Experienced Voices Take the Lead in Mental Health First Aid Training

DBSA Chapter Relations Director, Ingrid Deetz, was selected to participate as part of a special Mental Health First Aid instructor training program in Georgia this week. This training is preparing 30 people who have experienced mental illness and addiction disorders to teach Mental Health First Aid to the public across the U.S.

Mental Health First Aid teaches members of the public how to help someone who may have a mental illness or is experiencing a mental health crisis. The program uses a five-step action plan to assess a situation, select and implement appropriate interventions and offer help. Participants also learn about the risk factors and warning signs of illnesses such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and addictions. Since the program was introduced in the USA in 2008, more than 15,000 people — including first responders, teachers, leaders of faith communities, and caring citizens — have been trained as Mental Health First Aiders. Mental Health First Aid USA is disseminated by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Mental Health First Aid delivered by persons in recovery is a win-win for all,” says Sherry Jenkins Tucker, Vice President of the DBSA board of directors and Executive Director of the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network. “It helps people with mental illness reach out and dispel myths and it helps the community understand that these people are competent to live full lives,” she explains.

Interested in Taking a Mental Health First Aid Course?
DBSA is offering a 12-hour Mental Health First Aid training course May 23-24 following the DBSA National Conference in Houston, Texas. To register for this course, visit the conference registration page. Note: registraton to the conference not required to register for this training.

Self-empowerment: Conquering the Stigma Within

DBSA is pleased to partner with bp Magazine/esperanza to bring you empowering and informative articles featured in the quarterly bp and esperanza magazines.

The below article, by Janice Arenofsky, is from the Winter 2011 issue of esperanza.

When Stacy G. was diagnosed with depression, the Calgary mother of two rejected the notion. In her family, mental illness was either a taboo topic or ridiculed with terms like “nut cake” or “nut job.” Stacy blamed her persistent sadness and negativity on a stressful job and pledged to banish this “crappy thing” from her life through sheer determination. Friends told her to think positively, turn herself over to God or push through it.

You see people every day thinking you should just ‘suck it up’ …,” says Stacy, referring to widely held views that depression is a moral failing or character flaw.

Then a close family friend died, and her “suck it up” strategy stopped working. Once a Type A personality, she became easily fatigued and unable to concentrate or cope with pressure. She couldn’t stop crying. She began to draw away from friends and family, in part from fear of their negative reactions.

A good friend at work talked to me once after I told her what was going on, and then I never heard from her again,” says Stacy, 42, who took medical leave from her job as a revenue analyst. “I pretty much shut everyone out, because I was afraid of what others would say or think.”

Like many people with depression, Stacy bought into long-held public attitudes toward the condition. Her self-stigma delayed her treatment, increased her isolation, warped her self-image and lowered her self-esteem—a closed-circuit loop that only deepens depression.

A range of research shows that when social stigma becomes internalized as self-stigma, individuals with depression are far less likely to seek treatment.

Click here to read the full article.
http://www.hopetocope.com/Item.aspx/687/conquering-the-stigma-within

Wellness Tips from Peers

In the Facing Us Clubhouse, consumers who have found small ways to make a big difference in their recovery can share wellness tips like those listed here. Visit the Clubhouse to be inspired by your peers…and to pass on some of your own inspiration.

To access the Wellness Tracker visit the Facing Us Clubhouse
Joining the Facing Us Clubhouse is easy and free!

Do You Forget to Take Your Medication?
If so, set the alarm on your cell phone to go off everyday at the time when you need to take it. I do and it works like a charm!

Anxiety
My therapist taught me a grounding technique for when I’m feeling anxious: Think of 5 things in the moment that you can hear, think of 5 things in the moment you can see and think of 5 things in the moment that you can feel. I find this helps me clear my mind and relax. Even these few moments of not worrying are great

My Emotional "IQ"
My emotional IQ has been in need of a makeover. My self-talk consisted of negative verbiage at the end of the extreme-o-meter like I hate, I’m furious, I can’t stand… I recently began to substitute other words like, I’m upset, I don’t like, I’m sad… I’m pleasantly surprised at the nearly instantaneous relief from the pressure to do something about it. This has improved my ability to think more clearly and is so successful that it inspires me to keep applying it.