Posted on September 16, 2022
Kaleidoscope with Allison Keyes: CBS News Radio/Podcast
In this podcast episode Allison Keyes, CBS News Radio correspondent/host interviews, Dr. Christine Crawford, associate medical director at NAMI, to discuss the rising rate of suicide and suicide attempts among Black young people. There is research showing that children as young as 5 years old are at risk. September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and Dr. Crawford at the National Alliance on Mental Illness provides insights on what's happening and what families and care givers can do to help.
READ MOREPosted on September 7, 2022
WebMD
Both Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI CMO, and Pooja Mehta were interviewed about You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health. Pooja Mehta is one of 130 people who shared first-person accounts of their experiences with mental illness in the book, as a way of challenging the stigma and educating the public about what it feels like to have mental health challenges. Mehta’s experience motivated her to begin speaking out about stigma in mental illness and openly telling her story. Duckworth says he was inspired to write the book after his own family’s experience with mental illness. His father had bipolar disorder, but there was no “social permission” or permission within the family to talk about his father’s condition, which was shrouded in secrecy and shame. Duckworth hopes the book will provide useful information and inspire people with mental illness to realize they’re not alone. “We want readers to know there is a vast community out there struggling with the same issues and to know there are resources and guidance available,” said Duckworth.
READ MOREPosted on August 23, 2022
WUSA9: DC
Dr. Christine Crawford, associate medical director at NAMI, said parents can explain in simple terms what they do to calm down. The key is to keep listening. "If your child is keeping to themselves, they're just staying in the room, they're not engaging with you, or with their friends, then that's certainly reason to be concerned about what's going on," Crawford said. If you notice new behavior that makes you concerned, it's time for another conversation.
READ MOREPosted on August 1, 2022
The NonProfit Times
Much of what engulfed the nonprofit sector during the past 12 months got its start between 2020 and 2021. Just as the sector has been influenced by events, so has this 25th anniversary edition of The NonProfit Times’ Power & Influence Top 50. Nearly one-third (32%) of those have not been previously inducted into the club. Women outnumber men on the list for the first time, 28 to 22. It is also arguably the most diverse group of honorees. NAMI CEO Daniel Gillison, Jr., is among the 2022 honorees who has distinguished himself as an initiator, innovator and leaders by redirecting and pivoting operations to meet the moment.
READ MOREPosted on July 30, 2022
Today.com
“What is helpful about the way in which mental health days are being rolled out in some states is that there’s a certain number of days that is allocated to take off,” Dr. Christine M. Crawford, NAMI associate medical director, told TODAY Parents. “If schools see a pattern in which the student exceeds the allotted number of mental health days that really signals to the school that perhaps a student requires more mental health support.”
READ MOREPosted on July 16, 2022
USA Today
"In a suicide or mental health crisis, seconds count," said Jennifer Snow, national director of government affairs, policy and advocacy for NAMI. Snow pointed out that the 988 hotline will be answered by those with mental health expertise, a lifesaving upgrade. This is a huge step forward for those with loved ones at risk, as well as those of us who are ourselves prone to suicidal ideation.
READ MOREPosted on July 15, 2022
NBC News NOW
Hannah Wesolowski, NAMI CAO, joined NBC News Now morning edition for a live on-camera interview to discuss the new 988 number connecting callers to the Lifeline starting tomorrow (7/16) and how the process will work and what callers can expect.
READ MOREPosted on July 15, 2022
The New York Times
The law establishing 988 left the funding of call centers largely to states. While it gave states the option to raise money the same way they do for 911, with a monthly fee on phone bills, only four states have authorized a phone-bill charge. The national labor shortage has also affected the ability to hire and retain employees. The work force was an issue for the mental health field “long before the pandemic,” said Hannah Wesolowski, NAMI CAO, who noted that burnout was also a concern for professionals already in this space. While a lot of work has been accomplished since 988 was signed into law, Ms. Wesolowski said, “we’re trying to build a comprehensive system, and that’s going to take more than two years.”
READ MOREPosted on July 14, 2022
Washington Post
“I look at 988 as a starting place where we can really reimagine mental health care,” said Hannah Wesolowski, NAMI CAO. “We’re really looking at a fundamental tide shift in how we respond to people in mental health crisis.”
READ MOREPosted on July 12, 2022
The New York Times
Counselors on the other end of the hotline are trained in handling a wide range of mental health issues, including self-harm, addiction and suicidal ideation, said Hannah Wesolowski, NAMI CAO. “If someone has been through a traumatic event and is struggling to process it — and there are traumatic events happening throughout this country — this is a place to turn to,” Wesolowski said.
READ MORE
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).