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REMINDER
Free Program on Legal Issues in Mental Health
Including Trusts and Guardianship
with Attorneys Craig Rockwood of Hyannis
and Mary Zdanowicz of North Eastham
This program is open to the public
Light refreshments
Thursday, March 24, 2016 6:30 pm
following a NAMI CC&I membership meeting at 6:00 pm
at the Hampton Inn, 99 Route 28, West Yarmouth
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STOP SHOUTING... And Start Solving:
Effective Behavior Management at Home and at School
Dr. Stuart Ablon, along with Joseph Moldover, Psy.D. and Jessica Minahan, BCBA will offer a free webinar on April 7, 2016, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
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Focus on Mental Health and the Police
CCIT at the Dennis Police Station
Earlier this month NAMI CC&I was pleased to have had the opportunity to participate in the Community Crisis Intervention Team training program that took place at the Dennis Police Station. This five day program, established in Taunton in 2001, is based on the development of a group of community agencies working with the local police departments in an effort to more effectively handle persons in a mental health crisis.
An important goal of the program is to reduce the number of mentally ill people going into a criminal justice system ill equipped to handle them and where they do not get the treatment needed. It has been nationally recognized that resources are wasted with the criminal processing of persons with mental health issues and developmental disabilities. The course teaches first responders to recognize, to understand, and to deal with these individuals in an effort to defuse situations rather than have them escalate.
The staff of NAMI CC&I will be meeting with the CCIT training group this week in order to explore the possibility of a collaboration making more CCIT training available to the police departments on the Cape and Islands.
Attached is a very interesting article, "How America's Criminal Justice System Became the Country's Mental Health System." Advocating for and effecting change in the way the mentally ill are treated in the criminal justice system needs to be a national, state, and local priority.
Jacqueline Lane, Executive Director
NAMI CC&I
Article:
How America's Criminal Justice System Became the Country's Mental Health System
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Loud in the House of Myself:
Memoir of a Strange Girl
As part of preparing to teach the NEA-BPD (National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder) Family Connection course, Rocky and I were encouraged to read and provide for participants a long list of books. I had heard about Loud in the House of Myself: Memoir of a Strange Girl but until now, had not read it.
Stacy Pershall is a fascinating and unique character. She grew up in a small town in Arkansas, struggled with bulimia and anorexia throughout her teens and she experienced her first manic episode at eighteen. After a suicide attempt which she broadcast live on her webcam, she wanted her life to change.
Pershall chronicles her tumultuous journey through the mental health system and how body modification through tattoos helped in her recovery.
A testimony to the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, this quirky memoir effectively illustrates how often a primary or secondary diagnosis of borderline personality disorder would change the course of treatment and prevent over prescription of medications that do not help.
**** Keep in mind that Borderline Personality Disorder rarely occurs alone and often exists in combination with other disorders such as depression, substance abuse or bipolar disorder.
By Deb Rausch
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From McLean Hospital
A Harvard Medical School Affiliate
Understanding Self Injury
How to Be Helpful
Webinar Review
BPD Patient and Family Initiative Webinar Series
Starting in October of 2015, Mclean Hospital has been offering free webinars to help families with a loved one with Borderline Personality Disorder or difficulty managing their emotions.
The most recent webinar, Assessing and Treating Self Injury - What it is and how to be helpful was held on March 2 and was presented by Dr. Michael Hollander.
Dr. Hollander defined self-injury as "deliberate injury to one's body without the intention to die" and explained that it is fundamentally an effective short term solution to a long term problem. While often believed to be an attention seeking behavior, he explained that only a small percentage self-injure for that reason and that most make every effort to keep it to themselves. He referred to self-injury as a "strategy for communicating distress" and is said to be more common with very sensitive people.
One interesting point made in the webinar was that Dr. Hollander doesn't recommend making a house "anti-septic". He said, "The world isn't, and it is virtually impossible to get every object that can be used to self-injure out of the house".
One of the first things he recommended to help a loved one who is self-injuring is to assume a matter-of-fact attitude about the behavior. Clearly a challenging position to take. He also stressed, as we do in the NEA-BPD Family Connections course that NAMI CC&I offers, to try to identify the primary emotion driving the behavior. The secondary emotion, which is most readily identified with an individual with emotion dysregulation is primarily sadness for woman and anger for men.
Michael R. Hollander, PhD
Director of Training, Senior Consultant, McLean 3East Assistant Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Part-Time
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ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION:
REVIEW OF A WEBINAR FROM FAMILIES FOR DEPRESSION AWARENESS
According to Families for Depression Awareness, 20% of teenagers suffer from depression. Teenagers who are treated for depression with talk therapy and medication, improve. However, many teens who suffer with major depression do not receive treatment.
Causes of Depression include:- Family history of depression.
- Biology/Brain Chemistry.
- Substance Abuse.
- Stressful events such as loss of a family
member
Mild to moderate depression is best treated with interpersonal therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy. Proper sleep, diet, and exercise are all crucial in combating depression.
For severe depression,
SSRI
(Selective Serotonin
Reuptake
Inhibitors) medications are introduced. Critical warning signs to be aware of are self-injury and thoughts of suicide. Cutting accounts for 15-20% of adolescent self-injury. Respond with calm concern. Inquire about questionable wounds. Look for items that might be used to self injure. Ask if he/she is having thoughts or feelings of hurting themselves. Do not delay in reaching out for support and assessment.
Kim Lemmon
Outreach Coordinator
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HOARDING
HOARDING VS. SQUALOR
Hoarding is the acquisition of and failure to discard a large number of possessions. Hoarding is a chronic condition; worsening over time, creating congested living areas and unsafe living environments.
Squalor is defined as degradation from neglect or filth. Squalor includes rotting food, human and/or animal waste, and infestation.
While hoarding and squalor can be found together, one can exist without the other.
Helpful assessment tools for hoarding are:
The HOMES tool: Health - Obstacles - Mental Health - Endangerment - Structure/Safety
If you are concerned about a loved one living in conditions you believe are unsafe and/or unhealthy, education and support are available with the Cape Cod Hoarding Task Force. For more information:http://www.hoardingcapecod.org/
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NAMI Walks along the Charles River
at DCR's Artesani Park
Saturday, May 14, 2016
To Join Our Team
It's fun, it's a healthy way to spend a day, and you get to show your support for NAMI Cape Cod & The Islands Long time member and NAMI supporter Nancy Bacher is chairing the 2016 WALK. |
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2016 NAMI Massachusetts
Advocacy Day!
Friday, April 8, 2016, 10 am - 2 pm
Great Hall, Massachusetts State House
Congressman Joe Kennedy III
YOUR Legislators Need to Hear from YOU!
NAMI CC&I will be attending.
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 Dance In the Rain...
Dance in the Rain Whole Person Approach Peer to Peer Services and NAMI Cape Cod & The Islands launched their collaborative peer and family program
"Bridging the Gap". 
This program is designed for peers and family members to begin dialogue, heal and find unique solutions families face when there is a mental health challenge within the family unit. ( A peer is a person who has mental health challenges. When we engage with each other that is the term we use.) The unique conditions of this illness can put tremendous stress upon the family unit causing 'gaps' or difficulties.
Dance in the Rain designed a unique approach for family members and peers to begin dialogue about the difficulties faced. Family members and peers can anonymously ask those difficult questions, things they worry or are concerned about and share experiences. In return the group offers varied perspectives to these questions. Because of the diverse levels of experience and healing on both the family and peers part the dialogue is very engaging.
Bridging the Gap is offered the second Tuesday of every month from 6:30pm to 7:30pm at the Dance in the Rain Office 145 Barnstable Rd. Hyannis.
Come as a family or by yourself. Join the dialogue of healing and strengthening the family unit.
Challenging stigma through the artists eye".
Dance in the Rain is seeking artists for our upcoming Mindset IV Art Event at the Guyer Barn. We are looking for artist who are peers, family members, providers, basically anyone whose life has collided with this illness. The event is Saturday May 21st. All mediums are welcome.
Offering works from a diverse population who have been affected by mental illness allows us to present the many perspectives of the collective artists. You
can read more about it on our website under the events page (Mindset) and see videos from the past three events.
Art sometimes speaks the words we cannot express.
Mary E. Munsell
Founder/ Executive Director/Peer
Dance in the Rain Whole Person Approach
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SUPPORT NAMI CCI
SHOP AT AMAZON SMILE
Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Support NAMI by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com. Use the link on the banner.
AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service.
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Tidbits...
At the West Falmouth Library
The Challenge of Mental Illness for Individuals and Families
Thursday, March 31 @ 4pm. Free.
Author B.C. Scott, will share her story and the process of writing her book,
Knockabout, Mental in Massachusetts and Jackie Lane, Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Cape Cod will share information about this non- profit organization serving the families and friends of people with mental illness. For more information about NAMI Cape Cod go to
www.namicapecod.org. Barbara Scott's books will be available for sale and signing.
Autism Lecture
Spaulding Rehabilitation of Sandwich is presenting its 9th Annual Pediatric Lecture Series which features world-renowned autism expert, Margaret Bauman, MD, founder of the Autism Research Foundation and the Lurie Center for Autism at Mass General Hospital. The presentation,
Disruptive Behaviors in Autism: Looking Beneath the Surface will be held on March 30, 2016 at 6:30 pm at the Oak Ridge School auditorium at 260 Quaker Meetinghouse Road, Sandwich.
Registration required. Call: 508-833-4210
Save The Date
- Annual Meeting - Friday, April 15, 3:00 - 5:00 at the Hampton Inn. You must be a current member in order to participate in this meeting.
Lawyer For A Day--Free Legal Advice
Held daily at the Barnstable Probate Court. It is advisable to arrive promptly when it opens at 9:00 am as it is first come, first served and fills up quickly.
Inclusions in the Newsletter
We have recently been asked for last minute inclusions of events in our newsletter. We have instituted a new policy:
It is at the discretion of the Executive Director to determine whether content being submitted for distribution to the membership is aligned with our mission. If the content is determined to be appropriate, it may be included in the monthly e-newsletter if it is submitted prior to the first of the month.
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