By Kenny Allred, NAMI Veterans and Military Council Chair, LTC, US Army (Retired)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness Veterans and Military Council (NVMC) advises NAMI leadership on issues of importance affecting the mental health of warriors, veterans and their families. Our nationwide network of members and supporters offers both a window into issues and an opportunity to support, educate and advocate at all levels. It is through these efforts that we attempt to raise awareness, improve quality of life and save lives of those who have served or are serving in the military and now suffer from or are at risk for mental illness.

The month of May has been designated by Congress as Military Appreciation Month. On Armed Forces Day, May 19, and on Memorial Day, May 28, and every day, we should recommit ourselves to increase awareness and advocacy at all levels.

Opportunities for advocacy and collaboration are all around us, and here is one example of success:

Recently, I attended a conference where those who have contributed to national advances in social work were presented with awards for their work and leadership. These awardees are people at the top of their profession, and I sometimes wonder if those “at the top” are in touch with those “in the trenches.” The evidence that many of them are both in touch and care about people came quickly

As I watched the awards ceremony, I received an email from a young veteran, Joe, who lost his legs in combat. His recovery and upbeat attitude, including his selfless volunteer work that originally brought us together a couple of years’ ago, has been the subject of my continuing admiration. He is seemingly the model of recovery, but his email revealed the despair that often follows physical and mental wounds of trauma. In short, he needed a job to, as he said, “keep from going crazy.” He was reaching out for help. With veteran unemployment being double that of non-veterans across the nation, having a job and being productive is particularly important to both physical and mental health, financial well-being—and all the things, good or bad, that follow for veterans and their families.

On my mind was a feeling of personal failure at not being able to derail the part of a recently passed law in my home state of Tennessee that eliminates the hiring points preference traditionally offered to veterans and spouses seeking state jobs.

I feared that Joe and his family were among the first military victims of that unfortunate legislation.

As I considered the email, I looked across the table and there sat a senior Veterans Health Administration (VHA) manager who had just received an award. I showed her the email, and she asked that I forward it to her and she would help.

By the time I returned home, the evidence of her help and caring heart was immediately evident. I first received an email from a manager at Northrup Grumman, a company that provides jobs and job counseling to injured veterans and their family members. Secondly, I received a call the next day from a Veterans Administration counselor who helps veterans find housing and jobs. Joe and I talked about both of these opportunities and he was heartened with the speed, care and concern evident in those who were reaching out to help him.

Probably the best part of this story is that Joe will help others and “pay it forward.” When he was injured, his wife and one baby girl were at home waiting. Now, Joe has two young daughters entering school, does more volunteer work than most of us, and looks forward to life and helping others. He is a true hero.

The lesson for all of us is to constantly look for opportunities to advocate for warriors, veterans and their families, take action, never be intimidated and never get discouraged. I was surprised that so many people responded so quickly to Joe’s request.

There are a lot of “Joes and Janes” out there. Many people are willing to help, but they cannot help if they do not know about them.

I urge all of us to fervently advocate not just on the “special” days, such as Memorial Day, but every day! Write a letter or email, make a call or visit, share where you work or worship, and help reverse the epidemic of veteran unemployment and suicide and erase the stigma of seeking help for invisible wounds.

Please share your thoughts and the happenings in your area either on the NAMI Facebook page or by participating in NVMC conference calls held the third Friday of each month at 1:00 p.m. EST. Call: 1 (888) 858-6021, and enter 739264#.

I look forward to meeting many of you at this year’s NAMI Convention, June 27-30 in Seattle. In addition to our Veterans and Military Council meetings, there are several very interesting and informative presentations by and for veterans, including the “Parity for Patriots” rally on Thursday, June 28. Please join us and show support for warriors, veterans and their families.

On Armed Forces Day, please remember those who serve our country—and on Memorial Day those who sacrificed their lives in that service!

5/17/2012 2:21:31 AM

5/16/2012 9:30:57 AM

By Dawn Brown, NAMI HelpLine Information and Referral Specialist

When mental illness strikes there is always collateral damage that extends beyond the person with the illness to include family and friends. Relationships are often strained to the limit as a person with mental illness struggles to cope with their symptoms and possibly refuses help and lack of resources and support can leave loved ones angry and burnt out. This creates a difficult situation that can result in more hurting than helping, and relationships can be damaged or lost.

Sadly, the most strained relationship is often between a mother and child. Whether your mother has a mental illness or you are the mother of someone with a mental illness, you understand the heartache that exists when the relationship is damaged or lost. Fortunately, even the most difficult situations can be improved, and working towards reconciliation and restoration with your loved one well worth it.

So, this Mother’s Day I encourage you to seek reconciliation with your mother or with your son or daughter. Hurtful words or regrettable actions can be forgiven; do not allow them to rob you of this relationship. Forgiveness is a gift to give and to receive. In many cases, it is the best Mother’s Day gift.

Restoring a relationship that has been damaged by mental illness begins with the acceptance that the relationship will be different. Making adjustments that can restore and sustain the relationship, include:

• Realizing that you are not the cause nor do you have the cure for mental illness. Also, realize that you cannot provide all the care needed. Locate resources in your community. Day programs/club houses, NAMI Connection Recovery Support Groups, social services and case management provide social opportunities, support, and professional care that can greatly enrich lives, as well as, lighten the load.
• Education brings understanding, and understanding brings compassion. Contact your NAMI Affiliate for information about NAMI Family-to-Family and NAMI Peer-to-Peer education programs in your community.
• Remember to set and respect boundaries. Keep communication clear and concise. Revise your expectations. You should not expect everything or nothing from another individual, be realistic in your expectations.
• Renegotiate your emotional relationship. Mutual respect will provide equilibrium.
• Taking care of oneself is essential to having a strong and loving relationship. If you are ill, be willing to receive treatment and manage your illness by cooperating with your medical team and taking prescribed medication. If you are a caregiver, do not ignore your own needs. Providing ongoing, long term support requires you to be at your best.

Statistics illustrate the enormous size and economic impact mental illness has on the United States, but they do not reflect the impact it has on our families. We do not have to allow mental illness to damage or destroy our relationships. Do not give up. Forgiveness works to reconcile and love to restore. I wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.

Dawn Brown is a NAMI HelpLine Information and Referral Specialist and mother of six. Her son Matthew is living with schizophrenia. 

5/11/2012 7:47:02 AM

By Darcy Gruttadaro, Director of the NAMI Child and Adolescent Action Center

Half of all mental illness begins by age 14. Many people do not know that. They also do not know
that, on average, eight to 10 years will pass from
the onset of symptoms to the time of intervention
for those living with these conditions. In the life of a child, those are critical developmental years.

When children and youth living with mental illness have access to effective services and supports, they can develop close relationships with family and friends, learn to cope with challenging symptoms and gain the educational and social experiences they need to succeed in life.

This week, as we observe National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day (May 9), there are two ways we can work to close the gap.

First, is by getting schools involved in helping to identify struggling students and linking them with effective services. Second, is getting primary care providers involved.

Let’s start with schools. Children spend about six hours a day in school. They often exhibit the first warning signs of mental health concerns while in school. Unfortunately, most of these children are not identified early and linked with services. Schools need more information about the early warning signs of mental illness, how to talk with families and how to help. For this reason, NAMI developed Parents and Teachers as Allies, an in-service education program that covers these topics. This program has been popular with many schools and gets them interested in learning more about children’s mental health. Please consider bringing it to your community. The booklet that accompanies the in-service program is also extremely popular with schools. So even if your school is not ready for the in-service program, please consider at least sharing the booklet to get the conversation started.

Primary care providers, such as pediatricians and family doctors, are also natural allies in helping to close the gap. They see most children starting at a very young age and then over a number of years for well-child visits, vaccinations, illness, sports physicals and more. Primary care providers also are increasingly playing a role in addressing the mental health needs of children and youth because of the critical shortage of children’s mental health professionals.

But more can be done to get them involved.

NAMI has talked with families about their experiences with primary care providers. In a national survey, they shared recommendations on how to make primary care offices more welcoming to conversations about mental health concerns and how to start these conversations. This led to the creation of resources for primary care providers, including the publication of A Family Guide: Integrating Mental Health and Pediatric Primary Care. Please consider sharing these resources with pediatric and family practice offices in your community. Emphasize the importance of primary care professionals making a commitment to identifying children and youth who may be struggling with an emerging mental illness.

To observe National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, let’s make a commitment to close the gap so that children and youth with emerging mental illness can be identified early and linked with the services and supports they need to get a healthy start in life.

5/8/2012 3:26:19 AM

5/4/2012 10:36:43 AM

By Katrina Gay, NAMI Director of Communications

Ed Dickey, NAMI San Antonio

Caregivers who are active in NAMI’s Family-to-Family education program gathered in Dallas recently to participate in a video project aimed at capturing the essence of their life experiences. When finished, NAMI intends to use the video to
help convey the heart and spirit of the Family-to-Family program to national, state and
community leaders and others who, in turn, can support it through financial assistance, referrals
and other means.

As one of NAMI’s signature programs, Family-to-Family is offered free in communities across the country to any caregiver of an adult living with a mental illness. Over 300,000 people have taken the course, but there are millions more in need.

The course consists of 12 classes, each of which covers different aspects of mental illness, family relationships and coping skills.

I was one of the producers for the video project, joining a talented crew from CloudTen, a creative marketing firm. I assisted with the scheduling and participation of each of the eight individuals who were interviewed on camera.

CloudTen is a new agency formed by a group of major agency veterans from the Dallas market. Their vision is to help brands, companies and causes impact the world for the better. Advertising that works at the Cloud 10 level really impacts people emotionally and that is the goal with every project from brochures to social media to TV spots.

On site in Dallas, a simple production set—lights, cameras and a single red chair in front of a stark white backdrop—was transformed into a magical tapestry of rich stories and the beauty of human experience. As I watched and listened, one person after another shared their truths by telling personal stories.

Themes were constant throughout:  humility, hope and caring.

One-by-one, they talked about helping family members who had developed mental illness and how it changed their lives. Guilt, grief, anger, sadness and isolation were the words used to describe their initial encounter with mental illness.

One in four adults experiences a mental health disorder in a given year. One in 17 lives with a serious mental illness. Each of the caregivers participating in the video project represents one of the millions of families affected by mental illness. They spoke to chaos and confusion they felt when they realized that a child or parent or sibling was ill— and how little they knew about their medical condition, treatment or recovery.

They did not know what to do.

That is, until they found NAMI and the Family-to Family program.

Gradually, through the course, feelings of despair and confusion were replaced with understanding, hope, strength and relief. Confusion became confidence. Their role in helping their loved ones became much clearer and helped to “normalize” their experience.

The Family-to Family participants shared their stories for the project. They talked about how their family members are now doing. Because of the new focus and coping strategies acquired through the program, they talked about dramatic, positive changes. They talked about a newfound strength in family relationships and their commitment to others.

Though their testimony, the participants will be helping families who are only now beginning to travel the road that they already have—just as they received strength from families who traveled before them.

As a free education course, Family-to-Family is both a gift to be received and in some cases presented in turn others. All of the trained instructors have taken the course themselves and have a loved one living with mental illness.

Before the video event, I thought I understood the concept of unconditional acceptance and understanding as a powerful tonic for individuals and families seeking recovery and understanding. Now, I recognize that this is not only potent but perhaps essential.

The help and hope that NAMI gives to others in need is the most remarkable gift we have to offer. We humbly thank all the members, supporters and grassroots volunteers who enable us to make a difference.

5/1/2012 7:26:41 AM

Discusses mental and substance use disorders among teenagers and young adults and effective approaches to preventing underage drinking and use of illicit drugs. Examines the role of family, schools, and community in prevention, treatment, and recovery. Inventory#: SMA12-4674DVD

5/1/2012 1:00:00 AM

Equips communities with information and resources for planning an event to help prevent substance abuse and promote mental, emotional, and behavioral wellness. Includes event ideas, budgeting tips, fact sheets, promotional tools, and additional resources. Inventory#: SMA12-4687

5/1/2012 1:00:00 AM

4/26/2012 9:12:21 AM

4/25/2012 8:15:43 AM

4/25/2012 7:50:12 AM

By Bob Carolla, NAMI Director of Media Relations

The Association of Health Care Journalists presented its top award this past weekend to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MJS) for a series published earlier this year, titled “Imminent Danger.”

The series probed the issue of involuntary commitment for mental illness, based on the legal standard of “imminent danger to oneself or others.”

Only one percent of people with severe mental illness can be considered “dangerous,” the newspaper reported, while noting also that a punch or a shove was included in the definition relative to other forms of violence. The series resulted in strong reactions in the mental health community (pro and con). Discussion of violence (and the title) risked perpetuating stigma around mental illness while involuntary treatment is an issue that often splits mental health advocates.

Meg Kissinger

As part of the series, the MSJ published an editorial, "A Difficult Discussion the Community Must Have," which highlighted measures ranging from advanced directives to mental health courts. Overall, the project reflects the newspaper’s long-standing commitment to mental health issues.

Meg Kissinger is the reporter at the center of that mission. She is also one of only a few
reporters nationwide who have a sustained interest in the mental health care system. It is partly rooted in her family background.

Earlier this month, she published a moving story about her brother Jake’s experience living with mental illness titled “Can Adult Siblings Connect When Mental illness is in the Mix?” When Jake was 4 years old, he saved Meg’s life by running for help after she fell into a lake and almost drowned.

“Jake's real name is John Matthew, after my dad's older brother who was killed during World War II. This gave Jake a distinction as the white buffalo of our family, the rare and revered one who seemed to float above the fray,” Meg wrote.

A motivated and vivacious teen, Jake was an Eagle Scout. However, Jake ultimately dropped out of college. He now lives in a group home near Chicago, but is considering a move back to Milwaukee.

Jake was the third of eight children in the family. Meg was the fourth.

Meg became a reporter in part because of  her unique vantage point as the fourth child. She was always curious. Within the family, she was the one who often could report to members of the family what other members were doing. (Her status as a middle child may also be responsible for the “balanced” perspective that marks much of her work).

Meg’s first story about mental illness in the MSJ was a reminiscence in 1986 about the suicide of her sister, Nancy, eight years before. The second was in 1998, after her brother, Danny, also died from suicide.

Reluctant at first, she wrote the second story “because it was important”—as much as any about heart disease or diabetes that often are published.

Those stories “galvanized” Meg’s professional direction. Her managing editor, George Stanley, has encouraged that direction allowing her to continuing filing in-depth special reports, including "Patients in Peril" in 2010.

At one point, Meg was inspired by the contrast between her brother Jake’s living conditions and those of other people living with mental illness in Milwaukee. Her reporting sparked local action to increase housing for people with mental illness by about 500 units.

She takes the greatest pride in stories that having an impact.

After reporting on so many parts of a broken mental health care system, Meg hopes to focus next on programs that work. But, it also will mean comparing them to programs that don’t.

Meanwhile, Meg’s story of her relationship with her brother Jake is worth reading more than once. It certainly moved me.

4/24/2012 5:19:51 AM

Explores the link between behavioral and physical health and discusses challenges for people with co-occurring disorders. Considers a public health model that emphasizes prevention and early intervention for substance abuse and mental health disorders. (A 508-compliant version of this document will be posted shortly.) Inventory#: SMA12-PHYDE041712

4/1/2012 1:00:00 AM

Includes materials that support shared decision making, an intervention that helps people make choices about treatment and mental health services. Contains issue briefs and tip sheets, workbooks, videos, and an interactive decision aid on medication-assisted therapy. Inventory#: SMA12-4696

4/1/2012 1:00:00 AM

Highlights examples of substance abuse and mental health research findings that impact practice across diverse topics. Explores how clinicians contribute to science and how technology implementation supports enhanced decision-making and integrated care. Inventory#: SMA12-4673DVD

4/1/2012 1:00:00 AM

What would you do if a friend suddenly seemed suicidal – and you were the only one around? What if your fellow worker appeared to be having hallucinations and frightening others? Could you help prevent a crisis until professional help … Continue reading →

5/26/2011 10:22:36 AM

The NAMI Walk 2011 was a huge success.  We had the largest team (76 walkers!) and raised $8,656 for the cause. Check out the pictures. http://bit.ly/luHtI1 Thanks to co-chairs Wendy and Nathan! Filed under: Events

5/26/2011 3:29:08 AM

Hi, this is a great blog article. Check it out. http://bit.ly/kkXYIt Filed under: Events, In the News! Media Stories

5/16/2011 5:57:25 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwF9U9iNBI4  Pete speaks about his book Crazy and his upcoming speaking engagement! Filed under: Events, In the News! Media Stories, Media Releases

5/10/2011 4:06:46 AM

Did you see the LifeStyles section of the Denver Post the other day? http://bit.ly/lGMlMA . Pete Earley (who actually lived in Fowler, CO) indicated to me that he’s really happy to keynote our Thur 5/12mental health benefit luncheon. He has studied our … Continue reading →

5/5/2011 4:59:46 AM

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