Last Friday morning a small group of NAMI-Montana members had an opportunity to participate in the NAMI Adult Issues Conference Call with NAMI's Medical Director, Dr. Ken Duckworth. The guest was Dr. Peter Buckley, Dean of Georgia Health Sciences University and one of this country's leading researchers on schizophrenia
Dr. Buckley shared the most important aspect of treating schizophrenia, and where the current emphasis is placed, is on the early detection and treatment of the illness. On average it takes one year after the onset of the illness to initiate treatment. We know that schizophrenia is not preventable. But, with early detected and intervention, cognitive deficits can be prevented and long term disability can be minimized. The goal is secondary prevention to prevent relapse and promote recovery.
Many think that schizophrenia is the most debilitating of the serious mental illnesses. Our treatment dollars are spent on crisis management and hospitalization. If we could save treatment dollars for recovery services instead of crisis services it would be a better world.
I asked Dr. Buckley what he thought would be the best policies to prevent relapse, rehospitalization and reincarceration. Without hesitating he said, "PSYCHIATRIC ADVANCED DIRECTIVES and ASSISTED OUTPATIENT TREATMENT (AOT). The wonderful thing is that these two policies have already been legislated in Montana.
PSYCHIATRIC ADVANCED DIRECTIVES: Legislation just passed the 2011 Montana Legislature which would promote Psychiatric Advanced Directives. This legislation was developed by those people who live with serious mental illnesses to be a part of their treatment for their illnesses. Nobody knows better what medications and therapies work best for the treatment of their individual mental illnesses than the people receiving treatment. For too long their input and wishes have been ignored. Now, the real test will come. Can Psychiatric Advanced Directive be implemented in such a way that they are useful, helpful and meet the needs of those individuals who so desparately wish to participate effectively in their treatment?
ASSISTED OUTPATIENT TREATMENT: Assisted Outpatient Treatment, or Community Commitment has been a part of Montana law since at least 1999. The problem is that mental health professionals and county attorneys rarely use it. For fear of laws suites from civil rights lawyers this effective treatment is underused. Studies in New York and North Carolina, which have AOT, have shown that it reduces relapse and recidivism at state hospitals, jails and prisons. This is the treatment families desperately need when their loved one suffer from anosognosia, are not compliant with their treatment and become "frequent flyers" in the revolving doors on the mental illness treatment system.
So, if one of our country's leading researchers feel that PSYCHIATRIC ADVANCED DIRECTIVES and ASSISTED OUTPATIENT TREATMENT of the most effective programs to reduce relapse,recidivism and disability, why can't they be implemented in Montana to improve our mental illness treatment system?
Individuals living with serious mental illnesses want effective Psychiatric Advanced Directives.
Families of individuals who deny their illnesses need Assisted Outpatient Treatment for non-compliant family members.
Who is going to be our champion!
Dr. Gary Mihelish, President
NAMI-Helena
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Thoughts on Mothers Day
Since 1997 Sandra and I have taught the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program to over 500 Montanans. During those classes I have come to the conclusion that having a serious mental illness in the family is an extreme burden to families, especially mother's. "In mental illness, our grown children regress to an earlier, desperately frightening stage of need. Mothers hastily adopt the old mode of mothering; all the care taking alarms go off when their child fails to thrive. This is why mothers have a hard time pulling out of the care-taking role. Because they have to keep themselves together and protect, they cannot risk letting down into grief: and to mothers, letting go of grief often fells like they are abandoning their own flesh and blood."
Several days ago I received a message from a Montana NAMI Mommy. We all may realize how difficult and traumatic it must be to live with a serious mental illness. The effects of serious mental illness are devastating and traumatic to the individual living with a mental illness. The stigma, discrimination and the isolation of being treated as a second class citizen is life altering. Many "normals" do not understand this same stigma and discrimination extends to the families of the mentally ill.
I've attached this NAMI Mommy's message to heighten that understanding:
Sandy, I have been thinking of you & Gary earlier tonight...our daughter stopped over and though she is feeling somewhat better on her new meds , after being recently hospitalized for about a week. and is now SLEEPING at night.
She struggles with portioning her day, & sometimes is looking groggy. I'm glad she doesn't drink, because it looks like it! Earlier this evening, she went for a coke with a girl friend, & sometimes it's REALLY hard not to compare her life, with her friend's, who is successful, makes $80K or more a year at her regular job. Lost 80# so far, is training for a marathon, & says life is so good.
I know my daughter and her husband have a very thin financial thread. To try to make ends meet until the end of the month, especially since both of them are on SSI. She's having a heck of a time losing any weight at all, & it's all she can do to stay ALIVE. And stay WELL, & be somewhat optimistic...I guess regular people have no idea what persons with "mental problems" endure, unless they have had it in their own family. WE family members also suffer right along with our "person."
I'm reading "Stop Walking On Eggshells" now, book and workbook which has been recommended to me. What a MAJOR task for me to try to Mind my Own business, and not obsess over her. Or even buy them all their groceries, and CLOTHES. It's hard to find clothes to FIT her now as she's 5X...
Anyway, thanks again to you & Gary for ALL YOUR NAMI WORK, and that I was blessed to be in your classes. Little did I know that I'd have to learn and RE-learn those lessons, that would be coming up, & re-occurring again and again...
So, on Mother's Day, to all of you NAMI Mommies: Never give up and NEVER, NEVER, EVER give up HOPE!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!! YOU ARE ALL THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!
Gary Mihelish
Several days ago I received a message from a Montana NAMI Mommy. We all may realize how difficult and traumatic it must be to live with a serious mental illness. The effects of serious mental illness are devastating and traumatic to the individual living with a mental illness. The stigma, discrimination and the isolation of being treated as a second class citizen is life altering. Many "normals" do not understand this same stigma and discrimination extends to the families of the mentally ill.
I've attached this NAMI Mommy's message to heighten that understanding:
Sandy, I have been thinking of you & Gary earlier tonight...our daughter stopped over and though she is feeling somewhat better on her new meds , after being recently hospitalized for about a week. and is now SLEEPING at night.
She struggles with portioning her day, & sometimes is looking groggy. I'm glad she doesn't drink, because it looks like it! Earlier this evening, she went for a coke with a girl friend, & sometimes it's REALLY hard not to compare her life, with her friend's, who is successful, makes $80K or more a year at her regular job. Lost 80# so far, is training for a marathon, & says life is so good.
I know my daughter and her husband have a very thin financial thread. To try to make ends meet until the end of the month, especially since both of them are on SSI. She's having a heck of a time losing any weight at all, & it's all she can do to stay ALIVE. And stay WELL, & be somewhat optimistic...I guess regular people have no idea what persons with "mental problems" endure, unless they have had it in their own family. WE family members also suffer right along with our "person."
I'm reading "Stop Walking On Eggshells" now, book and workbook which has been recommended to me. What a MAJOR task for me to try to Mind my Own business, and not obsess over her. Or even buy them all their groceries, and CLOTHES. It's hard to find clothes to FIT her now as she's 5X...
Anyway, thanks again to you & Gary for ALL YOUR NAMI WORK, and that I was blessed to be in your classes. Little did I know that I'd have to learn and RE-learn those lessons, that would be coming up, & re-occurring again and again...
So, on Mother's Day, to all of you NAMI Mommies: Never give up and NEVER, NEVER, EVER give up HOPE!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!! YOU ARE ALL THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!
Gary Mihelish
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Frustration, Anger, and Hopelessness
Many people cannot understand why NAMI people are frustrated and angry so much of the time. Almost every day, or at least several times a week, we receive phone calls and e-mails from NAMI members totally frustrated by the "mental illness treatment system." With permission I would like to share an e-mail we received last Friday.
Hello Gary & Sandy,
My daughter who is 30 years old was committed to the state hospital in nearby state. While waiting for a bed she broke out of the private hospital they were holding her in until a bed was ready. She was caught and booked into jail and the next morning she was released on her own; homeless with no meds. Two days after getting out of jail she was again arrested with 4 felonies that carry life sentences. i was down there in January with my wife and helped her get into a hospital for treatment. She had an assessment done by the county mental health folks there back then and I talked to them and told them she was a danger to herself and others, but they let her go and that's when she went on a crime spree. She has lost her home and her three children now and the mental health professionals agree they made a mistake in not committing her back in January.
I am so tired of the broken mental HELL system. She has catastrophic PTSD, severe depression, poly substance abuse issues and Bi-Polar,..right now she is in the county jail with no meds. Oh, she tried to kill herself in jail a few weeks ago and was flat lined and taken to the hospital, then put back into treatment and then committed to the State Hospital when she broke out.
There is no cure for mental illness at this time. Successful treatment is extremely difficult, but it is possible. I have been in Montana's mental illness treatment system for over 26 years. After our family's 7 years of Hell we were able to get a diagnosis and develop a relationship with caring, compassionate, competent mental health professionals. Things have only gotten better, but we are not the average family who gets involved in this system. We were fortunate to have mental health professionals who believed in the collaborative treatment model which involved the individual with the illness and the family in developing a plan to manage serious mental illness.
When will ALL mental health professionals embrace the collaborative model? When will individuals with mental illness and their families be recognized as part of the solution and not the problem? Montana's Olmstead Report (Which is gathering dust on a shelf somewhere) concluded what is really needed to improve and change Montana's mental illness treatment system is a change in attitude.
And, until we see that change in attitude, Montana's individuals living with serious mental illness and their families will continue to be frustrated, angry and feel hopeless.
Dr. Gary Mihelish
NAMI Montana's Director of Government Affairs
Hello Gary & Sandy,
My daughter who is 30 years old was committed to the state hospital in nearby state. While waiting for a bed she broke out of the private hospital they were holding her in until a bed was ready. She was caught and booked into jail and the next morning she was released on her own; homeless with no meds. Two days after getting out of jail she was again arrested with 4 felonies that carry life sentences. i was down there in January with my wife and helped her get into a hospital for treatment. She had an assessment done by the county mental health folks there back then and I talked to them and told them she was a danger to herself and others, but they let her go and that's when she went on a crime spree. She has lost her home and her three children now and the mental health professionals agree they made a mistake in not committing her back in January.
I am so tired of the broken mental HELL system. She has catastrophic PTSD, severe depression, poly substance abuse issues and Bi-Polar,..right now she is in the county jail with no meds. Oh, she tried to kill herself in jail a few weeks ago and was flat lined and taken to the hospital, then put back into treatment and then committed to the State Hospital when she broke out.
There is no cure for mental illness at this time. Successful treatment is extremely difficult, but it is possible. I have been in Montana's mental illness treatment system for over 26 years. After our family's 7 years of Hell we were able to get a diagnosis and develop a relationship with caring, compassionate, competent mental health professionals. Things have only gotten better, but we are not the average family who gets involved in this system. We were fortunate to have mental health professionals who believed in the collaborative treatment model which involved the individual with the illness and the family in developing a plan to manage serious mental illness.
When will ALL mental health professionals embrace the collaborative model? When will individuals with mental illness and their families be recognized as part of the solution and not the problem? Montana's Olmstead Report (Which is gathering dust on a shelf somewhere) concluded what is really needed to improve and change Montana's mental illness treatment system is a change in attitude.
And, until we see that change in attitude, Montana's individuals living with serious mental illness and their families will continue to be frustrated, angry and feel hopeless.
Dr. Gary Mihelish
NAMI Montana's Director of Government Affairs
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Thoughts on Suicide
The tragic suicide yesterday of Mark Madoff gives me cause to reflect and advocate. This was once again a terrible and unnecessary tragedy. I have also just completed, "Myths about Suicide" written by Dr. Thomas Joiner from Florida State University. It is a must read for anybody wanting to understand suicide.
Every year over a million people worldwide commit suicide. The most recent statistics in the U.S. indicate over 34,000 suicides occurred in that year. The most recent statistics from Montana in 2008 indicate 202 Montanans took their own lives. Montana annually has, if not the highest, one of the highest suicides rates in the nation. A suicide attempt occurs every minute of each day and a person dies from taking their life every 16-18 minutes in the U.S.
Dr. Thomas Joiner: "We need to get it in our heads that suicide is not easy, painless, cowardly, selfish, vengeful, self-masterful, or rash; that is not caused by breast augmentation, medicines, "slow" methods like smoking, or anorexia, or, as some psychoanalysts thought, things like masturbation; that it is partly genetic and influenced by mental disorders, themselves often agonizing; and that it is preventable and treatable. And once we get that into our heads at last, we need to let it lead our hearts."
" And so I am prepared to defend the view that 100 percent of suicides are characterized by the combination of learned fearlessness, perceived burdensomeness, and profound alienation from others, and that these factors, in turn, arise from underlying mental disorders, mostly of the full-blown type, but sometimes of the partial syndrome variety. As discussed in other sections of the book, people can have these conditions, especially depression, and not be psychotic or deluded, and certainly in the case of people with terminal illnesses, people can have subsyndromal depression that most of us can readily understand, sympathize, and even identify with. But none of this changes the fact, in my view, that mental disorders represent the matrix from which serious suicidal behavior emerges."
It is simple, but yet so difficult to reduce suicide. If 10-15% of individuals living with serious mental illness (mental disorders) end their lives by committing suicide, we must better treat mental illnesses. We must end the discrimination and stigma individuals living with serious mental illnesses and their families endure. Its all about EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION! We all must develop an understanding of serious mental illness and also develop caring, compassion for those who live with these illnesses.
As we say in NAMI, it is the responsibly of families, friends and mental health professionals to keep our family member alive until they can obtain effective, evidenced-based treatment.
Dr. Gary Mihelish, President
NAMI-Helena
Every year over a million people worldwide commit suicide. The most recent statistics in the U.S. indicate over 34,000 suicides occurred in that year. The most recent statistics from Montana in 2008 indicate 202 Montanans took their own lives. Montana annually has, if not the highest, one of the highest suicides rates in the nation. A suicide attempt occurs every minute of each day and a person dies from taking their life every 16-18 minutes in the U.S.
Dr. Thomas Joiner: "We need to get it in our heads that suicide is not easy, painless, cowardly, selfish, vengeful, self-masterful, or rash; that is not caused by breast augmentation, medicines, "slow" methods like smoking, or anorexia, or, as some psychoanalysts thought, things like masturbation; that it is partly genetic and influenced by mental disorders, themselves often agonizing; and that it is preventable and treatable. And once we get that into our heads at last, we need to let it lead our hearts."
" And so I am prepared to defend the view that 100 percent of suicides are characterized by the combination of learned fearlessness, perceived burdensomeness, and profound alienation from others, and that these factors, in turn, arise from underlying mental disorders, mostly of the full-blown type, but sometimes of the partial syndrome variety. As discussed in other sections of the book, people can have these conditions, especially depression, and not be psychotic or deluded, and certainly in the case of people with terminal illnesses, people can have subsyndromal depression that most of us can readily understand, sympathize, and even identify with. But none of this changes the fact, in my view, that mental disorders represent the matrix from which serious suicidal behavior emerges."
It is simple, but yet so difficult to reduce suicide. If 10-15% of individuals living with serious mental illness (mental disorders) end their lives by committing suicide, we must better treat mental illnesses. We must end the discrimination and stigma individuals living with serious mental illnesses and their families endure. Its all about EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION! We all must develop an understanding of serious mental illness and also develop caring, compassion for those who live with these illnesses.
As we say in NAMI, it is the responsibly of families, friends and mental health professionals to keep our family member alive until they can obtain effective, evidenced-based treatment.
Dr. Gary Mihelish, President
NAMI-Helena
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tips for Coping with the Holidays
TIPS FOR COPING WITH THE HOLIDAYS
from NAMI Connections
- Stay close to family and friends who understand your illness.
- Take your medications as prescribed. Be sure to get the sleep you need.
- Celebrate the holidays in ways that are comfortable for you.
- The holiday season does not stop feelings of sadness and loneliness. Give yourself permission to work through these feelings.
- Don’t compare this season with previous ones. Enjoy all the little things you have now.
- Talk about the stress you feel with family and friends.
- Keep expectations manageable. Plan your work and work your plan.
- Set a budget and stick with it. Many items that you can give do not cost money – a phone call to a friend may mean more.
- Do something nice for someone else. Do something nice for yourself.
- Stay out of department stores.
- Play your favorite non-holiday music.
Happy holidays from NAMI Montana
Thursday, September 16, 2010
A Simple Way to Save Lives
NAMI Montana supports, educates, and advocates for Montanans who live with serious mental illnesses and their families. The most basic part of our mission is teaching that these illnesses are medical conditions of the brain that require treatment by both a psychiatrist and a therapist. I’d like to share the words of one young mother that followed this lesson.
Matt, I have been on medication since January, and my life has changed entirely! I am experiencing only happiness and genuine excitement about waking up each day! No more panic attacks, no more anxiety, just a whole lot of me being honest about my condition and really trying to do something about it! Had I taken your advice sooner, I would have probably healed much more quickly. Cognitive therapy works so much better (I speak only for myself here) with medication. Thank God we live in this day and age where it is easily accessible.
I passed this hopeful message on to an email list. Someone used it to convince another young mother who was nearly suicidal due to depression why she needed to see a therapist. The message worked again. It’s what NAMI is all about.
Matt, I have been on medication since January, and my life has changed entirely! I am experiencing only happiness and genuine excitement about waking up each day! No more panic attacks, no more anxiety, just a whole lot of me being honest about my condition and really trying to do something about it! Had I taken your advice sooner, I would have probably healed much more quickly. Cognitive therapy works so much better (I speak only for myself here) with medication. Thank God we live in this day and age where it is easily accessible.
I passed this hopeful message on to an email list. Someone used it to convince another young mother who was nearly suicidal due to depression why she needed to see a therapist. The message worked again. It’s what NAMI is all about.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Thoughts from NAMI 2010 Convention
Six members of NAMI-Montana were among the 1300 NAMI members who participated in the annual NAMI Convention in Washington, D.C., June 30th thru July 3rd. Of course the highlight of the convention was NAMI-Montana's own Quentin Schroeter was presented the Lionel Aldridge Award, which recognizes and individual with mental illness who has exhibited courage, leadership and service on behalf of all people living with mental illness. CONGRATULATIONS QUENTIN
We also participated in an awards ceremony in the Russell Senate Building where NAMI presented Senator Max Baucus and award for his role in healthcare reform and his continued advocacy on behalf of individuals and families who live with serious mental illness. Thursday was Advocacy when we met with our Congressional Representative on Capitol Hill. We were able to meet personally with Senator Baucus and his staff, Representative Denny Rehburg and his staff and the staff of Senator John Tester.
There are always so many presentations and workshops that educate and inspire. I would like to mention three.
The research plenary discussed the NIMH RAISE Study: Altering the Course of Schizophrenia. The presenters were Tom Insel, M.D.. Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and the lead researchers, Dr. Jeff Lieberman Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University and Dr. John Kane, Chair Schizophrenia Research, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, N.Y. RAISE is a large scale research project to explore the effectiveness on early and aggressive treatment in reducing the symptoms of schizophrenia and preventing the gradual deterioration of functioning that is characteristic of chronic schizophrenia. In other words, early intervention and treatment can prevent cognitive deficits and promote a higher level of recovery. We hope to have a leading researcher at the Montana State Conference on Mental Illness in October in Billings.
The panel of Dr. Xavier Amador, Jonathan Stanley, J.D. and Delaney Ruston. M.D., presented a overcrowded presentation on "Confronting Anosognosia: How to Get Help to Those Who Don't Know They're Sick." It was interesting and provocative. Remember: TREATMENT WORKS IF YOU CAN GET IT!" Hopefully. Dr. Ruston will be a presenter at the Montana State Conference in October. She will screen her documentary film, "UNLISTED" which will premiere on PBS in October. It is a film about her relationship with her father who lived with schizophrenia. She will also present a workshop" Psychiatric Advanced Directives: Giving a Voice to Consumers."
But the "Ask the Doctor" session are always great. My favorite was "Recovery and Neuroscience by Jill Bolte-Taylor Ph.D., author of My Stroke of Insight (For $15.00 a must read), and spokesperson, Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center. Dr. Jill is a Harvard trained brain scientist, a NAMI members and former National Board member whose brother lives with schizophrenia. Her book was on the New York Times best seller list, she has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and at a reception last Saturday we learned they will be making a movie of her life. The movie will star Jodie Foster and the only problem is that Jodi Foster is not as good looking and Dr. Jill. Dr. Jill currently teaches at the University of Indiana Medical School. She has been a featured presenter at two Montana State Conference on Mental Illness and she is a friend. On December 10, 1996, she suffered a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. Complete recovery took eight years. Her presentation stressed the similarities of recovery from a brain injury (stroke) and mental illness. The most memorable quote from the convention for me was:
'SLEEPING TIME IS HEALING TIME!"
TEN PRINCIPLES FOR RECOVERY; For Individuals who live with mental illness and their families. Maybe even for mental health professionals.
1. Honor the healing power of sleep.
2. Treat me like I will recover completely.
3. Challenge my brain systems immediately.
4 Love me for who I am now.
5. Help me define my priorities for energy use.
6. Focus on my abilities.
7. Give my brain years to recover.
8. Divide every task into small action steps.
9. I am not stupid, I am wounded. Repeat for me!
10. Come close. Do not be afraid of me.
Lastly, I am not deaf. I am wounded. Raising your voice will wound me.
2011 NAMI Convention, Chicago, Illinois
2012 NAMI Convention, Seattle, Washington CLOSER!!!!!!!
Dr. Gary Mihelish
NAMI Montana
We also participated in an awards ceremony in the Russell Senate Building where NAMI presented Senator Max Baucus and award for his role in healthcare reform and his continued advocacy on behalf of individuals and families who live with serious mental illness. Thursday was Advocacy when we met with our Congressional Representative on Capitol Hill. We were able to meet personally with Senator Baucus and his staff, Representative Denny Rehburg and his staff and the staff of Senator John Tester.
There are always so many presentations and workshops that educate and inspire. I would like to mention three.
The research plenary discussed the NIMH RAISE Study: Altering the Course of Schizophrenia. The presenters were Tom Insel, M.D.. Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and the lead researchers, Dr. Jeff Lieberman Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University and Dr. John Kane, Chair Schizophrenia Research, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, N.Y. RAISE is a large scale research project to explore the effectiveness on early and aggressive treatment in reducing the symptoms of schizophrenia and preventing the gradual deterioration of functioning that is characteristic of chronic schizophrenia. In other words, early intervention and treatment can prevent cognitive deficits and promote a higher level of recovery. We hope to have a leading researcher at the Montana State Conference on Mental Illness in October in Billings.
The panel of Dr. Xavier Amador, Jonathan Stanley, J.D. and Delaney Ruston. M.D., presented a overcrowded presentation on "Confronting Anosognosia: How to Get Help to Those Who Don't Know They're Sick." It was interesting and provocative. Remember: TREATMENT WORKS IF YOU CAN GET IT!" Hopefully. Dr. Ruston will be a presenter at the Montana State Conference in October. She will screen her documentary film, "UNLISTED" which will premiere on PBS in October. It is a film about her relationship with her father who lived with schizophrenia. She will also present a workshop" Psychiatric Advanced Directives: Giving a Voice to Consumers."
But the "Ask the Doctor" session are always great. My favorite was "Recovery and Neuroscience by Jill Bolte-Taylor Ph.D., author of My Stroke of Insight (For $15.00 a must read), and spokesperson, Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center. Dr. Jill is a Harvard trained brain scientist, a NAMI members and former National Board member whose brother lives with schizophrenia. Her book was on the New York Times best seller list, she has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and at a reception last Saturday we learned they will be making a movie of her life. The movie will star Jodie Foster and the only problem is that Jodi Foster is not as good looking and Dr. Jill. Dr. Jill currently teaches at the University of Indiana Medical School. She has been a featured presenter at two Montana State Conference on Mental Illness and she is a friend. On December 10, 1996, she suffered a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. Complete recovery took eight years. Her presentation stressed the similarities of recovery from a brain injury (stroke) and mental illness. The most memorable quote from the convention for me was:
'SLEEPING TIME IS HEALING TIME!"
TEN PRINCIPLES FOR RECOVERY; For Individuals who live with mental illness and their families. Maybe even for mental health professionals.
1. Honor the healing power of sleep.
2. Treat me like I will recover completely.
3. Challenge my brain systems immediately.
4 Love me for who I am now.
5. Help me define my priorities for energy use.
6. Focus on my abilities.
7. Give my brain years to recover.
8. Divide every task into small action steps.
9. I am not stupid, I am wounded. Repeat for me!
10. Come close. Do not be afraid of me.
Lastly, I am not deaf. I am wounded. Raising your voice will wound me.
2011 NAMI Convention, Chicago, Illinois
2012 NAMI Convention, Seattle, Washington CLOSER!!!!!!!
Dr. Gary Mihelish
NAMI Montana
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