NAMI Southwest Ohio
NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. Members of NAMI are families, friends and people living with mental illness such as major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder.
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We want to take the next step and educate our community on what can be done to supply support and community to those that are experiencing mental illness. We've started the #BeyondAlmost campaign to do just that!
The Video
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We went to a college campus and asked people to finish the phrase, "I almost confronted mental illness, but..." Below are the responses we heard.
#BeyondAlmost
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Blog
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Pepper’s Battle Against Stigma Podcast
By: Michael Concannon, Natalie Cortino, and Sam Mcilvain
This podcast is centered around an interview with a woman who utilized NAMI services to deal with her bipolar disorder and anxiety. Pepper is a pseudo name, created to protect her identity. The podcast creates an inspirational recovery story that shows how each step Pepper made was vital for her to succeed in her life. Her mother took part in NAMI’s Family-to-Family service, where her mother learned how to help her daughter cope with her mental illnesses. Pepper started by opening up on Facebook as a way of telling friends or family that this was who she was, accept her or not. She then took the time to find the right doctor and psychiatrist. She even experienced stigma in these instances. She then took the time to talk about stigma in schools and how they lack the assistance they need. Pepper got a service dog, which is vital to her life. The dog allows her to be independent and calms her down when she experiences episodes. Her dog’s ability to allow her to be independent allowed her to go to college. She also speaks at NAMI’s In Our Own Voice program, where she talks to police, doctors and other medical practitioners about how to handle someone with her mental illnesses. She is helping to end the stigma and making treatment for people with mental illnesses better. Pepper is strong in her ability to seek recovery and assist others battling similar experiences.
Paris 1625 & NAMI Stick It to Stigma
By: Michael Concannon
One in 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness each year. One in 25 adults experience a serious mental illness each year that interferes drastically with one or more life activities. Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13-18 years old experience a severe mental disorder in their lifetime.
What is even more disheartening being the stigma that exists surrounding mental illness that refrains people from seeking help.
The Impacts of the Mental Health Stigma
Mental health stigmas are the number one threat to all people who are diagnosed with a mental illness. Stigma falls into two categories: social and self-stigma. Social stigma is the prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behaviors forced on people with mental health disorders based on their psychiatric label. People develop these negative stereotypes because of the perception that people with a mental illness are dangerous. These perceptions are driven heavily by the media, portraying people impacted by mental illness as “violent”. Negative attitudes surrounding mental illness creates a form of social distancing, where people fear being around a mentally ill individual. The biases surrounding this social distancing creates an experience of loneliness and isolation on the part of the people with mental illness. Self-stigma is how the person battling a mental illness disorder perceives the discrimination they experience. The mental health stigma makes these people feel worse about themselves and can disrupt their treatment process.
Whiteboard Experiment
Public relations team, Paris 1925, conducted a mental health experiment. A question was posed on a whiteboard for Xavier University students to come up and write responses on. The question posed was “I almost confronted mental illness, but…” Responses included “it was the most terrifying thing in the world” or “I felt uncomfortable bringing it up.”
These responses are a clear indication that the mental health stigma is rooted in a fear for that person battling mental illness. These responses are examples of both social and self-stigma. These stigmas can be limited and people can seek treatment to relieve stigma. How so? Well, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Southwest Ohio offers classes to cope and battle the mental health stigma.
NAMI Support
NAMI offers several programs that restrict stigma and help people cope with their illness. NAMI offers grassroots, free services for all forms of mental illness. NAMI Peer-to-Peer is a program is an in-group experience that provides opportunities for mutual support and positive impact. Peer-to-Peer helps individuals understand the impact of symptoms on peoples’ lives and help people develop confidence. Ending the Silence is a NAMI service that uses engaged presentations to help audiences learn about warning signs of mental health conditions. Ending the Silence includes a presenter and someone with a mental health condition that shares their journey to recovery. NAMI presents to schools and communities across the country. NAMI’s In Our Own Voice program offers presentations to alter attitudes and stereotypes about people with mental health conditions. People who have battled mental illness talk openly about their conditions, allowing for a deeper understanding of them.
NAMI advocates, NAMI cares and NAMI continues to fight the good fight to end the mental health stigma. It is ultimately up to the people who do not battle a mental illness to learn about them and how they impact individuals daily. Instead of creating a stigma, we must unite to help others. Taking the time to understand these mental illnesses will save lives and will supply more confidence and opportunities to mentally ill peoples. NAMI and Paris 1625 battle the stigma, will you take part in the fight?
Erasing The Stigma
The importance of bridging the gap between mental health awareness and action.
William Ponds
People may understand what mental illness is, but not what it truly means. Merriam-Webster defines mental illness as, “a broad range of medical conditions marked by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, or emotions.” However, what this doesn’t tell you, is the impact mental illness has on the lives of those living with it, and their loved ones. 43.8 million adults experience mental illness in a given year. Of those 43.8 million, nearly 60% did not receive mental health services in that year, according to NAMI Southwest Ohio. Therefore, an obvious gap exists between those effected and those treated.
When more than half of these tens of millions of adults with a mental illness don’t pursue help, it makes it clear just how serious the stigma has become over the years. Stereotypes against those living with mental illnesses have made it increasingly difficult for those affected to come out and tell a friend or family member about their condition, which in turn, often leads to a worsening in their condition. It is crucial that we work towards creating a society where mental illness is no longer something that is feared or frowned upon. By having more open dialogue and fostering welcome environments, we can empower someone who might not have said anything, to have the courage to seek help.
Just because we understand what mental illnesses are and what defines one does not mean that we, as a collective, are taking the necessary steps to convert our awareness into meaningful action within our own communities. That’s where the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) comes in. NAMI is a national organization with local branches that works to serve and treat those living with mental illness in a variety of ways; however, they also aim to educate people on mental illness and the importance of taking action. NAMI Southwest Ohio serves Hamilton, Warren, and Clermont County specifically, in order to prioritize people in these areas the most. If you are looking to learn more about getting yourself or a loved one help for mental illness, visit namiswoh.org or visit the location today.
#BeyondAlmost Testimonials
"My mom said she'd put me in a ward."
"I didn't think it was as serious as it actually was."
"I didn't think anyone cared."
Share with Us
Have you been in a moment where you almost did something about mental illness, but weren't sure where to start? Share your story with us so we can work better to break the stigma of mental illness.
Email & Phone:
Tel: 513-351-3500
Address
4055 Executive Park Drive
Suite 450, Cincinnati, OH 45241