Social Work Memes

CURRENT EXCITEMENT LEVEL: 

Depression is the most prevalent disability found in the workplace. Each year, mental illness costs more than $193 billion in lost earnings. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for American adults and the SECOND leading cause for teens and young adults. Opioid overdose kills more people each year than car accidents.

The consequences of not treating mental health and substance use disorders are clear. But there’s hope.

By educating others that these are illnesses, not choices, we can change stigma. We can reach out to local, state, and federal policy makers, urging them to support and enhance laws and regulations that support people with mental illness and addiction.

To quote Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, a founding member of Run-D.M.C.: “This goes to the politicians, the government, social workers, teachers, doctors, insurance agencies: If we remove the guilt and shame, we remove the pain. If we deal with the way people feel, they can heal.”

The DOJ is threatening disciplinary action if this non-profit continues to help immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Some background information: One has NO right to counsel in immigration proceedings. That means you can be removed from your home, jailed, deported, etc. without ever seeing a lawyer. It’s 100% legal and totally common, so these lawyers work for free to ensure millions get the representation they deserve. The NWIRP represents children and refugees in immigration and asylum proceedings for free and they are one of thousands around the country. 

Here’s an explanation to why the DOJ is issuing this cease and desist:

“The accusation is that because NWIRP provides advice and assistance to people in immigration proceedings without committing to full representation, it is violating the rules.

It’s a Kafkaesque system: The government won’t provide immigrant defendants with legal representation, and they are allowed to get help for free only if they find a lawyer who will commit up-front to a case that will stretch on for years. Otherwise, they’re not allowed to have any help at all, are required to submit complex legal documents with no assistance, and lawyers who try to help them will be sanctioned.

Precisely because this would be a cruel and absurd result, NWIRP and its peers around the country have had longstanding agreements with immigration officials that permit them to run asylum-assistance programs without committing to permanent representation. Attacking them now is a shockingly cynical move, akin to sanctioning an emergency-room doctor for sewing up a bleeding patient without first promising to be their doctor for life.

 NWIRP doesn’t know why it was singled out. But we do know that NWIRP has been at the forefront of resisting Trump’s travel ban. Its staff and volunteer lawyers were at SeaTac airport immediately after the White House launched the first Muslim ban, and in March it sued to block the second Muslim ban.

And NWIRP isn’t alone; its nonprofit counterparts did the same at airports around the country, leveraging law-school clinics and large-firm lawyers working pro bono. The DoJ’s suspiciously timed cease and desist letter sends a chilling message to exactly these groups, and to volunteer attorneys. This attack by the government on a legal services-provider for immigrants could dissuade law firms from letting their lawyers volunteer for these cases, scaring those firms away by convincing them that immigration-related projects are too risky pro-bono projects.”

The NWIRP has successfully been granted a restraining order, so right now they are still able to help immigrants who need legal advice but their work is at risk. They are now filing a lawsuit to defend itself from the move, the move that will set precedent to other non-profits who do similar work.   

If you would like to support them you can join them as a volunteer or donate. 

You can also follow regular updates on what they’re doing and the case against the DOJ on their Facebook and Twitter.  

The Devil whispered in my ear, “You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm.”

Today I whispered in the Devil’s ear, “I am the storm.”

We’re taking questions about social media & mental health

As researchers and advocacy groups examine the impact of social media usage on mental health, they are discovering both positives and negatives. While social media fosters community and allows people to connect in ways that are possible only because of the Internet, social media can also come with risks– bullying, harassment, and language of hate. This Tumblr Issue Time discussion brings together panelists from media, advocacy, and healthcare to discuss the relationship between social media and mental health, explore the positive effects it has on community, and examine solutions for how you might mitigate or address some of the negative risks. 

Our panelists will answer your questions in an Issue Time right here on @postitforward on Tuesday, May 30th. Ask anything you’d like. 

The Ask box is open now!

You can read more about our panelists after the jump,