Adult Mental Health
What is Mental Illness?
Mental Illness is not a choice. It is a disease of the brain that may cause disturbances in a person’s thinking, feeling, moods, and ability to relate to other people. It can reduce a person’s ability for coping with ordinary life struggles and place tremendous burdens on family members and loved ones. Common mental health diagnoses include depression, bipolar disorder (manic depression), schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. People of any age, race, or gender can be affected by mental illness. Please visit the National Association for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) or the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) websites to learn more.
Case Management for Adult Mental Health Services
Yellow Medicine County Family Services Adult Mental Health staff provide case management services to adults with serious and persistent mental illness in Yellow Medicine County. Assistance is given in obtaining mental health, social services, financial assistance, medical, legal, vocational, housing, and other services designed to assist individuals to remain in the community. Some programs may have income and documentation of disability requirements. Information and referral to appropriate resources is available by calling 320-564-221 and asking for a Social Service Intake Worker.
Mental Health Case Managers receive referrals from consumers, families, and friends of consumers, provider agencies, hospitals, medical clinics, mental health centers, Intensive Residential Treatment Services (IRTS), community individuals, and law enforcement. case managers are advocates for consumers and work to insure that the consumers are able to live their lives as independently as possible.
Eligibility:
An adult who has a mental illness and meets at least one of the following criteria:
· The adult has undergone 2 or more episodes of in-patient care for mental illness within the preceding 24 months
· The adult has experiences a continuous psychiatric hospitalization or residential treatment exceeding 6 months duration within the preceding 12 months
· The adult has been treated by a crisis team 2 or more times within the preceding 24 months
· The adult:
o Has a diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, or Borderline Personality Disorder;
o Indicates a significant impairment in function; AND
o Has a written opinion from a mental health professional, in the last three years, stating that the adult is reasonably likely to have future episodes requiring in-patient or residential treatment, unless on-going case management or community support services provided.
· The consumer has, in the last three years, been committed as a person who is mentally ill and whose commitment has been stayed or continued
Pre-Petition Screening for Commitment
When a person has behaviors which are threatening to themselves or others as a result of their mental illness, chemical dependency, or developmental disability, Yellow Medicine County Family Services may be asked to assist. Preparation of a pre-petition screening report is submitted to the County Attorney’s Office with a recommendation for various options of treatment and/or intervention. See Minnesota Statute 253B for more information.
To make a referral for services, call 320-564-2211 and ask to speak to the intake worker for Social Services.
Southwestern Minnesota Adult Mental Health Consortium monthly meetings are held the 2nd Friday of the month starting at 9:30a.m. The following is a list of dates for 2021:
January 8th
February 12th
March 12th
April 9th
May 14th
June 11th
July 9th
August 13th
September 10th
October 8th – Annual Meeting
November 12th
December 10th
If you would like more information on SMAMHC meetings contact Kimberly Holm at Kimberly.holm@smamhc.com