Grey Matters

Another person has joined the campaign to end discrimination against people with mental illness.  Glenn Close, whose sister has bi-polar, is speaking out about removing stigma and creating hope for people living with these illnesses.

Close has appeared on numerous television talk shows with her sister, Jessie, who lives in Montana.  Jessie’s son is also living with schizophrenia and they credit NAMI with giving them the strength to speak out.

They star in a new public service announcement that is airing on several major market television stations.  Ron Howard, who made the movie “A Beautiful Mind”, directed the PSA “film shoot” in New York’s Grand Central Station.  The campaign has received broad support from the mental health community.

Earlier this year, Close helped lead Maine’s NAMI Walks near her home. The campaign Web site, www.bringChange2Mind.com  has had over 80,000 visitors to date and its Facebook community has over 3,000 friends.

see the video here:  “http://blip.tv/play/hMYXgafJfwI“

I believe in karma and what you “put out there, you get back, tenfold.”  I think this applies to more than just our actions….I think the intention behind what we say has power as well.  So, when I read about the most recent radical right bumper sticker I was shocked. 

From the Progress Report:  RADICAL RIGHT — NEW RIGHT-WING CRAZE PRAYS THAT OBAMA’S ‘DAYS BE FEW’: The newest far-right craze is an anti-Obama slogan making its way onto t-shirts, bumper stickers, mugs, and even teddy bears and baby bibs: “Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8,” which reads, “Let his days be few; and let another take his office.” It’s unclear whether the intent is to hope for an end to Obama’s time in office — or an end to his life. But the sentiment of the rest of psalm suggests the latter: “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.” Diana Butler Bass at Beliefnet explains that Psalm 109 is one of the “imprecatory” prayers, “a lament in the form of petition to destroy one’s enemies.” While perhaps intended to be a joke, she notes that the psalm actually “entreats God to destroy the president.” CafePress.com and Zazzle.com, which had been selling “Pray for Obama” items, took them down. Yesterday, however, a Cafe Press representative told The Progress Report that the site was reinstating the merchandise because it deemed it “fair political commentary.” Cafe Press is now asking users to vote on whether the merchandise should continue to be sold. On Tuesday, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow spoke with “Patience With God” author Frank Schaeffer, who said that while the psalm was “frightening” in a secular context, it’s even “more threatening” in a biblical context.

I know there are many people that don’t like our President, but this is not the first time I have heard of slogans and rhetoric that have been openly threatening to him and his family.  What ever happened to “you reap what you sew?’  Or, the power of positive thought?  Some may say that “wishing his days are few” isn’t threatening, but what about the intent behind it?  Intent means more than words.

I may not be thrilled with the economy, the wars, the growing deficit, and the current state of healthcare insurance,  but the last thing I wish is for someone, anyone for that matter, is to wish “his days be few.”

Oh, and just to end this on a funny note for the holidays…..

Why won’t President Obama be having turkey for Thanksgiving?

Vice-President Biden will be out of town!  (now that’s the kind of political humor that makes me laugh and no, the intention is not to turn Biden into a turkey!)

My last blog about Major Hasan and the stigmatizing words used to describe what may or may not have been his mental state received so many ”enthusiastic”  comments I had to think twice about bringing up the Ft. Hood tragedy again. 

But, I feel compelled to. The Pentagon is now going to join the on-going investigation into  how something like this happened.  And for me, not only how it could happen, but  how can someone who thinks like Hasan fall through the cracks?  Whether he was psychotic, or even worse, as some are therorizing, a religious extremist bent on terrorizing a U.S. military base –  why didn’t those who saw these red flags speak out?

Excuse me, but there were a multitude of red flags……..his sanity was questionable and his loyalty to this country should have been called out.  Yet, he was set to deploy at the end of this month!

Does anyone want to talk about how a man in his state of mind could be cleared for that? Are we so desparate for soldiers  that we’re willing to send someone like him?  I certainly don’t know, but what I do know is that people with mental illness “fall through the cracks” unchecked every day.

Is it not just as horrible that a man who clearly needed to be evaluated….. either for a mental illness or a possible security threat was able to continue his daily life unquestioned until he was finally gunned down  after killing 13 inocent people?

The NAMIWalks – Changing Minds One Step at a Time informational meeting is Wednesday, November 11th at 5:30 pm at the Tucson Association of Realtors Building, 2445 N. Tucson Blvd.

Snacks and refreshments will be served. A short film about the successes of the last three years will be presented as well as a comical power point presentation on the fun of volunteering!

The 4th Annual NAMI Walks Southern Arizona event isn’t until March 27, 2010, but planning and fundraising is already full speed ahead.  The Walk event is the main fundraiser for the local National Alliance on Mental Illness  affiliate in Tucson as well as Sierra Vista and enables the organizations to provide free advocacy, support and education to people with mental illness as well as their families.

Attend the meeting to find out how to get involved or visit the website:

www.nami.org/namiwalks/AZ/Tucson

It’s already starting…..including right here on the Tucson Citizen site……..the man, Major Nadil Malik Hasan was “crazy.”  If you have read any of my blogs before, you know how important it is to me to try and create a world where people living with mental illnesses do not feel stigmatized and one of the first steps is to stop using horribly discrimating terms like “crazy” or “crazed.”  Yes, I agree that someone who goes on a rampage killing 12 people and wounding at least 31 others is not of sound mind, but why don’t we take a look at why this happened? 

If you believe, as I do, that mental illnesses are illness just like any other, than why was this man, who supposedly treated other people with brain disorders, not receiving treatment himself?  Did  anyone not notice how he was struggling?  According to the “God Blogging” post on this site, NPR interviewed others at Walter Reed who said he was. 

Which brings us back to the same problem, the same issues that continue to plague people with mental illness and their families.  Because of the stigma, because of the inattention by our health care system that doesn’t think the mind is part of one’s physical health, because of an overburdened mental healthcare system, because people suffering from a mental illness can feel isoloated and abandoned by their support structure, people with diagnosable brain disorders are falling through the cracks.  One again, as President Obama called this tragedy, “a horrific” catastrophe has occured in this country.

Who knows what was going on in Hasan’s head……Certainly listening to war stories from our returning Veterans experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was not an easy thing to do, but why is it that no one saw the signs, especially when he was set to deploy at the end of the month? Maybe Major Hasan will be able to shed some light on our questions.

Later this week, the U.S. House of Representatives will begin debate on comprehensive health care reform legislation. The bill, known as the Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962), contains a number of critical coverage expansions and improvements critical for people living with mental illness. Among these are:

1. Expanded Medicaid eligibility for childless adults up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level (about $16,200 in annual income for individual), including individuals living with serious mental illness who currently do not qualify for Medicaid coverage in their state. These individuals are currently more likely to be uninsured and most likely to be without any health care insurance coverage at all. HR 3962 will ensure access to lifesaving medical care for this vulnerable group.
2.  Expanded coverage for the uninsured through a new national health insurance “Exchange” would be required to have mental health benefits and cover those benefits at parity. This would expand the 2008 federal parity law into the individual and small group market in many states.
3. New protections for individuals that already have insurance coverage or are at risk of losing coverage. Insurance reforms included in the House bill would ensure that people with mental illness could not be denied health insurance benefits on the basis of a preexisting condition or could not be dropped from existing coverage due to their medical condition.

Please contact your House Member and ask them to Support HR 3962

And remember – 1 in 4 families are effected by mental illness

                                  Mental Illness causes more disability that any other illness.

Yet – with proper treatment 80% of those diagnosed do recover!

Am I being sensitive, but is anyone tired of the pink ribbon campaign? I just returned from a conference in North Carolina and even the flight attendants were wearing pink t-shirts, scarves and/or dresses. It seems like the marketing department for breast cancer research has become overly obsessed with getting their message out. I wonder just how much of the money they raise goes to pay their salaries?

Perhaps I’m just jealous, and I know this blog is probably going to cause many people to be angry with me and I apologize for that. It’s not that I don’t believe in breast cancer awareness (my grandmother had to have a double mastectomy), but as an advocate for people with mental illness I wish there was more awareness and less stigma about mentall illnesses that effect 25% of our population in any given year and causes more disability that any other illness. Yet, with proper treatment, 70-80% of people living with mental illness do recover! Still, no one knows about it! Even the National Mental Illness Awareness Week the first part of October was totally overshawdowed by “pink ribbons.”

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has called for an increase in research spending for the National Institutes for Mental Health.  Below is the statement from their website.
Please take the time to register your thoughts.

NAMI Calls for Increase in NIH Funding
NAMI is joining advocates from across the nation in asking President Obama to make medical research for improving health care a priority and support robust funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
NAMI and other illness and patient advocacy groups are rallying advocates to contact the White House this week in support of significant annual increases for NIH.
“NAMI is pleased to join other disease advocacy organizations in support of the ‘Research Means Hope’ movement to ensure that the president’s FY 2011 budget meets the goal of making biomedical research funding a national priority,” says Michael J. Fitzpatrick, NAMI Executive Director. “Investment in medical research is the source of hope for people living with serious mental illness.”
“Direct and indirect costs of mental illness impact the federal budget overall and state and local communities nationwide, including a substantial and growing burden imposed on “default” systems such as emergency rooms, homeless shelters, police, jails and prisons.”
“Adequate investment in research on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and other disorders is essential for our nation to address these human and financial costs. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has received more than $368 million in ARRA funding to support meritorious grants and invest in new ‘challenge’ grants and ‘grand opportunity’ grants.”
President Obama needs to continue this investment in his FY 2011 budget proposal.”
How you can help
Now is a particularly important time for President Obama to hear from advocates because he is working with his administration to determine the FY 2011 budget priorities.
• Take Action: Send a message to President Obama on NIH funding.
• Learn more: Details on Proposed Mental Illness Research Funding.

You can access direct links for taking action on the blogroll lists on this site.

There are times when we have all thought if that person would just change, if that person would just see my point of view, if that person understood me, things would be better.  We would get along better.  We would be happier; he would be happier, etc. etc.

 But a quote from Gandhi says it all – “I can’t change the world, but I can change myself.”

When you really think about it, he is right.  We have no control over how someone else is, but we do have control over how we are.  I use the present tense, because the present is also what matters.

 In the Family to Family class taught at the local non-profit, NAMI of Southern Arizona, participants are first taught about the reality of mental illness and the biological basis of mental illness.  Then everyone learns what it means to be empathetic and to put themselves in their loved ones shoes. It can be an emotional realization for some who have come to the class trying to cope with what can be a day to day struggle.  Parents feel guilty, siblings feel anger and children of adults with mental illness can feel abandoned, or worse. Emotions vary and people can feel like they are experiencing never ending grief after their relative is diagnosed. The young man who was going to go to Harvard now struggles to comprehend a story in the newspaper, the high powered attorney who successfully represented clients in the courtroom no longer has the confidence to speak in public, or as in Daniel Ayers case (the man with schizophrenia in the move “The Soloist,”) an incredibly gifted musician is living on the streets.

 A person’s journey with mental illness can be heart-breaking.  We want so much to help them, advise them, and convince them to take medications.  But, in reality all we can do is support and encourage them and remind them there is hope.  Recovery is a reality and once we convince ourselves of that and acknowledge that today is a present and tomorrow is just a dream and we can’t and shouldn’t force our relative into anything the dynamic changes.

 People living with mental illness need emotional support.  They need to feel like someone genuinely cares.  People with mental illness tend to isolate, so it is incumbent upon us, as people that want the best for them to be there for them and be a much needed friend.

 If you are interested in being a friend to someone with mental illness, NAMI of Southern Arizona also has a “buddy” program.  It is called “Heart to Heart” and it pairs a compassionate volunteer with a person who truly appreciates the value of friendship.

For more information, call the local office at 520-622-5582 or visit the website www.namisa.org

Education Needed to Build Stronger Communities

As the great debate rages over healthcare reform, once again those with mental illnesses are being marginalized because none of the proposals even mention mental health insurance parity.  This is in spite of the fact that those debating the issue in our nation’s capital all have mental health insurance coverage due to the Wellstone-Dominici Act of 1996.  Also, in spite of the mental health parity act that was signed into law in November 2008 and is set to go into effect in November 2009.

Tonight at 7pm at Duval Auditorium at UMC a 90 minute educational discussion sponsored by NAMI Southern Arizona will explore the biological basis of mental illnesses, the recognition and treatment of mental illnesses in children and youth, the state of mental health insurance parity in the nation and Arizona and finally receiving mental health treatment in Pima County from a consumer and a family member’s perspective.  

Dr. H. Clarke Romans, Executive Director of NAMI Southern Arizona says  “Mental illnesses are medical illnesses. That is the starting point for understanding, as well as treatment and recovery. Mental Illness does not discriminate. No one is immune. The U.S. Surgeon General has noted that stigma is a major barrier to people seeking help when they need it. That’s why education is important.”

Panel members include Dr. Francisco Moreno,  Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona, Dr. Ann Lettes, Child and Adolecent Psychiatrist, Gabe Zimmerman, Representing Congressional Office of Gabrielle Giffords, Scott Whitley, representing people living with mental illness and Susan Moreno, Advocate and family member of person who had mental illness.  Dr. Romans will moderate.              

On average, people with serious mental illness live 25 years less than the rest of the population. One reason is that less than a third of adults and less than half of children with a diagnosed illness receive treatment.

 Half of all lifetime cases begin by age 14. Long delays occur—as much as a decade—between the onset of symptoms and getting help.

 Yet, “Treatment works if you can get it,” said Dr. Clarke. “We need to remove stigma and offer help in local communities. That’s a challenge that requires action. Education must precede action.”

 Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is October 4-10. Designated by Congress to promote public education about serious mental illnesses such as major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, MIAW was established almost twenty years ago. Other disorders included are post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder and borderline personality disorder. About 60 million Americans experience mental health problems in any given year with one in four families being affected. One in 17 lives with the most serious conditions.

That’s what MIAW is about. It means taking a step forward to strengthen our community.

For more information about mental illness, please visit www.nami.org.

Finding your passion in life.  I think that is something that eludes most.  I’m lucky I guess, because I have found mine, but it has been because of the tramatic experience of losing my son to mental illness.  I know my mission in life is to do everything I can, using my skills and abilities to educate people about mental illness and create awareness about the reality of mental health recovery. I’m also fortunate because my job as Development Director at NAMI of Southern Arizona utilizes my experience in sales and marketing in our ongoing effort to fundraise.  I’m also offered  the opportunity to speak publically about the many issues surrounding this topic from a family members perspective.  I love what I do and it gives me a mission in life.

Even without a life altering experience, finding your passion is not an easy thing to do.  But, finding it and being able to do if for a living is well worth the effort and enables you to come closer to realizing your potential. I don’t always jump out of bed, excited to get my day started, but at the end of the day I am thankful that what I do means something to me. I admire people I know that work closely with people in mental health crisis.  The stories can be heart breaking and have on many occassions brought me to tears.  These people, like medical doctors and nurses, have to be able to balance their compassion with a focused determination to help the person and the situation.  It’s intensely sad and it would be difficult to not bring home with me.  I like what I do.

So, what can you do to find you passion?  Here are a few suggestions.

1. Do you have a hobby or something you loved as a kid?  Research the possibilites of finding a way to make money doing it.
2. What do you spend hours reading about? Maybe there are some possibilities there?
3. Get out a sheet of paper and just start writing ideas down.  No matter how silly – write it down and evaluate later.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!  Ask you friends and relatives what they think would be a great career for you.
5. When something seems like it might fit, research, research, research. Find out all you can about the topic. Is there a way for you to volunteer in the field and see if it really works for you before making a committment?
6. If you had all the financial resources in the world, what would you do for free?
7. If you can’t do it now, is there a way to work towards your goal? Set a time-table.

One thing to remember – you can have more than one passion in life and sometimes your passion can change.  So, even if you feel you are already doing what you were meant to, don’t close your eyes to something new or something you can additonally do.   I am not an expert and I am certainly no life coach, but doing something that has meaning to you helps you to feel better about yourself  and your life.  And the possibilites are limitless!