NAMI CARES
Concern, Advocacy, Research, Education, Support
NOVEMBER 2010 |
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Mental Health Support Groups
(From mayoclinic.com)
Benefits of mental health support groups
Healthy support groups offer a variety of benefits, from the emotional to the practical. The benefits of support groups include:
Making connections. Meeting others with depression or another mental health condition may make you feel less alone or isolated. A safe and welcoming environment, filled with compassion and understanding, can also reduce any stigma you may feel over having depression or another mental disorder.
Improving your coping skills. Support groups offer the chance to draw on collective experiences. Others who have "been there" may have tips or advice about coping with your condition that hasn't occurred to you. Brainstorming with others may inspire even more ideas. For instance, swapping information about antidepressants can help you see how others handle side effects.
Getting motivated. Support groups can encourage you to seek professional treatment if you haven't already. They may also encourage you to take a more active role in your treatment or stick to your treatment plan. And they may help you tap into community resources, such as housing or transportation assistance.
Finding hope. Sharing experiences and making connections can make you feel better about life in general. Seeing others make strides against depression or another mental illness may give you hope about your own future. | NAMI-DKK Support Groups are listed below as well as Other Support Groups in the area.
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Festive Evening is planned
Tickets for the Dinner/Raffle
will be available soon!
You are cordially invited to come to our 8th annual Dinner/Raffle on February 5, 2011
at the Herrington Inn in Geneva.
* Price to attend the event: $70 each/ $130 per couple/ $600 for a table of 10 * Pre-event raffle. Tickets will be sold prior to the event and winners will be announced at the event: first prize-$250; second prize-$150; third prize-$75 * Wine raffle at the event
* Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact NAMIDKK at 630-896-6264 for more information * Ad Book space available. Contact NAMIDKK for more information * Invitations will be mailed out in late December. To request an invitation, contact NAMIDKK at 630-896-6264 |
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Hearts & Minds Program
NAMI provides new online program
 What Is Hearts & Minds? The NAMI Hearts & Minds program is an online, interactive, educational initiative promoting the idea of wellness in both mind and body. Wellness is an ongoing process of learning how to make choices that support a more successful, healthy life. Engaging in a wellness effort can make a huge difference in the quality of your life. One study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that taking the wellness approach can result in a 17 percent decline in total medical visits and a 35 percent decline in medical visits for minor illnesses. Wellness is about the individual; you can decide what parts of your life you would like to change and you can determine your own success.
Topics included on the website are:
Medical Self-Advocacy
Smoking & Substance Abuse
Healthy Eating
Exercise
Mindfulness
Resources
You can find out more about this new online support resource by clicking on: Hearts & Minds.
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NAMI-DKK 5K Run For Mental Health Successful!
Thanks to all who joined us for this fundraiser for NAMI-DKK. Your participation is greatly appreciated and contributed to a very successful event. Your contributions will be used to provide support, education, advocate for and reduce stigma for those with mental illness and their families. 
Please plan to join us again in
October 2011!
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Sizing up mental health support groups
Support groups come in many forms, ranging from meetings held in a member's home to nonprofit organizations with a paid staff and a range of programs. You may need to search around to find a support group that meets your needs. Some self-help groups are tailored to a particular group of people. Some groups are for those with a mental health condition, while others might be for loved ones of someone with a mental health condition or issue. Some focus on particular challenges linked to a mental health condition, such as suicidal thinking or coping with the death of a spouse. Others offer support to minorities.
Questions to ask when considering a support group:
~Is it geared toward a specific condition?
~Is the location convenient for regular attendance?
~What is the meeting schedule?
~Is there a facilitator or moderator?
~Is there a mental health expert involved with the group?
~Is it confidential?
~Does it have established ground rules?
~What is a typical meeting like?
~Is it free, and if not what are the fees?
Plan to attend a few support group meetings to see how you fit in. If the support group makes you uncomfortable or you don't find it useful, try another one. Remember that even a support group you like can change as participants come and go. Periodically evaluate the support group to make sure it continues to meet your needs.
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Coming Events
NAMIDKK Board Meeting - There is no meeting in December. The next meeting will be January 10, 2011. Please call the office for more information (630) 896-6264.
February 15, 2011 - Tuesday 6:30pm to 9:00pm
Family-to-Family Classes begin, continuing weekly on Tuesdays for 12 weeks to May 3, 2011. See information above for more details.
Save These Dates
February 5, 2011 - Annual Dinner/Raffle in Geneva
July 6-9, 2011 - NAMI National Conference to be held at Chicago Hilton |
NAMI Information HelpLines provide support
The NAMI Information HelpLine is an information and referral service which can be reached by calling 1 (800) 950-NAMI (6264), Monday through Friday, 10 am- 6 pm, Eastern time. Business callers, including those seeking particular NAMI staff members, should call 703-524-7600. You may also e-mail NAMI at info@nami.org.
Trained volunteers provide information, referrals, and support to all who have questions about or are affected by serious mental illness.
The Information HelpLine offers: Information: We provide general (non-professional) information on illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression; issues affecting children, adolescents & young families; general questions about medication; NAMI programs (such as Family-to-Family and In Our Own Voice); NAMI policy positions (such as mental health parity) ... and a whole lot more!
Referrals: Callers are referred to NAMI state offices, local affiliates and support groups throughout the country and to other organizations serving the needs of those affected by serious mental illness.
Support: Trained volunteers - consumers and family members - are in a unique position to offer support and empathy from people who know what it's like and who have "been there."
NAMI-DKK Information HelpLine is a local information and referral service which can be reached by calling: 1 (630) 896-6264. You will be asked to leave a message and a trained volunteer will return your phone call within 24 hours (on weekends it may be slightly longer) You can email NAMI-DKK at info@namidkk.org.
If you want to join our team of trained volunteers please come for a few hours of training between January 3 and 10, 2011. Contact Elaine by leaving a message at 630-896-6264.
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Interfaith Conference
Conference on the Mental Health Needs of Your Faith Community held in Elgin
 On November 9, 2010 the Suburban Chicago Interfaith
Mental Health Coalition (SCIMHC ) welcomed pastors, deacons, Stephens Ministry, parish nurses, and others from the faith community who were helping or interested in learning how to reach out to people and families struggling with mental health issues.
Two keynote speakers presented their expertise on how faith can comfort those with mental illnesses. Dr. Mark R. McMinn, a professor of Psychology at George Fox University focused on finding effective ways for mental health professionals and clergy to work well together. Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder, who currently serves on the NAMI Faithnet Advisory Committee, discussed erasing stigma of mental illness in faith communities and understanding the important role a person's spirituality can play in the recovery and healing process.
Representatives from NAMI-DKK, NAMI Kane County (North) and NAMI DuPage attended the conference to pass out literature about mental illnesses to the participants and answer any questions or concerns.
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Missing Persons Support
Resources and support for locating missing persons with mental illness.
NAMI wants to help those that are looking for a loved one that is missing. The NAMI website includes information that can be used to find someone that is missing and find support for those that are looking. You can find information about the following:
Missing Persons Database
What To Do / What Steps To Take
Missing Persons online discussion group Other online resources
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November Fast Fact
Fearing for their careers, many service members keep quiet about their mental health problems.
...where about a fifth of people returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are reporting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression, and only about half seek treatment, according to a 2008 Rand Corp. study.
(From an American Psychological Association article, The Military's War on Stigma By Sadie F. Dingfelder,
Monitor Staff, June 2009, Vol 40, No. 6)
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More Support Online
The Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) holds online support groups
General Support Group meetings are held on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at various times. A Support group for family and friends of people with mood disorders is held on Thursdays at 8pm Eastern FAMILY & FRIENDS' GROUP (7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific, 2am Friday GMT) The online support group meeting room opens 10 minutes before the start of the online support group and closes 30 minutes after the group has ended. The online meeting room is not open at other times. To find out more about these groups and how to join go to: DBSA
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Parity Implementation Toolkit Available
Mental Health Parity Toolkit can help you understand new rights and benefits under the parity law
NAMI and other coalition partners working on the implementation of the 2008 Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act have developed a toolkit. The toolkit will assist people living with mental illness and their families to determine if their group health plan is in compliance with the new law. The Parity Implementation Toolkit also provides resources on how to file a complaint and report non compliance to appropriate regulatory authorities.
The Parity Implementation Coalition developed this toolkit to help you to understand the law, to file complaints and to appeal denied claims. They may update it as regulations are clarified and additional FAQs are made available. The information included in this toolkit is meant to be helpful, but should not substitute for legal counsel.
A copy of the toolkit can be downloaded on the NAMI website
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Support for Parents/Caregivers
Family Leadership Action Network (FLAN) now on Facebook
FLAN is part of a larger partnership which is working to help Illinois parents and caregivers of children with mental illnesses. Our local region (Region 2) has committed to 3 key activities:
1. Developing & coordinating parent support in the Mental Health Juvenile Justice system
2. Collaborating with other statewide initiatives to increase parent awareness and conduct parent trainings.
3. Working in collaboration with regional NAMI affiliates to increase awareness across the region.
You can find out more information about what they do on their website or  .
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Educational Programs
Helping schools reach out to children with mental illness
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PARENTS AND TEACHERS AS ALLIES:
Parents and Teachers as allies was created to help families and school professionals identify the key warning signs of early-onset mental illnesses in children and adolescents in our schools. The program is intended to provide an educational tool for advancing mutual understanding and communication between families and school professionals. This program is designed for two-hour teacher in-services, parent PTA sponsored evenings, and mental health professional classes.
RED FLAGS:
Red Flags is a depression awareness program for middle school students. It is generally taught in health classes and takes 3-5 class periods. The teacher can choose between 2 DVD's: "Claire's Story," or "Thick'n Thin," a more recent story of teenage depression. Two additional DVD's go with the program, as well as suggested class activites, information on mental illness and discussion topics.
ENDING THE SILENCE:
Ending the Silence is a high school health class presentation, typically presented during the mental health portion of the curriculum. This interactive program teaches the basic signs and symptoms of mental illnesses in teenagers, presents personal stories to reduce stigma, and provides many resource materials for students.
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Please note that this study still needs participants as of October 2010. If you are interested it is not too late to sign up.
Research Study Opportunity
Patients and Family Members Needed to Help Solve the Puzzles of Bipolar Disorder & Schizophrenia
Researchers are looking for participants for a project called Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP). The B-SNIP project is funded by the National Institute of Health to learn about risk for schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder and their associated biological and behavioral traits (called intermediate phenotypes). The goal of this research is to help better understand the causes of these illnesses so that better treatments may be developed.
For more information or to enroll contact:
B-SNIP Research Study LineCenter for Cognitive Medicine,
Suite 235, Department of Psychiatry
University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center
912 S. Wood St., Chicago, IL 60612
Phone: 312-355-5549
Email: bsnip@psych.uic.edu
You can find out about other research opportunities at nami.org.
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NAMIDKK
Vision Statement
VISION: NAMI-DKK is dedicated to the eradication of the stigma of mental illness by
improving the quality of life of all those striving for mental health wellness.
NAMIDKK
Mission Statement
MISSION: The mission of NAMI-DKK is to advocate, educate
and support persons, family members and communities dealing with mental health
issues
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NAMI-DKK
Family-to-FamilyScheduled for February 2011
The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is a free, 12-week course for family caregivers of individuals with severe mental illnesses. Click here for more details.
continuing weekly for 12 weeks through May 3, 2011
Provena Mercy Medical Center
1325 N Highland Ave
Aurora, IL 60506
Classes are free
Registration is required
To register call Denise at 630-405-9336
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Support Groups
NAMI-DKK FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS
(No charge, no reservations needed)
These support groups provide relevant information, valuable insight, and the opportunity to engage in support networks. The groups are led by family members that have been trained in classes provided by NAMI Illinois. Family members are invited to join more than one group to provide more frequent support.
Aurora:
3rd Tuesday of the month,
from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
The McDermott room, Provena Mercy Hospital (lower level), in Aurora.
630-761-6971 (Buzz Hays)
DeKalb:
This support group will begin meeting soon. Please contact our NAMI-DKK office at (630) 896-6264 for the latest information.
St. Charles:
1st Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.
The Congregational United Church of Christ, 40W451 Fox Mill Blvd. St. Charles, IL. (To get there, go west on Route 64 to Fox Mill Blvd. and turn left. The church is south of Fox Mill on the left. The entrance is on the south corner from the parking lot.)
630-584-7481 (Lynette Niequist)
Elgin (NAMI Kane County):
2nd Tuesday 6:30-8:00 p.m.
St, Joseph Hospital
(St. Mary's Room lower level)
Call Laurie 847-695-7957
NAMI CONNECTIONS RECOVERY GROUPS
(No charge, no reservations needed)
Currently the NAMI-DKK Connections Recovery Groups are not meeting.
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OTHER AREA SUPPORT GROUPS
KENDALL COUNTY SUPPORT GROUPS:
The Kendall County Health Department provides the following support groups lead by mental health professionals. For further information please contact the KCHD Admissions Coordinator, Rhonda at (630) 553-9100 X8053
· Life Strengths: Peer Support for those dealing with chronic mental illness.
· Understanding your Diagnosis: Family support and for those individual(s) working towards mental health recovery.
. Dual Diagnosis Group: Treatment for those individuals addressing both substance abuse and mental health issues.
DEPRESSION & BIPOLAR SUPPORT ALLIANCE:
DeKalb(NIU): Meets Monthly the last Saturday at 12 noon in Immanuel Lutheran Church on Russell Rd.
Follow signs. Easy parking
Contact person: Charles Smith Phone: (815) 398-9628 Fax: (815) 398-5995 Email: mrsippy1d@comcast.net Website: www.grouphope.org
Fox Valley: Meets 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at:
Behavioral Health Services Bldg.
Campus of Central DuPage Hosp.
27 W 350 Highlake Rd.
Winfield Rd., Winfield, IL.
Contact person: Judy Kramer, Pres.
Phone: 630-466-4851
Email: Judykramer@MCHSI.com
Website: www.DBSAFoxvalley.org
CARES Support Group - led by and for individuals working towards recovery
Monday mornings 11:00 - 12:00 p.m.
Ecker Center, Elgin - 2nd Floor
for information: NAMI - 847-426-4594
NAMI DUPAGE COUNTY SUPPORT GROUPS:
NAMI DuPage has several support groups that are open to anyone no matter where you live. There is no charge for these groups. To find out more about these groups and where they meet you can go to: http://www.namidupage.org/support/support-groups
NAMI BARRINGTON SUPPORT GROUPS: NAMI Barrington has two family support groups that are open to anyone no matter where you live. There is no charge for these groups. To find out more about these groups and where they meet you can click on this link. |
Consumers' Corner
Calling all consumers!
We would love to have contributions for our newsletter from Consumers who would like to share personal stories, poetry, ideas that have helped you make it through the rough times, or any creative work. If you would like to contribute visual art please contact Nina for details on how to do that.How do you feel about the word "Consumer"? That is the word used by NAMI to indicate a person with a mental illness. Does that word work for you? Do you have an idea for another word that might indicate who you are, yet do it in a positive way? Let us know what you think. Please send your ideas to Nina and she will pass that information on to our Board for consideration. Back to Top |
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Resources
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Volunteer Opportunities
Do you want to help?
NAMIDKK would love to be doing more but there is just not enough time in our days to do everything we think of. If you have an hour or more to help us out we would be glad to hear from you. For some things you do not even need to come into our office to help. If you can help us returning phone calls we will provide training and resource materials. If this is something you would like to do, please contact Elaine at 630-377-1563 or epmulligan1@gmail.com.Your help as volunteers would increase our ability to help improve the quality of life for individuals with mental illness and their families. We need: a grant writer, a publicity coordinator, speakers bureau volunteers, help line call takers, dinner/raffle help, more people for our educations programs, someone to join NAMI National's Stigma Buster Alert program, people to help update resource information, as well as newsletter submissions. |
Membership BECOME A MEMBER OF NAMI DEKALB, KANE SOUTH & KENDALL COUNTIES
NAMI DKK is a nonprofit organization affiliated with NAMI - The National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Membership includes: Membership in Illinois and National NAMI
NAMI National's publication Advocate (quarterly)
NAMI Illinois' publication Stateline (quarterly)
NAMI DKK CARES email Newsletter (monthly) New members receive a welcome packet and our NAMI-DKK Handbook (when available). Please complete the information below and mail your check or money order to NAMI-DKK 400 Mercy Lane, Aurora, Illinois 60506 Name:___________________________ Address:_________________________ City:_____________Zip:_____________ Telephone (s):_____________________ Email (s): ________________________ Individual: $30/year _______ Advocate: $100/year _______ Lifetime: $500 _______ Written Newsletter Only _______ ($10 suggested donation) Open Door $3/year _______ (Those with limited means/fixed incomes are invited to join at this reduced rate) Donation Only $ _______ Total Enclosed: $ _____________ Note: Membership and donations are tax deductible. Back to Top
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Forward This Newsletter
PLEASE PASS THIS ON
If you know someone that might benefit from getting this newsletter you can use the link below to forward this newsletter to them. If they enjoy it and want to get it all the time they can subscribe, but only if they want to. They will not be automatically put on our mailing list.
The newsletter is a great way to keep up with what is going on with NAMIDKK, find resources, and learn about ways you can help.
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About Us
NAMIDKK can be reached by
phone: 630-896-6264
fax: 630-896-6365
email: info@namidkk.org
mail: 400 Mercy Lane
Aurora, IL 60506
website: namidkk.org
NAMIDKK is an affiliate of a national network of NAMI groups all over the world. The national website
has many resources for both consumers and families, educational
information about mental illness and treatments, and the latest news
concerning our issues. NAMI Illinois is the state organization
that can direct you to local events and groups as well as keeping us
updated about what is happening in our state. The state website also has resources and links to other organizations.
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NAMIDKK Board of Directors
Phyllis Graeser - President Nina Finch - Vice President Jack Hazel - Vice President Walter Deuchler - Treasurer Mary Ihnenfeld - Secretary Suzanne Deuchler Denise Edwards Bethany Genenbacher Regina Harris Jim McNish Elaine Mulligan Betty Schoenholtz Jennifer Wilcox Legal Advisor: Alschuler, Simantz & Hem, LLC - Jan OPittman, Legal Assistant Accountant: Borhart, Spellmeyer & Co. Back to Top |
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