Begins August 12, 2013!  

in Oswego

The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is a free, 12-week course for family caregivers of individuals with severe mental illnesses.    

 The course is taught by trained NAMI members

All instruction and course materials are free to class participants

Over 115,000 family members have graduated from this national program

 More details about Family-to-Family. 

Classes are free!

Registration is required

To register call 630-896-6264

or email us at education@namidkk.org   

Today it takes an average of eight to 10 years after symptoms of mental illness emerge to get an accurate diagnosis, much less treatment. Health insurance is costly, hard to get, hard to keep and often does not cover needed care.

The future looks brighter because new health insurance options are coming this fall to help over 11 million uninsured Americans with mental health conditions get the care they need. The new insurance comes as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed by Congress and signed into law by the president in 2010. The purpose of the ACA is to make sure that all Americans have access to affordable health insurance.

NAMI's new Got You Covered website will feature a wealth of information to help you navigate the system. On the site, you will find:

• Answers to frequently asked questions, such as:
  • With implementation of the health reform law, what options will be available to me for new, additional or expanded mental health care in insurance?
  • What does Medicaid expansion mean to me in my state?
  • What health insurance benefits must plans provide as part of the health reform law?
• Fact sheets about the new health law and how its implementation affects people with mental illness and their families.
• The Mental Health Parity Tool Kit, which was developed to assist people with mental illness and their families when it comes to mental health parity. For people who think their rights have been violated the toolkit shows how to respond.
• The Policy Makers Tool Kit, which includes fact sheets that can be used by mental health advocates to educate legislators and other decision-makers on why strengthening mental health care is critical to the health of our nation.

NAMI is continuing to build on its work to help families and young adults who may be experiencing the onset of symptoms of psychosis to add to the extensive Psychosis website resources. In 2011, NAMI published the results of First Episode: Psychosis, an extensive survey of people living with psychosis and their families looking back at the onset of symptoms, sharing what they needed to know as they reflected on their experience. After a full literature review of both creative and traditional treatments and services, and a new brochure that attends to this issue, NAMI has created Early Psychosis and Recovery, a podcast series on the topic to bring an audio resource to people who may be facing this challenge.

The podcast series can be found at NAMI.org and is also available to download from iTunes for free. This inaugural podcast is the first in a series of five that will be produced and available beginning now and continuing through the end of the year.   

     "THE IRIS  is   a symbol of HOPE and the theme of NAMI Kane County North's special 25th Anniversary Event to be held at Presence St. Joseph Hospital, Elgin, in the Auditorium on July 20 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.  

 If you would like to submit a piece of artwork depicting your own version of the Iris, please call Laurie Huske at 847-695-7957 or Lynette Niequist 630-584-7481.  We will send you an entry form.

There is no charge - all media is welcome - 2D and 3D art.  Children and adults welcome. Size: entry

should not exceed 24" x 36."  We hope you will become a part of this joyous celebration and help us spread awareness of mental illness and reduce stigma through the universal language of art. Contact: Laurie Huske: lauriehuske@woway.com or Lynette Niequist: theneeks@att.net by May 31, 2013.

Viewers of this exhibit will cast their votes for "Best in Show" in both the children and adult categories.

Winners will have their art photographed and used in NAMI Kane County North's literature and publications in 2013-2014. JOIN US TO CELEBRATE NAMI KANE COUNTY'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY!

In a recent study conducted at Columbia University Medical Center and published in the journal Neuron, researchers followed a group of 25 young people who were at risk for schizophrenia to see what happens to their brains as they develop the disorder. They also used a mouse model to look at the effects of glutamate on the brain during acute psychosis. Their findings suggest that an excess level of the brain neurotransmitter glutamate may be what triggers the transition to psychosis.

According to senior author Scott Small, M.D., previous research has shown that in schizophrenia and related disorders, the two prominent changes that occur in patient's brain are hypermetabolism (abnormally increased activity) and atrophy (a decrease in size) of the hippocampus. However, the relation between the two changes had not been studied.

Schizophrenia is a progressive disease characterized by a gradual onset, beginning with a prodromal stage then progressing to psychotic symptoms.  Previous studies (Fusar-Poli et al., 2012) have shown that approximately 30 percent of patients with prodromal symptoms progress to psychosis.

Read more about the results 

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