'; setTimeout(function() { var videoIframe166771569733278632Actual = document.getElementById("video-iframe-166771569733278632").contentDocument; videoIframe166771569733278632Actual.open().write(videoIframe166771569733278632Content); videoIframe166771569733278632Actual.close(); }, 500);

0 Comments
 

WRAP training by TMHCA

5/4/2014

0 Comments

 

    TMHCA is, once again, excited to announce an upcoming FREE WRAP® “refresher” course in Nashville, Tn. This training is funded by TDMHSAS.

Training Dates: 6/23/14, 6/24/14, & 6/25/14

Location: TAADAS Conference Room

                1321 Murfreesboro Pike

                Nashville, Tn.; Office

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The WRAP Refresher Course is a three day, interactive course co-facilitated by TMHCA Advanced Level WRAP® Facilitators. The primary purpose of this Course is to sharpen & expand facilitation skills to further engage students in  Wellness Recovery Action Planning.

 

 

Through attendance in this course, WRAP® Facilitators will:

1.      Recognize expanded options on how to give group introductions.

2.      Identify additional knowledge areas, Values & Ethics of WRAP®

3.      Apply new skills to sharpen & expand  group facilitation skills.

4.      Develop new, creative approaches to Facilitation to accommodate participant challenges & different group needs.

 

The Copeland Center strongly recommends that WRAP® Facilitators attend a Refresher Course @ least every two years to stay up on new developments and best practices.

 

For further information or to proceed with registration, please call or email Dan Hamer, ALWF @ ,or

0 Comments
 

If the Mental Health System was Sane . . .

5/3/2014

0 Comments

 

If the mental health system was sane…

By Hopeworkscommunity

There would be a range of services availible reflecting the human needs of those it serves.

Those services would be availible to those that need them.

Those services would be based on what works, not what makes money, reflects any particular philosphy or interest, and not because it is what we are used to doing.

Asking for help would not label someone, brand them, be a cause of shame, a source of discrimination.  Asking for help should not be a problem.

It would realize that lack of a place to live, lack of food, lack of adequate clothing, lack of a job are frequently barriers and problems for the people they serve and address them in a direct and effective manner.

It would know that inadequate health and inadequate health care are common problems for the people they serve and be part of an effort to serve the entire person in an integrated fashion.

The goal would be to empower, educate, and support people towards gaining control over their lives so as to maximize their chances of leading happy, meaningful and successful lives.

This would not be empty words, but a passionate conviction that fuels and structures everything done in the system.

It would not mistake the people it serves for the labels it places upon them.

It would know that the most important thing about help is that it is what you do with people and not what you do to them. It would see itself as partnering with the people it serves.

It would know that people can say no and that not be a symptom of illness or distress.

It would view peoples values, hopes, thoughts, and aspirations as a source of strength and not a symptom of illness.

It would take substance abuse ultimately seriously. Drinking and drugging are the two primary ways people with mental health issues try to treat themselves.

It would make sure that one of the core experiences that someone seeking help has is contact and interactions with others who have dealt with similiar issues. It would treat seriously the idea that you can learn from the experience of others and them from you.

It would not tell people who have hard times or more problems they have failed or are failures.

It would take the issue of trauma seriously. Knowing how people have been hurt and not being part of hurting them further should be cornerstones of the system.

It would treat the issue of what happens in jails and prisons to people with mental health issues as a moral outrage and the impulse to do something about it as a moral necessity.

It would be honest about the risks and benefits of psychotropic medication. Help people to make real and informed choices.

It would treat families as important and not as irrelevant or a threat to what it is doing.

It would treat justice as a driving force and value in everything it does.

It would be honest with the people it serves about what it doesnt know if it wants them to have trust in what it does know.

It would attack the issue of suicide with passion. No one should ever feel like death is the best solution to life.

It would tell people that no problems make you less human,

It would view hope as realistic and know that when they dont they do more harm than good.

Larry Drain

0 Comments
 

One person's wonderfully inspiring story

5/2/2014

0 Comments

 

May 2014: Kathy Flaherty

Kathy Flaherty works as a senior staff attorney at Statewide Legal Services of CT, Inc.  She has dedicated her professional life to advocating for the rights of the underserved.  A graduate of Kingswood-Oxford School, Wellesley College and Harvard Law School, Kathy has 17 years of experience in poverty law, specifically focusing on housing, benefits, and consumer law. 

Kathy lives with bipolar disorder.  She makes full use of her work place’s very generous sick leave benefits and a flexible schedule.  Kathy was diagnosed her first year of law school after being civilly committed.  She was not permitted to return to Harvard until the next fall, at which point the school put conditions on her return. 

During her third year of law school, she used the Harvard Law School newspaper as the forum to come out about her illness.  Against the advice of the Office of Public Interest Advising, when applying for jobs after law school, she included her position on the council of former patients of McLean Hospital, making her disability fairly obvious.  “If someone didn’t want to hire me because of my disability, I didn’t want that job.” Kathy says that she has gotten jobs because she has disclosed.

Kathy shares that her biggest barrier to the legal profession was getting admitted to the Connecticut Bar.  Despite the fact that she had already been admitted to the Massachusetts and New York Bars, she had to wait for a year and a half and then was conditionally admitted. For the next nine years, she had to report that she was taking her medication, as well as provide a doctor’s note twice a year confirming that she was in fact taking her medication. 

Since 1999, Kathy has served as a volunteer trainer, presenter, and facilitator for Connecticut’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI-CT).  Combining her personal experience as a recipient of mental health services and her legal background, she is able to speak to issues affecting those living with mental illness from a multi-faceted perspective.  Her advocacy work has earned her numerous honors including the Dr. Karen Kangas Advocacy Award from Advocacy Unlimited in 2010.   “Winning an award named for someone who is a role model for advocacy and a very dear friend is humbling.”

Kathy currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Advocacy Unlimited, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers-CT, and the Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement (CABLE). She also serves on Governor Malloy’s Sandy Hook Advisory Commission.  Her goal for the future?  “To continue to do work I enjoy.”

0 Comments
 

Loss of Innocent Life Due to Lack of Knowledge - Part One

5/1/2014

0 Comments

 
0 Comments
 

loss of Innocent Life Due to Lack of Knowledge - Part Two

5/1/2014

0 Comments

 
0 Comments
 

Target Zero by DBSA

4/28/2014

0 Comments

 

Target Zero to Thrive This April

DBSA targets raising expectations for mental health treatment.

A month-long social media campaign, Target Zero to Thrive, challenges mental health care professionals, researchers, and individuals living with or affected by mood disorders to raise treatment goals to complete remission—to zero symptoms.

Of course the first priority for treatment is ensuring a person living with depression or bipolar disorder is out of crisis. However, too often the end goal established for successful long‐term care is for the person to maintain a stable mood. Better, or even stable, is not always well. Every person deserves the opportunity to not just survive but thrive, and to do that we need to ensure true wellness is the end‐goal for mental health treatment.

Consider this, successful treatment for cancer proceeds with the goal of removing every cancerous cell—to achieve complete remission. Why then, do we consider treatment for depression or bipolar disorder to be successful when symptoms persist, even if the person is considered to be stable?

The cost of settling for reduced symptoms is simply too great. It is, in fact, a matter of life and death—for when symptoms persist, individuals who have mood disorders are:

  • at significantly greater risk of relapse(1)
  • more likely to experience significant functional impairment, making the day‐to‐day demands of job and family challenging, and too often, debilitating. (2)
  • more likely to have life‐threatening co‐occurring conditions, such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes—a huge factor in why individuals with mental health conditions die, on average, 25 years younger than those without mental health conditions (3)
  • at a higher risk to die by suicide (4)

DBSA President Allen Doederlein shares, “Living with a mood disorder can damage hope and lower expectations; so a person may not expect or think they deserve a full life. We, as peers, clinicians, researchers, and family, need to help them expect and achieve more—by raising the bar for treatment. Targeting zero symptoms may seem like a formidable goal, but there are over 21 million reasons and Americans living with depression or bipolar disorder to make it a goal worth pursuing!”

(1) Am J Psychiatry. 2000 Sep;157(9):1501-4.
Does incomplete recovery from first lifetime major depressive episode herald a chronic course of illness?
Judd LL1, Paulus MJ, Schettler PJ, Akiskal HS, Endicott J, Leon AC, Maser JD, Mueller T, Solomon DA, Keller MB.

(2) J Clin Psychiatry. 2007 Aug;68(8):1237-45.
Mood symptoms, functional impairment, and disability in people with bipolar disorder: specific effects of mania and depression.
Simon GE1, Bauer MS, Ludman EJ, Operskalski BH, Unützer J.

(3) Bipolar Disord. 2004 Oct;6(5):368-73.
Burden of general medical conditions among individuals with bipolar disorder.
Kilbourne AM1, Cornelius JR, Han X, Pincus HA, Shad M, Salloum I, Conigliaro J, Haas GL.

(4) Psychiatr Serv. 2013 Dec 1;64(12):1195-202. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201200587.
Does response on the PHQ-9 Depression Questionnaire predict subsequent suicide attempt or suicide death?
Simon GE, Rutter CM, Peterson D, Oliver M, Whiteside U, Operskalski B, Ludman EJ.

0 Comments
 

on the value of having a partner

4/15/2014

0 Comments

 
The power of two


Your partner can become a pillar of strength when you work together as a couple
By Barbara Boughton, BP Spring 2013



There’s no doubt that the nature of your relationship with a “significant other” has a major effect on managing bipolar. Research now shows that having a supportive partner may be just as important as medication and psychotherapy in preventing relapse, according to Sagar Parikh, MD, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

Likewise, the stress of high-conflict relationships or the emotions that accompany breakup and divorce can sometimes exacerbate symptoms of the disorder, Parikh says.

So what can you do to make your partner an ally in recovery?

The first step, says Parikh, is education—for both of you.

The more that both partners know about symptoms, treatments, and coping strategies, the more they can work together to address common challenges. Reading and online research, workshops presented by mental health organizations, discussions with mental health practitioners, and peer support groups are all good ways to get informed.

A partner or spouse who is up to speed on what it takes to live with bipolar will find it easier to understand when you ask for support.

The next step is learning to discuss matters relating to your illness openly and honestly.

For one thing, being able to share what’s going on in your life and your head provides your partner with a context for any irritability, sadness or high spirits you exhibit. For another, it gives you both a touchstone for recognizing early signs of a mood shift.

Elizabeth and her husband, Rory, who have been married since August 2012, have a conversation at least once a week about any symptoms Elizabeth might be experiencing.

“Regular communication is really important,” says Elizabeth, 32, of British Columbia. “We talk about what I’m feeling and things that he notices about me. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to see the forest for the trees, especially if I’m not feeling well.”

Rory’s feedback provides her with a reality check, Elizabeth says.

“Last year I had a manic episode and Rory realized something was wrong when I told him: ‘I want to go on a 5K run.’ I’m a pretty sedentary person, so for me that’s out of character. It gave Rory a clue that I might be experiencing mania,” she recalls.

In most intimate relationships, it’s important to make significant others aware of red flags, according to David Miklowitz, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and director of the Child and Adolescent Mood Disorders Program at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California–Los Angeles.

“People with bipolar disorder can make a list of symptoms and behaviors that they know indicate early signs of a manic or depressive episode. The partners can then refer back to these lists in order to spot early symptoms,” Miklowitz says.

comfort levelWith education and experience, partners often become adept at spotting subtle signs, Miklowitz notes—sometimes before the person with bipolar does. 

“Then the question becomes: If your partner spots early signs of mania or depression, what do you want them to do with that information?” Miklowitz says. 

“Do you want them to call your doctor? Do you want them to go in with you for a therapy session, or encourage you to take your medicines? Some people like that kind of active support from their partners, and some do not.”

In some cases, Miklowitz says, intervention from a spouse can be seen as “too parental or too controlling.”

The bottom line is this: In order to tell your partner how to be helpful, you first need to know what kind of help you want. That’s highly individual, so every couple will find a different fit. After a disturbing interaction with a friend or boss, one person may simply want to vent while another seeks advice on how to resolve the situation.

Bill, 67, has never looked for a lot of hands-on involvement from his wife, Telle. The couple lives in California, and has been married for 20 years. 
 
“The main way that Telle has supported me is through her acceptance of me—and that’s been very important to me and our relationship. She knows that I can stand on my own two feet, and she doesn’t judge me,” says Bill, a retired refrigeration pipe fitter.

What Bill appreciates are Telle’s understanding and compassion for his symptoms, her trust that he is working to get the best treatment he can, and her emotional support when he’s had to be hospitalized.

Still, Telle has occasionally taken an active role in Bill’s care. In May 2012, Bill became delusional while being assessed at a hospital for a blood clot in his lung. Telle spoke to his psychiatrist, who arranged for Bill to be admitted for psychiatric intervention. 

If your partner does take an active role, Miklowitz says, it’s important to understand that the person will probably make mistakes.

“It’s crucial to give your partner some leeway, especially in the beginning of a relationship, when they’re just getting to know you and the effects of your illness. They’re not trying to control you. They’re just trying to help, and they don’t always know how to best do that,” he says.

talking pointsOnce you are clear in your own mind about what role you’d like your partner to take, Miklowitz notes, it’s crucial to be direct in expressing your wishes—and also to listen to what your partner has to say.

Miklowitz recommends asking “clarifying questions” to make sure you understand your partner’s point of view. To doublecheck that you’re interpreting correctly, practice repeating back what the other person said—a technique known as reflective listening or mirroring.

Nancy Poirier, MPs, a clinical psychologist at the Douglas University Institute for Mental Health in Montreal, stresses the need to express your wants and feelings with compassion.

With mirroring, for example, first reflect your partner’s viewpoint, then express understanding and empathy to validate how the other person feels.

In addition, she says, “both partners should be careful to use ‘I statements’ rather than blaming the other person in talking about the bipolar disorder. The important thing is for both partners to feel understood.”

As far as practical approaches, Poirier recommends developing a relapse prevention plan that details early warning signs of a mood shift and how to respond. The Elizabeth and Rory’s plan includes a list of people whom Rory should call to get Elizabeth treatment and/or medication, as well as the name and contact information for the hospital where she’d like to be treated.

As a further step, Poirier notes, you and your partner can write a contract about what each of you will do when warning signs appear. A document you signed when well may be more effective against denial when you’re ill than a partner’s reminders.

There are other small but helpful ways partners can counter symptoms, she says. During a manic phase, reduce stimulation by decreasing light and loud music in the household, and keep credit and cash cards inaccessible. During a depressive phase, let more light into the house, encourage exercise, and gently urge completion of at least one pleasant activity each day.

On a day-to-day basis, agree on a system that keeps encouragement from feeling like nagging. Again, this will vary from couple to couple. Some might be comfortable with a daily check-in about medication compliance, for example, while others will prefer a more emotionally neutral chart system that both partners can refer to.

Couple’s therapy can be an effective way to develop strategies for coping with the disorder together, Miklowitz says.

“The counseling should help the couple solve problems that arise around the symptoms of bipolar disorder, and learn to communicate effectively about them,” he says.

In addressing specific issues, Miklowitz adds, it helps to realize that you may not get everything you want.

“You have to be willing to compromise,” he says. “You have to start with the assumption that everyone—you and your partner—are doing their best.”

“Doing your best” might involve taking as much responsibility as you can for your recovery and well-being, Poirier points out. For your partner, that might mean cutting you a little slack for symptomatic behavior.

Elizabeth says that when she succumbs to what she calls her “ooh, shiny!” syndrome, Rory usually accepts the impulsive action as part of her illness.

When she bought several hundred dollars’ worth of tea towels, she recalls, Rory commented that they were now stocked up for a few years. When she took their cat to the vet and came home with an extra kitten, Rory “accepted the kitten with open arms,” she reports—and they now have a rule that they only go to the vet’s together.

“He isn’t a pushover,” she says, “he just knows that in the spring, I pull a few whoppers and that is OK.”

In fact, she says, Rory took the news of her diagnosis better than she did. They were dating at the time, Elizabeth says, and Rory made it a point to find books that would be helpful.

“He never judged me for having bipolar,” she adds. “I’m very lucky to have found Rory.” 

-------
Barbara Boughton, a freelance health and medical writer, writes for
 Reader’s Digest, Medscape.com and other outlets. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area. 



Learning when a hug can helpWhen Heather and Ken first met in fall 2002, Heather certainly wasn’t in the mood for romance. She was experiencing serious depression and “very resistant to dating,” but Ken waited patiently.

“When we did start dating, I was very forthright about having bipolar disorder, and he was very understanding,” recalls Heather, 44.

Now Heather’s relationship with her husband is a rock that steadies her when symptoms crop up. In Heather’s case, that’s often behaviors that signal depression—not getting out of bed, failing to eat healthy foods, and crying a lot.

After nine years of marriage, Ken has come to understand what his wife needs when she is ill. And Heather made it a priority to communicate to her husband about what kind of support she finds the most helpful.

“Sometimes it’s just the simple things that are important,” Heather says. “A hug from Ken can be very grounding when I’m having a difficult time. He also knows when to give me space, such as when I get irritable, angry, and when I lash out.”

Perhaps more importantly, Ken and Heather have an agreement that they’ll promptly address any worrisome symptoms.

Heather admits she’s not always receptive when Ken spots signs of depression or hypomania, such as being quick to anger or spending too much on online shopping, yet she will usually agree to call her doctor.

“Couples therapy has also helped us,” she says. “We’ve learned not to blame each other when we discuss sensitive issues such as my bipolar disorder, and to respectively express our feelings. Sometimes that may mean taking a break or even going to different rooms when a discussion becomes too heated.”

She adds, “What has been most important is for both of us to realize that I’m more than the identified patient in our relationship. I’m Heather, a wife who is more than her illness, and who needs and wants hope and love from her partner.”



In sickness and in healthDan and Dolores have weathered 43 years of marriage—and Dan’s bipolar swings. 

Dan, now 73, was accurately diagnosed in his late 20s. He and Dolores were contemplating marriage, and she accepted the news along with the man.

“He was a real charmer and had a wonderful sense of humor,” Dolores remembers.

Dan was in a stable period when they met, but shortly after the wedding he slipped into depression. For the next decade, he cycled from months of mania marked by reckless spending and anger, to months of immobilizing depression, to stretches of stability that might last half a year. He went through a series of jobs, never keeping one for long.

“I was ill and non-productive and she was the provider and caretaker,” Dan says.

Dolores held down several part-time jobs, taking their two children to work with her because they couldn’t afford child care. The couple went through two bankruptcies.

“It was painful and it was devastating, but I didn’t leave because I don’t believe in divorce,” says Dolores, 75. “But even in the most difficult moments, Dan’s sense of humor would come shining through.”

They held on until Dan found the treatment he needed at Washington University. An equally important turning point was their decision to start a peer support group in 1980, which became one of the founding chapters of what is now the national Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).

The work not only helped his wife become more educated about the disorder, Dan says, but through running meetings “she gained many skills in talking with me in a very helpful and therapeutic way.”

“We learned how to communicate even around tough topics—and not blame the other person,” Dolores adds.

Dolores admits to “mixed feelings” about their marriage over the years, but says that their life improved as their ability to address Dan’s health got better.

“He has changed in a really positive way over the years,” she says. “And our communication strategies just got better and better. We feel so blessed now.” 


Another definition of partnerPeople who are single may find a family member who becomes a partner in recovery. For Jackie that’s her dad, Larry.

“We’ve become an amazing team at managing my bipolar I,” explains the 25-year-old. “We even have a special binder that we keep on the coffee table that has copies of the most important papers about my illness and how we should handle things.”

The binder includes a list of her medications and what they’re for, contact information for her doctors, steps to take in various crisis situations, even copies of some of her homework from psychotherapy.

Jackie has found the skills she’s learning in dialectical behavior therapy especially helpful in managing her symptoms. When she comes home from group, she shares new information with her father. Also really helpful, she says, is “both of us reading everything we can get our hands on about bipolar. We test out new techniques for managing things to see what works best for us.”

For example, Jackie now keeps track of when (or whether) she’s taken her medications on a dry-erase board that hangs on the fridge. The chart not only reminds her to take the meds, but also keeps her father in the loop without having to bug her.

Jackie, who was diagnosed at 14, has seen a huge change since her father started educating himself. When she’s in a mood shift, they’re able to talk through what may have triggered it and how to get her back in balance. When her dad learned that people with mental illnesses sometimes use cigarettes to cope with stress, he stopped insisting she quit smoking. Instead, he encourages her to cut back.

“Before he started reading he didn’t understand nearly as well as he does now, which really goes without saying,” she reflects. “We fought a lot more and he really didn’t ‘get’ me. Now we fight less and he’s much more compassionate to what I’m enduring.”

READ MOREBuy a copy of the SPRING 2013 issue. Have a PRINT edition mailed to you OR read the full issue NOW by purchasing the DIGITAL edition.

Subscribe to bp Magazine (Print and Digital Subscriptions available.)


0 Comments
 

It is unacceptable that people be hurt

3/26/2014

0 Comments

 

It is unacceptable that people who are suffering from and struggling with mental health issues in their life be at risk of injury, trauma, assault or even death in their interactions with police officers whose only training as "being a good police officer"  leads them to a course of action that produces tragedy.  There is ample evidence that CIT training (Crisis Intervention Training) makes a difference. The "Memphis Model" has made an impact in many communities both large and small. Tragedies may continue to happen, but to expect and accept them as the cost of doing business as normal is simply and deeply wrong.

A few days ago I talked with a man whose 39-year-old "mentally ill" son had been attacked, beaten up and tasered by police in this community who "were doing their job."  Over the last few days I have spent a lot of time thinking about other incidents I either have direct knowledge of  or I have heard about.  And it has left me deeply troubled.

There are lots of people to blame and many people seem intent on solving the problem by trying to figure out who to blame.  I hear people talk about needing more psychiatric hospitals, more coercive treatment options etc.  I dont think there are really going to be an appreciable increase in psychiatric beds regardless of where you stand on the argument, rather you think it is a good idea or not.  Financially it simply not an option.  Arguments that vastly increasing AOT (assisted outpatient treatment) can solve the problem are not honest or realistic.

Someone will be the next Kelly Thomas.  Someone will be the next person a police officer faces on the street corner or in their home or in the jail.  It is happening right now.  It will be happening in a few minutes.  It will be happening tomorrow.  And what stops it from being someone you know, someone you care about, or even you.

It is pointless to bemoan the fact that police are being asked to do things they are not trained to do and then do absolutely nothing about providing them that training.  It is as unfair to the officer who is trying to do the best he can as it is to the person he is trying to deal with.

As far as I know the decision to implement CIT training is a local decision and depends very much on the financial resources of that community as well as the commitment to training that local officials may have.  Many communities, like the one I live in, have gotten officers involved in a piecemeal fashion but they are largely at the mercy of who offers the training and when.

Again, no one should be the victim of where they live.  I have been following in recent days the effort of New York state to deal with the same issue.  The proposal that is currently being fought over is whether or not to include in the state budget funds for what they are calling a "center of excellence for CIT training."  The idea, as I understand it, is for the state to establish a resource that could help communities access CIT training in a way they can afford and in a way that is most effective to them.  It shifts the burden of the argument from "is it practical?  Can we afford to do it?" to "Can we afford to not do it?"

It is too late for anything like that to happen in Tennessee this year, but is not to late to start the conversation.  Several other states already have chosen to establish something like "a center of excellence for CIT."  Some have found access to federal funding.  Others have found grants from other sources.

In the end, it not only saves lives but also saves money because of the injuries and traumas it prevents.

A couple of days I had a post which included a video of the beating of Kelly Thomas.  I made myself watch the video several days before the post and was horrified.  If you havent watched the video and still doubt the importance of what I am talking about watch the video yourself.  I have also seen videos of other beatings from virtually all over the country.  It is more than a Tennessee problem but it is a Tennessee problem.

In the days and weeks that follow I will be revisiting this conversation over and over.  I am by no means anywhere close to an expert.  If you think you know more than me on the subject there is a good chance you are correct.  My goal is to start a conversation, a widespread conversation, in Tennessee that prepares the ground to talk about this issue not as one that affects isolated localities but every person in this state.

It is a conversation I hope you will join.

Larry Drain, hope works community blog

0 Comments
 

2013 DBSA Chapter Service Award Winners

3/21/2014

0 Comments

 
I'm sharing the news of my being among national Award Winners for accomplishments over the past year. It has been a pleasure to serve as State Director and local chapter President. And I consider it an honor to be recognized by DBSA national.

I appreciate all the wonderful support I was given by my fellow officers, Board members, and the chapter membership throughout the year. You may view the announcement on the national web site athttp://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=peer_chapter_spotlights

                       Congratulations to our 2013 Chapter Service Award Winners!
The DBSA Chapter Service Awards recognize exemplary service by DBSA 
chapters, state organizations, and their leaders. Winners will be honored at the 2014 Chapter Leadership Forum in addition to receiving a cash award.

Steve Brannon of DBSA Jackson (TN) and DBSA Tennessee - Outstanding
Leadership
Steve is an excellent role model for pursuing a wellness-focused life while living with a mood disorder. He fights stigma by openly sharing his journey in the local newspaper, on DBSA’s website, and on his weekly online newsletter. He has worked with the local police department to help educate and train police officers for crisis response teams. Steve was selected for DBSA Peer Advocacy Training and was a representative of DBSA for Hill Day in Washington, D.C.
At his local chapter, DBSA Jackson (TN), Steve gently encourages, trusts, and believes in support group participants. He instituted a monthly “share your inspiration” night in which group members report on what keeps them going, creating an environment of hope and personal growth. Steve is dedicated to further advancing DBSA’s mission into surrounding communities and across the state. The number of support groups has doubled in the past year under his direction, encompassing all major cities and some smaller cities across the state. He has traveled hundreds of miles at his own expense to conduct local chapter visitations as state director. Steve’s passion for the advancement of DBSA’s mission in Jackson and the state of Tennessee is so strong that he has diligently dedicated his time and resources for over a decade.

DBSA Tennessee - State Organization Service 
DBSA Tennessee's amazing accomplishments made 2013 a rewarding year! 
They supported chapters in their state by hosting educational presentations and training programs, giving them the tools necessary for successful chapters. With help from DBSA Tennessee, five local chapters were interviewed on television or radio to promote DBSA to the community. Leaders encouraged one chapter’s community outreach, resulting in a city-wide Mental Health Day declared by their mayor. DBSA Tennessee’s robust plan to help new chapters in the startup process helped find free meeting locations, assistance in affiliation fees and paperwork, and provided a sponsor from an already established chapter to assist the new chapter.
Five members of DBSA Tennessee attended DBSA’s Peer Advocate Training in Washington, D.C. and then created an advocacy plan for their state including a campaign against proposed budget cuts to close all 45 of Tennessee’s Peer Support Service Centers. DBSA Tennessee is a growing, thriving organization. With its advocacy for peer support and local chapter start-up, community outreach and commitment to peer education, DBSA Tennessee is one of the most energetic affiliates of DBSA.

DBSA Murfreesboro (TN) - Rookie Chapter Service
DBSA Murfreesboro began in July of 2013 with support from DBSA Tennessee. 
The chapter started out with one support group, which saw its attendance 
double in fewer than six months, becoming one of the fastest growing local 
chapters in the state. The growth of the chapter can be attributed to the forces behind it that work tirelessly to get the word out about the group. Flyers and pamphlets are distributed to agencies and health care providers, the Salvation Army, local hospitals and businesses, and more. DBSA Murfreesboro provides post-hospitalization support for those who would otherwise have none. Educational materials, resources, and wellness tools are provided to each chapter participant. They have also started a family and friends support group.

Members of DBSA Murfreesboro participated in the state chapter meetings and backing of their U.S. Representative. For a chapter that achieved all of this in six months, DBSA Murfreesboro has a fine resume of accomplishments, but they consider their greatest success to be the level of support offered to each person who walks through their doors.

http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=peer_chapter_spotlights
0 Comments
 

No one cares about crazy people

2/23/2014

0 Comments

 

Scott Walker Emails: Former Top Aide Wrote

'No One Cares About

Crazy People'

Chris GentilvisoThe Huffington Post02/22/14 11:31 AM ET

Wednesday's release of thousands of pages of emails from Scott Walker's tenure as Milwaukee County Executive show a former top aide wrote that "no one cares about crazy people."

Back in 2006, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on the death of Cindy Anczak. The 33-year-old woman died of starvation complications while being treated at the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex for bipolar disorder.

According to the Center for Media and Democracy's PR Watch, Anczak's parents filed a legal complaint in October 2010, which was brought by Walker staffers to the attention of then-Deputy Chief of Staff Kelly Rindfleisch.

"Totally coincidental to the election," replied Walker campaign advisor RJ Johnson, about the timing of the filing.

"Corp council [the County's attorney] wants to offer 50-100k," emailed Rindfleisch.

"Ok - any time after Nov. 2nd would be the time to offer a settlement," replied Keith Gilkes, who headed Walker's campaign.

"Barrett is going to make this the center of his campaign," Rindfleisch wrote in another email.

"yep and he is still going to lose because that is his base," replied Joan Hansen, a County official.

"Yep," Rindfleisch wrote. "No one cares about crazy people."

The AP noted on Wednesday that Rindfleisch was convicted in 2012 of felony misconduct in office for doing campaign work for a GOP lieutenant governor candidate on government time. She was sentenced to six months in jail and three years of probation, and is appealing her conviction on the grounds that Fourth Amendment rights were violated.

"Most of those would be four or more years old and they've gone through a legal process ... a multi-year extensive legal process by which each and every one of those communications was reviewed by authorities," Walker told reporters in Madison on Wednesday. "I'm confident that they reviewed them and they chose to act on the ones they've already made public."

0 Comments
 

mental illness and stigma reside everywhere

2/17/2014

0 Comments

 
Mental health stigma resides everywhereStigma resides everywhere, especially mental health stigma.  The urge to quiet the voices of those who live with challenges, those who are different or those whose choices don’t mirror the “norm,” seems to be overwhelming as of late. “Don’t air your dirty laundry.”  How many of us heard that admonition as children? When we talk about mental illness, too often there are only two approaches discussed: sick or well, right or wrong. We talk about strong people and the weak people, those who feed their depression and mental illness and those who stoically rise above. When we talk about mental health in such limited parameters, we strip it of the crippling humanity that makes it possible: agony, loneliness, shame, trauma and stigma. We just tell people to think the right way, get the right amount of sleep and exercise, take the right meds, and when they don’t, we tell them to go away. In our current society, the mentally ill are considered the disease as much as the illness itself.

Here’s the rub:  Change and recovery occur when things are faced.  An acquaintance asked me recently why I speak openly about mental health recovery and surviving domestic violence and sexual assault. This well-meaning person felt that by airing my “dirty laundry,” I would cause myself more pain. Actually the opposite is true. When the mentally ill speak openly, others know they are not alone. Others learn what worked and what didn’t. By speaking – at first a whisper, then a roar – we lessen pain’s power. We learn to cope, we change the norm and we affect the changes we want to see.

Be part of the conversationThere is a well-known saying in mental health and social work circles:

“Nothing about us, without us.”

Only by being part of the conversation can we affect legislation, self-advocate for better care and show society that those with mental health conditions can live healthy, productive lives.

Why should we stand up and “air our dirty laundry?”  To help those unaffected by mental illness but whom are the gatekeepers of the systems we need access to, to understand our reality. Because it reflects one-in-four person’s realities. Because stigma born from misconceptions can only be corrected by those who are affected. Because society needs to see us living lives and being productive with the proper treatment. Because we learn the most from those whose voices society tries the most to silence.

Mental Health Stigma: Airing our “Dirty Laundry” Posted on February 8, 2014 by Paulissa Kipp
0 Comments
 

Republican State Lawmakers' Refusal to Expand Medicaid Will Result in Thousands of Deaths

2/4/2014

2 Comments

 

The issue of Medicaid expansion is a mental health issue. The fact is, we must prepare for the deaths of thousands of our fellow consumers because mental illness is not an attractive topic of concern, not a winning political issue. Let's face it, mental illness, left untreated, is not a pretty picture. So, mental health care must be made affordable. That's the reason we need mental health care provided for those who are the most vulnerable and the most desperate for proper mental health care.

And, so, here we are . . . are we ready to witness a huge, preventable loss of life? Or, are we ready to call on those we elected to serve us and let them know we expect them to step up and do the right thing?

Click on the link. Watch the video. Then you are welcome to click our Forums tab to create the topic you want to discuss.

http://bit.ly/1c24AkT

2 Comments
 

IBF Webinar: Cheryl Magrini DBSA, Chair

2/3/2014

0 Comments

 

Spirituality And A Wellness Based Lifestyle With Those Who Live With Bipolar Disorder. Wednesday, February 5, 2014 - 09:00 to 10:00

Reverend Cheryl T. Magrini, MS.ED, MTS, Ph.D.

Why should we be talking about spirituality and mental illness? Many individuals understand the essence of what it means to be a human being through their spirituality, and I find that this is even more so for those who struggle, ones living purposeful life, and those who embrace their resiliency, all the while living with bipolar disorder. When living with a mental illness, it can be too easy to think one is weak, unworthy, deserves to be abandoned by “God– or a sacred source” or that the episode could have been controlled, or the individual healed of the behaviors of the mental illness if religious codes, or other sacred norms, were not violated. Is relying on the sacred – whether ultimate truth or transcendence – being strong or not being strong enough? At the center of these questions lies the way that an individual living with bipolar disorder defines their own spirituality, and there are persons who struggle with what this means at all. How then does spirituality inform and influence decisions and specific wellness practices? With spirituality being a central point of living with purpose, meaning, and resiliency, how and when is this integrated into the therapeutic treatment? These questions on spirituality and wellness were asked of twenty-two individuals in a one hour interview. Out of these interviews, through common themes and evaluating the differences as well, five insights have been identified that will be presented in the webinar, including quotes and comments from the individuals in the interviews. This research leads to additional questions to explore.

Reverend Cheryl T. Magrini, MS.Ed, MTS, Ph.D.​ is a United Methodist clergy, serving the Chicago metro area since 1998, currently with the First United Methodist Church in Chicago, an urban and diverse church. Cheryl publishes, researches, and speaks nationally in the religious education and congregational change fields; and since 2011 specializes in consulting with faith communities to develop comprehensive mental health programs in partnership with community resources. Her current research on resiliency is an extension of her spirituality and wellness study. The resiliency research focuses on identifying resilient qualities, how these can be developed, and the ways that individuals living with bipolar disorder draw on and rely upon resiliency to live with purpose, meaning, power, and strength. Individuals share their personal story of resiliency as the basis of the research. Cheryl is chair, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, and on the IBPF Consumer Advisory Council, on the IBPF Consumer Advisory Council and President of the DBSA Chicago Loop Chapter.

Space is limited.Reserve your Webinar seat now at:https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/299258710 

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

- See more at: http://www.ibpf.org/event/spirituality-and-wellness-based-lifestyle-those-who-live-bipolar-disorder#sthash.4fM898CK.dpuf

0 Comments
 

My spiritual work in DBSA

1/13/2014

1 Comment

 

DBSA(Depression Bipolar Support Alliance)Jackson Pushes Back Against Stigma

                   Steve Brannon

I identify myself as “spiritual but not religious”. And one of my core beliefs is that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We enrich this experience by remembering/acknowledging/honoring our oneness with the Source and with each other. To do this, we must embrace our neighbor as an individual, regardless of their state of their physical or mental health, the size of their wallet, the “correctness” of their religious views. For the past twelve years, my work as Founder and President of DBSA Jackson has focused on the “consumers” (individuals utilizing mental health services for depression and bipolar disorder), as well as their family and friends. Together, we have created a supportive “understanding family” comprised of a plurality of belief systems.

As “progressive” as we like to think we’ve become, there is still an enormous stigma attached to mental illness. We all have our problems and worries, and we all have coping mechanisms—some healthy, and some, not so much—that we use to deal with them. However, what about those among us that need help managing their mental health challenges? Faced with the very real prospect of rejection, they are silenced and cut off from the world. Unfortunately, many religious institutions reflect this societal view, and this has only further isolated those dealing with mood disorders.

Mother Teresa did not shy away from those facing challenges. On the contrary, she gravitated not to the pillars of society, but to those considered less fortunate and even, by some, undesirable, most notably the poor and infirm. It is with a desire to serve that I have based my organization’s community outreach: first, to in-patients in a behavioral health facility and, secondly, to a population of consumers in the larger community. My inspirational support meetings provide spiritual encouragement to in-patients and other consumers suffering from mood disorders, regardless of the person’s faith (or lack thereof). The aim is to create a supportive, trustworthy, respectful, non-judgmental, and nurturing atmosphere where these individuals can safely explore and strengthen their desire for wellness and contributing to society.

I begin these meetings with a moment of silence in which we remember “those members of our family that we have yet to meet.” A central message of our work is that everyone needs time to be alone and go within: what I refer to as visiting the “inner sanctuary”. In my book, The Two Agreements, I discuss the importance of entering the “stillness” and the “Silence” to find one’s own connection with the Source, on their own terms, rather than those imposed upon them by any person, organization, or religious dictates.    

I am also sensitive to the fact that mental illness does not only affect the consumer, but their loved ones as well. That’s why I hold a second meeting each week that’s open to friends and family in need of support. Many focus all of their energy and attention trying to help the diagnosed person. Others are frightened away, and remain distant from the person experiencing the illness. Still others report feeling hurt, helpless, overwhelmed, confused, sad, guilty and ashamed because of their loved one’s illness. I believe that no matter the reaction, these family members and friends need support and comfort as they walk the often-challenging road to wellness alongside their loved one. To this end, my work includes special events that build a family atmosphere and promotes healthy relationships between people with illnesses, family and friends from different walks of life.

I believe that bringing consumers out of isolation helps push back against stigma. Both of the groups that meet weekly, our understanding family, are part of a larger mosaic. Within that mosaic, our family demonstrates the necessity of unity not only to these individuals and to their loved ones but also, on a deeper level, the human family, and our connection with one another. Spiritually speaking, the esoteric teachings of major religions speak of an underlying unity in all of creation, an eternal oneness.

In these most trying of times, our inspirational support group and network creates a safe place, in space and time, for these vulnerable individuals and their loved ones.  The result is that they maintain their treatment plan and likely avoid hospitalization. There are a number of fully-employed consumers who regularly attend our meetings and events. These individuals claim they gain the strength to work and contribute to the community because of the support and encouragement they receive. In helping every consumer in our organization to “be well and live well”, we are pushing back against stigma in a most profound way.

S.L. Brannon on DBSA Life Unlimited web site -- http://bit.ly/1kEBzlZ

The Two Agreements fb page -- http://bit.ly/the2agree

DBSATennessee.org

1 Comment