NAMI Columbus Newsletter - August 2010

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Support Education August 2010 ~~~ Page 1 of 8 Advocacy Research

With more than 1,100 affiliatesnationwide, NAMI is America's

largest grassroots mental health

organization dedicated to improving

the lives of individuals and familiesaffected by mental illness.

Inside This Issue Message from Mimi 2 Road to Recovery 3 Advocacy 4

Calendar & Upcoming Events 5 Volunteer Possibilities 6 This & That 7 Membership Application 8

NAMI Columbus, P.O. Box 8581,Columbus, GA 31908

(706) 320-3755 Email: [email protected] ~~

www.nami.org/sites/NAMIColumbusGA

Board of DirectorsMimi Marlowe, President

Kristine Walls, Vice President

Doris Keene, Secretary

Mimi Marlowe, Acting Treasurer

Sue Knight

Sue Marlowe

Linda Peters

Steve Scott

Amy Zabel

Perry Alexander, Advisor

Buddy Coiner, Advisor

David Wallace, Advisor

Georgia Crisis & Access LineSingle Point of Entry to access

mental health, addictive disease and

crisis services 24/7

1-800-715-4225

The Question: What is CIT?The Answer: You may need to come to the

meeting.

Monday, August 16, 2010 Education Meeting 6:00 PM

CONTACT Training Building – 1520 22nd Street

Here’s a short quiz. Don’t peek and look at the answers.

1. What does CIT stand for?2. Does NAMI Columbus participate in CIT training?3. How did CIT begin?4. How long is the training?5. What is covered in the training?6. How can CIT help NAMI Columbus members?

If you don’t know all the answers to these questions, then youprobably need to come to the August education program because CITis one of the most valuable programs conducted by NAMI Columbus.Everyone needs to be able to help others in our NAMI family and in

the community when it comes to interactions with law enforcement.Knowing about CIT will help you do this.

During this program, you will:• Hear about someone’s first-hand experience with law enforcement

before there was a CIT program,• See and hear some re-enactments of actual CIT-type situations,• Learn what to do when you call 911 for help, and• Learn what to do when CIT officers arrive at the scene.

Major Sam Cochran, the founder of CIT, says “CIT is more than justtraining; it’s changing hearts and minds.”

So please join us and learn about CIT…one of the best things tocome to the mental health system in a long, long time.

Our Area’s Voice on Mental Illness

August 2010

Find answers to the quiz questions on

page 7 of this newsletter.




Message from Mimi Message from Mimi Message from Mimi Message from Mimi

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. We all probably remember that quote from A Tale oTwo Cities . What I didn’t remember was the rest of that quote. I looked it up recently and here is thetotal quote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it wasthe age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was theseason of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter ofdespair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to

Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”

I want to remember that quote as I continue moving through my life’s journey. Sometimes the second part of each sectionof that quote - worst…foolishness…incredulity…Darkness…despair…nothing…the other way - is what I focus onwhen things aren’t going well. I want to remember to focus more on the first part of each section of that quote –best…wisdom…belief...Light…hope…everything…Heaven . Because more often than not, even when things lookbleak, overall my life is very good. I sometimes just forget to remember.

When I look at NAMI Columbus (and NAMI Georgia) I see a lot of wonderful things happening. We are providing moreeducation classes (Family-to-Family and Peer-to-Peer) than ever before. Our support groups (NAMI Connection andFamily Support Group) are drawing in more and more people who need help from those who have been on this journey torecovery longer than they have. We have the best CIT program in the state of Georgia (maybe even the nation). We arestarting to get more volunteers to help with our NAMI Columbus mission. We have Faith Outreach which I truly believewill help us reach a tremendous number of people. And we are beginning to draw in people from the community that don’have a specific problem with mental health but are willing to help NAMI Columbus do our good work.

I want, no need, to remember that most of my life, both personal and NAMI, is good overall. When I stumble or thingslook really dark, or I feel really down, someone has been there to help me. And most of those people are from my NAMfamily. How many can say that they have a second family, not biological but chosen, that treats them as well as my NAMColumbus (and NAMI Georgia and its affiliates statewide) family does? I am truly blessed. And I am going to try toremember this. But I’ll need your help. If it ever sounds like I’ve forgotten, please remind me about this August 2010Message from Mimi. Thank you.

~~ Mimi Marlowe, President

Roll out the wagons!!! Start beating the drums!!!

Our 2010 Walk is coming up on September 18, 2010, inAtlanta. This is our sixth Walk and I want NAMI Columbusto be the affiliate who raises the most awareness aboutmental illness which in turn will help us raise the mostmoney to help in our mission.

What is that mission? It is simply to do something that willchange the lives of those who benefit most from our mission.The NAMI Columbus mission is to eradicate stigma and

improve the lives of individuals and families affected bymental illness.

You might be asking yourself what you can do. Well, hereare three things:

1. Become a Team Captain. You would be one of thewalkers on your team and ask others (family, friends) to join your team as a walker and help raise money. Wewill help you be a successful team captain.

2. Be a walker. A walker is someone who:

• Joins someone else’s team to help raiseawareness by telling their story and asking familyand friends to donate to NAMI.

• Goes to the Walk on the 18th

and enjoys the funand food, and fellowship.

• Chooses to walk, or not, the 3 kilometer trail aTribbell Mill Park in Gwinnett County, Atlanta. It’syour choice. You can still come and enjoy the fun

3. Find a sponsor for our walk. A sponsor is anyindividual or organization who contributes $250 ormore. A sponsor can be your dentist, doctor, or dry

cleaner. A sponsor will be listed on the NAMI GeorgiaWalk page. If you know of someone who might be asponsor, gives us a call and we’ll work with you. We’leven make a visit with you to make the “Ask.”

NAMI Columbus has sponsor packets, Team Captainfolders, and lots of experience signing up folks as a walkeror team captain. If you’ll call us (706-320-3755) or emaius ([email protected]), we’ll be there to walk (lol) youthrough the process and support you along the way.




Low Self-Esteem and Mental Illness: Part of the Package

There is a great website called HealthyPlace.com (http://www.healthyplace.com). We thought you might be interested inreading some of their articles. This week’s article is: Low Self-Esteem and Mental Illness: Part of the Package.

Following is a teaser to entice you in checking out their site:

Mental health research shows that depression goes hand-in-hand with mental illness. I’ll addanother one to the list, low self-esteem. Several research studies refute claims that stigma isrelatively inconsequential. In fact, studies suggest that stigma strongly influences the self-esteem of people who have mental illness. When, because you have a mental illness, you arerepeatedly rejected as a friend, an employee, a neighbor, or an intimate partner and devalued

as a person who is less trustworthy, less intelligent, and less competent, it’s difficult to feel goodabout yourself and the situation you find yourself in.

What is Anosognosia?

Anosognosia is the inability to recognize that one has an illness. It is caused by damage to specific parts of the brainespecially the right hemisphere. It affects approximately 50 percent of individuals with schizophrenia and 40 percent oindividuals with bipolar disorder. It is the single largest reason why individuals do not take their medications. After allwhy would someone take medicine (especially with side effects) if they do not believe they are ill?

To other people, a person’s psychiatric symptoms seem so obvious that it’s hard to believe the person is not awarehe/she is ill. Impaired awareness of illness is the same thing as lack of insight. The term used by neurologists foimpaired awareness of illness is anosognosia, which comes from the Greek word for disease (nosos) and knowledge(gnosis). It literally means “to not know a disease.”

Anosognosia is different from “denial”. Denial is a psychological mechanism which we all use, more or less. Impairedawareness of illness, on the other hand, has a biological basis and is caused by damage to the brain, especially the rightbrain hemisphere. The specific brain areas which appear to be most involved are the frontal lobe and part of the parietallobe. Studies reveal that a large percentage of persons with anosognosia improve their awareness with antipsychotictreatment. (From Treatment Advocacy Center website (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org)

More on Anosognosia: The Treatment Advocacy Center's workshop - "Confronting Anosognosia: How to Help

Those Who Don't Know They're Sick" - was a standing-room-only event at the 2010 National Alliance on Mental Illness

(NAMI) convention July 1-3 in Washington DC.

The panel featured Xavier Amador, MD, author of I Am Not Sick I Don't Need Help! , filmmaker Delaney Ruston, MD

and Jonathan Stanley, Treatment Advocacy Center board member and former staffer.

A video excerpt of Dr. Amador's comments can be viewed in two parts online ( Part 1 and Part 2). To watch the entire

workshop online, visit Anosognosia Workshop (http://vimeo.com/13277920) July 3, 2010 (NAMI Conference) from

Treatment Advocacy Center.

THE TO RECOVERY NAMI Columbus C.A.R.E.S.Consumers Achieving R ecovery thru Education & S upport




Advocacy Advocacy Advocacy Advocacy News News News News Does the Language We Use Shape the Way We Think?by Michael J. Fitzpatrick , Executive Director, NAMI NationalThursday, July 29, 2010

“Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Recently, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has been hosting a

discussion about the best language to use when talking about people living with mental illness. NAMI is also in

the process of developing the NAMI language guide for our leaders and affiliates so that we can be certain that

we are doing all we can to support a real-life experience of mental illness. Notably, there is not a complete

agreement on what words are the best. So that we can move forward with finding the best language, let’s

examine the history of language as related to our movement.

One thing is for certain: as writer Casey Miller wrote, “All

language reflects the prejudices of the society in which it

evolved.” Thus we can look back at the era in which people

living with mental illness were described as “patients” and see

that—with few real treatments and little understanding of the

biological nature of mental illness—all one could do was

patiently wait for one’s symptoms to improve.

The word “consumer” grew out of the individuals’ recovery

movement. It was chosen by many advocates because it implied

an element of choice in the mental health services used by people

living with mental illness. Interestingly, this is the term that

produced the most negative reaction in most (but not all) of the

respondents to the recent SAMHSA articles.

We object so strongly to some words because they point to realities we find objectionable. Language is thebridge between how we want to be thought of and what we want done about it.

Most of us can agree that we want people to understand mental illness as an illness like any other while also

helping them understand the realities and the impact that mental illness has on us as individuals and as families.

How does our language express both the challenges and the reality of our personal experience? What language

can we use to get us there?

NAMI’s goal is to find transparent, inclusive language that will be the bridge between the idea and the reality of

the world we want for people living with mental illness. This, along with SAMHSA’s efforts, will help us

define the way America understands mental illness.

To find out more about SAMHSA’s studies, or people’s responses to the term consumer, go tohttp://blog.nami.org/ and then click on the blue-highlighted portions of this article.

Tell NAMI what you think about the

language we use to express the issues

affecting our community

• Email us at [email protected]

• Join the NAMI Language Forum

(go to www.nami.org.)

Sign up for StigmaBusters, the NAMI

newsletter that explores the images and

messages that (mis)represent mental

illness in the media

Advocacy takes many roads. One road is to the federal and state lawmaking bodies.

Another is treatment advocacy. If you don’t know about the Treatment Advocacy

Center, check it out at http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/ .




Upcoming Upcoming Upcoming Upcoming NAMI Events NAMI Events NAMI Events NAMI Events August 2010 September 2010

16 Monthly Education Program – CrisisIntervention Team (CIT) Training

19 Georgia Behavior Health Caucus, 1:30pm,Mezzanine Level, Capitol Bldg, Atlanta.

23-27 Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office CIT

9 Faith-based Family-to-Family – Week 1(Ends 11-18) **

14 Family-to-Family – Week 1 (Ends 11-23)13-17 Columbus State University CIT

18 NAMI Georgia Walk 2010, Atlanta19 Peer-to-Peer – Week 1 (Ends 11-21)20 Monthly Education Program – NAMI’s In Our

Own Voice Program30 5th Annual Georgia CIT Awards Banquet

October 2010 November 20103 -9 MIAW (MI Awareness Week)4-8 Columbus Police Dept. CIT18 Monthly Education Program – Meet the

Candidates30 NAMI Cols Semi-annual Yard Sale

14-20 Mental Health Wellness Week15 Monthly Education Program15-19 Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office CIT20 National Survivors of Suicide Day

Support GroupsEvery Monday night, 6:00-7:30 pm Family/Friend and NAMI Connection Recovery Support GroupsEvery Saturday 1:00-2:30 pm NAMI Connection Recovery Support GroupMeeting Location:

• NAMI Connection Recovery Support Groups meets at The Bradley Center’s Multipurpose Room(use 22nd Street Parking Lot)

• Family/Friend Support Group meets at the CONTACT Training Building, 1520 22nd Street

** The content is the same but the course is held in a local church.

What’s coming up that we want to highlight…

• 2010 NAMI Georgia Walk is coming up on Saturday, September 18. Please put that date on your calendar as anevent you must participate in and show that you support raising awareness about mental illness. Awareness will helpbust the huge stigma that surrounds this biological illness and also raise funds for the important work we do.

• Change in Mental Health Court (MHC) Graduation Dates – MHC graduation ceremonies are usually held thesecond Monday in the middle month of each quarter. We originally had listed graduation ceremonies for August 9 andNovember 9. Because the anticipated number of people to graduate has been different this year, we haverescheduled graduation ceremonies.

The final ceremony for 2010 will be Monday, October 4. This will be held at the Government Center, Plaza LevelWe hope you will put this in your calendar and come to show your support for all of those who committed themselvesto a rigorous program and met all the requirements. They are often unacknowledged for their efforts and we shouldlet them know we are proud of their achievement.

• Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW). We‘re working on plans for MIAW. Tuesday is the National Day oPrayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding. Thursday is the National Depression Screening Day andBipolar Disorder Awareness Day.

Peer Support “Warm Line” at 1-888-945-1414 (toll-free)The Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network operates a state-funded, consumer-

directed “warm line” for anyone struggling with mental health issues, 24 hours a day.




CIT Chef: We have a CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) training class almost every month from now until the end of the yearSue has added a Lunch with a Consumer to our program and you can help. We feed the trainees while they listen to aconsumer tell his/her story. It’s amazing the impact this has on the trainees’ understanding of and empathy for thoseaffected by mental illness. Please call 706-320-3755 if you want to cook for the cause!

NAMI Columbus Website Master: Imagine this. You are sitting at home, in your pj’s or realllllllly casual clothes, and stildoing volunteer work for an organization you truly believe in. Such a volunteer position is available. We need someonewho likes to work with a website and wants to help NAMI Columbus bring up a website that knocks the socks offpeople…and gives them timely, accurate and interesting information. If this is you, call the office. We have a potentiallygreat website that is off line for the time being because it (sob) doesn’t have a master. Could this be you?

i

We’re working diligently on matching NAMI Columbus needs to the

interests of our volunteers. If you’re looking for new opportunities, come

to this page each month. Think about it! What are you passionate about?

What are you interested in? How can you connect to NAMI Columbus?

What opportunities does NAMI Columbus have that would fulfill your need

to give back to the organization that helped you in your time of crisis? If you see something that interests you, please contact us (706-320-3755

[email protected]).

SPECIAL ONE-TIME VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE

We need everyone’s help advertising our upcoming Family-to-Family and Peer-to-Peer courses. One of thebest places to advertise is in church bulletins but there are other places such as local service providers, adoctor’s office, etc. We’ve included information below for you to send to your house of worship or other localorganization to include in their bulletins as many weeks as possible between now and September 1. Peopleneed to know about our great work and you can help spread the word.

(Cut and paste the following for inclusion in any bulletin/news article)Are you affected by mental illness and need information and support? The National Alliance on Mental Illness(NAMI) Columbus is offering several free courses that will teach those with an illness (Peer-to-Peer program) orthose caring for someone with an illness (Family-to-Family program) what is needed to cope more effectively.We have three classes scheduled:

NAMI’s Faith-based Family-to-Family Education Program, a 12-week course for family members/caregivers,is scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 9, 2010, 6:30pm-9:00pm. This course will be held in a localchurch and incorporates God into the discussions.

NAMI’s Family-to-Family Education Program, the same 12-week course for family members/caregivers and is

secular in nature. This course is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 14, 6:30pm-9:00pm.

Both courses have the same content and are taught by trained family members.

NAMI Columbus Peer-to-Peer Recovery Education Program, a 10-week course for individuals diagnosed witha mental illness, is scheduled to begin on Sunday, September 19, 2010, 1:00pm-3:00pm. This course is led bytwo peer mentors who are personally experienced at living well with mental illness.

All course materials are furnished at no cost to you. Call 706-320-3755 or email [email protected] are required for each of these courses.

Current NAMI Columbus Volunteer Opportunities




T TT T H HH HIS AND IS AND IS AND IS AND T TT T HAT HAT HAT HAT

• Cleaning out your house and donating itemsto NAMI Columbus for our October 30, 2010yard sale. If you have unwanted items and can’tkeep them until October (particularly furniture), pleasecall the NAMI Columbus office (706-320-3755) tomake arrangements. We’ve already received someitems. Thank you.

• Using Goodsearch.com as your searchengine. Yes, I’m still here. I know we can do better

than 300 searches per month..

• Jewel Norman, our Georgia MentalHealth Ombudsman needs our help.

She wants to know of anyone with amental illness or co-occurring disorder that is kept72 hours or longer or is kept in restraints orhandcuffs. Call the office (706-320-3755).

• Membership Directory. If you do not want to haveyour name/number included in the directory (whichgoes to members only), please call the NAMIColumbus office (706-320-3755) and let us knowbefore August 15, 2010. If you want a copy of thisdirectory, you need to make sure your dues are up-to-date.

The What a Difference a Friend Makes

Campaign launches Video and Essay Contest

SAMHSA and the Ad Council are pleased to announce theWhat a Difference a Friend Makes Contest

Go to http://www.whatadifference.samhsa.gov/contest/ .

If you have a great story of how you have been there for afriend through their recovery from a mental health problemor how a friend has been there for you, we’d love to hearfrom you.

Entries must be received by August 31, 2010; Winnerswill be announced September 15.

• To our Faith-based Family-to-Family teachers (DavidJohnson, Tony Bankhead, and Jonathan Greene) forteaching the 14 graduates (August 3, 2010) of this life-changing course. Well done!

Have You Heard…• NAMI Georgia is hosting another

Behavioral Health Caucus coming up August 19 inAtlanta. Mimi & Sue are planning to go and can take afew more people with them. Reservations arerequired so please call 706-320-3755 if you’d like toattend this major advocacy event.

• The answers to the Quiz on p. 1 (How many did youget right?)1. Crisis Intervention Team2. Yes, in a big way.3. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program was

developed in 1988 in response to a tragic incidentin Memphis, TN.

4. CIT training is a 40-hour program.5. Information is too lengthy to put here. Come to the

meeting.6. Instead of people with a mental illness going to jai

as the first stop, they are more likely to be able tostay where they live or be taken for treatment.

CIT Graduates, July 16, 2010




Columbus P.O. Box 8581, Columbus, GA 31908, (706) 320-3755 The Area’s Voice on Mental Illness

Please Cut and Mail

NAMI National, NAMI Georgia and NAMIColumbus are dedicated to eradicating stigma and

improving the lives of persons with mentalillnesses thereby also benefiting their friends,family and community. Catch the wave and be apart of change.

NAMI Columbus is a 501(c)(3) non-profitcharitable organization. Dues and donations aretax deductible. Your membership includes asubscription to our monthly newsletter,membership directory, and access to immediatenews on advocacy, treatment and support issuesfrom our national, state and local organizations.

Please make checks payable to:NAMI ColumbusP.O. Box 8581Columbus, Georgia 31908

You can also join safely online at www.nami.org/join ($35.00 by credit card).

I want to support NAMI Columbusand NAMI’s mission.

Name

Address

City State Zip

Phone Numbers

E-Mail (Please include so we can be green and email youour monthly newsletter.)

Please check type of membership desired: Do not include my name in the NAMI Columbus phone

directory (for members only)

Individual Membership $30 Dues Professional Membership $50 Dues

(Individual and Professional Dues are for one year and are tax deductible.)

$3 Open Door Membership (low income) I am not joining at this time, but I would like to make a

contribution of $ ______________. (Thank you!!!)

Documents

NAMI Columbus Newsletter - August 2010