Mental
Health Ministries
e-Spotlight
- Fall 2008
Mental
Illness Awareness
Week is October
5-11
National
Day of Prayer
is Tuesday,
October 7
National
Depression
Screening
Day is October
10
MENTAL
ILLNESS
AWARENESS
WEEK (October
5-11)
Mental
Illness Awareness
Week is
the first
week in
October. This
is a wonderful
opportunity
to partner
with community
groups in
your area
to raise
awareness
about mental
illness. This
e-Spotlight
will include
information
and resources
to help
you make
the most
of this
educational
opportunity.
THE
NATIONAL
DAY OF
PRAYER
FOR MENTAL
ILLNESS
AWARENESS
RECOVERY
AND UNDERSTANDING
The
National
Day of Prayer
for Mental
Illness
Awareness
Recovery
and Understanding is
Tuesday,
October
7. This
day of
prayer
was initiated
by Angela
Vickers,
JD of
NAMI
Florida
and
Gunnar Christiansen,
MD of NAMI
California
in 2004. It
has had
widespread
support
by individual
congregations
and National
Faith Community
Mental Illness
Networks.
The prayers
and actions
of both
faith communities
and secular
organizations
(e.g. NAMI,
NMHA, DBSA,
OCF, ADAA,
etc.) are
needed to
restore
mental wellness
in America. In
seeking
God's guidance,
we can
recommit
ourselves
to replacing
misinformation,
blame,
fear and
prejudice
with truth
and love
in order
to offer
hope to
all who
are touched
by mental
illness.
You
can download
a resource
with liturgies
to use for
the National
Day of Prayer on the Home
page of the
Mental Health
Ministries
website. This
resource is
available
in English and Spanish. Many
faith communities
have sponsored
an interfaith
candle lighting
service using
a liturgy
written by
Carole J.
Wills that
is included
in this resource. These
prayers and
liturgies,
however, can
be used at
any time during
the year.
NATIONAL
DEPRESSION
SCREENING
DAY
(NDSD)
National
Depression
Screening Day
(NDSD) will
be held on
Friday, October
10th, 2008.
NDSD screening
sites are
sponsored
by hospitals,
mental health
centers, government
agencies,
social service
agencies,
advocacy organizations,
colleges,
primary care
clinics, workplaces,
healthcare
companies
AND some
faith
communities. These
screening
programs
now
include both
in-person
and online
programs
for
depression,
bipolar disorder,
generalized
anxiety disorder,
post-traumatic
stress disorder,
eating disorders,
alcohol problems
and suicide
prevention. There
is a special
link for
persons
in
the military.
It
is important
to let members
of your congregation
know about
screening
sites in your
area. If
we can reach
persons with
undetected
and untreated
mental disorders,
we can encourage
them to seek
appropriate
treatment. If
we talk about
mental illness
like any other
illness, we
will help
to reduce
the stigma
and shame
associated
with these
brain disorders. It
is also helpful
if faith leaders
have the names
of mental
health professionals
in order to
provide appropriate
referral information
at any time
of the year.
For
more information,
visit www.MentalHealthScreening.org and
click on "For
the Public" to
the link "find
a screening
site in your
area" tab.
GUIDELINES
FOR
ORGANIZING
A
SUCCESSFUL
CONFERENCE
I've
received a number
of inquiries
as many groups
are planning
fall conferences. I
have given some
suggestions
on how to begin
in the resource, Guidelines
for Organizing
a Successful Conference. I'm
sure many of
you have other
creative ideas
of what has
worked for you. This
resource is
available on
our Home page.
SMALL
GROUP
OPPORTUNITIES
For
persons
not ready
to tackle
a conference
or mini-conference,
a small
group study
is a great
way to raise
awareness
in your
faith community
about mental
illness. I
believe most
of the successful
programs start
from the "bottom
up" with
concerned
lay persons
raising issues
and encouraging
their faith
leaders to
work toward
becoming
a caring congregation.
 Again,
our resource Creating
Caring Congregations ,
has been the
most helpful
to many communities
to raise awareness
about mental
illness in
adolescents,
adults and
older adults. It
also presents
the five step
caring congregations
model of education,
commitment,
welcome, support
and advocacy. This
DVD includes
a user-friendly
discussion
guide and
there are
many free
downloadable
resources
on our website.
Because
we have this
resource in
a close captioned
DVD format, we
are liquidating
our inventory
of VHS videos . These
videos are
available
for half price
- $10 each
on the website. This
resource is
closed captioned
and does include
the discussion
guide.
 Many
congregations
have used
my book, In
the Shadow
of God's Wings:
Grace in the
Midst of the
Shadows that
shares my
personal journey
with major
depression
and presents
six "gifts
of the shadow" that
emerged as
I moved toward
recovery. Being
a former teacher, I
wrote a four
week small
group study
to go with
my book . These
books are
available
on the website
our through
the publisher,
Upper Room
Books, at http://www.upperroom.org .
ON
A PERSONAL
NOTE...
I
was
in northern
Europe
(the
Baltic
countries)
for
three
weeks
in August. I
had the opportunity
to speak to
a number of
persons about
mental illness. Because
the Scandinavian
countries
have socialized
medicine,
there is less
stigma. I
was impressed
that Denmark
routinely
screens all
returning
military
personnel
for PTSD.
Because
of the darkness
in the winter,
people in
the Scandinavian
countries
talk openly
talk about
depression
or seasonal
affective
disorder. The
architecture
includes many
windows and
sky lights. IKEA,
started in
Sweden, offers
many types
of creative
lighting
products.
As
expected,
people from
the former
Soviet Union
tend to be
mostly silent
about mental
illness. The
jokes about
drinking Vodka
seem to be
grounded in
some reality
as there is
a high incidence
of alcoholism. Depression
among persons
in East Germany
is high as
older persons
have had trouble
adjusting
to the opportunities
available
to them in
a free Germany. The
unemployment
rate is very
high and many
people lack
the motivation
to get re-trained
for a job. The
old Soviet
high rise
buildings
are uniformly
depressing. I
heard resentment
as the cost
of supporting
these persons
is on the
shoulders
of those that
live in the
former West
Germany.
YOUR
IDEAS WEBSITE
PAGE
The
first
step in
creating "caring
congregations" is
education. Once
mental illness
is a "safe" topic
to talk about,
your congregation
can begin
to find ways
to minister
to and with
persons with
a mental illness
and their
families. Each
congregation
is unique. We
are gratified
that some
of our
resources
have been
helpful in
breaking
down the barriers
of fear,
ignorance
and stigma
associated
with illnesses
of the brain.
Many
of you have
found your
own creative
and effective
ways of raising
awareness
about mental
illness. You
can read
some of the
ideas that have
worked for
other communities
in the Your
Ideas section
of our website. We
encourage
you to submit
your own
ideas for inclusion
in this section.
Photo
taken
in Arhus,
Denmark |
Keep
your face
to the sunshine
and you
cannot see
the shadow.
It’s
what sunflowers
do.
~
Helen Keller
Blessings,
Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder
Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries
6707 Monte Verde Dr.
San Diego, CA 92119
www.MentalHealthMinistries.net
|
