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NAMI COBB
NAMI Cobb
2016 Leadership Team
President / Communications
Greg Ausham
2nd Vice-President / Outreach
Linda Akanbi [email protected]
Secretary - Nancy Spetnagel
Treasurer and Parliamentarian–
Paul Wiser [email protected]
Membership Chair—Robert Gray
Advocacy Chair—Sylvia Oliphant
CIT/Newsletter Editor – John Avery
Website Management Chair: Tim Link
Fundraising Chair—Reina Panataleon
Past President—Neill Blake
Website: www.namicobb.org
Email: [email protected]
Mailing address:
NAMI-Cobb
P.O. Box 999
Kennesaw, GA 30156
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E
1 Monthly Meeting Announcement/Info
2 NAMIWalks Info
3 Education Series Speaker Mark A. Dannenfelser, LPC
4 NAMI Cobb Activities
5 More NAMI Cobb in the News
6 The Hidden Harms of Antidepressants
7 How to Spot and Manage Adult ADHD Symptoms
10 Suicide Trend on the Rise
12 Meeting and Membership Information
Newsletter Date Volume 1 Issue 1 September 2016 FRESH
START
Education Meeting / Speaker’s Bureau
Next meeting will be September 15, 2016
7-9 p.m. Turner Chapel Room 187
492 N. Marietta Pkwy, Marietta 30060
Mark A. Dannenfelser, LPC
Psychotherapist and Founding Director of
the Mindfulness Center of Atlanta The mission of the Mindfulness Center of Atlanta is to
increase the well-being and healing of those experiencing
stress and psychological distress, as well as to increase
optimal functioning in the areas of healthcare, education and
work, using evidence-based, integrative, mind-body practices,
offered through training courses, intensive retreats,
introductory workshops and counseling.
Page 2 Fresh Start
Every journey begins with that first step! As NAMIWalks celebrates our 13th Anniversary in 2016, we are
proud to be the largest and most successful mental health awareness and fundraising event in America! Through
NAMIWalks public, active display of support for people affected by mental illness, we are changing how
Americans view persons with a mental illness. This is leading to ensuring that help and hope are available for
those in need. Please join us as we improve lives and our community’s one step at a time be sure to join us on
Facebook to connect with others across the country.
Join NAMI COBB STIGMA BUSTERS reach our $10,000.00 annual goal for the upcoming NAMI WALK 2016
http://www.namiwalks.org/team/STIGMABUSTERSGA
Signups are being taken now on the NAMI Cobb website www.naicob.org
Please mail Matching Gifts and Offline Donations to:
NAMI Georgia for NAMI COBB STIGMA BUSTERS
3180 Presidential Drive, Ste. A
Atlanta, Georgia 30340
Register ONLINE: https://securewalks.nami.org/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?TeamID=620471#&panel1-1
'LIKE' NAMI COBB GEORGIA on Facebook for updates.
Fresh Start Page 3
Mark A. Dannenfelser, LPC
Psychotherapist and Founding Director of
the Mindfulness Center of Atlanta
Mark Dannenfelser is a licensed professional counselor, specializing in the treatment of post-traumatic stress
disorder, chronic stress, anxiety and depression. He is adjunct lecturer in the graduate division of theology at
Spring Hill College. Mark is founding director of the Mindfulness Center of Atlanta. The mission of the
Mindfulness Center of Atlanta is to increase well-being and healing, as well as to increase optimal functioning
in the areas of health, education and work, using evidence based, mind-body practices, offered through training
courses, retreats and counseling.
Mark will speak to us about mental illness, mental health, self-care and the integration of mindfulness in treatment,
quality of life and healing entitled: “Mindfulness and Mental Health”
Thursday, August 18, 2016
7-9 p.m. Turner Chapel Room 187
492 N. Marietta Pkwy, Marietta 30060
Page 4 Fresh Start
NAMI Cobb Activities
NAMI Connections Weekly Support Group
Our NAMI Connections Support Group for persons with a mental health diagnosis continues to meet every Monday from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in Room 231 at First Presbyterian Church located at 189 Church Street in Marietta. We have a good core group of people who are committed to living in wellness - please come join this drop-in group any Monday or every Monday! Contact Paul Miner: [email protected] for more information.
Family Care & Share Weekly Support Group
Our Family Care and Share Support Group is a drop-in group for family members and caregivers for someone with a mental health diagnosis. The group meets every Monday from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in Room 232 at First Presbyterian Church, 189 Church St in Marietta. If your family member is in crisis, come any or every Monday to receive support from others. And if your family member is doing well, please come to give your support and share your experiences with others! Contact Greg Ausham at 330-801-0328, Susie Allen at 770-565-4335 or Sylvia Oliphant 678-471-5907 for more information.
ETS PROGRAM COORDINATOR REPORT SUBMITTED BY TIFFANY M. WELCH
NAMI Cobb presented their “Ending The Silence” program on
Sept. 2 via health classes to over 300 students at Hillgrove High
School in Powder Springs, GA. Ending The Silence is a program
created to bring about an awareness of mental health conditions
in teenagers and to remove the stigma often associated with
mental illness. Students were provided information and
resources on what to do if they or someone they knew had a
mental illness. The presentations were well received and NAMI
Cobb has been asked to offer the presentation again next
semester for the new health classes.
NAMI Homefront
Our NAMI Cobb Homefront Facilitator John Avery, co-facilitated the first Homefront class as Ft
McPherson VA Medical clinic, with fellow Homefront co-facilitator Anees Shahid .
Fresh Start Page 5
Sonny’s Random Acts of BBQ Winner NAMI Cobb Volunteer
Allen Spetnagel
Making the world a better place one delicious deed at a time. We believe in giving back to the communities we serve. One way we do this is through Random Acts of BBQ—an unexpected recognition of people who spark the spirit of BBQ in our communities. At Sonny’s, we call that spreading the spirit of BBQ. So, please join us in surprising these sparks in our community with a BBQ feast that not only fills their stomach but also their soul. Allen enjoyed a BBQ feast with friends and family in recognition of his tireless volunteer work.
August Educational Meeting A large group of NAMI Cobb members were in attendance to hear Tiffany Welch speak about Mobile Crisis Teams.
Cobb County Veteran’s Court
Cobb County had a ceremony for recent graduates of
the Veteran’s Court Diversion Program. The 7 graduates
were recognized for their completion of an 18 month
program designed for future success. The jury room at the
Cobb County Superior Court was full of past graduates,
mentors, dignitaries, families and friends. Many of these
graduates have battled addictive diseases and mental health
challenges to achieve that goal od graduating
Page 6 Fresh Start
The Hidden Harms of Antidepressants Data about the true risks of suicide and aggression for children and teens taking these
drugs have been suppressed
By Diana Kwon on May 1, 2016
More than one in 10 Americans older than 12 takes antidepressants, according to a 2011 report by the National Center for Health Statistics. A significant but unknown number of children younger than 12 take them, too. Although most such drugs are not approved for young children, doctors have prescribed them off-label for years because they have been thought to have relatively mild side effects. Yet recent reports have revealed that important data about the safety of these drugs—especially their risks for children and adolescents—have been withheld from the medical community and the public. In the latest and most comprehensive analysis, published in January in the BMJ, researchers at the Nordic Cochrane Center in Copenhagen showed that pharmaceutical companies have not been revealing the full extent of serious harm in clinical study reports, which are detailed documents sent to regulatory authorities such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) when applying for approval of a new drug. The researchers examined reports from 70 double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of two common categories of antidepressants—selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)—and found that the occurrence of suicidal thoughts and aggressive behavior doubled in children and adolescents who used these drugs. The investigators discovered that some of the most revealing information was buried in appendices where individual patient outcomes are listed. For example, they found clear instances of suicidal thinking that had been passed off as “emotional lability” or “worsening depression” in the report itself. This information, however, was available for only 32 out of the 70 trials. “We found that a lot of the appendices were often only available on request to the authorities, and the authorities had never requested them,” says Tarang Sharma, a Ph.D. student at Cochrane and lead author of the study. “I'm actually kind of scared about how bad the actual situation would be if we had the complete data.” This study “confirms that the full degree of harm of antidepressants is not reported,” says Joanna Moncrieff, a psychiatrist and researcher at University College London who was not involved in the study. “[These harms] are not reported in the published literature—we know that—and it appears that they are not properly reported in clinical study reports that go to the regulators and form the basis of decisions about licensing.” The researchers struggled for many years to get access to the clinical trial reports, which are often withheld under the guise of commercial confidentiality. “All this secrecy actually costs human lives,” says Peter Gøtzsche, a clinician researcher at Cochrane and a co-author of the recent study. Eventually the EMA provided access after being publicly accused of mismanagement, but in the U.S. these documents remain inaccessible. “It's deeply unethical when patients volunteer to benefit science, and then we let drug companies decide that we cannot get access to the raw data,” Gøtzsche says. “The testing of drugs should be a public enterprise.” The fact that antidepressants may cause suicidal ideation has been shown before, and in 2004 the FDA gave these drugs a black box warning—a label reserved for the most serious hazards. The EMA has issued similar alerts. There are no labels about risks for aggression, however. Although hints about hostile behavior existed in case studies, the BMJ study was the first large-scale work to demonstrate an increase in aggressive behavior in children and adolescents. “This is obviously important in the debate about school shootings in the [U.S.] and in other places where the perpetrators are frequently taking antidepressants,” Moncrieff says. Taken together with other research—including studies that suggest antidepressants are only marginally better than placebos—some experts say it is time to reevaluate the widespread use of these drugs. “My view is that we really don't have good enough evidence that antidepressants are effective, and we have increasing evidence that they can be harmful,” Moncrieff says. “So we need to stop this increasing trend of prescribing them.”
This article was originally published with the title "The Hidden Harms of Antidepressants"
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-hidden-harms-of-antidepressants/
Fresh Start Page 7
How to Spot and Manage Adult ADHD Symptoms By Jennifer Oldham, Special to Lifescript
Published March 12, 2016
Nearly 5% of American adults struggle with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – but many don’t know that’s
the reason for their restlessness, difficulty completing tasks and frequent mood swings. We asked an expert about recent
research on adult ADHD symptoms, how they change with age, and which treatments will help you get through your daily
activities…
Nearly all (over 99%) of adults with ADHD developed it by age 16. This chronic disorder doesn’t go away with age, and
there are no periods of remission. But researchers are just beginning to understand the symptoms of adult ADHD, which
are markedly different from those affecting children.
“By adulthood, hyperactivity is pretty much gone,” says Russell Barkley, Ph.D., clinical professor of psychiatry at the
Medical University of South Carolina and an ADHD specialist.
“Some people feel an inner restlessness, but they aren’t climbing on furniture or sliding down banisters,” Barkley says.
After studying thousands of adults with the disorder, experts recently rewrote rating scales designed to help practitioners
better diagnose and treat the condition.In this exclusive interview, Barkley – who has written numerous books on ADHD,
including Taking Charge of Adult ADHD and ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says (both Guilford Press) – shares
insights from his recent research.
Many people assume ADHD is a children’s condition. How does that affect adults who have it? We’ve surveyed thousands of adults, and only 10% of them have ever been diagnosed and treated for ADHD.
Some were in treatment for another disorder. Symptoms of adult ADHD overlap with a few other conditions, such as
bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder.
Why are so many people with ADHD misdiagnosed? Many physicians don’t know that adults can have ADHD. It was previously believed that children outgrew it.
But in the last few years, organizations like CHADD [Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder], pharmaceutical companies and authors have made strides in acquainting the public and our colleagues with
adult ADHD.What’s wrong with the tests currently used to diagnose adults with ADHD?
The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-V criteria (known as the DSM) are based on a
set of 18 symptoms, but they were designed for children.
How do adult ADHD symptoms differ from what kids experience? At its core, ADHD is a disorder of impulse control. Adults with ADHD were impulsive as kids and continue to be that
way in what they say, do and feel. They don’t think about future consequences.
They have great difficulties with time management and organizing themselves. They misjudge the passage of time,
believing it’s moving more slowly. That leads them to feel they have more time than other people do, so they end up
wasting a lot of it and procrastinating.
They’re also often inflexible. An ability to reprioritize on the fly and shift to whatever is important at the moment is
difficult. Whenever they get involved in an enjoyable activity, they find it difficult to get away from. Or they’ll quit if
there’s no immediate payoff for what they’re about to do.
Page 8 Fresh Start
How do those symptoms affect their lives? People with ADHD are chronically late for work, appointments and dates.
They can’t sustain a relationship for more than three months; their cars get repossessed; and they often can’t keep a job.
Time management is the single biggest predictor of your career success – not your IQ.Do symptoms of adult ADHD
differ by gender? ADHD is just as common in women as in men, with the same symptoms. The differences have to do with their roles.
A stay-at-home mom may report more impairment in child-rearing, while men and women who pursue careers and don’t
have children, or aren’t the primary caregiver, report more problems at the office.
In the normal population, women are more likely to mention depression and anxiety, and men more likely to report drug
use and risk-taking. That’s also true with adult ADHD.
Do adult ADHD symptoms change with age?
We found a spike in difficulties with organization and problem-solving in women at age 55. The only answer I have for
that is perimenopause, which wreaks havoc with a woman’s functioning – particularly her working memory, the ability to
remember what you’re doing or intend to do.
The frontal lobe of the brain is more sensitive to female hormones. And when those hormones change, people show a
marked difference in working memory.You said that adult ADHD symptoms can mimic those found in other
disorders. How do you make a diagnosis?
Many disorders cause inattention, depression, anxiety and panic attacks. But if we look carefully, we can distinguish
between them.
If you tell me you have trouble persisting toward a goal, completing tasks and resisting distractions, that would lead
toward an ADHD diagnosis.
But if you told me you daydream or are spacey, easily confused or inwardly preoccupied and ruminative, that’s not
ADHD. Those are symptoms we see with anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.
What’s the biggest challenge sufferers face? ADHD is a biological disorder, but people view it as a moral failing or life choice.
People think adults with ADHD choose to be lazy, unproductive or squander their assets. Apart from the diagnosis not
being recognized, the disorder isn’t viewed as a serious neurological condition like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder,
which it is.
We have to get people to move toward viewing ADHD as a disability.Bad parenting, sugary foods and too much TV or
video games are often blamed for causing ADHD. What’s really at the root of this disorder?
For about two-thirds of people with ADHD, it’s genetic. It runs in my family. My twin brother died in a car accident as a
result of ADHD, and all three of my brother’s children have been diagnosed with the disorder.
The remaining third acquired it from an injury to the brain, most often sustained in the womb. Either they were born
prematurely or their mother smoked and drank a lot, or had multiple infections or respiratory distress during pregnancy.
What strategies can help people manage adult ADHD symptoms? First, you need a good evaluation. Call the local university psychology department or medical school psychiatry
department and ask if they have clinics or faculty who specialize in the disorder, or if they know of any.
If not, contact a local CHADD chapter and speak with their president to see if other CHADD members have learned of
which professionals in the community are experts on ADHD.
Fresh Start Page 9
You can also contact the state psychology or psychiatry associations, which usually have a list of members and their
specialties.Once you’ve been evaluated, what’s the next step toward managing adult ADHD symptoms?
Educate yourself about the science of ADHD. Read widely. Truth is an assembled thing. [In addition to his own books,
Barkley recommends Lenard Adler’s Scattered Minds: Hope and Help for Adults with ADHD (Perigee Trade) and Gina
Pera’s Is It You, Me or Adult ADD? (1201 Alarm Press)]. And visit recommended websites.
How are medications part of adult ADHD treatment?
They reduce the symptoms of adult ADHD, and thereby should reduce impairments in major life activities arising from
those symptoms. They achieve this in various ways, by affecting brain neurotransmitters and nerve cell functioning.
Each drug does it somewhat differently. The medication effects last anywhere from 3-12 hours, depending on which drug
and delivery system it’s using.
Are there personal changes people can make to better manage daily tasks? We have to help people restructure their home life to compensate for this disorder. That may mean reorganizing a desk or
going back for an assessment for a different job.And finally, learning how to modify behavior is important.
There are formal programs for training adults with ADHD in executive functioning. They all deal with time management,
self-motivation, regulating emotions, planning and problem-solving.
You’ve said it’s important that adults with ADHD have a sense of humor. Why?
With any disorder, you can get depressed, ruminate and beat yourself up. Or you can do what a lot of other disabled
people do: grieve the loss of their ability but ultimately reach acceptance.
Trying to maintain some humor and perspective on your disability can ease its burden and keep you from becoming
depressed over difficulties it may be causing in your life.
Consult your doctor if you think you’re experiencing adult ADHD symptoms.
For more information and expert advice, visit our Adult ADHD Health Center. http://www.lifescript.com/health/centers/adhd/articles/how_to_spot_and_manage_adult_adhd_symptoms.aspx?utm_source=aol&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=adhd&p=1
Page 10 Fresh Start
Suicide Trend on the Rise September 10th 2016 By: Thor Benson@thor_benson
Today marks the 13th annual World Suicide Prevention Day. Created in 2003, the day centers around raising awareness about suicide, which the World Health Organization reports is the second leading cause of death in young adults. But as suicide prevention initiatives continue to grow, suicides themselves continue to rise, and no one is really sure why.
As Vox reported in April, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows suicides increased by nearly a quarter between 1999 and 2014.
Vox/CDC
"We know about risk factors like psychiatric illnesses or a history of substance abuse, but we don't know the exact mixture," Dr. Alex Crosby, of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, told Vox. "It's hard to figure out what changed during that time period to have the rate go down and then go back up."
"The increase is broad-based," Sally C. Curtin, a lead author of the new report, told CNN in April. "If it were just one particular group, you could say 'that is where we need to focus,' " Curtin said.
One theory is that Americans are facing lower incomes, more drug abuse and a general sense of concern for their future. “This is part of the larger emerging pattern of evidence of the links between poverty, hopelessness and health,” Robert D. Putnam, a professor of public policy at Harvard, told the New York Times in April. Some experts speculate that social isolation could be a contributing factor as well, with a hike in divorce rates and a decrease in marriage rates, Julie Phillips, a professor of sociology at Rutgers who has studied suicide among middle-aged Americans, said in the New York Times piece.
Fresh Start Page 11 What suicide statistics tell us.
Men are far more likely to commit suicide than women, with just over 20 deaths per 100,000 people for men and just under six for women, but both groups are committing suicide more frequently than in the past, according to the CDC report. The CDC found most male suicides are committed using a firearm, constituting over half of male suicides, while poisoning is the most likely method for females, at just over 34 percent of all female suicides. Both sexes are seeing an increase in suicide by suffocation
Roughly 30,000 Americans commit suicide each year, and it's the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 24 and 35. According to CDC data, Native Americans and Asians make up the smallest number of suicides, with Native Americans accounting for around 1 percent of suicides and Asians accounting for around 2 percent. White men account for 7 out of 10 suicides, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. As the graph below from the CDC illustrates, the rates at which white men are committing suicide are and have been much higher than the overall rate.
CDC
While we don't know why suicides are increasing, we do know there are many ways to help prevent suicides.
Limiting gun access can help reduce the number of suicides, and widely available mental health treatment is also extremely helpful. Roughly two-thirds of people with mental health disorders do not have access to appropriate psychological services. It's clear we're not doing enough for those who need help the most. That said, organizations like the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and The Light of Life Foundation are working to help reduce suicides.
If you're concerned you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at: 1-800-273-8255.
http://www.attn.com/stories/11301/suicide-trend-on-the-rise
Page 12 Fresh Start
Thank you so much for your interest in joining NAMI Cobb Affiliate! Please complete the form below, and mail this with your check made out to
NAMI Cobb. (If you wish to pay by credit card, go to www. nami.org and click on “Become a Member”. You will start receiving our monthly
electronic newsletter within the month. You are also invited to attend our monthly education and support meetings at St. James Episcopal Church in
Marietta, 161 Church St. NE, on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30pm (there is a time to look at resources and brochures at 7pm). You are not
alone. Come join us.
NAMI Cobb SEPTEMBER 2016
P.O. Box 999
Kennesaw, GA 30156
TO:
Yes, I would like to join NAMI Cobb of Georgia! Date:____________________
New
Renewal
$3 Financial Hardship Membership
(Please note there has been a slight increase in membership fees nationally).
___________Donation (I would like to give an additional donation
to support NAMI-Cobb programming and outreach) Name(s):______________________________________
Address:______________________________________
_______________________________________
Phone: _______________________________________
Email: _______________________________________
I am interested in volunteering. My skill is ________________________.
Family Care and Share Support Group
For families of those with a mental illness
1st Presbyterian Church
189 Church St
Marietta, GA
MONDAYS Time: 7-8:30 PM
Susie Allen 770-565-4335
Greg Ausham 330-801-0328
Sylvia Oliphant 678-471-5907
Monthly NAMI Cobb General Meeting
Next Educational Meeting
September 15, 2016
7:00 PM Networking/Social
7:30 PM Program
**Please mail this form along with your check to:
NAMI Cobb, P.O. Box 999 Kennesaw, GA 30156
Thank you for your membership!
