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Bridges of HopeBridges of Hope
Faith Communities and NAMI
Torrents of Mental Illness
Bridges to Mental Health Care
NAMI & Faith Communities:Building Bridges of Hope
Outline
• What is Mental Illness and its Impact?
• What is the Role of Faith and Faith Communities in Recovery?
• What Resources are Available? Who is NAMI?
• Questions
What is Mental Illness?• A serious medical illness.• Includes depression,
schizophrenia, bipolar illness, OCD, PTSD and more.
• Are equal opportunity illnesses.
• Are treatable for most.• Untreated, have long
reaching consequences.
RED FLAGS• a marked personality change;• an inability to cope with problems and daily
activities;• strange or grandiose ideas; • excessive anxiety; • prolonged depression or apathy;
RED FLAGS• marked changes in eating or sleeping patterns;• thinking or talking about suicide; • extreme highs and lows’ • abuse of alcohol or drugs and/or • excessive anger, hostility or violent behavior.
The Scope of Mental Illness
• One in four adults experiences a mental health disorder in a given year.
• Major depressive disorder affects 6.7 percent of adults
• The indirect annual cost of mental illness in the US is about $79 billion.
The Scope of Mental Illness
• Suicide is the eleventh-leading cause of death in the U.S.
• Three quarters of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 24.
• Adults living with serious mental illness die 25 years earlier than other Americans
The Scope of Mental Illness
Treatment Works But Most Go Without...
• Fewer than one-third of adults and one-half of children receive treatment.
• There are long delays—an average of eight to ten years—from first symptoms to a proper diagnosis.
What Happens When People Don’t Get Treatment and
Support?School failure
• About half of students with mental illness dropout
Unemployment• Only 1 in 3 adults living with mental illness is employed … most want to work.
What Happens When People Don’t Get Treatment and Support?
Homelessness•26 percent of the homeless population lives with a serious mental illness.
Hospitalization•1 out of every 5 community hospital stays is due to a mental illness.
What Happens When People Don’t Get Treatment and Support?
Criminalization• About 20-25 percent of jail and prison
inmates and youth involved with juvenile justice live with a mental illness.
Suicide• We lose one life to suicide every 15.8
minutes.
WHAT TO DO IN A PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY
• If they are in imminent danger of hurting themselves or someone else, stay calm and:– If they are cooperative and desire help, call their
psychiatrist, or your nearest community mental health center’s emergency access line.
– If they are not cooperative, call 911 and ask for a C.I.T. officer, a Crisis Intervention Trained officer or a mental health mobile crisis unit.
The Role of the Faith Community
The Unique Role of Faith Communities
• They are the first place many turn; • are more numerous than mental health care providers;• they can utilize NAMI referral, support and education programs; and• they can benefit from NAMI member’s valuable life experiences.
Faith Groups Provide a Home and Hope
Illness Raises Spiritual Questions and Concerns
• Where is God in this?• Why do bad things happen to good
people?• How can my faith help me heal?• What now? Is there meaning and
purpose for my life? Where do I belong?
Spiritual Isolation
Illness and Recovery
• Feelings of spiritual estrangement can be part of the illness experience
• Spiritual support can play a significant role in the recovery process¹
Spiritual Connection
Responding to Illness
When Ellyn had cancer, she received:
• Visits in the hospital• Notes and cards• Meals that were made
for her family• Prayers • Support for her
treatment• A ‘welcome back’
When Ellyn had mental illness, she received:
• Visits in the hospital• Notes and cards• Meals that were made
for her family• Prayers • Support for her
treatment• A ‘welcome back’
Faith Groups Can Give Basic Practical Care
• Learn to recognize and accept.• Assist in finding the help needed.• Support treatment and recovery.
• Attend to the person’s basic needs.
Program Possibilities
• Other basics of spiritual care :–Food–Clothing–Housing
Providing Care to the Family
Reach out – be a friend.Learn about the illness.Create a supportive network or group.Learn what is helpful and hurtful to do or say.Provide community resource referrals.
Types of Spiritual Support
• Offer the gift of presence
• Listen and share the journey
• Hold them in thought and prayer
National Awareness Toolkit: www.nami.org/faithnet
• Mental Illness Awareness Week – First week of October
• National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery & Understanding
• May - Mental Health Awareness Month
NAMI Beginnings
What is NAMI?• Dedicated to building better lives • Grassroots• Pillars of Action: Education, Support,
Advocacy, Research• NAMI State Organizations and
NAMI Affiliates• “Peer-led” and “lived experience” approach
Education and Support Programs
~ ~ Our Purpose
1. To help create supportive faith communities.
2. By equipping and educating NAMI members, clergy and faith communities.
NAMI Walks
Advocacy
Resources
www.nami.org/namifaithnet
www.nami.orgNAMI HelpLine (800) 950-NAMI
You Can Make a Difference
If we ignore … cries for help, we will be continuing to participate in the anguish from which those cries of help come.
A problem of this magnitude will not go away. Because it will not go away, and because of our spiritual commitments, we are compelled to take action.
−First Lady Rosalynn Carter
Thank You!
(YOUR NAMEYOUR CONTACT INFORMATION)
Join NAMI today ~ www.nami.org/joinSupport NAMI today ~ www.nami.org/donate
Public Education and Awareness• www.nami.org: 7 million visitors annually.
• (800) 950-NAMI: 180,000+ requests annually.
• 300 million print, radio and TV impressions annually.
Other On-line Resources
• www.mentalhealthamerica.net • www.nimh.nih.gov – National Institute of
Mental Health • www.congregationalresrouces.org• www.Pathways2Promise.org• www.mentalhealthministries.net
