Guest Blog Post by Mia Ellis

When I was 20, I came to an alarming realization that something was wrong. A week before Thanksgiving, I ended an abusive long-term relationship, and it seemed my entire world fell apart overnight. As a senior at Towson University living in an off-campus apartment, the winter that followed was debilitating.

Some mornings, I could not get out of bed. I barely made it to class or work. I cried as I got dressed, cried as I got in my car and drove. At my internship, I tried desperately not to cry at my desk, but I would start shaking until tears eventually fell as I stared into my computer screen. When I got home from class, I started taking painkillers to feel less miserable. That got me through the evenings, relieved once I could get in bed and sleep once again. I hated mornings because I didn’t want to participate in life, I just wanted to sleep. I was scared of being alone because of the dark thoughts that consumed me. I deleted my social media and ignored my friends; I couldn’t stand to see people happy and successful when I felt like a miserable failure. I became a shell of the happy and motivated extrovert I was, and I didn’t recognize myself. I felt empty, alone, depleted, isolated, useless, and irrationally overwhelmed with the feeling that my life didn’t really matter.

I attribute my recovery from major depressive disorder, which I was diagnosed with at 21, to three things: a good treatment plan, the support of my loved ones, and NAMI. I found NAMI Metro Baltimore through Towson University’s Counseling Center. In the spring I booked an emergency appointment with a mental health counselor, and not only did that begin my healing journey with therapy, but I met someone at the center who told me about NAMI Metro Baltimore. That day, for the first time in months, my spirits lifted. Maybe I wasn’t alone after all. I felt surrounded by people who truly understood, cared, and wanted to help.

I have been a NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group facilitator for almost two years, and it has changed my life and the way I view mental illness. After I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Psychology, it became clear to me that I wanted to help people like me, struggling with a mental health condition. I wanted to be sure that nobody had to suffer through it alone or without help. With certainty, I can say to anyone with mental illness – whether it be depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD or anything else – you are not alone in the way you feel. There are so many others out there who can relate to you and genuinely understand you.

For me, helping others work through mental illness helped me work through my own illness. I feel a strong connection with young adults in particular. Young adults, especially those of us with mental illness, experience the world differently. Growing up and finding your place in the adult world is not easy for anyone. School, finding jobs, figuring out what you want to do with your life, coming to terms with who you are, dealing with family issues, finding intimate relationships, living on your own – these are just a few of the struggles of young adulthood, and mental illness makes this journey feel overwhelming, if not impossible at times. But it is not impossible, and sometimes we need to be reminded of that. I think the more we can empathize and relate with one another, the more we can try to understand and support each other through the toughest of times.

This January, NAMI Metro Baltimore will launch a new NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group for young adults. This peer-led support group will provide a space for young adults to connect, share challenges, to see that there is hope for recovery. Starting January 10^th, the group will begin meeting bi-weekly at the Southeast Anchor Library in Highlandtown. This free program is open to any young adult age 18-39 who is living with a mental health condition.

I am a young adult with mental illness. At times I need support, and I know other young adults like me need it too. Through NAMI, we can offer each other mutual support, comfort, and understanding as we battle mental illness. You are not alone, and you do not have to go through this alone. Together, we can cope, heal, and find the road to recovery.

Mia Ellis is a Connection Support Group Facilitator and NAMI Metro Baltimore outreach volunteer. She has been volunteering with NAMI Metro Baltimore to help peers living with a mental health condition since 2016. 

 

 

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This fall, NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore launched a new mental health education and wellness initiative in partnership with Christian Temple. Christian Temple, will serve as a “hub” for NAMI’s evidence-based Signature education and support programs in the Catonsville area.

The new initiative formally launched on Sunday, October 23^rd with a program introducing NAMI’s supportive resources. NAMI Metro Baltimore volunteers shared personal reflections on the impact of mental illness with members of Christian Temple and the greater Catonsville community.

The programming schedule at the hub will be driven by community-identified needs and interests. Upcoming programs will include NAMI’s In Our Own Voice presentations, information sessions, and NAMI’s education programs for peers and families. NAMI Peer-to-Peer, a program for individuals living with a mental illness, and NAMI Basics, a course serving parents of a child or teen, are currently registering to begin this winter.

In addition to education and support programs, Christian Temple will house a drop-in resource library. Community members can find mental illness fact sheets, health-related books, videos, and DVDs, and other community behavioral health resources at the library.

NAMI’s programs provide life-saving information and support to the 1 in 5 people affected by mental illness. All programs are available at no cost to participants. See the schedule and registration details for upcoming programs:

Winter Program Schedule

 NAMI Peer-to-Peer
A free 10-session, peer-led education program for individuals living with a mental health condition

Christian Temple
5820 Edmondson Ave, Baltimore, MD 21228

Thursdays, 6:00pm-8:00pm
Class Start: Thursday, December 1st
Class End: Thursday, February 2^nd

NAMI Basics
A free education program for parents and family caregivers of children and teens who are experiencing a mental health issue

Christian Temple
5820 Edmondson Ave, Baltimore, MD 21228

Saturdays, 9:00am-2:00pm
Class Start: Saturday, January 14th
Class End: Saturday, January 28th

Space is limited and advanced registration is required. To join an upcoming education program, contact NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore at (410) 435-2600.

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 Companies join together to develop workplace culture of understanding around mental illness

 ARLINGTON, Va., July 7, 2016 — Today, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) launched Stigmafree Company, a new initiative that will challenge, highlight and cultivate a company culture of caring and enhanced engagement around mental health. An initial group of seven companies have joined as partners including Coty, EY, FOX Sports, Kenneth Cole Productions, Participant Media, Philosophy, and Wear Your Label.

“Nearly 60 million Americans are affected by mental illness and they often encounter stigma, or invisible barriers to acceptance and understanding, including in the workplace. This is something we need to change, together,” said Mary Giliberti, Chief Executive Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “NAMI is thrilled to have these seven businesses partner with us as Stigmafree companies and commit to joining us in our fight to end the stigma of mental illness through education, increased awareness and social action.”

Mental health conditions that go untreated can have a huge impact on companies, from decreased employee productivity to lower morale. Eight in ten workers say shame and stigma prevent them from seeking treatment for a mental health condition. In addition, mental illness costs the economy about $200 billion in lost earnings each year. Companies committed to the Stigmafree company partnership are helping reverse these negative effects by creating a caring culture that recognizes mental illness and can better respond.

To learn more about how these company partners are promoting Stigmafree, visit nami.org.

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What a difference a year makes! As our fiscal year draws to a close on June 30th, we are excited to let you know that NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore’s impact on the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness grew exponentially. Here are just a few of our key accomplishments:

• We expanded services to previously underserved areas in Franklin Square, McElderry Park, Catonsville, and Sandtown-Winchester.
• We piloted a family education program integrating resources for substance use disorders and trauma.
• Our volunteer base grew to over 220 active presenters, teachers, facilitators, and advocates.
• More than 1,200 people attended an In Our Own Voice presentation and heard powerful personal stories of recovery and hope.
• NAMI’s Connections Peer Support Group and Family Support Group served over 600 participants.
• 200 individuals joined a NAMI Signature education program.
• In all, NAMI Metro Baltimore served over 4,500 individuals and families in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

And while we are proud of our accomplishments, we are merely scratching the surface. There is still much work ahead to reach the 1 in 5 people living with a mental health disorder.

In the coming months, NAMI Metro Baltimore’s priorities are set to develop an education program for faith communities. And this fall, we will launch an anti-stigma campaign on high school and college campuses.

As NAMI Metro Baltimore addresses the mental health needs of our community, our resources must also expand. Our staff of six works tirelessly to secure grant and public funding, and our active board of directors is enhancing their fundraising efforts. Individual supporters, like you, are vitally important so we can offer our services at no cost.

As our year quickly comes to a close, please consider making a donation by June 30^th. You can give online today here.

A gift – at any level – will have an immediate impact on NAMI’s critical work to replace fear and isolation with hope and connection.

Thank you!

DONATE NOW 

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Three years ago I stood in the pulpit of the church where my family had worshipped for more than three decades to give the most difficult talk I have ever had to give — offering reflections on the life and death of my 36-year-old daughter, Libby, who had passed away just a few days before. As I prepared my remarks, Libby’s sister and brother encouraged me to speak openly about the illness responsible for her death. If she had died of cancer, they noted, we would not be reluctant at all to talk about her battles with and eventual death from it. But it was not cancer that took Libby from us. It was another terrible disease — depression.

Continue reading the full Op-Ed in the Baltimore Sun.

W. Daniel Hale is special adviser to the president at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 

 

 

 

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Last Friday, when a 25-year-old man dressed in a hedgehog costume terrorized Fox 45 and threatened to set off a candy bar “bomb” if the station didn’t play the video on his flash drive, it didn’t take long for the social-media machine to go into full swing. “In Baltimore, even our terrorists are kinda awesome,” read one post. “Baltimore: Let’s Get Weird,” professed another. “Truly a Trump supporter,” read another. All day long, the one-upmanship continued.

I don’t know if this man who was ranting about the end of the world has a mental illness, but his father told news media that his son had struggled with mental illness in the past. I spent the better part of a day pointing out online that such situations may be due to some kind of psychosis; it didn’t take long for the barbs to turn toward me. One heckler, a local comedian, accused me of having no sense of humor. Note to Facebook friend: Sorry to rain on your virtual standup routine, but even a platypus costume wouldn’t have given me the giggles.

Continue reading the full Op-Ed in the Baltimore Sun.

Jane Marion is the food and travel editor at Baltimore magazine; her email is janefmarion@gmail.com. 

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Could viruses and infectious diseases cause mental health disorders? Scientific author and researcher, Harriet A. Washington, argues there is a compelling link. Her latest book, Infectious Madness: The Surprising Science of How We “Catch” a Mental Illness, offers a groundbreaking look at germ theory and mental illness. On Tuesday, April 26^th, NAMI Metro Baltimore and the Enoch Pratt Free Library welcomed Washington to Baltimore to discuss this cutting-edge research.

In the Writers LIVE Lecture, Washington presented case studies of mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anorexia, that were likely caused by bacteria, parasites, or viruses. Cases included links between bacteria in cat litter, paresis, and influenza and psychiatric symptoms.  She further demonstrated that attributions of mental illness to genetics can also be explained by infectious causes. Washington highlights that in identical twins there is only a 40% chance that both individuals will develop schizophrenia.

Harriet Washington addressed more than 50 Baltimore community members. Among the audience were researchers Dr. Robert Yolken of Johns Hopkins University and Dr. E. Fuller Torrey of the Stanley Medical Research Institute, whose work informed Washington’s book.

Washington concludes that this paradigm shift is critical to developing new approaches to not only treatment but also prevention. You can read more about her work here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore has launched a new NAMI Family Support Group in partnership with Bon Secours Baltimore Health System.  Support group meetings are held at the psychiatric unit of Bon Secours Hospital, located in the West Baltimore community. The free weekly support group serves family members, caregivers, and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness.

Family members often play a significant role in helping and supporting a loved one who develops a mental health condition. It is important to know you are not alone. The Family Support Group offers the opportunity to connect with others facing similar circumstances and to learn from shared wisdom.

NAMI’s support groups are unique because they follow a structured model to ensure that all participants have the opportunity to be heard and get what they need. Support groups are facilitated by trained family members who understand the impact of mental illness first-hand. Group leaders encourage empathy, guide productive discussion, and foster a sense of community.

The support group helps family members gain a deeper understanding of mental illness and to develop coping and communication skills. Participants also learn how to identify and access community resources and supportive services.

To attend the support group:

Every Tuesday, 3:00-4:30pm
Bon Secours Hospital
2000 W. Baltimore Street, 5^th Floor
Street metered and garage parking is available.

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