city government

Cecile Tebo: The return of the nightmare

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Monsters
Ones that creep, crawl and cry,
Ones that howl, hurt and terrify,
Ones that live in the deep dark hole
That feed on your flesh, as well as your soul. People tell me they aren’t real,
But I greatly disagree,
For monsters who hurt and cause so much pain
Aren’t always ones with horns and fangs. Yet they are the ones that creep and lie,
That destroys, hurt and terrify
They live in the holes of our depression
And they consume our souls; a monsters impression. — Tiane Marie Oliver

This poem was written by a 13-year-old girl who has suffered greatly with depression since Hurricane Katrina and read aloud by her mother at the conclusion of the most recent City Council mental health committee meeting. On the panel that day were those who govern our mental health care discussing the impending closure of emergency and acute mental health services at the LSU Interim Hospital as a means of balancing their recent budget.

crime

Cecile Tebo: Stop the madness

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For almost three years post-Katrina, virtually no psychiatric beds were available, and the suicide rate surpassed three times the national average as horrific crimes occurred involving people with untreated mental illness. Our city cannot go back to this.

health

Cecile Tebo: Last call for service

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My last call for service before leaving my post with the NOPD Crisis Unit was a 24-year-old hanging from the rafters of his apartment, a clear and tragic sign that my advocacy work with the mentally ill was far from over.

health

Cecile Tebo: Last call for service

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My last call for service before leaving my post with the NOPD Crisis Unit was a 24-year-old hanging from the rafters of his apartment, a clear and tragic sign that my advocacy work with the mentally ill was far from over.

opinion

Cecile Tebo: Lessons from a stranger

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One of my favorite books is “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” by Mitch Albom. The main character, Eddie, shares his post-death experience with the first five people he meets in Heaven. Several of those people Eddie had passed in life, unaware how his presence affected their lives on Earth. I think about this often in my daily trek through life. We often equate ourselves to our friends and acquaintances, not really paying much attention to the strangers who also pass our way and how our presence affects their lives.

health

Cecile Tebo: Beating the holiday blues

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for many, the holidays can cause a great deal of anxiety, stress and depression. Several of the more common reasons for this include financial stress, broken relationships, family issues and a known medical condition, Seasonal Affective Disorder.

city government

Cecile Tebo: The birth of violence

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Unfortunately, violence in New Orleans is once again a national conversation du jour. But where does violence come from? The birth of violence seems to have two very distinctive pathways. The first is cognitive violence, violence that is premeditated with a distinctive plan. For example, you have a bike.