Monthly Archives: May 2015

Keynote Speaker, Patrick Corrigan, Announced

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 2015 ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN NEWPORT BEACH AUGUST 21 & 22

NAMI California’s Early Bird Discounts Are Ending Very Soon!
Click Here To Get Your Discounted Rates Now!

 

Patrick Corrigan is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology.  His research examines psychiatric disability and the impact of stigma on recovery and rehabilitation.   Corrigan is a prolific researcher, having published more than 300 papers.  Currently, Corrigan is principal investigator on several grants from NIMHD and PCORI that address health disparities from a community-based participatory research perspective.

Corrigan has authored or edited more than a dozen books, most recently, The Stigma of Disease and Disability by the American Psychological Association and Coming Out Proud to Erase the Stigma of Mental Illness: Stories and Essays of Solidarity.  With support of the NIMH-funded Center on Adherence and Self-Determination, Corrigan and his team have developed the Coming Out Proud program, aimed at eliminating the self-stigma of mental illness.

Plus Many More Amazing Speakers and Workshops!
Don’t forget to Register!  
Super Savings Ending soon!   
Hotel Information:

The Marriott Hotel and Spa is located directly across from Fashion Island and only 10 minutes from the John Wayne Airport.

Click here for special rates of $169, plus tax per night. To receive this discounted rate you must make your reservation by August 5th or call (877) 622-3056 to speak with reservations.

Marriott Newport Beach Hotel and Spa
900 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, California 92660

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Stepping Up: A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails

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The Problem

The number of people with mental illness in U.S. jails has reached crisis levels. In counties across the nation, jails now have more people with mental illnesses than in their psychiatric hospitals.

[youtube https://youtu.be/CcecllWKDB4]

The People

The situation is hurting real people. But communities, judges, police officers, mental health professionals and others have already started stepping up to combat the problem.

What You Can Do

Stepping Up asks communities to come together to develop an action plan that can be used to achieve measurable impact in local criminal justice systems of all sizes across the country. Learn More

 

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Congratulations to Familia a Familia Graduates

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Congratulations to the NAMI South Bay/LACC Espanol first Familia a Familia class at Harbor College in Wilmington. Pictured below is the group with Dr. Burnstein
familia 2

Este es un programa para la familia que le ayudará a romper con la desesperación y el aislamiento, a través de comprender y recibir apoyo para personas que tienen un miembro de familia que sufre de:

  • Depresión Severa
  • Familia 1Trastorno Bipolar (También conocido como Depresión Mániaca)
  • Esquizofrenia
  • Trastorno Esquizo-Afectivo
  • Ansiedad y Pánico
  • Trastorno Obsesivo y Compulsivo
  • Diagnóstico Doble (Abuso de sustancias y enfermedad mental)

De Familia-a-Familia es un programa que ayuda a transformar a la familia desde la desesperación y el aislamiento (ofreciendo esperanza y apoyo) hasta llegar a superar las enfermedades del cerebro. Gracias, Ricardo Pulido/NAMI/LACCC (310) 567-0748

Changing The Way Society Understands Mental Health

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From NAMIBlog by Theo Bennett:

It’s no secret that mental health is routinely treated differently than physical health, but sometimes it’s difficult to understand how or why this affects us. This disparity can take many shapes and forms, ranging from negative societal perceptions to discrimination in health coverage for mental health. Consequently, this unequal treatment of mental and physical illnesses leads to unequal results.

If we don’t recognize mental illnesses as physical health issues, then we will never get people the treatment that they need. One of the few certainties that I have learned from living with a father with bipolar disorder is that mental health is just as important as physical health. In fact, mental health is physical health; the two are inseparable. It baffles me that many people continue to make a distinction between the two.

In an effort to better understand the subtlety of mental illness, I have sought out opportunities that have changed both my life and my perception of mental illness. I went from reading articles online in my free time to doing hands-on research about the physiological development of mental illness at Dr. Renee Reijo-Pera’s Stem Cell Institute and the Center for Mental Health Research and Recovery at Montana State University.

While our current generation of medication and treatment can be frustrating at times, I have seen how learning more about the underlying biochemical pathways holds great promises for the future. My journey has also become an adventure all across the nation advocating for a more humanistic perspective of mental health. The ability to speak up and share what I’ve discovered with people and the chance to connect with others in similar experiences have been some of the most fulfilling experiences in my life…

– Read More at: http://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/April-2015/Changing-The-Way-Society-Understands-Mental-Health#sthash.mM6spo7N.dpuf

Also come see Theo Bennett speak at the 2015 NAMI National Convention in San Francisco during the Opening Session on Tuesday, July 7.

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Annual Pasta Dinner

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nickola_che - DPCPlease join us for the Annual Pasta Dinner to connect with your fellow NAMI members, hear updates on latest mental health issues, ask questions about whatever you would like, provide input on what you would like to see NAMI South Bay do, see some inspirational videos, learn about the annual NAMI Walk, and have the opportunity to spend more time with other family members and persons with a mental illness.

A donation of $5 is requested.

6:30 PM Monday, May 18
Fellowship Hall, First Lutheran Church
2900 Carson St., Torrance, CA
~
There will be the Caring and Sharing Support Group
at 5:30 PM in the Fireside Room.
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Reducing the Risk of Suicide in Individuals with BPD

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NAMI is pleased to announce that Dr. Marsha Linehan will be one of the outstanding speakers who will join 2,000 NAMI members at the 2015 NAMI National Convention in San Francisco this July. Scheduled to speak on Monday, July 6 in the “Advancing Recovery” track, Dr. Linehan will share her latest research on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), including the results of her latest study. In this study, Dr. Linehan and coauthors set out to evaluate the importance of the skills training component by comparing three treatment groups: skills training plus case management to replace individual therapy; DBT individual therapy plus activities group to replace skills training so therapists instead focused on the skills patients already had; and standard DBT, which included skills training and individual therapy. The authors found that all three treatments reduced suicide attempts, suicide ideation, the severity of intentional self-injury, use of crisis services due to suicidality and improved reasons for living. The results also showed that inverventions that include DBT skills training are more effective thatn DBT without skills training. Read the full study.

– See more at: http://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/April-2015/Reducing-the-Risk-of-Suicide-in-Individuals-with-B#sthash.nYRYNOps.dpuf

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Promoting Mental Health Awareness in School — Hope

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There is Hope After Diagnosis

We all know middle school and high school is a time of dramatic change, growth and developmental milestones. This period of change and growth impacts the mental health of young people. In fact, one half of all cases of lifetime mental illness begin by the age of 14. However young people who are diagnosed need to know that with proper care and treatment mental illness are treatable.

Group of little studentsSchools are an ideal place to help young people know that they are supported whether or not they are struggling with mental illness. Promoting programs like Michelle Obama’s Change Direction initiative, national programs like NAMI’s Ending the Silence, educational based initiatives like NAMI Queens/Nassau’s Breaking the Silence and Let’s Talk Mental Illness TM, or  local initiatives like First Lady Chirlane McCray of New York City Mental Health Texting Pilot Program,will reinforce for students that mental health is something to speak about and not to be hidden.

Mental health is now coming front and center. Schools can be places where kids can know its OK to talk about what they are going through, seek help if they need it and receive encouragement when they experience mental illness. Through consistently and openly sharing these mental health messages, schools can begin to create a culture of open expression.

From: Three Powerful Messages for Promoting Mental Health Awareness in Every School, NAMIBlog, April 10, 2015, by Hakeen Rahim. Hakeem Rahim, EdM, M.A. graduated from Harvard University and from Teacher’s College, Columbia University, start a consulting firm, and become NAMI Queens/Nassau’s Let’s Talk Mental Illness™ (LTMI) presenter, despite his struggles with bipolar disorder. Hakeem has also testified in front of Congress and featured in USA Today. Find out more about him at hakeemrahim.com.

– See more at: http://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/April-2015/Three-Powerful-Messages-for-Promoting-Mental-Healt#sthash.ufdtqj8w.dpuf