here we go again...

Belushi, Chris Farley, Whitney Houston, etc… It was only February when the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman turned our miniscule attention span to the opioid problem evolving on our streets. To a degree, we have learned and are paying more attention to the crisis by making Narcan more available on the streets. But, the root causes still haunt the public health officials who desperately need resources to battle the root of the problem, which I contend rests with the economic realities facing people every day. And, now it is time to reexamine, if only for a brief moment, the policies, practices, and national response to suicide and mental illness, including facing taboos, delivering education and resources, and rejecting the continual diminution of funding for mental health issues. The 113th Congress saw the Introduction of the SPRINT Act, an act in order to provide funding to the National Institute of Mental Health to support suicide prevention and brain research, including funding for the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. The bill was referred to committee on Feb 24, 2014 and there it languishes. But, what is worse - its prognosis; according to Government Tracker it has a four percent chance of getting past committee and a one percent chance of being enacted. So, as we mourn, feel sad and lament a lost treasure, once again, we do not put our money where our mouth is - funding for mental health and programs to combat depression, addiction and suicide.

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Oh Captain, my Captain

I don't know about you, but I am quite ready to stand on my desk and be heard. The change of policies begins and ends with us as citizens. We can bitch and moan, and we do that so very well. But, at the end of the day the questions remain in general; do we run for office? Do we attend public meetings? Do we hold our elected officials accountable? Not so much. It was John Keating, Williams’ character in “The Dead Poets Society” who correctly channeled the spirit that founded this country, "No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."  It was Keating who pushed those boys, “Carpe diem! Seize the day, boys! Make your lives extraordinary!” To which I reply, “Thank you, Mr. Keating.”

Carol Costa is a public relations and community outreach specialist; she has experience in both the public and private sectors. She is the Chairwoman of the Scituate Democratic Town Committee and has extensive community affairs and public relations experience. She previously served in the Rhode Island Judiciary for nearly 17 years. Carol also enjoyed a successful development stint at the Diocese of Providence as Associate Director for Catholic Education and is currently a public housing manager. Her work has been published in several local outlets including GoLocal, Valley Breeze, The Rhode Island Catholic, and Currents Magazine.

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