You are cordially invited to attend the

NAMI Butler County

10^th Annual NAMIWalk

Free Kick-off Luncheon

For Team Captains and Walk Sponsors

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Registration at 11:45 a.m., Lunch begins at Noon

Courtyard by Marriott Hamilton

1 Riverfront Plaza

Hamilton, OH 45011

• Organize and motivate a Walk team
• Learn about NAMI's online services
• Explore sponsorship opportunities

PLEASE RSVP by Friday, July 31, 2015 to
(513) 860-8387 or info@nami-bc.org

 NAMIWalk will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2015 at The Fitton Center in Hamilton, OH

Upcoming Education Meeting Speakers:

Join us for our free Education Meetings the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM.  Meetings are held at the Mental Health Board office located at 5963 Boymel Drive in Fairfield.  All are welcome! 

Dr. O'Connor will speak about the cognitive features of mental illnesses including Bipolar, Schizophrenia and Major Depression, and their response to treatment. Dr. O'Connor is a clinical neuropsychologist who specializes in the assessment of cognitive dysfunction due to a variety of causes such as mental illness, dementia, learning disabilities and more. She received her Bachelor of Science from The Ohio State University and her PhD in Psychology from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago,  IL. 

FREE Money for NAMI Butler County! 

Are you taking advantage of all of the ways you can support NAMI Butler County at NO ADDITONAL COST TO YOU??  Each of the programs below will donate a portion of purchases to us! EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!  

AMAZON SMILE: www.smile.amazon.com  (search for National Alliance on Mental Illness of Butler County when signing up). Register and start all of your Amazon shopping through the Smile link, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases to NAMI Butler County!

KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS: www.krogercommunityrewards.com (search for NAMI Butler County when registering). Register your KrogerPlus card with the Community Rewards Program, and NAMI Butler County will receive up to 4% of your total purchases. Currently, we receive about $750 a year through this program. We'd love to increase this to $1,000!!  You must re-register each year for this program!

iGIVE: www.igive.com (search for NAMI Butler County when registering). This is an online shopping link to hundreds of stores who donate anywhere from 0.8% to 15% to NAMI Butler County.  You must start shopping at the iGive site for NAMI Butler County to receive credit for your online shopping. This can be used in conjuction with AmazonSmile! There is a browser add-on that can be downloaded to remind you about iGive when you shop at participating sites!

My Journey with Mental Ilness 

By Shannon, A NAMI Volunteer

My journey with mental illness started when I was in my early teenage years, around seventh grade. I've been told that I was a very happy child. Sadly, I don't remember that being the case.

When I was in seventh grade my Mom was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). She was going out with friends for the evening and I was staying with Grandma. Mom didn't call to tell me goodnight and I knew something was wrong. I was so worried that I couldn't sleep. Here begins the anxiety. My Mom had stopped breathing; we got the call during the night. Forever after that I was in constant worry about my Mom. In 1990 my Mom was hospitalized for five weeks following a bad episode with COPD. I missed a lot of school and my grades were showing it. Here came the depression.

In high school, I was crying all the time and constantly calling home to make sure everything was alright. My high school guidance counselor suggested counseling for me, and my parents, divorced, decided not to send me. They feared that whatever was going on would just be blamed on them and their parenting. When I turned eighteen, I decided to go to counseling without their permission. I had a really good therapist and we were starting to work on my issues. Well, she got a different job and I was transferred to a male therapist and couldn't relate to him. So I stopped treatment. As my Mom's condition worsened so did my anxiety and depression. I worked a full time job and also was a full time caregiver. I didn't get to spend much time with my friends. My Mom was really dependent on me as was my Grandma at this point. I was having some serious anger issues and began to lash out at people. If I felt that someone had wronged me then I was going to verbally let them have it. I decided I didn't like being so angry and began therapy again with another therapist.

During this time my Grandma passed away; my first true loss. Three months later my Dad passed away at the age of 56. He died of liver failure due to chronic alcoholism. My dad had stopped getting me for visits when my brother joined the Army in 1986, stating he just really couldn't relate to a girl. He also once told me that I was too hard to love because I was so much like my Mother. Still, dealing with his death was another trauma. I stayed with therapy for about a year after that, was finally hospitalized and stabled and was functioning at a higher level than ever expected.

In 2005, my Mom took a turn for the worse and I was struggling to maintain her care and my full time job. On April 14^th, her doctor admitted her to the hospital for further testing to determine if something more was going on. Her birthday was in two days. I always made a huge deal out of birthdays and Christmas for her, because I knew how much she had sacrificed for us as children growing up. On April 18^th, two days after her birthday, my Mom was moved to Hospice and within a matter of 6 hours she passed away peacefully in my arms. That's when a new horror in my life began. I began harming myself; my emotions were so numb that I needed to see blood to know that I was alive. For the first time in my life there was no parental guidance. I had missed out on so much by taking care of her; I didn't know what to do. I was trying to go to work, but I spent many days not being able to function or get out of bed. I attempted suicide multiple times during this period. A friend finally took me to the hospital. They suggested I get into a day treatment program immediately so that I could get mental health treatment, set up a psychiatrist and a therapist. I was diagnosed with complicated grief, major depressive disorder, and anxiety. I worked really hard to improve through the day treatment program and with my therapist. I was making progress! Then my therapist moved away and I was put with another therapist. She and I didn't work well together and I ended up in day treatment again. I felt completely hopeless.

After completing day treatment again and by working very hard I had obtained a really great therapist. We set boundaries and expectations. I was finally in 2010 reaching the place I wanted to be. I was functioning normally with medication, and therapy was only happening once a month. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel. On January 16^th, I finally said I'm content. Life isn't so bad after all. I'm so glad that I'm better. I can do this now.

Three days later, I received the worst phone call of my life. My brother Steve had committed suicide. He was my only sibling. I was devastated! I didn't understand because he had always been so supportive of me with my depression and would always help me. He didn't so much as tell me how he was feeling. He was suffering from depression, survivor's guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder from the military. He saw combat in Panama and was really having a hard time, harder than I knew. My entire world changed. I felt alone

At this time, I began Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I've been with my therapist for almost three years now, we make progress, and I stumble back. I move forward again. My final diagnosis is Major Depression, Anxiety, Complicated Grief and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most importantly¸ I keep moving forward. I guess the goal is complete stabilization if that can be achieved. More importantly I have made it my mission to help others that walk in similar shoes. I'm not there yet but every day I take a step, I know it's a step in the right direction.

Book Reviews

Membership Update 

 We currently have 106 members as of June 30, 2015 and 1,197 people who receive our email communications. Remember, however, that your NAMI membership is a one-year membership, and therefore needs to be renewed each year. Please don't forget to renew your membership before it expires!  

Sign Up or Renew Online click "add to cart" and pay with PayPal!

Annual Membership Dues:

Individual ...........................................................................$35.00

Open Door (Hardship cases).............................................$3.00