By Ken Duckworth, NAMI Medical Director

I am one of many who would say that Robin Williams was among my favorite actors.  His portrayal of a psychologist in Good Will Hunting is my all-time favorite. A colleague of mine told me her kids said to her last night, "Mrs. Doubtfire is dead." They were crushed by this news which seemed so unbelievable based on their experience of the character. He was a figure that transcended generations. It was a very sad day for many, and my heart goes out to his family, who will bear the incredible pain of his death long after the news cycle ends.

I recalled that he had a history of struggles, but I was still shocked to hear that he had died by suicide. He was a genius and had many supports. But of course depressiondoesn't calculate those things. Severe depression distorts rational thinking and can lead to the fixed idea that hopelessness and pain are to be your experience forever. I have heard this from patients who have lived after suicide attempts. They told me they had lost all perspective and simply wanted to end their pain. They often reported simply losing a sense that they mattered to other people and forgot that they too were loved.

Depression distorts reality and causes a risk of death. It is a persistent and serious public health crisis that doesn't get enough coverage. It can happen to anyone and is associated with a great deal of the suicides in our country.

 When combined with a substance use disorder it becomes even riskier and harder to treat, and when it is part of a bipolar disorder it requires extra attention. Other public health problems like heart disease have seen great results in the past several decades-we cannot say the same about suicide.

What can we do about this public health crisis that takes so many from us?  

• Advocate. Fight for better treatments and for research into the underlying causes of psychiatric illnesses.
• Be proactive. Work to be sure that people get screened for this depression and that help happens earlier. National Depression Screening Day is October 9.
• Get medical. Get checked for medical causes of depression like thyroid disease.
• Take the long view. We can encourage people to stay with treatments as some do work even after others have failed. That is well established from the STAR*D study by NIMH.
• Integrate. Co-occurring disorders (like depression and substance use) often are poorly integrated into a persons care plan. This needs to change as substance use can be a failed self medication strategy to treat depression.
• Change the field. We can demand more cognitive behavioral therapy, which clearly helps with depression, but many mental health professionals aren't trained to provide it.
• Open up. We can change the dialogue about depression-it is a condition that needs to be talked about. Isolation and silence are the dangerous traveling partners of depression.
• Come together. Our voice is more powerful together than alone.
• Love. Like Robin's character in Good Will Hunting we can reach out and love those we know who are struggling and let them know we are here for them.

Chances are someone you know is struggling with depression, and this is a simple way that can make a difference.

Rest in Peace Robin. We shall all miss you.

From blog.nami.org

By Mary Giliberti, NAMI Executive Director

Today, 1 in 5 people in jails and prisons in this country live with a mental illness. About 70 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have a mental health condition. This criminalization of mental illness is tragic and it's wrong.

Instead of getting people with mental illness the treatment and support they need, our society too often puts them in jails or prisons, which are the worst places for recovery.

News reports almost routinely revealed cases that should shock the conscience of Americans. In California, the state was forced to adoptdetailed regulations after videotapes became public showing prison inmates with mentally illness being doused with pepper spray and violently removed from cells.

Solitary Watch, an advocacy group that focuses on solitary confinement issues in general has begun to circulate videos to document the brutal treatment of inmates with mental illness.

Two years ago, NAMI warned the U.S. Senate that putting people with severe psychiatric symptoms in solitary confinement is like pouring gasoline on a fire. It only intensifies symptoms. Today, a NAMI fact sheet on solitary confinement is being used to influence policymakers as part of the reform movement.

NAMI has worked for years to expand Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) training for police for compassionate responses to people experiencing psychiatric crises. At a Senate hearing this year, NAMI called on the federal government to vigorously promote CIT nationwide.

At NAMI's National Convention, Sept. 4-7, in Washington, D.C., NAMI will honor Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart of Chicago, a national champion for CIT and other criminal justice reforms.  His staff recently gave me a tour of the Cook County Jail- which, sadly, is considered one of the largest "psychiatric hospitals" in the country.  

Although Sheriff Dart works tirelessly to provide treatment in the jail, it still was sickening to see such a large number of individuals with mental illness confined because they did not get the help they needed. I also had the privilege to visit a community-based center for individuals with mental illness in the same city that provided extensive peer support and a place for people to feel part of a community.  I was struck by the different outcomes for people with mental illness and how much rests on access to good services and supports and diversionary programs.

Besides honoring Sheriff Dart, NAMI's convention will focus on a range of criminal justice issues. The convention program includes:

• An "Ask a Cop" workshop.
• A networking session on "Families and the Criminal Justice System."
• A major topic session is entitled "Treatment, Not Jail: Diverting Veterans from Incarceration into Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment."

But criminalization is more than a policy topic. For many people, it can be an immediate, urgent crisis. Every month, NAMI's national Helpline gets hundreds of telephone calls for legal help:

• Individuals want to know whether it is safe to call 911 if they or someone they love is in crisis.
• Families want to know what to do if a loved one has been taken away by police.
• Families struggle to cope with having loved ones in prison, sometimes for years, and worry about whether they are getting the help they need.

What can you do to help? Send a message to Congress to pass the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act this year to support alternatives to incarceration for youth and adults with mental illness.

If you need more information, please feel free to contact the NAMI Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). NAMI stands for help and hope. We welcome your support.

From: blog.nami.org