NAMI National Mental Health Awareness May 2016 NAMI Louisville

NAMI Louisville, Inc.
est. 1979
NAMI Louisville’s Quarterly Newsletter
The Derby City’s Voice on Mental Health
NAMI National Mental Health Awareness May 2016
In this edition we highlight
Mental Health Awareness month
and our Annual Meeting on
March 24, 2016
Winter 2016
Family to Family
12 Week
Education class
Thank you to our volunteers:
Aaron Drake, team leader
and Jill Mitchell and
Mike Nash teachers.
Suicide Prevention Training
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QPR Suicide Prevention Training
 Question
 Persuade
 Refer
Presenter Dustin Milam, PhD
May 19th from 10 to 11:30AM
SCS, 708 Magazine Street
Dustin Milam is a peer support specialist, a QPR certified trainer and C.E.O of The S.O.U.L
Clinic of Kentuckiana Inc. Dustin is a suicide survivor and a past suicide attempter.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency
response to someone in crisis and can save lives
Coffee and Donuts Provided
RSVP at 588-2008 or just show up!
Let’s Kill the Stigma
Let’s Kill the Stigma!
By Rev. Joel A. Bowman, Sr., LCSW ©
Founder & Senior Pastor, Temple of Faith Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky
#StigmaFree
People don't like addressing stigmas,
So they tend to grow into huge enigmas.
Does it make a brother less of a Christian,
If he’s diagnosed with clinical depression?
“Just sweep it under the rug,” some say.
“If we don't discuss it, it’ll go away.”
Why is it that we whisper about a sister?
Is it because she has a form of bipolar?
Stigmas are really big in the Church,
Some sit and judge on a prideful perch.
Do they necessarily lack faith,
There's a stigma of mental illness.
But if we come together we can kill this.
Those suffering with mental illness,
Are no less human than the rest of us.
Let’s kill the stigma … one person at a time!
So, don't call them 'retarded'!
To God, they are highly regarded.
Rather than talking about suicide,
Many burry their heads; trying to duck and hide.
But if we don't talk, there's a price to pay.
One hundred plus suicides each and every day.
So, if mental illness is your struggle,
You can’t just pull yourself from the rubble.
Many people with problems need therapy.
That doesn't make them weak or crazy.
People say, “the problem's just spiritual,”
And any talk of treatment is immaterial.
Sadly, this line of thinking is typical,
But when you think about it, it’s hypocritical!
Some of these same people take insulin,
Since diabetes treatment involves medicine.
You see, all illnesses began with Adam's sin.
That includes the ones that cause our heads to spin.
You may have a chemical imbalance,
That requires medical assistance.
If your serotonin level is low,
Meds can help you get up and go.
If every day some pills they must take?
There's no shame in Christians seeking help,
To address the emotional pain they’ve felt.
Yes, prayer and the Bible are foundational,
But God also gave us health care professionals.
There are Christians who love the Lord Jesus,
They’ve been trained to help when they see us.
But how can they help us if we never go?
This is the reason some may never grow.
The bravest thing you could ever do,
Is to seek help and find life anew.
People don't like addressing stigmas,
So they tend to grow into huge enigmas.
“Just sweep it under the rug,” some say.
“If we don't discuss it, it’ll go away.”
Stigmas are really big in the Church,
Some sit and judge on a prideful perch.
There's a stigma of mental illness.
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Stigma Free
Mental Health Month
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This May is Mental Health Month
Life with a Mental Illness Theme Highlights Importance of Speaking UP, Sharing What
#mentalillnessfeelslike
Jean Henry
502-588-2008
[email protected]
Louisville, KY – When mental illnesses or disorders are talked about, the language typically used to describe
them tends to be clinical and impersonal. These words, while useful for doctors or clinicians, often don’t do
justice to what life with mental illness feels like. That is why this year’s theme for May is Mental Health Month –
Life With a Mental Illness – is a call to action to share what life with a mental illness feels like to someone going
through it.
May is Mental Health Month was started 67 years ago by Mental Health America, to raise awareness about
mental health conditions and the importance of good mental health for everyone.
Last year, Mental Health Month materials were seen and used by 19 million people, with more than 5,500
entities downloading MHA’s tool kits. The 2015 theme – based off of our B4Stage4 initiative -- helped
individuals understand that when you address mental health symptoms before Stage 4, people can often
recover quickly, and live full and productive lives.
This year, we are building off of the B4Stage4 message and encouraging individuals to give voice to what it
really means to live at stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 of mental illness. Life with a Mental Illness is meant to help remove
the shame and stigma of speaking out, so that more people can be comfortable coming out of the shadows and
seeking the help they need.
“Mental Illnesses are common and treatable, and help is available. We need to speak up early—before Stage
4—and in real, relatable terms so that people do not feel isolated and alone,” said Jean Henry of NAMI
Louisville. “Sharing is the key to breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illnesses and to showing others
that they are not alone in their feelings and their symptoms.”
This Mental Health Month, we are encouraging people to speak up about how it feels to live with a mental
illness by tagging social media posts with #mentalillnessfeelslike. Posting with our hashtag is a way to speak
up, to share your point of view with people who may be struggling to explain what they are going through—and
help others figure out if they too are showing signs of mental illness.
MHA has also developed a series of facts sheets available on its website (www.mentalhealthamerica.net/may)
on realizing the critical importance of addressing metal health early, recognizing the risk factors and signs of
mental illness, understanding what mental illness is and isn’t, and how and where to get help when needed.
Research shows that by ignoring symptoms, we lose ten years in which we could intervene in order to change
people’s lives for the better. Speaking out about what mental illness feels like can encourage others to
recognize symptoms early on in the disease process, and empower individuals to be agents in their own
recovery.
“Prevention, early identification and intervention, and integrated service works,” concluded Jean Henry.
“Telling people how life with a mental illness feels helps build support from friends and family, reduces stigma
and discrimination, and is crucial to recovery.
For more information on May is Mental Health Month, visit Mental Health America’s website at
www.mentalhealthamerica.net/may .
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NAMI Louisville Annual Meeting
NAMI Louisville Annual Meeting
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Support Group Calendar / May—June 2016
Group
May
June
July
Time
Location
11:00 a.m.
NAMI Family Support Group at Milestone
Fitness, 750 Cypress Station Drive (Sitters
available $7.00).
10:00 a.m.
NAMI Family Support Group at 1st
Lutheran Church, 417 E. Broadway,
Louisville, KY 40202
For Families
1st Saturday Family
2nd Saturday Family
3rd Thursday Family
3rd Saturday Family
4th Sunday Family
7
14
19
21
22
4
11
16
18
26
2
9
21
16
24
7:00 p.m.
10:00 a.m.
2:30 p.m.
NAMI Family Support Group at Christ
Lutheran Church, 9212 Taylorsville Rd,
Louisville, KY 40299
NAMI Family Support Group at LaGrange
Baptist Church, 1139 Commerce Parkway
La Grange, KY 40031
NAMI Family Support Group at Christ
Lutheran Church, 9212 Taylorsville Rd,
Louisville, KY 40299
For People in Recovery from Mental Illness
3rd Sunday
3rd Saturday
15
21
19
18
17
16
1:15 p.m.
11:00 a.m.
NAMI Connection recovery support group
at Bridgehaven, 950 S. 1st St., Louisville,
KY 40203
NAMI Connection support group at
Shawnee Arts & Cultural Center, 607 S.
37th St., Louisville, KY 40211
«AddressBlock»
708 W. Magazine Street
Suite 144
Louisville, Kentucky 40203
Board President Clarence Rode
Board members Richard Pickren and Dante Murry