• Who we are
• Family to Family classes starting in January and February
• January Events
• February Events
• Area Support Groups
• From the President's Desk - thanks to all who give their time!
• Political Update: 'Tis the season to state your case
• Carol's Corner, January 2009: The Power of Hope in Recovery
• Burt Constable writes about dual diagnoses
• Two articles of note: use of antipsychotics in children & cuts in mental health funding
• Help with the homeless count
• Some books worth reading
• In our own voice video
• Volunteers needed
• Some helpful resources
• Please pass on this newsletter
• Join NAMI
• Visit our website
• Emergency numbers

Starting Thursday, January 8, 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. and continuing for 12 weeks.  NAMI-DuPage offers Family to Family.  Meets at Knox Presbyterian Church, 1105 Catalpa Lane, Naperville.  No charge, required registration.  For more information or to register contact NAMI of DuPage, Wheaton office at (630) 752-0066.

Tuesday, January 20, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. NAMI Barrington Area board meeting in the Barrington Area Library, Large Meeting Room B. Drop in and learn what's going on in the chapter!

Wednesdays starting January 21, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. and continuing for 12 weeks.  NAMI-Barrington Area offers Family to Family.  Meets at Northwest Community Hospital.  No charge, registration required.  For more information or to register contact Maryrose at (847) 496-1415.

Thursday, January 22, 6: 00 – 8:00 p.m. The Autism Program of Illinois presents IEPs: What You Need to Know. Presented by trainer/consultant Vickie Henley. At the Hope Institute Campus, 15 E. Hazel Dell Lane, Springfield. $10 fee. Registration required. Contact Kara ath kwagner@thehopeinstitute.us or 217-525-8332.

Wednesday, January 28, 7 p.m. NAMI Northwest Suburban will hold its Annual Business Meeting. The chapter will hold an election for two directors, reports will be given by current officers and the 2009 budget will be presented. After a brief break for refreshments, Dr. Max Chasanov, NAMI IL Psychiatrist of the Year, will speak on the state conference theme  “From Discovery to Recovery.” All members whose dues are current are asked to attend. At the Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 114, Arlington Heights.  Please try to arrive by 6:45 p.m. to sign in.

Tuesday, February 24, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. NAMI Barrington Area board meeting in the Barrington Area Library, Large Meeting Room B. Drop in and learn what's going on in the chapter!

NAMI Barrington Area would like to invite you to our monthly support groups - for family, partners and friends of people with mental illnesses (or "consumers" of mental health services). This month we will offer one group on Tuesday, January 13 at the Barrington Area Library (call Mary at 847-381-6919 for information) and a second on Monday, January 26 at Nortwest Community Hospital (call Maryrose at 847-382-6623).

Support groups can be very helpful, especially for those going through a crisis. There are a number of groups meeting in our area for consumers as well as family members and friends. These include:

Every week in January, the NAMI Consumer Connections support group meets in four locations in the northwest suburbs. For adults 18 and over with any type of mental illness. No charge/no registration: Mondays 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Alexian Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 114, in the large group room. Call Star at 847-899-0195 for details. Tuesdays 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Kenneth Young Center, 1001 Rohlwing, Elk Grove. Call Mary at 847-895-382 or Michelle at 847-524-2690 for information. Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. at Central DuPage Hospital Behavioral Health Services Building, 27W350 W High Lake Road in Winfield. Call 630-752-0066 for details. Thursdays 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. at Good Samaritan Hospital North Pavilion (Building 4), basement level in Cancer Care Conference Room in Downers Grove. Call 630-752-0066 for information. Fridays 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Alexian Brothers Behavioral Hospital, 1650 Moon Lake Blvd, Hoffman Estates. Call Carol at 847-352-6708 or Ruth at 630-497-9737 for details. Saturdays 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. at Lutheran General Hospital, 1775 Dempster, Park Ridge. Call NAMI CCNS for details at (847) 716-2252.

Every Monday, the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance support group meets in Arlington Heights from 7.30 to 9.00 p.m. It's open to people living with depression and bipolar disorder and their family and friends. No charge. Contact Leah at mrsn@comcast.net or (847) 541-7754 for information and location.

Every Tuesday, the RECOVERY Inc. self-help mental health support group (led by trained consumers using cognitive behavioral methods) meets at at the NAMI-McHenry County offices, 333 Commerce Drive, Suite 900A, Crystal Lake. For information call 815-338-5609, email 50_@recovery-inc.org, or visit www.recovery-inc.org.

Every Thursday, the NAMI DuPage chapter's Peer Recovery support group meets from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at Good Samaritan Hospital, 3815 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. (No charge, no reservation needed.) Call 630-752-0066 for information.

Thursday, January 1. NAMI McHenry County Chapter dual diagnosis family support group meets the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the NAMI-McHenry County offices, 333 Commerce Drive, Suite 900A, Crystal Lake. Call 815-444-9991 for information.

Monday, January 5. NAMI Cook County North "Care & Share" family support group meets from 7 - 8:30 p.m. the first Monday of the month at the Kenton-Knox Conference Center at Rush North Shore Medical Center, 9701 N. Knox, Skokie. No charge. No reservation needed. Call Jan Magoc at at 847-297-0396 for information.

Monday, January 5 and 19. NAMI Greater Chicago consumer support group meets twice monthly (usually the first and third Mondays), 2:30 - 4 p.m. at their offices, 1536 W. Chicago Ave, 1st Floor, Chicago. Call Betty at 312-563-0445 or visit their website for information or for other city and suburban support groups.

Thursday, January 8. The NAMI Elk Grove Chapter family support group meets the second Thursday of the month from 6:45- 8:45 p.m. at the Kenneth Young Center, 1001 Rohlwing Rd., Elk Grove. Family, friends, and recovered consumers are welcome Call Gina at 630 302 2530 for more information.

Thursday, January 8. The NAMI CCNS support group for caregivers of children with mental illness meets the second Thursday of the month (except August) from 7:30 - 9 p.m. at the Kenilworth Union Church, 211 Kenilworth Ave, Kenilworth. Call 847-716-2252 for more information.

Monday, January 12 and 26. The NAMI DuPage Chapter's parents with children with a mental illness support group meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month at 7:30 pm at the NAMI office, 2100 Manchester Road, Bldg. B - Suite 900, Wheaton. (No charge, no reservation needed.) Call 630-752-0066 for information.

Tuesday, January 13. NAMI Barrington Area Chapter family support group, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the Barrington Area Library, Large Meeting Room B. (No charge, no reservation needed.) Call Mary at 847-381-6919 for information.

Tuesday, January 13 and 27. NAMI DuPage Chapter family support group, meets the second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the NAMI DuPage office, 2100 Manchester, Building B, Suite 925, Wheaton.(No charge, no reservation needed.) Phone 630.752.0066 or email: il@namidupage.org for information.

Wednesday, January 14. NAMI Greater Chicago family support group meets monthly (usually the second Wednesday), 7 - 9 p.m. at their offices, 1536 W. Chicago Ave, 1st Floor, Chicago. Call 312-563-0445 or visit their website for information or for other city and suburban support groups.

Thursday, January 15. NAMI-C.A.R.E. (Consumers Advocating Recovery through Empowerment), a peer-based, mutual support group program led by trained consumers for individuals facing the challenges of recovering from a serious mental illness. For 2009, the group will meed just once a month on the 3rd Thursday at the McHenry County Mental Health Board, 620 Dakota Street, Crystal Lake, following the 7:00 p.m. general support group.

Thursday, January 15. NAMI McHenry County Chapter Family Support and Education group meets the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the McHenry County Mental Health Board Building, 620 Dakota St., Crystal Lake. Call 815-444-9991 for information.

Friday January 16. The NAMI CCNS support group for caregivers of children with mental illness meets the third Friday of the month (except August) from 9:30 - 11 a.m. at the Wilmette Public Library, 1242 Wilmette Avenue, Wilmette. Call 847-716-225 for more information.

Saturday, January 17. The NAMI DuPage Minds in Motion social group (18 - 20-something) meets the third Saturday of the month. Visit NAMI Dupage or phone 630-752-0066 for location and time.

Wednesday, January 21. NAMI Hanover Township family support group meets the third Wednesday of the month from 7 - 9 p.m. at Downey Hall, 250 S. Route 59, Bartlett, IL. Call 630-736-2823 for details.

Wednesday, January 21. NAMI Northwest Suburban Chapter family support group meets the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Alexian Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 114, Arlington Heights. Call Star at 847-899-0195 for details.

Monday, January 26. NAMI Barrington Area family support group, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at Northwest Community Hospital Mental Health Network, 901 Kirchoff, Arlington Heights. Call Maryrose at 847-382-6623 for information.

The deadline for introducing new bills in the Illinois state legislature is at the end of February. So now is the time to make our case for better mental health services is now.  

Most legislators are good people.   Most of them would support better mental health services, if they knew about the sorry condition we are in.  But most of them don’t know much about the situation.  It’s up to us to educate them, to inform them.

Now is a great time to take a moment and call or write a letter to your State Representative and State Senator.  Tell them about the “F” that Illinois earned in NAMI’s state-by-state comparison of mental health services, “Grading the States.” 

People in recovery can be inspirational. Hope allows anyone with a serious illness to take control and move forward. This month, take time to listen to someone in recovery tell his or her story.

It's good that there are at least a few people in the media who are concerned about mental illness. If you would like to encourage Mr. Constable, there's a link at the end of the article where you can post a comment.

Every two years HUD requires the Alliance to conduct a count of homeless people in its service area.  As you might expect, it is quite a chore, and so the Alliance is looking for community volunteers to assist in the count, which will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2009. 

There are lots of jobs that need to be done, but one of the most interesting will be to be on a counting team.  Four to five person teams will be assembled and trained, and will then travel to various pre-selected homeless “hot spots” where homeless individuals are known to congregate.  Team members will then collect information about the homeless people who may be there and distribute gift bags, including such things as gloves and socks, toiletries and food items.

If you think you might be interested in helping with the count, or would just like to find out more about it, visit the Alliance’s website.

The Soloist
by Steve Lopez (Putnam 2008. 288 pages)
The true story of musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers, who developed schizophrenia while at the prestigious Julliard School of Music. He became a homeless person, living on the streets of Los Angeles until he was befriended by Lopez, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. The movie version will be released in April 2009, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr.

Hurry Down Sunshine
by Michael Greenberg (Other Press 2008. 238 pages.)
An excellent memoir—written by the father of a 15-year old daughter about her onset of bipolar disorder and its impact on their extended, blended family. His description of life on a psychiatric ward is exceptional: marked by critical insight and occasionally dark humor. He describes the uncertainty that marks the process of treatment and recovery, which will recur throughout his daughter’s life.

Stalking Irish Madness: Searching for the Roots of My Family’s Schizophrenia
by Patrick Tracey (Bantam Dell 2008. 273 pages.)
The author decided to track the mystery of his family’s multi-generational struggle with schizophrenia after watching two of his sisters develop the disease in early adulthood.. At least three other relatives shared the diagnosis.  The book mixes research, travel blog, genealogy, and discovery to uncover the roots and depth of schizophrenia in his family and Ireland.

If you go to the website, you can read more about the books and by clicking on the title, order them from Amazon.com.  And if you do, NAMI will get a portion of the proceeds. 

Thresholds (for rehabilitation help and housing)
Wilpower (for rehabilitation help and housing)
Community links from Wilpower
Alliance to End Homelessness in Cook County newsletter
St_Hubert_Job_Ministry
Government Benefits portal
Social Security Administration
Veterans Administration
Alexian Center for Mental Health
Kenneth Young Center, Elk Grove
Ecker Center for Mental Health, Elgin
Lake County Behavioral Health Center
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
NAMI Help Line (agency referrals): 800-950-NAMI (6264)
The DMH Warm Line offers peer support to mental health consumers and families (MF 8-5) 866-359-7953

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