December 2010 News from NAMI-DKK

NAMI CARES

Concern, Advocacy, Research, Education, Support

NOVEMBER 2010

HELP, IT'S THE HOLIDAYS!

Tips for Reducing Holiday Stress
We see lots of articles this time of year telling us how to reduce our stress. Here are a few tips taken from several different articles that you may find helpful. Trying one or two may help you enjoy the holidays more.

From: anxietyrecovery.com

~ Breathe correctly. Throughout the day, stop and take deep breaths, slowly, through the nose, filling the abdomen. Release slowly.

~ Quiet your mind. Twice daily, turn off the chatter in your brain. Focus on a peaceful scene, your breathing, or calming music.

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From: mayoclinic.com

~ Acknowledge your feelings. If someone close to you has recently died or you can't be with loved ones, realize that it's normal to feel sadness and grief. It's OK to take time to cry or express your feelings. You can't force yourself to be happy just because it's the holiday season.

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From: nmha.org

~ Leave "yesteryear" in the past and look toward the future. Life brings changes. Each season is different and can be enjoyed in its own way. Don't set yourself up in comparing today with the "good ol' days."

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From: medicinenet.com

~ Try something new. Celebrate the holidays in a new way.

~ Spend time with supportive and caring people.

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From: indianexpress.com

~ Know your limits: We all know the holidays can be a prime time for the airing of family issues and grievances. If visiting a particular relative ruins the holidays for you, devise a new plan that limits your exposure to that person or situation. It's better to exercise good self-care over the holidays than to agree to plans that will result in a tense atmosphere and hurt feelings.

~ Are you tossing and turning all night? If you find yourself lying in bed with visions of budgets, menus and obligations running through your head - get out of bed. Leave your room to find something that relaxes you and return to bed when you are sleepy.

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From: connecticutplus.com

~ Talk with family and friends about expectations.

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From: healingwell.com

~ Get a massage. A massage can be beneficial for the mind and body.

~ Exercise. A few extra minutes of exercise a day can benefit your overall health.

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From: selfgrowth.com

These tips concern relationships:

~ When holiday problems arise - as they always do - an open discussion with your spouse needs to happen as soon as possible. Discussions about serious matters must always begin with agreement about what the issues really are. Work to identify the issue, establish the parameters of the discussion, with agreement to solve the problem together.

~ As the stress rises, so does the opportunity for argument and disagreement. When the holiday tension is so thick that you could cut it with a knife, it is easy to let nasty statements and sharp words roll off your tongue, making judgmental statements about your spouse, their actions, and their relatives. Think twice before exploding with vitriolic words that cannot be taken back.

~ The holiday doesn't have to be perfect! It is more important to build memories together for the holidays. Invite the family and friends to share in the dinner preparation and holiday decorating. The relationships built are more important than holiday perfection.

If you have questions about the suggestions or want more suggestions from one of the sources, click on the link to find that information on the internet. NAMI-DKK does not endorse any of the web sites listed above.

Using Mindfulness for Stress Relief
(Information from About.com stress management)

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of becoming more fully aware of the present moment--non-judgmentally and completely--rather than dwelling in the past or projecting into the future. It generally involves a heightened awareness of sensory stimuli (really noticing your breathing, feeling the sensations of your body, etc.) and being "in the now." While mindfulness has origins in Eastern philosophy and Buddhism, there is no necessary religious component to mindfulness -- anyone, with any belief system, can enjoy the benefits of mindfulness.

Mindfulness Exercises

The practice of mindfulness can bring many benefits to your emotional and physical health, as well as to the relationships in your life. Mindfulness is an amazing tool for stress management and overall wellness because it can be used at virtually any time and can quickly bring lasting results. The following mindfulness exercises are simple and convenient, and can lead you to a deeper experience of mindfulness in your daily life.

Mindfulness Exercise #1: Meditation

Meditation brings many benefits in its own right, and has been one of the most popular and traditional ways to achieve mindfulness for centuries, so it tops the list of mindfulness exercises. Meditation becomes easier with practice, but it need not be difficult for beginners. Simply find a comfortable place, free of distractions, and quiet your mind. (See this article for more meditation techniques, or this one for a basic meditation for beginners.)

Read more about mindfulness and the other mindfulness exercises

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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New Findings About Schizophrenia
Research Update
by Hugh Brady

The most recent issue of The Advocate from NAMI National contains a fascinating article on the causes of and potential treatments for schizophrenia. There are many exciting prospects on the horizon for treatment and recovery, including research into new brain chemicals called NMDA receptors, personalized medicine, genetic and prenatal research, and refinements to cognitive behavioral therapy.
Learn more

Also in the news: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new drug for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia. It may be of interest to those under treatment.
Read the FDA press release

On a Mission:
NAMI's Outreach man & woman holding hands

to Veterans and Their Families

Honor a Veteran in Your Life

Educators bringing NAMI Family-to-Family program to the Veterans Administration have already touched veterans and their families across the country with NAMI's unique brand of education and support.

"The military needs someone who can tell families how it is," says Char Cate, an Air Force veteran, NAMI advocate and co-teacher at one of the classes in Virginia. "The first thing my students say is, 'Why did it take so long for us to find something geared towards families?'"

Read the rest of this article

Our successes within the veteran community are just the beginning of our work with the many military families who are now touched by mental illness. Help NAMI fulfill its mission--donate today and help fund NAMI educational programs, outreach and support.

Donate to NAMI's Veterans Tribute Honor Roll

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Don't Let Your Holidays Become Your Hollerdays

Advice from Jeff Justice

The holiday season is upon us once again. It's the time of year that many of us get shopped out, tapped out and stressed out. Stress comes from all directions. Am I going to get a bonus? Am I going to have a job? Will everyone come to our party? Will they ever leave? Will I pick the right present for others? Can I return the ones they bought me?

Add in the traffic, weather, crowds and the thought of a fat guy in a red suit breaking and entering on Christmas Eve and it's no wonder so many of us get stressed out this time of year.

Jeff recommends: Above all keep your sense of humor. Laugh as often as you can, even if you have to fake it at first. If someone cuts you off in traffic, imagine they must be one of Santa's elves rushing back to the shop to make your gift. This holiday season and throughout the year, remember to laugh with others and at yourself. Giving yourself and others permission to be imperfect can assure your holidays don't become hollerdays. Peace.

Read more advice from Jeff

Coming Events

NAMIDKK Board Meeting - There is no meeting in December. The next meeting will be January 10, 2011.

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

April 26 to May 8, 2011 - Next to Normal Broadway production in Chicago at the Bank of America Theater.

July 6-9, 2011 - NAMI National Conference to be held at Chicago Hilton

Message of the Month
(March 2008)

From the Kane County's Mental Health Council

The Mind-Body Connection

There is an inextricable link between mental health and physical health, a point of awareness that is often called the mind-body connection. The mind-body connection is explained in scientific ways, citing evidence on the nervous system, and the way that both emotional and physical pain share neurotransmitters and move in similar ways through our neurological pathways. The mind-body connection is also explained in everyday ways, for example, when you worry so much that you develop a stomachache. The mind-body connection is becoming more widely recognized in both mental health and physical health circles by professionals in both disciplines. Understanding the connection helps both doctors and mental professionals to diagnose their patients, and helps patients more fully understand and better manager their treatment. On a systems level, a growing awareness of the mind-body connections can close the chasm that exists between physical and mental health care systems. If physical and mental health are understood as inextricably linked, we will progress further to our goal of having full parity between the insurance coverage available for mental health care and physical health care. Emphasize the mind-body connection to your clients and pass it on, with awareness, in your daily life.

Info Corner: Pain associated with physical disorders may cause sleep disturbances and alter one's usual routines and ways of coping, producing distortions in thinking and appraisal of problems. It can also reduce one's confidence in managing problems. Each of these factors can result in depression or anxiety. Psychological states such as depression and anxiety can alter immune function and other biological processes, which leads to poor health practice and diminished use of the health care system.

Helpful Link: http://www.nami.org

Criminal Justice System Evidence Based Practices

Advocacy Spotlight: New Fact Sheets on Evidence-based Practices

The National GAINS Center recently released a series of new fact sheets on evidence-based practices applied to people living with serious mental illnesses involved in the criminal justice system. Topics covered by the series include: assertive community treatment (ACT), supported employment, housing, cognitive behavioral therapy, integrated treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders and illness self-management and recovery. The fact sheets discuss the research behind each intervention and how it applies to people who are involved in the criminal justice system, or can be used in criminal justice settings.

These fact sheets can help advocates make the case for the services and treatments necessary to help people living with serious mental illness who have been involved in the justice system. To access the fact sheets, visit the GAINS Center website.

News on Healthcare Reform

by Hugh Brady

I recently had the chance to attend a NAMI legislative conference outside of Washington DC. There is a lot of news.

First, the new insurance parity law: NAMI believes it will be a great boon to people with mental illnesses.

The Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA), which the Congress passed earlier this year, will be good news as well. When it goes into full effect in 2014, it will require insurance plans to offer a minimum standard of benefits, including mental health coverage. It will help low income people afford health insurance, make prescription benefits for mental illness mandatory, and expand Medicaid eligibility. It will also deny insurance companies the ability to reject applicants because of any pre-existing condition, which has often been used to deny mental health coverage.

Of course, some Republican legislators are seeking to repeal the new law, and that may become an issue, especially in the 2012 election.

December Fast Fact

The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is a community partnership consisting of law enforcement officers, mental health providers and mental health consumers and family members. All community partners work together to understand mental illness, invest time and effort to avert crisis, work to de-escalate crisis and direct the consumer to appropriate care.

Help Researchers Study Learning Disabilities

Why is learning so difficult for some children?

The researchers use fMRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to study how a child's brain reads, does math and how it changes as they develop.

Children are asked to participate in:
~standardized testing of reading, math and IQ
~Practice sessions to learn math and reading tasks
~MRI sessions of brain structure and function

Testing takes place after school or on weekends at Northwestern University (Evanston) and the center for advanced MRI (Chicago)

The entire project takes about 8 hours your time and participants who enroll will be paid

Who is invited to participate?
~Children ages 8 to 13 years old
~Typically developing children
~Children with dyscalculia (math disability)
~Children with dyslexia (reading disability)
~Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

If you are interested please contact:
(847) 4676842 or dcn@northwestern.edu
www.dcn.northwestern.edu

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Next to Normal Tour

Hit Broadway musical comes to Chicago in April

The most talked about new show on Broadway is Next to Normal - the acclaimed, groundbreaking musical "that pushes Broadway in new directions" (Rolling Stone). With a thrilling contemporary score, Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other.

Read more about the hit Broadway show

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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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Schizophrenia Research

Study needs participants

Northwestern University is looking for participants for a Schizophrenia Research Project. The studies look at different aspects of the illness using MRI technology, clinical interviews, and cognitive testing. Individuals with schizophrenia, their mothers, and their siblings are encouraged to contact Dr. John Csernansky's research lab at 312-695-8643 to find out which studies they qualify for as participants. The major goal of this study is to improve understanding of the underlying causes and mechanisms of schizophrenia, especially during its earliest phases. Participants are compensated up to $25 per hour for their time.

See the flyer for more details

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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 B-SNIP Logo