Christine Potts holds up a t-shirt her son made that says, "Don't let them throw me away."

The picture looks bleak for Illinoisans in need of mental health care services.   

 

"A person with no will to live and no one to help them cannot get the help they need," said Christine Potts, speaking Monday (April 5) at a legislative forum of the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness held at Provena Mercy Medical Center. "A sick mind will not seek out help, will not pound pavement or knock on doors."  begins an article in the Aurora Beacon News by Jenette Sturges.

The article continues to tell the story of Christine's son, who died of a drug overdose.  Read the rest of the article.  

The Legislative Forum sponsored by NAMI DKK brought together Ill State Senator, Linda Holmes, Ill  Representative, Kay Hatcher and representives from the offices of Illinois Representative, Linda Chapa LaVia and Illinois House Republican Leader, Tom Cross.  After a welcome and introduction by Bette Schoenholtz, Jim McNish, a long time advocate for those with mental illness shared his dream for a pilot program in Kane County that would demonstrate the effectiveness of providing community services for those with mental illness.  This kind of program could convince legislators that preventative services for those with mental illness saves tax dollars that are now spent on jails and prisons.   

Christine Potts talked about her need to advocate for those with mental illness after her son, Dane's death.  Then Karen Beyer, the Executive Director, Ecker Mental Health Center, gave us some grim statistics about the current condition of  the Mental Health System and how it is changing.  She stated that there are only 1,400 beds available for the 800,000 people with severe mental illness.  

Jerry Murphy, Executive Director, Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services, Inc.  showed a presentation that he is available to give to local civic groups.  He said that it is important to remember that 70% to 90% of the mental illness are treatable.  Stigma often causes the general public to believe that those with mental illnesses are violent when it is more likely that they are victims of violence.   

The audience was asked to give input and the Legislators then gave responses.  Despite the lack of funds in our state the legislators encouraged those advocating for people with mental illness to give them a simple piece of legislation that could make a difference.  They would try to introduce it even though the time to do that is running short.    

NAMI is jointly hosting the sixth annual Capitol Hill briefing in honor of National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day with the National Federation for Children's Mental Health, Mental Health America and the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. The program will emphasize the critical importance of effective school and community based mental health services for children.

The briefing will focus on Children's Mental Health: Early Childhood and Trauma and will be held on May 3rd.

Carrie McCoy wanted to invite others to help  her create and make handmade cards and scrapbook pages to donate to a Residential Treatment Center for mentally ill Children.  She also wanted to donate to local NAMI affiliates.  As a result she planned an extraordinary event that created 500 cards, sold bracelets and raffle tickets as a fundraiser and allowed everyone attending to enjoy a fun day.  The Birthday Cards, Thinking of You Cards and Easter Cards were made for the staff to give the children at the treatment center and for the children to send to their families, friends and support people. Carrie said, "A lot of these children do not have families, or outside support. I believe they need someone to encourage them from the outside!  I know that this is only a small gift, but I know that it will make such a positive impact on the kids."

Stamp Out Mental Illness Banner

In her invitation Carrie stated, "I would like to give something back and support a very important cause. This cause is VERY close to my heart! I have a daughter who suffers from Mental Illness. Our life has been turned upside down by this horrible disease. There is a silence when it comes to talking about mental illness. I want to break the silence! My family kept our daughter's illness a secret for a few years. We were afraid of the judgment, we were ashamed and embarrassed of our circumstance and most of all trying to keep our daughter safe not only from her illness but from judgment! We started sharing our 'secret' life about a year ago and there has been both negative and positive responses. We are free now. We can focus on helping our daughter and not focus on hiding our 'secret'."

NAMI DKK wants to thank Carrie McCoy for her generous donation and also everyone that attended the event and donated time, supplies and money.   

From NAMI e-Advocate Magazine

By Brendan McLean

NAMI Communications Assistant

   
Despite schizophrenia's outward expressions that make the illness perceptible to an onlooker, many people living with schizophrenia do not believe they have an illness. This lack of awareness, or insight, into their own illness is known as anosognosia.

Anosognosia can occur in any mental illness, regardless of its severity, although, it is more common to occur in cases of serious mental illness. It is more commonly found in schizophrenia, where approximately 60 percent of individuals diagnosed do not believe they have a mental illness, than in bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder. This inability to gain insight is not only witnessed in individuals living with mental illnesses but individuals who have experienced a traumatic brain injury or have other diseases, which can include Huntington's and Parkinson's.

Unlike someone who has experienced a brain injury and may not physically be able to retrieve information, Anosognosia, when observed in a mental illness, is the attribution of symptoms to sources other than the illness. It is not a conscious choice to misattribute, or deny, the symptoms but rather a symptom of the illness in itself.

There are three main distinctions between Anosognosia and denial. In Anosognosia, the lack of insight lasts an extended period of time (sometimes years), the beliefs do not change even when presented with overwhelming evidence to the contrary and illogical explanations are used to explain why what they are experiencing is understandable.

Read more about Anosognosia, including its causes, and its cures.

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May 3:Children's Mental Health Awareness Day 'Building Resiliency'

A DAY you say? A thorough examination of the value we place on the mental health of our children and youth deserves a long-term commitment, and an effective plan of action that is meant to truly make a difference. So what should we be aware of on this "Day"? The Concern: Traumatic or stressful experiences that lead to children experiencing high levels of anxiety can emanate from significant changes in a family's resources and housing, loss or absence of a family member and exposure to family, community or media violence. Studies on the brain show that in addition to the stresses listed above, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse in childhood can impact a child's developing brain.  

Learn the signs of a resilient child, how to support resiliency and how you can become more involved