Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) 2007

Mental Illness Awareness Week
October 7-13, 2007
Building Community, Taking Action

Mental Illness Awareness Week  (MIAW) is sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and is an annual, national observance that was created by a Presidential proclamation in 1990 to focus attention on the high incidence of mental illness in America.   Over the past 18 years, MIAW has become a tradition in communities across the country in meeting the NAMI mission through a variety of outreach, educational, and advocacy efforts. 

The 2007 theme, Building Community, Taking Action, charges us to continue to take action against stigma, build community collaborations to confront discrimination and educate our policymakers and members of our community to create service systems that provide hope and recovery to people of all ages living with serious mental illness.    

If you are reading this, please consider joining NAMI NH in “Taking Action” and supporting the MIAW activities.   If you would like more information or details, please contact the NAMI NH office 225-5359 or email: cferber@naminh.org.

 WALK FOR RECOVERY FROM MENTAL ILLNESS
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2007 

Registration 12:30 pm   Walk begins at 2 pm

NAMI NH’s 5th Annual Walk – You can make a difference!  Lead a Walk Team!
Contact Deb at 225-5359 x26 or visit the website www.naminh.org

ARTS AND RECOVERY EXHIBIT
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2007

State House Lawn, Concord, NH     9 am to 1 pm

Artists from around the state who have experienced recovery from mental illness will display their art mediums that have helped them in their recovery.  If you know of someone who would like to display their art, please have them call NAMI NH to register.

COME MEET PETE EARLEY, author of
 CRAZY: A FATHER’S SEARCH THROUGH AMERICA’S
MENTAL HEALTH MADNESS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2007
Concord City Auditorium, Concord, NH at 7 pm

No admission fee/donations accepted

Pete Earley is an award winning investigative reporter whose previous books were about spies, prisons and the witness protection program.  "CRAZY: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness ", which was one of two finalists for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction books, tells two stories. Mr. Earley will share about his struggles to get his college age son help after he is diagnosed with a mental illness. The second is about his investigation of America’s mental health system based on nine months that he spent inside the psychiatric cellblocks at the Miami Dade County City Jail where he followed prisoners with mental illnesses through the justice system and back into the community to observe how they were treated.  Mr. Earley will discuss his book, and provide an opportunity for questions and answers.

This event is sponsored in partnership with:
NAMI NH
NH Attorney General's Office
The Disability Rights Center
Beasley and Ferber, P. A.
The NH Department of Corrections
Bureau of Behavioral Health
Diane Peck Bauer, Attorney at Law

NOTICE - Of Special Interest to Psychology, Psychiatry and Nursing Students -
The Family Intervention Guide to Mental Illness;
Recognizing Symptoms and Getting Treatment

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2007
Dartmouth Bookstore
33 S. Main Street, Hanover, NH at 7 pm

No admission fee; all welcome

A talk, book signing, and opportunity for questions with Bodie Morey and Kim T. Mueser, Ph.D., authors of
The Family Intervention Guide to Mental Illness; Recognizing Symptoms and Getting Treatment.

CLERGY AND FAITH LEADERS

These workshops are specifically designed to provide clergy and lay leaders of faith communities with tools for preventing and intervening with people at risk for suicide. Though focused on youth suicide, the skills learned can be applied across the lifespan.

Choose to attend one of the following three:
Friday, October 12, 2007 10:00 am - 1:30 pm
Holy Family Church
Church Street in Gorham, NH

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
180 Loudon Road in Concord, NH

Thursday, October 18, 2007 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
St. Joseph's Catholic Church
208 Pleasant Street, Route 27 in Epping, NH

There is no cost for these workshops. These workshop offerings are made possible through a grant from the NH Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Public Health.

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
OCTOBER through NOVEMBER

Why is Mommy Sad? written by Paul D. Chan, M.D. is a read together book for children. The goal of this book discussion group is to teach children to understand depression as an illness, that depression is okay to talk about, how to ask for help, and that there is treatment. Children will understand that depression is an illness and that they do not have to feel shame or blame. NAMI NH is offering a FREE program to schools that include this book, discussion questions, activities, and resource materials. For more information, please contact the NAMI NH office at 603/225-5359.

This program is funded through a grant "Promoting Safe and Stable Families" through the Division of Children, Youth and Families.

Book Reading and Signing featuring CATHERINE GREENLEAF, author of
HEALING THE HURT SPIRIT -
DAILY AFFIRMATIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST A LOVED ONE TO SUICIDE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2007
Toadstool Bookshop, Keene, NH
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Catherine Greenleaf, a NH author, will read excerpts from her book that promotes awareness and healing for individuals who have survived the suicide death of a loved one and be available for signing. The recently completed Lifekeeper Quilt - NH Faces of Suicide will also be on display. This presentation is a partnership between The Samaritans and NAMI NH.

IN OUR OWN VOICE PRESENTATIONS

In Our Own Voice is a recovery education presentation given by trained consumer presenters. A brief, yet comprehensive interactive presentation about mental illness.
The presentations are about hope, recovery and stigma.

OTHER COMMUNITY EVENTS

MIAW has been observed by NAMI NH partners in a variety of different activities and events. Below are a few examples:

UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE - Contact person: Sharon Murphy Sharon.Murphy@unh.edu

• WALK for Recovery of Mental Illness: students formed a team and participated the the NAMI NH walk
• Library display at the UNH Library
• An information table at the Memorial Union Building (MUB) on Monday through Thursday provided flyers and brochures on NAMI NH and the UNH Counseling Center
• A panel presentation on Wednesday evening was attended by over 100 students. The panel presenters were: David Andre; Gretchen Grappone; Diane Cyr and Tom Creighton. This was a joint effort between Community Partners and the Director of the UNH Counseling Center.

MIAW 2007 WILL HAVE OTHER ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS PLANNED, SO PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE OFTEN - AND CLICK ON “MIAW 2007”.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING ANY OF THESE EVENTS,
PLEASE CONTACT ANNETTE OR CLAUDIA AT 225-5359.

 

 

 

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