| In This Issue |
| Who We Are |
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's foremost grassroots mental health organization. We are dedicated to improving the lives of people living with serious brain disorders that cause mental illness and to improving the lives of their families. Founded in 1979, NAMI is active in all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico with over 1100 local chapters across the country. Our mission is one of education, support, self help, advocacy and research.
NAMI Barrington Area is a new NAMI chapter located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. We are a dedicated group of people serving Barrington and nearby suburbs hoping to help you or someone you love on the path to recovery from mental illness. Call us at 847-496-1415.
About NAMI Barrington area chapter
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There was a light in April
From the President's Desk by Joseph M. Jason
Our NAMI BA affiliate has had many exciting things happen in April.
We helped advocate the passage of House Bill 1530, a mental health parity bill that amends the Illinois Insurance Code provisions concerning autism spectrum disorders, rehabilitative services for children, mental and emotional disorders, including mental illness and substance use disorders.
We saw the Mount Prospect Village Board approve permits for a permanent supportive housing project, which will create 39 units for people with mental illness, advocated and organized by the Housing Task Force.
We have 10 new member from the current Family to Family classes.
Our "Volunteer Open House" was a great success despite cold and rainy weather.
And we have a couple interested in helping organize a NAMI Walk.
A great April. Thanks to all who worked so hard to make it happen!
Learn more about these accomplishments. |
May Events
Sunday, May 1, 2:00p.m. Agatha Christie's play "A Murder Is Announced" a fundraising benefit for the New Foundation Center. Wine and hors d'oeuvres Reception at 2:00p.m. and performance at 3:00p.m. At The Attic Playhouse, 410 Sheridan Road, Highwood, IL. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased online.
Wednesday, May 4, 7-8:30 p.m. The NAMI Criminal Justice Action Committee, part of NAMI BA, meets the first Wednesday of every month, and we'd love to have your help and support. We meet at the Alexian Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane-Suite #114, Arlington Heights. For more information, email Joseph M. Jason or phone him at (847) 537-3009. Help us make a difference.
Thursday, May 5, 12:00p.m. - 1:00p.m. The Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health hosts Can I Get a Hand-up? (Building A Natural Support System), a Parent Empowerment Call. These educational calls are offered to all parents in Illinois who have a child with an emotional and/or behavioral concern. The calls focus on giving parents information they need to advocate for and support their children. Toll free: (800) 260-0712 Participant Access Code: 120964. For questions, please call (618) 838-9382.
Thursday, May 5, 12:00p.m. Mental Health Lobby Day Rally in front of the Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph Street. We hope you can join us there!
Monday, May 16, 7:00p.m. - 9:00p.m. NAMI CCNS hosts a Special Needs Planning educational seminar. A special needs planner will discuss how to prepare and plan for future care for loved one with mental disabilities. Certified Financial Planner Mary Anne Ehlert will also speak. For more information, please contact NAMI CCNS at 1-847-716-2252 or info@namiccns.org. Free and open to the public. At Glenview Township Police Department Building, 2500 East Lake Avenue . Glenview, IL, in the First Floor Community Meeting Room.
Wednesday, May 18, 6:30p.m. NAMI Barrington Area board meeting in the Kildeer Village Hall, 21911 Quentin Road, Kildeer. Drop in and learn what's going on in the chapter!
Monday, May 25, 7p.m. NAMI Northwest Suburban invites you to hear Dr. Matthew J. Smith, Professor and Clinical Director of Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine speak on the Influence of Schizophrenia on Families, reviewing various research studies.He will have also applications on hand for anyone interested in participating in the current Northwestern University study. At Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Arlington Heights. No charge, no reservation. For information, call 847-899-0195 or naminwsub@aol.com.
Sunday, May 1, 2 - 3:15p.m. The Arlington Heights Youth DBSA (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance) will meet at the Arlington Heights Corner Bakery for their monthly Snack & Yack. Parents of Youth meet for their own group at the same time, same place, different tables! Contact Leah Nakamura at (847) 541-7754 or mrsn@comcast.net.
Friday, May 20, 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. NAMI Northwest Suburban invites you to their annual Mental Health Month Dining Out Day in May at Dengeo's 195 W. Dundee Rd. Buffalo Grove. Come join us for great food and company while helping raise funds for our education and support programs. Call 847-899-0195 or email naminwsub@aol.com to ask for a coupon that you may use anytime on this day that is needed for a portion of your check to go to NAMI NWS.
Saturday, May 21, 2 - 3:15p.m. The Arlington Heights Youth DBSA will meet again. Tennis racquets, golf balls, and a croquet set may be involved, so come prepared to play! Parents of Youth will meet nearby.Contact Leah Nakamura, mrsn@comcast.net or (847) 541-7754 for more details! |
June Events
Thursday, June 2, 12:00p.m. - 1:00p.m. The Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health hosts The Sibling Balance. These educational calls are offered to all parents in Illinois who have a child with an emotional and/or behavioral concern. The calls focus on giving parents information they need to advocate for and support their children. Toll free: (800) 260-0712 Participant Access Code: 120964. For questions, please call (618) 838-9382.
Sunday, June 5, 11:30a.m. - 5:00p.m. Bipolar Disorder: Progress and PromiseOvercoming the Stigma of Mental Illness, a Community Mental Health Conference hosted by the Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute for Mental Health Education at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Early registration fee $30. At the Beth Emet Synagogue, 1224 Dempster St, Evanston, IL.
Sunday, June 5, 2 - 3:15p.m. The Arlington Heights Youth DBSA (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance) will meet at the Arlington Heights Corner Bakery for their monthly Snack & Yack. Parents of Youth meet for their own group at the same time, same place, different tables! Contact Leah Nakamura at (847) 541-7754 or mrsn@comcast.net.
Wednesday, Jun 15, 6:30p.m. NAMI Barrington Area board meeting in the Kildeer Village Hall, 21911 Quentin Road, Kildeer. Drop in and learn what's going on in the chapter! |
Area Support Groups
You may find that a support group can be very helpful, especially if you, a partner, friend or family member is going through a crisis. A very large number of groups meet in our area for consumers as well as family members and friends.
Each month, we publish a list of support groups that you can attend, generally at no charge and with no need to make a reservation. You can access that list in a printable format here.
We would also like to invite you to the groups hosted by our own chapter, NAMI Barrington Area. This month we will offer a NAMI Connection group for consumers and a family support group every Thursday at Northwest Community Hospital at 7 p.m. (call Nora at 847-899- -6264 for more information). |
Lobby Day Change - Gear Up for Action
Mental Health Rally for 2011 will be Thursday, May 12
NAMI Illinois and the Mental Health Summit, an umbrella group of mental health service providers and advocacy groups, will again be sponsoring a mental health lobby day. This year's lobby day will be on Thursday, May 12, and it will be in Chicago only.
We hope you can join us. The rally begins at 12 noon in front of the Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph Street in Chicago. Consumers, advocates, family members, professionals and the concerned public will all gather to support continued and increased funding for mental health services in Illinois.
In addition, we ask that everyone call their state senator and representative on the 12th and urge him or her to support mental health programs in the state budget.
Learn more about Rally Day and how to call your representative. |
Family to Family Registration Open
It's not too soon to register for our summer Family to Family classes in Barrington and at Northwest Community Hospital.
Family to Family, a series of 12 weekly classes structured to help you understand and support individuals with mental disorders while maintaining your own well being, will soon begin.
These NAMI classes are for family members, partners and friends of individuals with serious mental illness. "This course is a wonderful experience," said one student. "It balances basic education and skills-training with emotional support, self care and empowerment."
There is no cost to participate in a Family to Family class, you don't need to be a NAMI member, and it doesn't matter if you live in a particular chapter's area to attend a class. Call Maryrose at 847-496-1415 |
Living with the stigma of mental illness
Stigma plagues those with mental illness, and we can only hope that raising awareness and educating the public will make a change. Two articles of interest:
In this recent article, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones say she has no qualms with the media attention surrounding her recent diagnosis of Bipolar II.
"This is a disorder that affects millions of people and I am one of them," Zeta-Jones told People Magazine. "If my revelation of having bipolar II has encouraged one person to seek help, then it is worth it. There is no need to suffer silently and there is no shame in seeking help."
In another story from the Huffington Post, non-celebrity Christina Wells talks about living with bipolar disorder and the painful comments and lack of respect she puts up with from co-workers, supervisors and popular media. |
Let's better care for homeless veterans
The Homeless Count conducted by the Alliance to End Homelessness reveals a disturbing situation: on any given night there are approximately 656,129 people homeless in the United States. A significant portion of these unfortunate people are veterans. On any given night, approximately 107,000 veterans across the country go to sleep on benches, in back alleys and under bridges. Roughly twice that number will experience homelessness at some point this year.
The Daily Herald recently published a letter by Joe Jason on this situation. Read the letter. |
Unexpected Answers
In the Trench by Toni Hoy
Sometimes we can't find answers in the places that we expect to find them, while we find answers in places we never looked for them.
A set of sisters were perplexed as to how to respond to their elderly father's inappropriate public behavior as a result of his unstable bipolar disorder. All of their lives, their mother had hidden their father's illness from them so that they could live as normal a childhood as possible. After their mother unexpectedly passed away, their father's behavior caused him to lose housing and friends. Their mother's passing revealed a side of their father that the sisters had not seen before. Being unfamiliar with bipolar disorder, they were charting new territory as to how to care for him.
Taking a Family to Family class yielded some answers for them. The sisters wanted to help him control his behavior so things would go smoother. They were also dealing with a lot of frustration in communicating with him.
One of the things they learned came from parents of adult children in their twenties. Other parents shared with the sisters that they could love and support their loved one, but they were not responsible for his actions and choices, allowing him to take responsibility for the natural consequences. The pressure lessened for the sisters as they passed responsibility for their father's choices back over to him. They stopped trying to "fix it."
Another thing they learned came from parents of younger children, who taught them about maintaining the "attitude." Playful, accepting, curious, empathetic, and nurturing. They found that responding to his anger with curiousness and empathy was a useful tool. It took their father off the defense and the women became better listeners and communicators, which eased their frustration a bit more.
These siblings looked for coping strategies as they related to elderly mentally ill persons. While researching a few ideas from younger generations, they stumbled upon a few things that worked. Thinking outside the box offered some helpful results. |
As mental health resources shrink, police become the front line
Volatile and sometimes deadly confrontations between the police and the mentally ill have been more common since state psychiatric hospitals began to discharge large numbers of patients in the 1960s and 1970s.
In response, police departments throughout the United States have launched "crisis intervention" training to create cadres of officers with more than just an hour or two of mental health training.
A recent article from the Washington Post highlights the problem, focusing on an officer's attempt to talk a suicidal man out of jumping off a bridge in Fairfax, VA.
Read the article. |
Bill would shorten time mentally ill must stay in jail
by Gertie Rodig
The Sheriff's Association of Illinois highly endorses (IL) HB 1905, which mandates that mentally ill persons must be transferred to the nearest mental health facility after ten days of being in jail.
The measure would shorten the time mentally ill inmates spend in a county jail. According to the Association, people who are unfit to stand trial may currently remain in jail an average of 4 to 6 weeks after they have been identified as unfit. When someone is found to be unfit, their custody is supposed to be assigned to the Illinois Department of Human Services. The Sheriffs cite a statistic that says 77-percent of mentally ill persons who are incarcarated attempt suicide. If passed, House Bill 1905 would require DHS to take custody of those unfit to stand trial in no more than ten days.
Please call your state representatives and senator to vote for this bill. |
Volunteers Needed
Do you really mean it when you say you want to help people with mental health issues?
If so, we can use your help at NAMI Barrington Area. 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 847-496-1415.
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Please pass on this newsletter
We hope you'll pass this newsletter on to friends, family members or professionals who might get some useful information from it. Even though you don't know if your friend would need this valuable information and support, you never know who may have a co-worker or neighbor who would. (Just hit the 'forward email' button at the bottom of this page.)
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Join NAMI
We hope you'll join NAMI and support our advocacy for the mentally ill. The cost is only $35 (adult and spouse) or $10 (for consumer). If this cost will create a financial hardship, we have a limited number of open door memberships available at a reduced fee. Please register online if possible or download our paper membership form.
If you don't wish to join right now, but you'd like to receive our free newsletter, simply use the "Join our mailing list" button in the blue column to the right. |
Emergency Numbers
Local police/ambulance: 911
State police: 847-294-4400
Crisis team, Alexian Brothers, Hoffman Estates
(24 hour): 800-432-5005
Illinois state suicide line: 800-784-2433
Ecker Center 24-hour emergency program (Elgin) 847-888-2211
More emergency numbers |
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