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NAMI-NYC
Metro's Newsletter
SUMMER 2007
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From
the Executive Director
Wendy Brennan, M.S.
WELLNESS
AND THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY
We
have all likely heard the phrase, “There is no health
without mental health.” As the importance of overall
health and wellness becomes increasingly clear, it is
time that we pose this as a question: Can there be mental
health without overall health and wellness? As New York
Office of Mental Health Commissioner Michael Hogan, Ph.D.,
stated in a recent meeting, “There is no recovery
without wellness. There is no wellness without positive
mental health.”
But
what exactly do we mean by wellness? And how are wellness
and mental health intertwined? The summer issue of the
NAMI-NYC Metro newsletter is focused on the relationship
between physical health and mental health and what we
as individuals, families, and a diverse mental health
community can do to contribute to greater wellness and,
subsequently, increased and sustained recovery.
More...
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HEALTH
AND RECOVERY
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A
Message From the NYCDOH Office of Consumer Affairs
by
Susan Batkin, L.M.S.W.
Decades
of published studies have shown that people with
severe mental illness have a significantly shorter
life expectancy than the general population. The
health problems facing this community have become
epidemic in recent years, and the need for public
action has grown desperate.
In
a 2006 report, “Morbidity and Mortality in
People with Serious Mental Illness,” the National
Association of State Mental Health program directors
depicted the current state of affairs. Here are
some highlights from the findings:
More...
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MOVING
TOWARDS HEALTH AND VITALITY
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by
Kristen Mermagen, M.S.
When
people talk about wellness, what does it mean? It
means shifting our awareness from the problem of,
say, “hearing voices,” to working to improve
one’s habits while focusing on his/ her life
purpose, hope, and recovery. Our health is directly
related to our behaviors, what we think, and how
we treat our bodies, as well as the attitudes, beliefs,
and practices of the people who populate our lives.
We have choices and we can make changes.
More...
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DO-IT-YOURSELF
WELLNESS
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Achieving
Health at Home and on a Shoestring Budget
Good
mental health doesn’t have to break the bank.
NAMI-NYC Metro staff member Katie Linn
discusses how a few simple, cost-effective practices
helped her beat anxiety and depression.
I
started having panic attacks when I was in my second
year of college. Soon after, I became so plagued
by the fear of having another that I didn’t
want to leave my house, travel, or go out with friends.
Even tasks like going to the dentist seemed too
daunting. During this period, I took comfort in
food and television, and gained 25 pounds in the
process. I was stuck in a cycle. Food and television
brought me comfort but prevented me from fully experiencing
college and my life. After a while, I didn’t
recognize myself. Not only had I changed physically,
but I was no longer the fearless person that I once
prided myself on being. I knew that I had to fight
my anxiety or I would be stuck in a rut for the
rest of my life.
More...
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UNMASKING
HIDDEN DANGERS IN PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT
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Obesity,
Changes in Metabolism, and Premature Death
by
Loren Crabtree, M.D.
In
the United States, adults with serious and persistent
mental illness (SPMI) have a life expectancy that
is 20 percent shorter than that of the general population.
This discrepancy is chiefly accounted for by coronary
heart disease, hypertension, and other outcomes
of arteriosclerosis and diabetes. Lifestyle factors
include sedentary living, a diet rich in fat and
with high carbohydrate and caloric content, and
chronic stress.
In
order to refine the prediction of life threatening
illnesses, experts in the fields of heart disease
and diabetes have identified five early warning
signs of what they call the Metabolic Syndrome.
The coexistence of three or more of the following
component abnormalities establishes the presence
of this syndrome:
More...
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NAMI
WALKS NEW YORK CITY
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What
a Walk it Was
Thank you to everyone
who joined us on Saturday, May 12, for NAMI-NYC
Metro's first-ever Walk to raise awareness of mental
illness. Between the weather and the turnout, it
was a tremendous success. Nearly 1,000 New Yorkers
came together to show their support.
And with the $375,000
we've raised, NAMI Walks New York City now holds
the record as the largest-earning NAMI Walk ever.
We owe such an achievement
to everyone who walked that day. Building on this
success, we are already looking towards next year,
when we hope to have even more of our friends out
there in support of mental health awareness. The
larger the crowd, the louder the voice. See you
in 2008!
View
photos from the Walk...
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THE
9th ANNUAL KEN BOOK AWARDS
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Annual
Breakfast Honors Literary Contributions to the World
of Mental Health
NAMI-NYC Metro's Kenneth Johnson Memorial Research
Library hosted its 9th annual Ken Book Awards breakfast
on Thursday, May 4, at the Yale Club in New York City.
Winners are selected based on their outstanding literary
contributions to a better understanding of mental
illness. This year the library honored Pete Earley,
Eric Kandel, Kim Mueser and Susan Gingerich, Katharine
Noel, and Garry Trudeau. Previous Ken Book Award winners
have included Wally Lamb, Rick Moody, Kay Redfield
Jamison, Simon Winchester, and Jane Pauley.
The Ken Book Awards are presented each spring in memory
of Kenneth Johnson, the son of Patricia Warburg Cliff.
Ms. Cliff founded the Kenneth Johnson Memorial Research
Library in 1996; it is housed at the NAMI-NYC Metro
offices and includes hundreds of books, journals and
videos, and is host to monthly book, movie, and poetry
clubs.
View
photos from the breakfast...
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The
National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI-NYC
Metro) is a grassroots organization that provides support, education
and advocacy for families and individuals of all ethnic and socio-economic
backgrounds who live with mental illness. As one of the largest
affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, we work
collaboratively with our state and national affiliates and other
stakeholders in the community to educate the public, advocate
for legislation, reduce stigma and improve
the mental health system.
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