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Mental Health Ministries e-Spotlight
Fall, 2007
Most
education programs in faith communities happen because persons
with a mental illness and their family members share their
stories with the clergy and leadership of their congregation.
Too often faith leaders are not informed about mental illness
and may not know how to provide appropriate pastoral care or
begin an outreach to persons and families living with mental
illness.
The first
week of October has been designated as Mental Illness Awareness
Week. This e-Spotlight will include information and resources
to help your community prepare for this educational opportunity.
Featured Resource – Addiction and Depression
We are again featuring our VHS resource on
Addiction and Depression
because SAMHSA and other national organizations are celebrating
Addiction Recovery Month this September. Many persons
struggling with a mental illness will abuse substances as a way
of self medicating. The latest federal Household Survey
estimates more than 23 million Americans over the age of 12 meet
the criteria for alcohol and drug dependence. Recovery Month is
a time to celebrate individuals in recovery and those who
support them. It is also an opportunity for faith groups to
educate congregations about substance abuse and other mental
health issues. For more information, visit the Recovery Month
website at
www.recoverymonth.gov.
Overview: Addiction to alcohol and/or drugs often masks an
underlying depression. The link between addiction and depression
can cause a downward spiral leading to severe health problems,
especially suicide. Three persons share their stories of
addiction and depression that end in recovery and hope.
Length of Resource - 17:45 minutes; Study Guide Included
National Depression Screening Day (NDSD)
will be held on
October 11. 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. For more information or to find screening sites in
your area, visit
www.MentalHealthScreening.org. You are encouraged to inform
people in your congregation about screening sites in your area.
The National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Awareness Recovery
and Understanding
is Tuesday,
October 9. 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.
There is a
free downloadable resource on the Mental Health Ministries
website on the
Resources and Links
page with sample liturgies that you can adapt to your
community. Pathways to Promise provided the Prayer of
Confession, I wrote the pastoral prayer and Carole J. wills with
FaithCEP Indianapolis wrote the interfaith candle lighting
service.
Thanks to INGENIUM ABP, the National Day of Prayer resource is
now available in Spanish.
The NAMI National Convention
was held in San Diego in June. The
FaithNet table included resources from Dr. Gunnar Christiansen,
Pathways to Promise, FaithCEP and a new book by Angela Vickers.
·
Pathways to
Promise (www.pathways3promise.org)
has an excellent website and resources for purchase. They
recently completed a poster project funded by the American
Psychiatric Foundation and are currently exploring another grant
possibility.
·
Carole Wills is
the Faith Communities Education Project (FaithCEP) chairperson
and president of NAMI Indianapolis. A
comprehensive list of resources is available on the FaithCEP
website,
www.congregationalresources.org/mentalhealth.asp
·
Attorney Angela
Vickers has written a new book, Brain Bondage. The book targets
six professions…the media, faith communities, medicine, therapy,
education and law…explaining how each can end stigma and promote
mental wellness and justice. For more information visit
www.angelavickers.net.
Postpartum Depression resource: Mental Health
Ministries is in the final stages of production on our new DVD
resource, Breaking the Silence: Postpartum Depression and
Families of Faith. The DVD will include a pdf discussion guide.
Invisible Illness Chronic Illness Awareness Week
is September 10-16, 2007. Rest Ministries and Hopekeepers
Magazine is sponsoring 20 free workshops on a variety of chronic
“invisible” illnesses…including mental illness.
DID YOU KNOW…
• Nearly 1 in 2 Americans live with a chronic condition?
• 96% of illness is invisible?
• 75% of marriages end in divorce when illness is
present?
• 75% of suicides have uncontrollable physical pain as a
factor?
Susan will be giving a workshop on Friday, September 14: 9
a.m.-10 a.m. Pacific, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Central; 12 p.m.-1 p.m.
Eastern. For more information, visit
www.invisibleillness.com.
Susan’s Fall Speaking Dates
I was delighted to connect with the two NAMI persons organizing
conferences for the fall where I will be speaking.
Fresno,
California – October 11, 2007 –
Fresno Faith & Mental Health: Spirituality
and Mental Health as Partners in the Journey to Wellness and
Recovery. For more information, contact NAMI Fresno at 559-224-2469 or Helen Ruth Siporin at
siporin@comcast.net
Boulder, Colorado
– October 18, 2007 – Sharing the Promise of Hope and Healing:
Mental Health and Faith Communities. Visit their website at
www.namibouldercounty.org/interfaithconf
***********************
I hope you will find some helpful resources…both media and
downloadable articles and brochures on the Mental Health
Ministries website. The months of October and May are
opportunities to partner with community groups to provide
education on mental health issues.
Susan
Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder
Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries
6707 Monte Verde Dr.
San Diego, CA 92119
www.MentalHealthMinistries.net
sgschroed@cox.net
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