October 14th, 2016
 
In This Issue
 
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Click here to watch the latest episode featuring Super Bowl Champion Keith O'Neil


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Register to VOTE!!!

This week's edition of the NAMI-NYS E-Newsletter features information on our recent participation in the NAMI Advocacy Call on Voter Engagement. 

TODAY IS THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER IN 
NEW YORK STATE

Click here to register to vote. 

Also featured is the latest episode of Mental Health Now, how trauma will be featured at this year's Education Conference and stories about how trauma is impacting police and the military community.

As always, we want to know about the work you are doing. Please email  Matthew@NAMINYS.org with details and pictures about your work. This way we can feature it in the E-News and print Newsletter. Showcasing your work will allow others to learn from you and that's the best way we can grow together as an organization. 

Hope Starts With You!
NAMI-NYS News
The Need to Reconize and Address Trauma to be Featured at  2016 NAMI-NYS Education Conference

As you will see in other articles in this edition, recognizing and addressing trauma is a key component to curtailing potential mental illness. NAMI-NYS will be featuring this crucial topic as one of the featured sessions at  the  2016 NAMI-NYS Education Conference - New Horizons in Recovery: Breakthroughs in Research and Treatment. 

We have assembled a panel of leading experts who will focus on overall trauma as well as in children, the military community and in multicultural communities. The session scheduled for Friday, November 11th from 12:45-2:15 will feature:

Joseph Benamati, MSW, EdD, National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Senior Faculty, Andrus Sanctuary Institute
Diane Cameron, Author, Never Leave Your Dead
Elisa English, PhD, LCSW-R, Co-Founder and Chief Managing Officer, PD Consulting and Clinical Services and AskDrElisa.com

This session will also be accredited with 1.5 CEU's in social work.

You can click here to view the agenda for the conference  

Click here to register.
Watch the Latest Episode of Mental Health Now
and Support NAMIWalks NYS

Click here to watch the latest episode of  Mental Health Now,  the television show produced by NAMI-NYS. This episode features Keith O'Neil, Special Teams Captain of the 2007 Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts. Keith tells his story of recovery from bipolar disorder and how NAMI-NYS helped his family. 

Keith served as the Grand Marshal for NAMIWalks NYS, you can still donate to NAMIWalks NYS by clicking here


NAMI-NYS Details Engaging in Voter Registration and Voter Participation  on NAMI Advocacy Call
Mental Health Gets My Vote
NAMI's monthly national advocacy call for September focused on the need to get people and families impacted by mental illness to vote. NAMI-NYS's Public Engagement Coordinator, Matthew Shapiro, was one of the two featured speakers. Matthew detailed NAMI-NYS's advocacy and engagement efforts and how we encourage voter participation. You can  Click  HERE   to listen a recording of the call. 
ACTION ALERT
Today is the Deadline to Register to Vote in
New York State

Click here to register to vote. We encourage all of members to make their voices heard by voting.

NAMI Rensselaer Holds Annual Dinner and 
Honors Dr. Phillip Nasca

On Friday, October 7th, NAMI Rensselaer County held their annual dinner. This year's dinner honored Dr. Phillip Nasca, the Dean of the SUNY School of Public Health. Dr. Nasca's wife, Bonnie is a Family-to-Family teacher and the affiliate enjoys an excellent working relationship with the school, holding many of their Signature Programs, support groups and events there. Rep Paul Tonko joined the affiliate in honoring Dr. Nasca and the School, The event also featured an art show by artists living with mental illnesses. NAMI-NYS joins NAMI Rensselaer in expressing our gratitude to him and the school for helping establish such a beneficial relationship. The partnership between the affiliate and the school in one we encourage other affiliates to aim to replicate.


NAMI News
Advocacy Network Call: COPS & NAMI

On Thursday, Oct. 20th,  Laura Usher from the NAMI Policy Team will tee up a discussion of building partnerships with law enforcement agencies using the report: Preparing for the Unimaginable: How chiefs can safeguard officer mental health before and after mass casualty events. Produced by NAMI and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). 

The report was developed with Chief Michael Kehoe of the Newtown (Conn.) Police Department along with other police chiefs and mental health professionals who had worked in the aftermath of mass shootings. These experts vividly illustrate that the mental wellness of police officers is affected by responding to violent tragedies-and also by responding to day-to-day traumatic events.
 
Date:  Thursday, October 20
Time:  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Eastern (3 pm CT, 2 pm MT, 1 pm PT)
Conference call:   888-858-6021
Access code:  739264#
 
The report can be found at:  www.nami.org/lawenforcement. 

NAMI Ask the Doctor Webinar
Featuring Dr. Lisa Dixon of the New York State Psychiatric Institute's Center For Practice Innovation
Dr Dixon
NAMI presents an Ask the Doctor Webinar with NAMI's Medical Director, Dr. Ken Duckworth. This month focuses on Early Psychosis Treatment with Dr. Lisa Dixon presenting.
 
Learn about exciting new research findings that point to better outcomes and maximized recovery when young people receive treatment.
 
Dr. Dixon is the principal investigator on the NIMH Recovery After Initial Schizophrenia Episode-Implementation and Evaluation (RAISE-IES) study and spearheading new advancements in treatment of early psychosis. She continues to work on increasing access to innovative programs designed to improve outcomes for people experiencing their first episode of psychosis.

Click here to access the webinar. 

Please note: in the NIMH News section there is a survey on early psychosis intervention treatment. 

NAMI BLOG: Do You Know the Layers of 
Self-Advocacy?

We all recognize the importance of advocating for ourselves, but we don't always know how to go about it.  A recent NAMI blog addresses the need for self-advocacy and offers tips to be a better advocate for one's self.  The blog breaks down the layers of self-advocacy: the personal, community and government, with a focus on positive relationships at all levels.

Click here to read the article.
New York State News

Mental Health Parity A Serious Issue
 
Dr. Kenneth Davis, a practicing psychiatrist and president and CEO of the Mount Sinai Health System in NYC, outlines in Forbes the devastating impact of society's undervaluing of behavioral health treatment. He uses the example of an individual who is being treated for diabetes, yet is unable to follow a treatment plan due to an untreated and debilitating mental illness. The individual then finds himself in the hospital, and more often than not is readmitted within months because there is nothing in place to break the cycle.
 
Dr. Davis calls for the enforcement of parity laws that require physical and mental health conditions to be treated the same by insurers.  Not only will this serve the health of a vulnerable population, but it will also ultimately save on healthcare costs across the board.

Click here to read more. 


Schizophrenia is Not a Romantic Disease
 
In two letters to the editor of the New York Times, Dr. E Fuller Torrey and Dr. Ronald W. Pies write  about the urgent need for those with schizophrenia to receive treatment. These letters come in response to an article the Times published, which framed psychotic symptoms in a positive light.

Click here to read more. 

Return to the Teenage Brain
 
The New York Times published an opinion piece of the neuroplasticity of the brain and the possibility of repairing the damage from early childhood experiences.  The article outlines studies on both humans and rats that used certain medications to recapture the neuroplasticity of the brain, altering the effects of early trauma or learning. 
 
One study involved adults with no musical training developing absolute pitch by placing them on valproic acid.  The scientists found that the subjects who received the drug were significantly better at identifying the correct pitch than those who had not been on the valproic acid.
The other study involved rats in low nurturing environments.  These rats displayed general stress and anxiety. The researchers administered an HDAC inhibitor called trichostatin to the rats, which significantly reduced their depressive symptoms.
 
The hope is that this research will lead to better treatment options for individuals living with mental illness, so many of whom can trace the severity of their illnesses to childhood trauma. 

Click here to read more. 

Albany Times Union Reports
Probe Worry Curbs Actions
 
A recent article in the Albany Times Union details how employees working in facilities that serve troubled youth are increasingly calling in law enforcement rather than restrain the perpetrators of the outbursts themselves and risk suspension or incarceration.
 
Since the founding of the Justice Center, tasked with investigating allegations of abuse in state facilities, employees are often reluctant to intervene when one of their clients becomes emotionally disturbed and potentially violent.  They fear an investigation, saying that the Justice Center takes too long to investigate an alleged incident.
 
As the PEF president Wayne Spence puts it, "I believe they created a process where my members are guilty until proven innocent. There is a big reluctance on use of restraint and it's resulting in these people with special needs basically running these facilities."

Click here to read more, 

National News
P rince Harry Dedicates His Life to Promoting Service Members' Mental Health 

While promoting the Walking With the Wounded Walk of Britain, Prince Harry took a moment to highlight the plight of those with "hidden injuries."
 
He expressed his intent to dedicate his life to veterans fighting mental health problems. The prince served two tours in Afghanistan as part of Britain's Army Air Corps and clearly continues to feel a kinship with his fellow veterans.
 
"Mental health is a sensitive subject but it doesn't need to be," he said. "We need to talk about it more, get rid of the stigma." The prince, speaking while participating in a 1,000 mile walk from Scotland to Buckingham Palace, is joined by 6 other veterans of Afghanistan, all of whom are dealing with different injuries, both mental and physical.
 
The prince also took a moment to address the need for housing for homeless veterans and notes the difficult transition service members face when transitioning to civilian life. 

Click here to read more. 

Federal Government Ignores Treatment for Those With Serious Mental Illness
 
The Psychiatric Times recently published a piece critical of the federal government's lack of support for treatment of those with psychiatric disorders.  The article points out that the only agency within the government tasked with addressing serious mental illness is SAMHSA, and so many of SAMHSA's programs do not directly assist those with SMI. It states that " nowhere in SAMHSA's  straยญtegic initiatives  is psychiatric treatment of mental illness a priority."
 
While the article acknowledges the benefits of peer support and educational programs like Mental Health First Aid, not addressing psychiatric treatment for those with SMI is leaving the 68.5% of people with SMI without mental health services.

Click here to read more. 

An Open Letter to Society On Mental Illness
 
Odyssey recently provided a piece on the misconceptions of mental illness and urged others to be more compassionate to those living with mental illness without stigmatizing them. Changing the view of how those with mental illness are perceived is the first step in helping them to feel more integrated in society, helping us all to live better and more productive lives.

Click here to read more.
 
Cannabis Use and Relapse
 
Internal Medicine News published a study suggesting that cannabis use after first episode psychosis increases the tendency to relapse.  The ten year study explored whether habitual cannabis use triggers psychosis, or psychosis predicts increased cannabis use.
 
The "study found that the odds of a relapse of psychosis during periods of cannabis use was increased by 1.13, compared with periods of no cannabis use. Further, those who used cannabis continually after first-episode psychosis were found to have a 59.1% higher risk of relapsing psychosis in that 10-year period, compared with a 28.5% increased risk in those who quit using cannabis entirely."

Click here to read more. 
NIMH News


NAMI NYS is honored to welcome Robert Heinssen, Ph.D., ABPP, Director, Division of Services and Intervention Research, National Institute of Mental Health to present an NIMH research update at the 2016 NAMI-NYS Education Conference.   Click here to learn more about Dr. Heinssen. 

Treatment Advocacy Center NIMH Briefing With     New  Director, Joshua Gordon

NIMH Director Joshua Gordon outlines the future of the organization in a recent chat with the Treatment Advocacy Center. Click here to read. 

NIMH Releases Strategic Research Priorities Update

To keep pace with rapid developments in research on mental illnesses, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recently released updates to its Strategic Research Priorities. These priorities serve as guidance to NIMH grantees, potential grant applicants, and staff for the design and implementation of future research.

Click here to read more.

First Episode Psychosis Survey: 
10 minutes to Advance Science
 
NAMI-NYS encourages our readers to participate in this Stanford University survey on first episode psychosis. The survey seeks input from youth, young adults and families with personal experience of early psychosis.  
 
The survey takes about 5-10 minutes and is anonymous. Feedback will help researchers improve how individuals and their families find and engage with First Episode Psychosis (FEP) treatment programs. The survey is open until October 31, 2016.
 
About the survey:   The survey was designed by Stanford University and PEPPNET, the Prodrome and Early Psychosis Program Network. PEPPNET is housed at Stanford University and is supported by NIMH and SAMHSA. PEPPNET is made up of researchers, advocates, program directors, government agencies and other experts working to expand first episode psychosis (FEP) programs. 

Click here to participate

Join A Study of Schizophrenia and the Brain: 

A Six-month Inpatient Evaluation Study 

Have you been diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder? Are you between 18 and 55 years of age? Would you be willing to live at the Clinical Center on the NIH campus for six months? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a study designed to understand the neurological basis of schizophrenia and to determine which symptoms are related to the illness and which are related to the medications used to treat the illness.

This six-month study has three phases: In the first phase you will participate in many comprehensive medical, neurological, cognitive, and psychiatric evaluations. In the second phase, the research phase, you will be tapered off of your medication for about 4 weeks. In the time that your medication is discontinued, research procedures will allow investigators to distinguish the effects of the illness on the brain without the interference of the medication's effects. In the third phase, you will have the opportunity to stabilize using the treatment selected to be most helpful to you.
To find out if you qualify,  email NIMH   or call 1-301-435-8970 (1-888-674-6464) [TTY: 1-866-411-1010].
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Protocol Number:  89-M-0160 

NAMIWALKS 2016

 
Again,  NAMI-NYS wants to thank all who made our first NAMIWalks NYS a success!!!

You Can Still Donate to NAMIWalks NYS 
& Help Us Provide  Education and Support

Click here to make a donation to NAMIWalks NYS and help us meet the growing requests we receive for our Signature Programs such as Family-to-Family, Peer-to-Peer, In Our Own Voice and Ending the Silence, all of which we offer at no cost to the public. Please help us meet the demands for these unique programs by supporting NAMIWalks NYS. 

Click here to learn about sponsorship opportunities

 # JoinTheMovement
#HopeStartsWithYou

Save the Dates
 
Click here to register for the 2016 NAMI-NYS Education Conference taking place November 11-13 at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany.


October 15th-NAMI Westchester welcomes NAMI-NYS Public Engagement Coordinator, Matthew Shapiro to present, "Moving Forward, Next Steps in Mental Health Advocacy in New York State." The presentation will take place at St. Vincent's Hospital 275 North Street in Harrison, beginning at 1pm. Lunch will be provided, please RSVP to  sharonm@namiwestchester.org and  Click here for more information

October 15 The American Foundation For Suicide Prevention presents Out Of The Darkness Walk 10am, FDR Park in Yorktown.  Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck.  They need volunteers or for more information contact Maria Idoni (914) 610-9156 or midoni@afso.org.
 
October 18 - Brain & Behavior Research Foundation presents; Meet the Scientist: Schizophrenia, presented by Herbert Y. Meltzer, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and of Physiology, Professor, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Register now: bbrfoundation.org/webinar
 
October 19- NAMI Putnam County will be holding their Annual Membership Meeting. Apple Harvest night. From 6:45- 8:45p.m. at the Mahopac Library in the periodicals Room 2nd floor, 668 Route 6 Mahopac, NY.

*In order to vote for members of the NAMI Putnam Board, you need to be in good standing as of October 7, 2016

October 19- NAMI Westchester 2 nd    Annual Educational Conference -Lets Talk...The Road Ahead.  This is an educational opportunity for parents, students and educators to receive information on how to prepare for life after high school.    Key note speaker:    Kevin Hines, author of Cracked Not Broken.  Event will be held at Westchester Community College from 4 to 7 pm (6-7 pm optional workshops) For more information and to register go to  www.namiwestchester.org

October 25- NAMI Rochester will host the 15th Annual Jessica Henderson Memorial Event. The featured speaker will be WNBA great Chamique Holdsclaw. Chamique's mental illness recovery journey was recently featured in the documentary film Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw. 
Click here  for more information.

October 27 and 28th-The Mental Health Association Awards Dinner and Conference.  Register for both events and receive a discount!  Join us for a festive evening as we come together for a wonderful night to celebrate our MHA affiliate members and our colleagues across the state at our Annual Awards Dinner on October 27 th On October 28th  come to hear leading national behavioral health expert Linda Rosenberg's Keynote Address titled ' Creating Change that Matters: The Importance of Mental Health in Healthcare Reform' and more. Register today at MHANYS.org!
  November 1-4- The Association of  Community Living Agencies in Mental Health (ACLAIMH) will host its 37th Annual Conference - Housing is Healthcare (Open to All) - on Tuesday, November 1st-Friday, November 4th at The Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing, NY. There will be many sessions that provide social work continuing education credits.  Association of Community Living Agencies in Mental Health, Inc., (ACLAIMH), SW CPE is recognized by the New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers. 
 
Click here for more information.
 
November 3 - NAMI Staten Island will be holding their 26 th Annual Awards Celebration at Li Greci's restaurant beginning at 6pm.  The Honorees are:
Deborah Bostwick OTR, MPS: Program Supervisor, Anna Erica CDT & Clinic Richmond University Medical Center
Kenneth Cybulska:  NAMI Connections facilitator & NAMI In Our Own Voice presenter
Danielle Douglas:  Detective Specialist, NYPD Patrol Borough S.I. Community Affairs 122 Precinct
David Hughes:  NAMI Connections facilitator & NAMI Peer -To- Peer mentor


NOVEMBER 8 - Brain & Behavior Research Foundation presents; Meet the Scientist: Could We Someday Prevent Schizophrenia Like We Prevent Cleft Palate? Presented by Robert R. Freedman, MD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine. Register now: bbrfoundation.org/webinar
 
November 10- The Mental Health Foundation (MHF) would like to invite you to our exciting  event with the Institute for Behavioral Healthcare Improvement, "
Embracing Hope, Fighting Stigma at the New York Marriott Downtown featuring insights by Dr. Herbert Pardes, Executive Vice Chair of NY Presbyterian Hospital.
 
Please RSVP as soon as possible, space is limited !
 
Thank you for your support and participation.

NOVEMBER 11-13-2016 NAMI-NYS Education Conference-
New Horizons in Recovery: Breakthroughs in Research and Treatment. The Desmond Hotel, Albany. Click here for more information
 
November 16th-
NAMI-NYC Metro will host their Seeds of Hope Gala.
The event will be hosted by Darryl "DMC" McDaniels. One of the pioneers of Hip-Hop culture and a founding member of Run-DMC, Darryl is an author and mental health advocate. He recently published his memoir, Ten Ways Not To Commit Suicide. Click here for more information

DECEMBER 13-
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation presents; Meet the Scientist:  Neuroinflammatory Hypotheses of Depression, presented byYvette I. Sheline, MD.
 Register now: bbrfoundation.org/webinar 
 
Signature Programs

October 6- NAMI Rockland will offer the NAMI Basics at St. Dominic's Home / Home and Community Based Waiver Program located at  500 Western Highway Blauvelt, NY  10913 from   6:30pm to 9:00 pm Teachers:  Anne Arias & Rita Strumph. For more information and to register please call
(845) 359-8785

October 6- NAMI Huntington will be offering the NAMI Basics Education Program at Northwell Health Dolan Family Health Center,  284 Pulaski Rd., Greenlawn, NY 11740.  The course will run through November 17th from 5:30-8 pm

Advanced Registration Required - Please contact:
Kellie Gehrke (631) 223-5028 or kgehrke@fsl-li.org
Pat Hillenbrand (631) 370-1662 or Patricia.hillenbrand@omh.ny.gov

October 7-9 - NAMI Family-to-Family training to become a Teacher.  NAMI-NYS.  Contact your local affiliate.

Nov. 7 through Dec. 12, NAMI Huntington will be offering t NAMI Basics at Sagamore Children's Center  197 Half Hollow Road, Dix Hills, NY 11746 from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
 
Advanced Registration is Required
Please contact:
Kellie Gehrke
(631) 223-5028 kgehrke@fsl-li.org
Pat Hillenbrand

   
To have your events and Signature Programs listed in the E-Newsletter contact Alicia Burns at Alicia@naminys.org
 

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