Mental Health Issues of Deafness & Hearing Loss
Deafness can impact on one's mental health in many ways. Some examples are:
- isolation and loneliness from lack of communication (this is more common for Deaf people living in isolated rural areas where there are not a lot of resources available for them).
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[Edit]1 Issues with Diagnosis
Without medical staff familiar with the effects of deafness upon an individual's perspective of the world around them, diagnosis of mental health issues can be quite difficult. Even with a skilled interpreter, if the clinician doesn't understand Deaf people, misdiagnoses are common.
Also, there is the issue of misdiagnosis of deaf people simply because of their deafness. That is, they present as having a mental illness, but in fact their deafness has led to a lack of education or socialisation, and there is no mental illness. Many Deaf people have been put away in mental institutions through misdiagnosis, and then often the institutions had no staff to communicate with the Deaf.
[Edit]2 Mental Health Services
[Edit]2.1 Specifically Deaf Services
[Edit]2.1.1 United Kingdom
- The National Centre for Mental Health and Deafness
(http://www.bstmht.nhs.uk/C1/Deaf%20Services/default.aspx)(Manchester)
Inpatient Facilities
- The John Demark Unit
Outpatient Services
- Outreach / Community Services
- Outpatient Services
- Social Work Service
- Psychology Services
- Therapy Services
- Training and Consultancy Services
- Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust (http://www.bsmht.nhs.uk/patient&carer/patient&carer2/DeafServices.htm)
Inpatient Facilities
- Denmark House - Edgbaston
This is a modern, self-contained building that is fully adapted for the needs of deaf people. It is a signing environment, with all of the staff trained in British Sign Language.
Outpatient Facilities
- Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital - Edgbaston
- Regional clinics in Bristol, Leicester, Nottingham, Northampton, Gloucester and Oxford.
- Home visits throughout the country.
- Denis Shilston House - Northfield.
Day services unit fully equipped for deaf people and a signing environment.
[Edit]2.1.2 United States
- National Deaf Academy (http://www.nationaldeafacademy.com/index.html)
[Edit]2.2 Generic Counselor Services
Online Counselling with Kasamba (http://www.kasamba.com).
