American Adoption Congress Annual Conference
April 5, 2017 by
For Interested NAMI Members and Friends – If you have a personal interest in the world of adoption, foster care and assisted reproduction, or if you know of someone who has, please consider the following:
The American Adoption Congress, which is a national association committed to adoption reform and promotion of honesty, openness and respect for family connections, is having its annual national conference at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead, Atlanta from Wednesday, April 5 through Saturday, April 8. This is also a unique opportunity to learn about changing public policies and legislation being enacted nationwide for all adopted persons and their birth and adoptive families. If you have an interest in registering, please go to the AAC website: www.americanadoptioncongress.org and click on the conference link.
Another opportunity to experience the conference is to attend the special presentation of Alison Larkin Live, who is an acclaimed comedienne, award winning audiobook narrator and the bestselling author of The English American autobiography about an English woman who finds her birth mother – and her self – in the U.S. This occurs on Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m., April 6, at the same venue. We are not positive at this time as to any cost to attend, but we are working with the conference chair to make this a successful and well-attended event for all to enjoy! Stay tuned and let Bruce Kellogg, Member of the Board of Directors of NAMI Northside know if you are interested and have plans to attend. You can email Bruce at bakellogg@att.net or call him at 770-833-6548. Thank you.
VICTORY! Senate passes Mental Health Reform
December 7, 2016 by
If you happened to listen closely enough, you might have heard our cheering just outside of DC this afternoon as the Senate passed Mental Health Reform as part of H.R. 34 by a sweeping 94-5* vote.
What’s Next?
The White House has indicated that they will sign the bill. We do not currently have a timeline, but we will keep you informed.
What’s in the bill?
NAMI’s bill summary and press release are attached. The full text of the bill can be found here.
What can I do?
Spread the word to thank your Senators who voted YES, and tell President Obama to sign the bill. Please share the Facebook and Twitter posts below.
*Curious who voted NO?: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Facebook example:
VICTORY! Mental Health Reform passed the Senate by a vote of 94-5 on the 21st Century Cures bill.
Celebrate and thank your Senators! http://cqrcengage.com/nami/app/write-a-letter?2&engagementId=265153
Sample Tweet:
VICTORY! #MentalHealthReform passed the Senate by a vote of 94-5. Thank your Senators who voted YES! http://cqrcengage.com/nami/app/write-a-letter?2&engagementId=265153
FREE Webinar on helping depressed & suicidal teens
September 1, 2016 by
The ADAA (Anxiety & Depression Association of America) is offering a FREE webinar on Thursday, September 8. The topic is “How to Help Depressed and Suicidal Teenagers”.
“Rates of depression as well as suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury are surprisingly common among adolescents. Dr. Alec Miller will describe treatments that exist for them in clinical and school settings.”
This webinar series is intended for the general public. Details HERE.
Mental Illness and College
August 31, 2016 by
A Diagnosis of Mental Illness Need Not End a College Career
A recent survey reports that 47% of adults living with schizophrenia drop out of college, compared to the 27% college dropout rate in the U.S. overall. Another study reports that students diagnosed with bipolar disorder are 70% more likely to drop out of college than students with no psychiatric diagnosis.
My son was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his junior year of college. I was devastated by what I perceived to be the loss of hope for his future, but he was determined to return to school and complete his degree. His university, which had been eager to help him withdraw when he became ill, was most unwilling to help him re-enroll after his symptoms were under control. When I called the Disability Services Office for help, a staff member told me, “Your son got in trouble…” I responded, “My son did not get in trouble, my son got sick.”
This kind of negative attitude from a university is tragic. Many young people with schizophrenia or other serious mental health conditions are perfectly capable of completing a college education. There is no reason for universities to discriminate against students living with mental illness—in fact, such discrimination is against the law.
Read entire article at NAMI.org
College & Bipolar: Strategies for Success
August 18, 2016 by