Who knew a dramatic musical could cause so much emotion in an audience member? Not me, and I have to say I was quite surprised by it.  I found myself experiencing everything from sadness and grief to laughter and joy.  This play pulled at my heart strings like no other live performance I have ever seen.

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to participate in a panel that fielded questions and discussed the challenges of mental illness.  During the hour, struggles faced by a person living with mental illness  as well as the difficulties a care giver confronts while trying to support a person with a diagnosis were addressed.  Unlike many of the panel discussions I have participated in where we have spoken mostly to people currently involved in the mental health community, this group was much more diverse and consequently less informed about the illnesses, treatments, stigma and recovery.  It was a fascinating discussion and hopefully enlightening to those in attendance.

Afterwards, I was able to watch the Broadway Musical now playing at the Arizona Theater Company, “Next to Normal.”  The play exquisitely tells the story of a family’s struggle with mental illness.  In this case, the Mother is struggling with Bipolar Disorder and the rest of the family is  doing the best they can to cope with the unpredictable scenarios that are faced on a daily basis.  When Mom is feeling hypo-manic everything is great.  But, inevitably either the bottom falls out and Mom becomes horribly depressed or just as awful, Mom becomes manic and repercussions can be just as devastating. The Dad misses the exuberant young woman he first fell in love with. The teenage daughter feels un-noticed and at times unloved by an overwhelmed Dad and an ill Mom. As for the son, well……I’ll leave his story out of this blog as I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anyone going to see this play.

Suffice it to say that this dramatic musical tells a complicated, absorbing tale of life in a family with mental illness.  After all, when someone in the family have a serious illness, everyone is effected, no matter if it’s a physical illness or a mental illness.  The narrative, told almost exclusively with song, is compelling and realistic.  Having experienced mental illness in my family, it touched me as if  my best friend was sharing her family life with me.  The author has great insight  and the actors were amazing.

The first steps in changing attitudes about mental illness are awareness  and education. This production does an excellent job in demystifying the reality of mental illness.  One in four families are effected by mental illness and mainstream media, even  Broadway musicals, can have a huge impact on advancing that goal.

On September 7th, Mr. Neal Cash, CEO and President of Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, will be recognized for his tireless efforts in promoting mental health recovery with the Daniel Moreno Advocate Award.

In the words of Greg Taylor, who nominated Mr. Cash:

Neal’s vision, leadership and advocacy as president/CEO of CPSA have resulted in creation of the most comprehensive, integrated behavioral health crisis-services network in the country. The system’s centerpiece, the Crisis Response Center, opened in August 2011, just after state budget cuts stripped many people with serious mental illness of ongoing support and treatment. 

n 2005, Neal recognized that Pima County’s fast-growing population and the increased enrollment in CPSA’s care system demanded development of an enhanced, fully integrated crisis network. Neal and community stakeholders including law enforcement and county officials identified the need for an “urgent care” center to address mental-health crises that do not involve medical complications or more acute problems. Neal tirelessly advocated for bonds to build the CRC, which were approved unanimously by the county’s Board of Supervisors and by 63% of voters in 2006.

The new facility also provided the opportunity to create a comprehensive, integrated network of crisis services, with a phone-based “command and control” center at the CRC. The resulting network has drawn national attention from publications such as Behavioral Healthcare magazine, which predicted that the CRC is “destined to change the practice of behavioral healthcare,” and Mental Health Weekly, which noted that the CRC “has fast become a magnet of attention for officials elsewhere who grapple with how to keep jails and hospital emergency rooms from essentially becoming a community’s mental health centers.”

Mr. Cash has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and administration from the University of Arizona. He has been involved with the behavioral health industry in Tucson for over 35 years.

Mr. Cash also presents and provides consultative services nationwide in the area of mental health and substance use treatment.   He serves on task forces, expert panels, and Boards of Directors on  local, state and national levels,  including the board of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.

For more information about the event, please visit www.planetaurora.org

or visit the Facebook page for Daniel Moreno Awards:

https://www.facebook.com/TheDanielMorenoAwards?ref=hl

The Daniel Moreno Awards Dinner and Silent Auction is scheduled for September 7, 2012 at Skyline Country Club. The Awards are given to individuals and/or organizations in the area that promote through their actions the advancement of mental health recovery. In past years individuals were recognized with the Daniel Moreno Recovery Award for being a person that signifies the reality and promise of mental health recovery. This year, the family of Daniel Moreno, who died much too early after being diagnosed with schizophrenia decided to expand the awards and additionally recognize a person or organization that represents the other categories of advocacy, education and direct service provider in the behavioral health community.

In addition to the silent auction and dinner, the evening will include a presentation ceremony and keynote speech from Dr. Jose Apud, Clinical Director of the Schizophrenia Research Program at the National Institutes of Mental Health.  Dr. Nicholas Breitborde will also provide an update on the new Epicenter (Early Psychosis Intervention Center) at the UPH South Campus.

The event was founded in 2007 in an effort by the Daniel Moreno Family to increase awareness about mental health recovery and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.  Ten local individuals have previously been selected to receive the Daniel Moreno Recovery Award.  The 2012 Recovery Award will be presented to Sarah Martin, the Advocate Award will be presented to Neal Cash, CPSA CEO/President, the Educator Award to Peter Likins, President Emeritus of the University of Arizona and Adreinne Sainz, LMSW, Clinician at La Frontera will receive the Direct Service Provider. More information about the recipients will be provided over the next month on this blog.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Aurora Foundation, a local non-profit dedicated to advancing disability justice and the newly formed Southern Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition.  For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit the website at: www.planetaurora.org