Posted on October 27, 2020
Washington Post
The killing of Walter Wallace Jr. on a Philadelphia street Monday afternoon became the latest police shooting to prompt outraged protests in a year that has been regularly punctuated by them. His family said he suffered from mental illness and angrily questioned why police had not used nonlethal methods to subdue him. “Unfortunately this is something that happens all the time. It’s been happening day after day, year after year,” said Angela Kimball, national director of public policy and advocacy for NAMI. “It is just now that communities are starting to say, ‘No, this is wrong.’” A better solution, she said, is for communities to establish teams of “mental health professionals who are trained at de-escalating. They’re not in uniform. They’re not shouting. They’re able to establish rapport and connect someone to treatment and support.”
READ MOREPosted on October 27, 2020
Washington Post
Seasonal depression, known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD is a type of depression that occurs when it gets colder, there’s less light and it’s more difficult to get outside. Mental health experts worry that, because the pandemic has already triggered depressive symptoms in many Americans, more people will experience seasonal depressive symptoms this winter. Although only a small percentage of people typically report seasonal depression (most estimates put it at 6% of the U.S. population for severe symptoms and 14% for mild symptoms), Wright says she wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another increase in depressive symptoms among the population in general as the cold weather compounds social isolation. Get a light box or SAD lamp: These are lamps specifically created to mimic outdoor light. Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI, says people with SAD should use one for a couple of hours in the morning during the winter.
READ MOREPosted on October 23, 2020
Poynter.org
For years, Latinos have faced challenges in obtaining culturally competent mental health care. And the need is only growing during the pandemic, as practitioners across the country receive more referrals from patients within the Latinx community. Only 5.5% of psychologists can provide services in Spanish, according to a 2015 APA survey, and U.S. Census data shows only 7% of psychologists identify as Hispanic. Mónica Villalta, the national director of inclusion and diversity at NAMI, is well aware of this void in mental health services. “When you add the added layer that those services are costly, that the system is complicated, and that many of the individuals in our community do not have insurance to begin with,” she said, “prior to 2020 we were already in a sort of a crisis.” That crisis, Villalta and other mental health professionals across the country say, is amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic as Latinos are disproportionately impacted by the virus and cope with the trauma, stress and anxiety that comes with family deaths, illness, economic uncertainty, and social isolation. According to CDC data, Latinos comprise nearly 30% of the country’s COVID-19 cases, yet make up 18% of the U.S. population.
READ MOREPosted on October 21, 2020
Everyday Health
Systemic racism and hostile racial environments are nothing new in the United States, but 2020 has marked a significant milestone in awareness and lack of tolerance for it. Ironically, while this upheaval signals the potential for change, it has also put a strain on the mental health of many Black Americans, whose stress may be increased by media reports of violence and police brutality. “Racism is a public health crisis,” says Daniel H. Gillison Jr., CEO of NAMI. In fact, a growing body of research shows that experiencing racism increases the risk for anxiety, ulcers, insomnia, mood swings, and emotional and social withdrawal. Even in cases in which Black Americans are resilient, have support, and practice self-care, overcoming stress rooted in systemic and constant discrimination remains a challenge. The article provides a list of organizations offering help.
READ MOREPosted on October 20, 2020
Hartford Business Journal: CT
As a manager you might think that your workplace is a safe space to discuss and get help for mental health issues, but your reports likely disagree, according to new data from local insurance giant The Hartford. A majority of employers (68%) said they’d created “an open and inclusive work environment” in regards to mental health, but only 42% of workers agreed, a recent survey by the insurer found. The survey was announced as part of a new alliance between The Hartford and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a leading nonprofit. The two plan to work together to reduce the stigma around mental health issues in the workplace and get those in search of support the help they need. “Especially during these difficult times, treatment can make a positive impact on anyone struggling with their mental health,” said Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., CEO of NAMI. “We call on fellow business leaders to join us in creating a new standard for employee benefits that include mental health resources which not only improve the lives of employees, but also the overall success of the company.”
READ MOREPosted on October 19, 2020
The Hill: Changing America
President Trump signed the Suicide Designation Act of 2020 into law on Saturday, designating 988 as the dial code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Founded in 2004, the network of 161 crisis centers is backed by the federal government and provides a toll-free number for anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. The law also allows states to enact fees to offer these expanded services, in the same way they currently do for 911. “The need for 9-8-8 is urgent. Without appropriate care, people with mental illness end up on our streets, in jails and in emergency departments — and dying in tragic encounters with law enforcement,” said Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., NAMI CEO, in a statement. “By signing this bill into law, we are making real progress toward ensuring people in crisis get help, not handcuffs. We are grateful to Congress and the FCC for their efforts in moving this legislation forward and making 9-8-8 a reality.” The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the health care system and made it difficult for many Americans to access vital mental health services.
READ MOREPosted on October 19, 2020
Forbes
Make sure that you get some mental health support if you need it. Oh, by the way, doing so may mess up your career. After all, over the years, relatively little has been done to alleviate one of the big barriers to doctors seeking mental health services: career and licensure concerns. But recently, KIND Healthy Snacks and the National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) have launched an effort to change such situations. They’ve started petitions on Change.org for medical boards in five states (Florida, Wyoming, Alabama, Oklahoma and Idaho) to stop asking overly-intrusive mental health questions on their medical license applications. In this way, KIND and NAMI are asking medical boards to be kinder to physicians, so to speak.
READ MOREPosted on October 12, 2020
CNN Health
The Covid-19 pandemic has been somewhat unique in that the crisis has continued for an extended period. Such moments of uncertainty can take a significant toll on those already facing mental health challenges. "Any loss of social support can have a meaningful impact on people with mental illness," said Katherine Ponte, founder of the online peer support community ForLikeMinds and lives with bipolar 1 disorder (NAMI Blog writer and NAMI-NYC Board member). During the last week of March, Ponte and researchers at Yale University School of Medicine conducted an online survey that included 193 people who self-identified as living with a mental illness. The survey, published in Psychiatric Services, found that most of those living with a mental illness (98%) said they had at least one major concern related to the Covid-19 pandemic. "I definitely feared that my mental illness would get worse," she said. "In the past, my manic episodes have been triggered by world tragedies." Ponte also emphasized that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In response to trauma, some people can experience what is called "tragic optimism," which occurs when someone remains hopeful and builds resilience. These responses can culminate in what is referred to as post-traumatic growth. Ponte said that her hope for the nation is growth after trauma.
READ MOREPosted on October 10, 2020
CNN
While police departments have come under heightened scrutiny in recent months amid a racial reckoning stemming from fatal encounters with Black Americans, so have their actions in mental health emergencies. Experts and communities across the US are taking a hard look at whether law enforcement should be the first line of response. "The short answer to that is no," says Shannon Scully, senior manager of criminal justice policy at NAMI. "The law enforcement field is not equipped, nor should it ever be the first responder to a mental health crisis." But with other mental health resources vastly underfunded or non-existent in many parts of the country, police departments have taken on the task by preparing patrol officers for these emergencies with the help of mental health training. "But NAMI remains concerned about any model that inherently relies on law enforcement involvement in responses to mental health emergencies," Scully told CNN. "The solution here is really looking at the mental health services and support centers in the community and then how law enforcement plays really kind of a secondary, supportive role," she says. And there likely won't be a one-size-fits-all approach for every community.
READ MOREPosted on September 30, 2020
Yahoo! News
The presidential debate was dominated by chaos and crosstalk. But one moment of empathy broke through the muddle for some people watching: a spotlight Biden put on his son Hunter’s struggle with addiction. Coping with mental illness and substance addiction is widespread, and often invisible. One in five Americans deal with mental health issues in any given year, and, according to data from the American Addiction Centers, the two struggles often co-occur. Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., CEO of NAMI told Yahoo News that since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, his group’s helpline has seen a 65% increase in calls and emails from people looking for help. “While NAMI cannot comment on specific candidates, we know that discussing substance use and mental health conditions openly on such a national stage helps to get people talking about these issues and ultimately helps people feel more empowered to get the help they need,” Gillison wrote. “As a result of this collective crisis, more people are discussing their mental health challenges and vulnerabilities openly which helps normalize these conversations and destigmatizes mental health concerns.”
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NAMI HelpLine is available M-F, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET. Call 800-950-6264,
text “helpline” to 62640, or chat online. In a crisis, call or text 988 (24/7).