NAMI_Boulder_County_..

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Circle of Support—for all those touched by Mental Illness
Serving Boulder and Broomfield Counties
Join us in the NAMIWalks 2014 as we come
together to stomp out stigma. 1 in 4 adults
experience mental illness in a given year. No
one should have to walk this journey alone.
January 2015—Issue 218
Mission Statement
To, provide support, education
and advocacy for persons with
mental illness and their families.
To promote better quality of care,
rights and interest of citizens
with mental illness , particularly
of those who cannot speak for
themselves, and to advocate
policies at the local, state and
national levels to accomplish
these objectives. To help families
and friends of persons with
mental illness by providing
emotional support, education
and information.
Saturday, May 16, 2014
Board of Directors
Centennial Center Park
13050 East Peakview Ave
Centennial, CO 80112
Check in : 9:00 a.m.
Start time: 10:00 a.m.
President -Laura Jefferson
Treasurer -Rob Jefferson
Secretary -Charles Horowitz
Elizabeth Stahl
We are looking for highly motived,
innovative, diverse individuals. If
you are interested in becoming a
board member of NAMI Boulder
County, please contact NAMI at
303-443-4591.
NAMI Boulder walk team is Walk the
Walk—team captain is Laura Jefferson
“Never, Never, Never Give Up”
-‘lil red sign
Register at www.namiwalks.org/colorado
Let’s make this the best year ever!
www.namibouldercounty.org
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Presidents Corner
Greetings,
would like to thank.
Anne Weiher is at the
I hope everyone is
top of my list. She is
enjoying the beautiful
the one who responded
spring days. I certainly
to my initial inquires
am.
about NAMI Boulder
County. She invited me
Last month we were
invited to have a table to a board meeting and
asked me to join the
at the Wailin’ Jennys
board. She publically
concert. I want to
supported me as
thank Diane Shepard
and Audrey Moller for president. Thank you
manning the table. We Anne.
brought in a nice
The other people I
amount in donations.
would like to thank for
their support are Elicia
Tonni Loutzenhiser
Goodsoldier, Charles
has finished her term
Horowitz, Tonni
on the board. Tonni
volunteered with NAMI Loutzenhiser,
Elizabeth Stahl, Rob
Boulder County for a
Jefferson, and Trish
couple of years. She
Manthey. Plus all of
served on the NAMI
Boulder County board our wonderful
volunteers. We are
of directors and
nothing without you.
facilitated multiple
Family to Family
courses. Thank you
Tonni. You will be
missed.
On the note of terms
ending, my term as
president of NAMI
Boulder County ends
in May. It has been an
amazing two years. I
have learned so much
and have grown both
professionally and
personally. There have
been ups and downs,
but mostly ups. There
are so many people I
I would also like to
thank NAMI Colorado
for all their support.
Thank you everyone for all
the support,
I wish you all good mental
health,
Laura L Jefferson
Laura L Jefferson
President NAMI Boulder
County
Board of
Directors
The NAMI Colorado Law Line is a service
in which volunteer licensed Colorado attorneys
provide limited free legal information and advice
to persons who contact NAMI Colorado seeking
such information and advice on issues related to
mental health law and issues directly affecting
persons who have a mental illness and their
families or loved one.
Persons contacting NAMI Colorado for legal
information and advice are entitled to receive a
one time free phone consultation with a volunteer
attorney. This service is expressly limited to legal
consultation and advice by phone and does not
provide any legal representation in court.
This service will be provided to persons seeking
limited legal information and advice in six targeted
areas:
1. Involuntary civil commitment
2. Criminal cases
3. Special education
4. Employment
5. Trust, guardianships, special needs planning,
Medicaid
6. Social security/SSI, PERA and private
insurance disability benefit claim application
and appeals
Volunteer attorneys will provide confidential legal
advice and consultation that is independently
given and is not controlled in any manner by
NAMI Colorado.
Persons who seek legal information and advice in
the above targeted areas should contact NAMI
Colorado by phone or email. NAMI Colorado's
toll free number is 1-888-566-6264 and the local
number is (303) 321-3104. Email is
[email protected]
A NAMI Colorado staff member will screen
requests, and if the above criteria are met, will
provide the person with the name and phone
number of the volunteer attorney with special
knowledge in one of the above six targeted areas.
Upon receiving the volunteer attorney's phone
number, it is then the responsibility of the
requesting person to contact that attorney by
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Connecting Through Personal Stories
Sharing our stories helps others in so many ways. It can
be a powerful, healing way to bring us together and
make us feel heard and not alone. Please take a few
moments to send in your anonymous story. Everyone
has their own story. Let us hear yours.
equipment in there. My doctor comes in. They tell me
they are going to give me something to make me sleep.
They tell me I will not feel anything. They put
something in my mouth. A tongue guard. Apparently
the convulsions cause you to bite down. Next the
Electric Conclusive Shock Therapy
medicine to help me sleep. Count backward from ten
By Anonymous
they say. I am floating. I hear the electricity revving
As a child I remember my mother telling me in
through the machine. Then nothing. I wake up I feel
hushed tones that our family friend had had “shock
weird. Fuzzy. I am in recovery. I wait an hour or two or
treatments”. I remember wondering what was wrong
with our friend. What could have been so terrible that six I am not sure. Then they take me back to the
psychiatric wing. A few more treatments and then I am
she had to be “shocked”? Mother said she had
able to go home. I am home and the treatment
experienced a nervous breakdown. Even as a child I
knew it was a nice way of saying mentally ill. I suddenly continues. I am not depressed but my brain seems to
felt frightened of this woman whom I had known all my be turning to mush. I tell the doctor it is doing more
harm than good. He decides to stop.
life.
Fast forward; I am now an adult. I had attempted
suicide. I am a patient in a locked unit of the
psychiatric wing of a hospital. I am meeting with my
psychiatrist. My spouse is there. We are discussing
electric convulsive shock therapy. My depression will
not let up. I have remained suicidal. I have been in the
hospital for almost a month. My doctor is saying this
will help. I think of our family friend. Now I have to be
“shocked”. Should I be afraid of myself? I think I must
really be insane.
It is almost a decade later. Do I have memory loss?
Yes, I have memory-gaps about both big and small
things. I cannot remember my wedding or my
honeymoon. I do not remember movies I saw nor
some big life events in my family. I did not lose
months, I lost years. Or did I gain years? Years free of
crippling depression. My family can tell me what
happened during the lost years. But no one or anything
had ever relieved my depression.
I listen to the doctor. He is talking about memory loss.
It is a huge side effect of ECT (electric convulsive
shock therapy). You will lose months he tells me. I
think about it. I think about a lifetime of depression vs
losing a few months of memory. It did not seem that
bad of a price to pay. I tell the doctor okay. He
explains to me what will happen. I am fading in and
out. A part of me cannot believe this is happening to
me. I cannot focus.
The time comes for my ECT. I am still in the hospital.
They roll me out of the unit on a bed. They take me to
be prepped. Nice nurse puts in the IV. Waiting. Then
they come roll me back into the surgery area. It is cold
and sterile. I am afraid. Will I still be me when this is
over? They roll me into a small room. There is scary
If you would like to contribute to the
newsletter by writing a book review,
informational article or personal story, please
contact Laura at [email protected].
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Find the Spring in Your Step! By Diane Shepard, MNT
Springtime is here and with it brings rejuvenation, not only as
gardens bloom, but hopefully also within ourselves. It’s a
good time to check in with our emotional and physical
status. How did the winter treat you? Have you noticed
when your body feels bad that nervousness, depression and
compulsive behaviors ramp up? The list of physical imbalances that impact mental
health is long. They include digestive distress, food intolerances (which cause
problems even without tummy upset), a tired adrenal system, a poorly functioning
immune system, thyroid imbalances, and substandard sleep. Not only does anxiety
contribute to the overall strain on your body, any of these physical conditions can
exacerbate anxiety. Are you addressing these issues? Improving your physical
health can also increase the success rate of the work you’re doing with your mental
health practitioner. What will it take for you to feel a sense of renewal?
One topic to explore is how anxiety puts a heavy burden your adrenal glands. These
glands secrete hormones in reaction to stress, our fight-or-flight mode. This
mechanism often is over-used and wears out due to our fast-paced lives and busy
brains. Sleep may not be restorative anymore, and our immune system won’t work
as well either. This can happen not only to those with anxiety, but other family
members as well. The whole household could calm down if everyone in it were able
to improve their ability to respond to, and bounce back from, stress.
Let’s look at how to nourish the adrenal system. A test can be done to measure your
cortisol rhythm, which is an adrenal hormone. When we live with continual stress,
we use up more nutrients to keep the adrenal system running. We can control this
to some extent, though, by not creating additional stress with what we eat and drink.
Common stress-producing culprits are caffeine, alcohol, sugar and processed foods.
They may give short term energy, but will deplete us further in the long run. If you
are becoming more dependent on these stimulants, ask yourself why you like them.
For example, is coffee glorious because of the taste, the jolt of energy you get from it,
a social aspect, or holding a warm cup in your hand? Can you switch to
decaffeinated coffee, yerba mate, green or herbal tea to reduce your caffeine intake?
Do you have to sweeten that drink? Do visits with friends, or meetings at work, have
to include coffee?
Basing meals around whole foods provides more vitamins, minerals, and
antioxidants than processed foods from boxes. Try to eat protein, healthy fat, and
vegetables together at every meal and snack. Vegetables are carbohydrates and they
offer substantially more nourishment than grain-based foods do. Balancing these
macro-nutrients minimizes blood-sugar fluctuations. Low blood sugar triggers the
release of cortisol, causing an adrenal reaction from dietary imbalances! When
blood sugar is too high or too low, it interferes with brain function. This can feel
like mood imbalances, the inability to concentrate or having food cravings.
Minimize crackers, bread, cookies, cereals, pasta and sweet drinks as they are the
biggest contributors to blood sugar swings. If you can’t give them up, try to eat them
with protein, a healthy fat and vegetables. Butter, ghee, and coconut oil are great fats
for meal preparation and olive oil is best drizzled onto food after cooking. Nuts
and seeds are good snacks that contain protein and healthy fats and help you to feel
full longer.
B vitamins are essential to support the adrenal system. Supplementing with a B
complex is often beneficial, and there are individual B vitamins that stand out.
Vitamin B12, taken as a lozenge in the methylcobalamin form so it is absorbed well,
supports the nervous system and the brain. Pantothenic Acid, Folate, and vitamin
B6 are also important. Combination formulas are easy to find.
What will help you feel rejuvenated this spring? Keep searching for answers to
move further into wellness, and always include a medical doctor as part of your care
team. Ask your doctor to review supplement and dietary changes, especially when
medication is part of your health management.
Healthy Recipe
of the Season
Versatile Meatloaf
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground
chicken, turkey, beef or
buffalo
2 small sweet potatoes,
or 2 carrots, shredded
2 boxes frozen spinach,
thawed and drained
¼ to ½ cup vegetable
broth
2 tablespoons each of
oregano and ground
cumin, sea salt to taste
Directions:
Grease casserole dish
with butter, ghee, or
coconut oil.
Mix all ingredients and
place in casserole dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for
1 hour. Check if done
(toothpick should come
out clean).
Adjust, or try other,
spices as desired.
Enjoy any time of the
day, including breakfast!
Leftovers reheat or
freeze well.
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Serving Boulder and Broomfield Counties
1333 Iris Avenue, Boulder, CO 80304
303-443-4591
www.namibouldercounty.org
[email protected]
Classes and Support Groups
NAMI CLASSES IN BOULDER COUNTY
SUICIDE SURVIVORS
Free classes offering information on mental health disorders,
how to cope, and how to advocate. We keep an ongoing list for
these classes. To reserve a place, call 303-443-4591.
 Free support group for family and friends of someone who
has died from suicide. Longmont, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays,
5:30-7:30 p.m. Call 303-532-7904 for location.
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
 Family-to-Family Class – a free 12-week course for family
members, friends or caregivers who have a loved one living  Support for people with OCD, their families and friends.
with a serious mental health disorder.
First and third Monday, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Alfalfa’s Market
 Peer to Peer Class— a free 10-week course that provides a
Community Room, 1651 Broadway, Boulder, Contact Brent,
holistic approach to recovery for people living with serious
303-422-9704 or Ilene, 303-938-1360.
mental health disorder.
 Colorado Visions (formerly Visions for Tomorrow) - a free OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE ANONYMOUS www.ocdcolorado.com
5-week class for caregivers of children and adolescents
living with of mental health disorder.
SOCIAL PHOBICS ANONYMOUS – www.healsocialanxiety.com
 Connection— Peer run support group for persons living
with a mental illness. Meets second and fourth
Wednesdays of the month. Contact Laura Jefferson at 303641-1533 or email [email protected]
DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR DISORDER
 Longmont/Firestone Longspeak Bipolar Support and
Recovery Group (DBSA) Longmont, meeting Mondays,
6:00-8:00 p.m. Contact Laurie for more information, 303810-9629, [email protected]
 Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) Meets in
Boulder and Broomfield, weekly peer-only meetings and
one friends and family meeting per month.
[email protected] or 720-443-2849.
 The Robert D. Sutherland Center for the Evaluation and
Treatment of Bipolar Disorder Visit rdsfoundation.org or
call 303-492-5680 for information about an 8-week
educational seminar series on bipolar disorder. Offered
twice yearly, generally on Mondays, from 6-7:30 pm. The
next series will start in September 2014.
 Supporting Together, for people with bipolar disorder or
depression. Also, open to family and friends. Fridays 6:008:00 p.m. Longmont. Contact Diane at 303-682-2911,
[email protected]
FAITH-BASED SUPPORT GROUPS
 Spiritual Support Group for Mental Health and Wellness
for persons in recovery and family members, 2nd and 4th
Monday, every month throughout the year, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
First Congregational Church, Boulder. Call 720-304-6918 or
email [email protected]
 “Shift” groups every Friday night at Flatirons Community
Church. Learn more at www.flatironschurch.com/shift
 Mental Health Support Groups are offered at Immaculate
Conception in Lafayette. Two support groups are available:
one for those with lived experience of mental illness and
another for family and friends. All are welcome. First and
third Wednesday of the month, 7:00pm-8:30p. 715 Cabrini
Dr., Lafayette. Please call 303-887-3866 for more
information
“SOFT VOICES” DROP-IN CENTER, LONGMONT
Resource and friendship center for adults with mental illness.
Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. to Noon; Thursdays and Fridays, 1:00-3:00
p.m., 5th & Kimbark. Contact Gil at 303-776-0410
INTERNET RESOURCES
Visit the NAMI Boulder County website at
www.namibouldercounty.org for details on above listings
Many of these support groups/classes/resources are sponsored by groups other than NAMI
Boulder County. Please use your discretion as to whether they are suitable for you.
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Highlighting May as Mental Health Month
“Perturbed and Passionate Parents Speak Out: Cracks in the Mental
Health System and How to Fix Them”
With Don Mares
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon
(This free event includes light refreshments)
Interfaith Network on Mental Illness (INMI)
First Congregational Church
1128 Pine Street, Boulder, CO
(southwest corner of Broadway and Pine)
 Hear three passionate and perturbed parents talk about the ways their adult
children have been treated by the mental health system here in Boulder County
 Listen to Don Mares, the recently appointed executive director of the Office
of Behavioral Health Strategies for the city and county of Denver. Don will tell
how Denver is addressing its broken mental health infrastructure.
 Small focus groups on
 Mental Health Professionals
 Faith Communities
 Jail Personnel, Law Enforcement
 Other
Share your thoughts on these areas that need fixing and how to go about it as
well as highlight where there is some help and mending going on.
Brainstorm ways faith communities can be part of the solution
Let us know if you or your organization would like to be a sponsor. If so, contact, Alan Johnson, [email protected]
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Volunteer Opportunities
What a great way to give back to your
community, you could be a—

Grant writer

Newsletter editor

Board member

Family support group facilitator

Family to Family facilitator

Connection facilitator

Person who maintains our website
For more information contact Trish Manthey
at 303-819-4325 or [email protected]
website: nami.org/connectionwatch
program video
NAMI Connection is a safe nurturing support
group for persons with mental health
disorders.
The group is facilitated by two trained persons
who are successfully coping with their own
mental health disorders. The location of the
group will be at Centennial Peaks Hospital in
Louisville. The group will run from 7:00 pm to
8:30 pm. The group will meet every second and
fourth Wednesday of the month. Please contact
Laura Jefferson for more information at
[email protected]
Education Program
FREE for family members, partners
and significant others of individuals
with:
Major Depression
Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective
Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Panic Disorder and Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Co-occurring Brain and Addictive
Disorders
This 12-week course is taught by a
team of trained NAMI family member
volunteers and emphasizes
education, skills, empathy and selfcare for family members who have a
relative suffering with a mental
illness. The goal of Family-to-Family
is to guide family members towards
greater emotional understanding,
healing, insight and action, by
providing information and by
introducing families to an empathetic
community. Over 300,000 people in
the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Italy
have completed this course.
**For more information and
registration please contact NAMI
volunteer:
Elizabeth Stahl
[email protected]
The Family to Family Class needs
books on mental health. Please
donate any that you have.
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NAMI Colorado is pleased to be able to offer a
statewide Family Support Group meeting by
teleconference. The goal of the teleconference
is to offer another resource for family
members to access support – people who
don’t live in close proximity to a physical
support group, maybe a family support group
is not offered in your area, or someone is in
need of additional support. These calls are on
the first and third Tuesdays of the month at
7:00 PM. Contact Ethel Leslie to
register: 970-527-3284; [email protected]
WE HAVE GONE GREEN!
We are now sending the
newsletter in an electronic
version. If we do not have
your email, or if you would
like to receive a hardcopy
of the newsletter, please
contact Laura Jefferson at
l.jefferson77 @yahoo.com
to inform us and please
make sure we have your
current address. Thank
you!
Sincerely,
Strength of Us
An online community of support developed by
NAMI for young people: www.strengthofus.org
NAMI Boulder Board of
Directors
Join the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Your dues include membership in NAMI National, NAMI Colorado and NAMI Boulder County. You will get the newsletters published by NAMI
National and NAMI Boulder County. If it is more convenient for you, you can join online at www.nami.org using a credit card.

$35 per year individual/family membership

$3 per year for people with a limited income

I want to support NAMI Boulder County with a tax-deductible gift of $ _______
Your membership dues and gifts will help provide support, education and advocacy for Boulder County Individuals and families who are coping
with serious mental illness.
Does your employer have a matching gifts program?
I am interested in:

Learning about volunteer opportunities, either ongoing or one-time only

Arranging for speaker or presentations on mental illness for my club, church, work or other group

Helping with advocacy efforts by writing letters/making phone calls to my elected representatives
Name________________________________________ Email address________________________________
Address___________________________________City _________________ State ____ Zip_____________
Home phone ________________________________ Alternate phone ________________________________
Mail this form with your check to: NAMI Boulder County, 1333 Iris Avenue, Boulder, CO 80304