There are a large number of support groups available in the Chicago area. See our "Area Support Groups" feature for a more complete listing.

The hearing and forum will be held on Thursday, April 16 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Palatine Public Library.  We hope that as many NAMI members as possible will attend to help give the legislators an idea of the magnitude and seriousness of the problem.  In Springfield, it’s often the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, so we hope we’ll hear you squeak on the 16th!

Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7, all day.  NAMI Madison County hosts Piecing It All Together Conference: How Children’s Mental Health and Mental Illness Affect Family, School, and Community.  At Southern IL Univ. - Edwardsville.  Registration and fee required, continuing education credits available.  For session descriptions, registration or questions www.NAMI-PIAT.org, (618) 798-9788, or NAMI-PIAT@hotmail.com.

Thursday, March 12, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. NAMI of Greater Chicago presents: How to Advocate for Your Child with a Disability, a presentation in Spanish. Maribel Huerta from the Chicago Public School's Office of Specialized Services will present the rights of students with disabilities within the Chicago Public School system and how parents can best advocate for and support their child. At the NAMI of Greater Chicago office. Pease phone 312-563-0445 to register.

Tuesday, March 17, 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!

Wednesday, March 18 in Peoria, IL, Thursday, March 19 in Springfield, IL and Friday, March 20 in St. Louis, MO from 7:30am – 4:00pm each day.  Suicide and Self Mutilation seminar with speaker Jack Klott.  More information in the brochure here and here.  To register for the seminar, you can either go online at www.pesi.com and search for the day (city names above are direct links) or call at 1-800-844-8260.  It is $189 for standard registration.  There are two extra books that can be purchased at the seminar.  Also, you can get continuing education credits for attending.

Thursday, March 19. The Arlington Heights Police Department invites consumers and family members to meet and mingle with officers during Crisis Intervention Team training at 33. S. Arlington Heights Road.  The training will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can drop in any time during the day. Registration is not required. For more information, see Carol’s Corner in this newsletter or phone 847-368-5000.

Thursday, March 19, 1:00p.m.  The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health is sponsoring a conference call on A Public Health Approach to Children's Mental Health: A Comprehensive Framework for Health - Call 1.  (2nd call in April, 3rd in May) PowerPoint slides and other reading materials available on website.  Free!  For more information and to register visit their website.

Friday, March 20, 9a.m. - 5p.m.  Illinois ResourceNet is hosting a conference on "Demystifying Federal Funds." Successful grant winners will share knowledge on how to look and apply for grants.  At the UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago.  Register online.  Cost is $35.00.

Wednesday, March 25, 7:30pm. NAMI Northwest Suburban will host Virginia Goldrick,Phd. speaking on "Family inclusion in the metal health system - a promise yet unfulfilled" at Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Ste 114, Arlington Heights.  For more information please call 847-899-0195 or e-mail naminwsub@aol.com.Starting Wednesday, March 4, 7:00 – 9:30pm and continuing for 12 weeks.  NAMI-CCNS offers Family to Family.  Meets at New Trier West in Northfield.  No charge, required registration.  For more information or to register contact Joyce Schladweiler 847-853-6191 or rejoyce@schladweiler.com.

Starting Tuesday, April 7, 7:00 - 9:30 p.m., NAMI CCNS presents NAMI Basics: Taking Care of You, Your Family, and Your Child with Mental Illness, a 7-week class for parents of children and adolescents with mental illness. At New Trier Northfield High School. No charge. Advanced registration required. Call the office at 847-716-22252 to register.

Thursday, April 16, 1:00p.m.  The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health is sponsoring a conference call on A Public Health Approach to Children's Mental Health: A Comprehensive Framework for Health - Call 2.  (1st call was March, 3rd call in May) PowerPoint slides and other reading materials available on website.  Free!  For more information and to register visit their website.

Thursday, April 16, 6:30 to 8:30p.m. Legislative Hearing and Forum sponsored by six area NAMI chapters. State legislators from across the north and northwest suburbs will listen to the problems faced by people with mental illness and the difficulties their families have in finding adequate treatment and housing. At the Palatine Public Library.  No charge. No reservation needed. Call Hugh Brady at 847-991-1863 for information.

Monday, April 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!

Wednesday, April 22, 7:30p.m.  NAMI Northwest will host speaker Lisa Salvadore, DuPage Mental Health Department, speaking on "The appalling criminalization of mental illness."  At Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Ste 114, Arlington Heights.  For more information please call 847-899-0195 or e-mail naminwsub@aol.com

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, March 10 at the Barrington Area Library (call Mary at 847-381-6919 for information) and a second on Monday, March 23 at Northwest 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 March, the NAMI Consumer Connections support group meets in multiple locations in the 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. OR 4:00-5:30 p.m. at the Beth Emet Synagogue, 1224 Dempster (Ridge and Dempster) in the lower level, Evanston. Call 847-716-2252 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 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. OR 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. at Lutheran General Hospital, 1775 Dempster, Room 1062, Park Ridge. Call 847-716-2252 for more information.

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.

Monday, March 2. 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, March 2 and 16. 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.

Wednesday, March 4. NAMI of Greater Chicago Spanish Family Support Group. Meets monthly, 7 - 9 p.m. at their offices, 1536 W. Chicago Ave, 1st Floor, Chicago. Call 312-563-0445 to place name on support group list. List members are called monthly as support group meeting day changes.

Date and time to be determined. NAMI of Greater Chicago Spanish Consumer Support Group. Meets monthly at their offices, 1536 W. Chicago Ave, 1st Floor, Chicago. Call 312-563-0445 to place name on support group list. List members are called monthly as support group meeting day changes.

Thursday, March 5. 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, March 9 and 23 . 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, March 10. 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, March 10 and 24. 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, March 11. 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, March 12. The NAMI Northwestern Memorial Hospital's support group meets the second Thursday of January, March, May, July, September, November at 6:30 p.m. at the hospital's Feinberg Pavilion, 257 E. Huron Street, Conference Room 2-715,
Chicago.

Thursday, March 12. 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, March 12. The NAMI CCNS Basics Support Group for caregivers of children and adolescents with brain disorders 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.

Wednesday, March 18. 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, March 18. 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.

Thursday, March 19. 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 meet 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, March 19. 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, March 20. The NAMI CCNS Basics Support Group for caregivers of children and adolescents with brain disorders 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, March 21. 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.

Monday, March 23. NAMI Barrington Area family support group meets the fourth Monday of the month at 7:30-9 p.m. at Northwest Community Hospital Mental Health Network, 901 Kirchoff, Arlington Heights. Call Maryrose at 847-382-6623 for information.

Happy anniversary, and thank you!

Most families of mental health consumers hesitate when it’s time to call 911 to help keep a loved one safe. What will the police actually do? How will they treat the person in crisis? How safe will you all be?

Twenty years ago NAMI, the Memphis Police department and two Tennessee universities joined forces to design a program for police officers that were first responders in a psychiatric crisis.  The resulting Crisis Intervention Team program (CIT) has been implemented nationwide and proven quite effective in training police officers to deal with these types of crisis.

On March 19, the Arlington Heights Police will be holding CIT training, and I have been asked to extend an invitation to family members and consumers to meet and mingle with the officers.

According to a recent article, “The Father Factor,” by Paul Raeburn in the February/March issue of Scientific American Mind, the risk of a man over 40 fathering a child who eventually develops schizophrenia is the same as the risk of a mother over 40 giving birth to a child with Down’s syndrome. One study, the article reports, found if a father is younger than 25, the chance is 1 in 141 that the child will develop schizophrenia.
At ages 25-29, the chances are 1 in 121. At 30-34, 1 in 99; at 35-39, 1 in 85; at 40-44, 1 in 80; at 45-49, 1 in 68; and at 50-55 1 in 47.

So far the results have been replicated in at least seven other studies. Other studies show a similar factor with autism, which, the article states occurred at a rate of six in 10,000 among the children of the younger fathers ranging up to 52 in 10,000 for fathers over 50. Additional studies show an increased risk of bipolar disorder in the children of older fathers.

These increased risks seem to be the result of age-related degradation of the DNA contributed by the father. Researchers are working on the genetic mechanisms hoping to develop better treatments or even a cure for these devastating brain disorders.

The article concludes, “For now, prospective parents might want to rethink their plans about when to have children, says Herbert Meltzer, a psychiatrist and widely recognized schizophrenia expert at Vanderbilt University. He believes the risks for children of older fathers will eventually be seen to be as noteworthy as the risks facing older mothers. ‘It’s going to be more and more of an issue to society,’ he notes. ‘Schizophrenia is a terrible disease, and anything that can be done to reduce it is terribly important.’”

The articles were on a variety of subjects, including bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive syndrome, eating disorders, the physiological causes of mental illness and more. Many of them had a religious or spiritual slant to them as you might expect from a religious institution, but every article I read was full of good, solid information on issues regarding mental illness. 

One of the articles, “Living With a Person Who Has Bipolar Disorder,” contained the following passage, which ought to be part of all our lives:

Being an advocate in your community for the mentally ill and their needs is probably the most important way families and friends can be involved. Battling the stigma and the misunderstandings about mental illness are the responsibility of every member of our society. Our communities have the responsibility to provide an environment of acceptance and understanding for the mentally ill. Being an informed and involved member of one’s community is the only way necessary change can occur.

On February 4, President Obama signed legislation renewing and expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and for the first time extending critical mental health parity benefits to millions of recipients. The House had approved the bill, H.R. 2, by a vote of 290 to 135 earlier that day; the Senate had passed it 66-32 the previous week.

The legislation renews the program for four and a half years, expanding coverage to an estimated 4 million otherwise-uninsured children. In addition to benefiting at least 11 million SCHIP recipients overall, the new law affirms that mental health is integral to physical health and critical to improving health outcomes by requiring that mental health services must be offered at no more restrictive limitations than medical services for SCHIP recipients. It will remove higher co-pays and stricter limit on the number of treatment visits, creating parity between mental health services and medical and surgical benefits provided by the plans.

The new legislation also eliminates the five-year waiting period for legal immigrant children and pregnant women. Costs for the renewal and increase in recipients will be paid for by an increase in the federal cigarette tax, from 39 cents to $1.

SCHIP covers children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but often too low to obtain other health insurance. The program grants matching federal funds to states in order to provide health insurance for these children.

According to a recent report from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, the parity provision is particularly important because low-income children enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP have some of the country’s highest rates of mental health problems. Mental disorders affect about one in five American children, so mental health care is a key component of the array of services needed for healthy childhood development. Without needed treatment, children with mental disorders are at increased risk for school failure, contact with the juvenile justice system and even suicide.

On the road until 2:00 AM, teams looked in stairwells, under bridges and viaducts, abandoned buildings and METRA stations, all in all covering more than 275 square miles of suburban Cook County.   In addition to just counting, the teams distributed gift bags containing such things as gloves, socks, gift cards and toiletries to the homeless people they encountered. 

The volunteers were part of the nationwide semi-annual homeless count mandated by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  Homeless people were also counted in the various homeless shelters and supportive housing projects.  Agencies such as libraries, churches and local police departments were also surveyed for information about homeless people they may come in contact with. 

The count is usually done in January, when the weather is likely to be miserable, the idea being that the worse the weather, the more likely homeless people will seek shelter where it is easier to determine their numbers.   

HUD uses the information gathered to plan homeless assistance projects and to use as a foundation for grant application by homeless agencies.  

So far local newspapers have published a six articles about the count, and count sponsors hope news about the count will help raise public awareness about the problems of homelessness in our area. 

Thank you to everyone who helped. 

This annual event is sponsored NAMI Illinois and the Mental Health Summit   It is a great opportunity to meet your legislators and urge them to fix Illinois broken mental health system.  Rally sponsors will give each participant detailed information on who to contact and advice on what to say. 

The Mental Health Summit and other organizations will provide coach busses to take folks to Springfield for the event.  We will leave in the morning and return in the early evening. 

If you can possibly arrange your schedule to be part of this important event, we hope you will do so. 

The report is 36 pages long, but it's well worth reading and will be especially helpful for people to share with area legislators. Of the ten adult clinical services considered in the study, Illinois only covers six.  Some states, such as Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, cover all ten.

Illinois also received an F in NAMI’s 2006 state-by-state comparison of mental health services.  So a question you might ask legislators is why does Illinois have such a bad mental health system?  You might also ask them what they are going to do to fix the situation.

I want to invite you to help us support and advocate for people with brain disorders, and in so doing, help yourself. Are you willing to lend a hand? It's a wonderful experience to be involved and make a difference!

There's so much we can accomplish, but only with more good people like you pitching in. Please call Maryrose at 847-382-6623.

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
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
Help with prescription drug costs: RX for Illinois or Partnership for Prescription Assistance
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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