al Illness Montgomery County, Pennsylvania www.nami.com

montco memo Montgomery County, PA June 2018 Volume XXXVII Issue 11

Also in this Issue

June Monthly Meeting 1

Annual CSP Conference & Mental Health Awards

1

Schedule of Events 2

Board of Director Thanks 3

Letter from our Executive Director

3

Mild Concussion tied to Greater Risk of Dementia

4

Exercise makes us Happier 5

SAVE THE DATE 5

NAMIWalks Thanks 6

The Power Effects of Savoring Tributes

7 7

Montgomery County Community Support Program Conference & Mental Health Awards Ceremony

The Montgomery County CSP Conference/Mental Health Awards Ceremo-ny is an event bringing together people in the Montgomery County mental health community to celebrate recovery and recognize the people who are

making a difference.

The conference will include a wide variety of workshops, including arts, sports, holistic practices, pet therapy, and more. A chicken and hamburger

barbecue lunch will be served (vegetarian burgers available).

This event is free for all residents of Montgomery County, PA. It is an event for people 18 and older.

WHEN: Thursday, June 7, 2018 TIME: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm WHERE: Mermaid Lake Swim Club 1002 Jolly Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422 This event is sponsored by HopeWorx, Inc.

to learn more, visit: hopeworxinc.org

June Information Meeting

Law Enforcement & Mental Health: A Perspective

Cpl. Patrick Hanrahan will join us to talk about teamwork in the community and how partnerships can be formed to handle crisis situations. Cpl. Hanrahan was hired by Hatfield Police Department in 1987.

He is a Squad Supervisor, the department’s Public Information Officer, and a Hostage Negotiator.

Date: Wednesday, June 13, 2018 Time: 7 PM to 8:30 PM

Location: 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204 Lansdale PA 19446

Light refreshments will be provided.

This event is free and open to the public; however an RSVP is requested by June 11.

Please call 215-361- 7784

the montco memo is published monthly by

NAMI of PENNSYLVANIA

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Board of Directors

President Donna McNelis Second Vice President Dawn Hogan Secretary Beth Milton Treasurer Sandy Leopold

Victoria Bright Neen Davis Jullian DeLehman Jessica Fenchel Rhea Fernandes Bob Greenaway Tricia Malott Mia Marcovici, MD Jason Matlack Ayana Walker Executive Director Abby Grasso Editor Kelly Ann Berry Development Coordinator Ellen Roberts Office Coordinator Carolyn Bilofsky Bookkeeper Kelly Ann Berry Program Coordinator Jeanne Schafle

Support Group Facilitators Coordinator Abby Grasso

Abington Presbyterian Church Joan Kozlowski Corinne Smith Miriam McCauley Lansdale Rich Kelble Anne Magowan

Lower Providence Presbyterian Church Neen Davis Sue Soriano

Pottstown Martha Edwards NAMI Connection Michael Solomon Elaine Day Jason Matlack Robert Singer

NAMI of PA Montgomery County 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204

Lansdale, PA 19446 Phone: 215-361-7784 FAX: 215-361-7786

Email: office@namimontcopa.org Web page: www.namimontcopa.org

Letters to the Editor and other articles and contributions are welcome. Send them

to the NAMI Office or by Email to

office@namimontcopa.org by the 15th of the preceding month

NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is an approved Donor Choice Agency of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and

Southern New Jersey

United Way Agency Code # 5076

Calendar

June 4 June 25 No July Meeting

NAMI Connection is a peer-run support group for individuals liv-ing with mental illness, which meets the 1st Monday of every month, except holidays, 6:15 PM. William Jeanes Memorial Li-brary, 4051 Joshua Rd, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444 Please note: July Meetings has been moved to June 25, 2018.

June 16 July 21

NAMI Connection is a peer-run support group for individuals liv-ing with mental illness, which meets the 3rd Saturday of every month, 10:00 AM -11:30 AM. NAMI Office 100 W. Main St., Suite 204, Lansdale, PA 19446

June 4 July 2

Lower Providence Family Support Group 1st Monday of every month except on holidays, 7:00 PM. Lower Providence Presbyteri-an Church, 3050 Ridge Pike, Room 205, Eagleville, PA 19403

June 5 July 3

Lansdale Family Support Group 1st Tuesday of every month, 7:00 PM. St. John’s United Church of Christ, 500 W. Main Street (at Richardson Avenue), Lansdale PA 19446

June 14 July 12

Glenside Family Support Group 2nd Thursday of every month, 7:30 PM. Abington Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Road, Abington, PA 19001

June 11 July 9

Pottstown Family Support Group 2nd Monday of every month, 7:00-8:30PM. Creative Health Services, Consumers Library, 11 Robinson Court, Pottstown, PA 19464

June 13

Monthly Information Meeting 2nd Wednesday of every month, 7:00-8:30 PM. NAMI Office, 100 W. Main St., Suite 204, Lansdale, PA 19446

June 21 July 19

Montgomery County CSP (Community Support Program) 3rd Thursday of every month, 12:00-2:30 PM, Montgomery County Library, 1001 Powell St., Norristown, PA 19401

June 14 July 19

Board of Director’s Meeting 3rd Thursday of every month, 6:30 PM. NAMI Office,100 W. Main St., Suite 204, Lansdale, PA 19446

A Note About Our Meetings Although some of our meetings are held at religious institutions, they are nondenominational and open to people of all beliefs.

NAMIWALKS Greater Philadelphia

Still An Opportunity to Make a Difference and Support

NAMIWalks Greater Philadelphia We are 90% to goal!!

The walk may be over but the fundraising continues!!

The walk website will remain open until July 3rd

for donations.

To donate today visit:

www.namiwalks.org/greaterphiladelphia

June 2018 Page 2

montco memo Volume XXXVII Issue 11

ON MAY 9, 2018 APPROXIMATELY 70 NAMI OF PA MONTGOMERY COUNTY MEMBERS

GATHERED AT MAGGIANO’S KING OF PRUSSIA FOR OUR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DINNER

AND AWARDS CEREMONY. A SPECIAL THANKS TO DEPUTY SECRETARY, LYNN KOVICH,

OF OMHSAS FOR SPENDING TIME WITH US AS OUR KEYNOTE. WE HAD AN UPDATE OF

AFFILAITE HAPPENINGS FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ABBY GRASSO. DINNER WAS

DELICIOUS. NAMI GOODNESS WAS SPREAD WHILE WE CELEBRATED THE GOOD WORK

BEING DONE IN OUR MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMUNITY!

YOUR MEMBERSHIP ALLOWS US TO SUPPORT AND EDUCATE MORE

INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IMPACTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS. JOIN TODAY!

June 2018 Page 3

montco memo Volume XXXVII Issue 11

Message from our Executive Director

Dear NAMI Friends, I can’t believe May – Mental Health Awareness Month – is over. It was a glorious month of cele-brating recovery and spreading NAMI Montco Goodness! We are so grateful for each of you that joined us to make our 11th Annual Greater Philadelphia NAMI-Walks a success! The AMAZING Ellen Roberts, our Development Coordinator, coordinated an in-spiring day, alongside our 2018 Walk Planning Committee. The energy and ideas of each member are so appreciated! Danny Bader spoke of hope and the enthusiasm of the Mariachi Band got every-one ready to WALK! It was great to see so many members at our Annual Membership Meeting & Awards on May 9th! Con-gratulations to all of our amazing awardees and a special thanks to Lynn Kovich, Deputy Secretary of OMHSAS, for being our Keynote Speaker.

Elections for Directors to the NAMI of PA Montgom-ery County Board of Directors were held and candi-dates elected to serve are: Rhea Fernandes, Dawn Hogan, Julian DeLehman, and Bruce Kind. Election of Officers will take place at our June Board Meeting and results will be shared in our Summer Issue of the Montco Memo. As summer begins, remember to enjoy the sun-shine and take care of you. Do something that makes you smile! Over the summer, please stay connected with us by sharing your email, becoming a member, and engaging on social media. If you know someone who could benefit from our affiliate or needs help making connections in the communi-ty, please share our affiliate’s information. My very best to each of you. Abby

www.namimontcopa.org/join/

By Alan Mozes | 5/7/18 | Health Day News

Concussions, even those that are mild, more than double the risk

for developing dementia down the road, new research suggests.

The findings stem from an analysis that tracked concussions and dementia risk among nearly 360,000 military veterans.

Study author Deborah Barnes noted that many of the younger vets

in the study had experienced concussions while in combat, often in Iraq and Afghanistan. Head blows among older vets were often

due to falls or car accidents.

"Results were similar in the two groups," she said, "so we don't think there is anything special about these head injuries." That

makes it more likely that the dementia risk seen among military personnel would also apply to the general population.

Barnes is a professor in the departments of psychiatry and epide-

miology & biostatistics at the University of California, San Fran-cisco's Weill Institute for Neurosciences. She is also a research health sciences specialist with the San Francisco VA Medical

Center.

Roughly 179,000 of the study participants had been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) between 2001 and 2014. Just

over half the group (54 percent) had specifically experienced a concussion.

Over an average tracking period of roughly four years, dementia

risk among the TBI group was stacked up against that of an equal number of vets who had not experienced a TBI. On average, par-

ticipants were nearly 50 years of age at the study's launch. About 9 percent were women, and nearly three-quarters were white.

In the end, the team found that less than 3 percent of the non-TBI

group went on to develop dementia, compared with just over 6 percent of the TBI group.

Digging deeper, the investigators found that those who had never

lost consciousness at the time of their head injury still faced a 2.4 times greater long-term risk for dementia. That figure rose to 2.5

among those who had lost consciousness. And among those who had experienced a moderate-to-severe TBI injury, dementia risk rose nearly fourfold.

"However, it is important to remember that not everyone who experiences a head injury will develop dementia," Barnes stressed.

Although risk was significantly higher among TBI patients, the absolute risk still remained relatively low, she said.

Additionally, the study did not prove that head injuries caused

dementia and "head injury is [just] one of many risk factors for dementia," Barnes noted.

"Even if you have had a concussion, you might be able to reduce

your risk through other activities, such as engaging in physical, mental and social activity, and eating a brain-healthy diet," she

suggested.

Dr. Ramon Diaz-Arrastia is director of the traumatic brain injury clinical research initiative at the University of Pennsylvania Perel-

man School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He said the findings con-firm previous suspicions "with a greater degree of certainty than

was previously possible."

Even mild traumatic brain injuries "are not always trivial," he not-ed. "The evolving literature certainly suggests otherwise. And the

mechanical energy impact on the head and the brain is the same whether it comes from a car accident or fall, or potentially a blast injury incurred in combat," so the findings would apply to the

military and the public alike.

"Head injuries are also very common in the general civilian popu-lation," added Diaz-Arrastia, who co-authored an accompanying

editorial. "Something like 25 to 30 percent of the general popula-tion has had a concussion at some point in their life, although that

number goes even higher among military personnel."

As for how best to handle a head injury when it occurs, he advised taking quick precautionary action.

"I think someone who has experienced a blow to the head to the

point where they either lose consciousness or experience confu-sion, amnesia, disorientation or headache, or anything like that,

should of course go to an emergency room," said Diaz-Arrastia.

"Most of the time, nothing will need to be done. But a small frac-tion of the time even a seemingly mild injury can evolve into a

bigger deal," he advised.

There's more on traumatic brain injury at the U.S. National Insti-tute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

SOURCES: Deborah Barnes, Ph.D., MPH, professor, UCSF Weill

Institute for Neurosciences, departments of psychiatry and epidemiol-

ogy & biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, and re-search health sciences specialist, San Francisco VA Medical Center;

Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, M.D., Ph.D., professor, neurology, and direc-

tor, traumatic brain injury clinical research initiative, department of

neurology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia; May 7, 2018, JAMA

Neurology online.

Even Mild Concussion Tied to Greater Dementia Risk Later

June 2018 Page 4

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By Gretchen Reynolds | May 2, 2018 | The New York Times

Small amounts of exercise could have an outsize effect on happi-

ness.

According to a new review of research about good moods and physical activity, people who work out even once a week or for as

little as 10 minutes a day tend to be more cheerful than those who never exercise. And any type of exercise may be helpful.

The idea that moving can affect our moods is not new. Many of us would probably say that we feel less cranky or more relaxed after a

jog or visit to the gym.

Science would generally agree with us. A number of past studies have noted that physically active people have much lower risks of

developing depression and anxiety than people who rarely move.

But that research centered on the relationships between exercise and psychological problems like depression and anxiety. Fewer

past studies explored links between physical activity and upbeat emotions, especially in people who already were psychologically

healthy, and those studies often looked at a single age group or type of exercise.

On their own, they do not tell us much about the amounts or types

of exercise that might best lift our moods, or whether most of us might expect to find greater happiness with regular exercise or

only certain groups of people.

So for the new review, in The Journal of Happiness Studies, re-searchers at the University of Michigan decided to aggregate and

analyze multiple past studies of working out and happiness.

They began by combing research databases for relevant studies and wound up with 23 published since 1980. Most of those were obser-

vational, meaning that the scientists simply looked at a group of people, asking them how much they worked out and how happy they were. A few of the studies were experiments in which people

started exercising and researchers measured their happiness before and after.

The number of participants in any one study was often small, but

together, they represented more than 500,000 people ranging in age from adolescents to the very old and covering a broad range of

ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

And for most of them, the Michigan researchers found, exercise was strongly linked to happiness.

“Every one of the observational studies showed a beneficial rela-

tionship between being physically active and being happy,” says Weiyun Chen, an associate professor of kinesiology at the Univer-

sity of Michigan, who, with her graduate student Zhanjia Zhang, wrote the review.

The type of exercise did not seem to matter. Some happy people

walked or jogged. Others practiced yoga-style posing and stretch-ing.

And the amount of exercise needed to influence happiness was

slight, Dr. Chen says. In several studies, people who worked out

only once or twice a week said they felt much happier than those who never exercised. In other studies, 10 minutes a day of physical

activity was linked with buoyant moods.

But more movement generally contributed to greater happiness. If people exercised for at least 30 minutes on most days, which is the

standard American and European recommendation for good health, Dr. Chen says, they were about 30 percent more likely to consider

themselves happy than people who did not meet the guidelines.

“I think the indications are strong that exercise can contribute to happiness and, while anything helps, a bit more is probably better,”

she says.

But because most of the studies in this review were observational, she says, it is not possible yet to establish whether exercise directly

causes changes in happiness or if the two just happen to occur to-gether often. It could be that happy people are more likely to take

up exercise and continue with it than people who feel sad. In that case, exercise would not have helped to make people happy; rather, their happiness would have helped to make them exercisers.

Happiness also is an inherently subjective, squishy concept. The studies analyzed in the review asked people how happy they felt. But one person’s happiness could be another’s relative gloom,

making it difficult to generalize about how any of us might react, emotionally, to starting an exercise routine.

And, of course, the review did not delve into how exercise could

be influencing happiness.

“There are indications that social factors could mediate the effects of exercise on happiness for some people,” Dr. Chen says. In other

words, the social interactions that occur during an exercise class or trip to the gym might help to elevate people’s moods.

Or exercise could more directly change the body, including the

brain.

“We know that exercise improves health,” Dr. Chen says, “and feeling healthier might make people feel happier.”

Exercise might also remodel the brain, for example, by prompting

the creation of new brain cells or inducing changes in brain chemi-cals, in ways that contribute to positive emotions.

Dr. Chen hopes that future experiments will explore these issues.

But for now, she says, “I think that we can safely say that people who exercise are probably going to be happier than people who

don’t.”

Even a Little Exercise Might Make Us Happier

June 2018 Page 5

montco memo Volume XXXVII Issue 11

NAMIWalks Greater Philadelphia is grateful to the following sponsors whose generosity in supporting the walk allows NAMI of PA Montgomery County to provide no cost, education, support and advocacy programs

to families and individuals affected by mental illness.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE:

Magellan Behavioral Health * Access Services * Actify Neurotherapies

Belmont Behavioral Health Hospital * Brooke Glen Behavioral Hospital * Creative Health Services

Fairmount Behavioral Health Systems * Friends Hospital * The Horsham Clinic

NeuroStar Advanced Therapy * Merakey * Southeast Regional Mental Health Services

Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA & Lundbeck * TherapyNotes * Chestnut Hill Hospital * Beck Institute

CATCH, Inc. * DBHIDS * Janssen * Otsuka * RISE Barre Fitness

Semanoff Ormsby Greenberg & Torchia * Sunovion * Foundations Behavioral Health * Keystone First

Mental Health Partnership * Montgomery County Community Support Program * Penn Foundation

Rubin and Badame Attorneys at Law * Walmart

June 2018 Page 6

montco memo Volume XXXVII Issue 11

NAMIWALKS GREATER PHILADELPHIA

A Simple Way to Overcome Negativity- The Powerful Effects of Savoring.

By: Diane Dreher Ph.D. | May 18, 2018 | PsychologyToday.com

A wild rosebush bloomed in my yard this week. The bush had sprung up unexpectedly and blooms only once a year—each time a beautiful sur-prise. Today, while I was doing my garden chores, the delicate blossoms stopped me in my tracks. I paused in wonder and amazement. What was I experiencing? Savoring.

Savoring, according to Loyola University psy-chologist Fred Bryant, is focusing on the good and beautiful in our lives. It includes increasing our enjoyment of current posi-tive experiences, anticipat-ing future positive experi-ences, or recalling past positive experiences. His

research has shown that savoring can improve our health by de-creasing anxiety, rumination, guilt, and shame while increasing happiness and optimism (Bryant, 1989; 2003).

But most of the time, instead of focusing on the good in our lives, we focus on the negative. Psychologists call this the “negativity bias” (Rozin, & Royzman, 2001). This bias helped our ancestors survive when a sudden noise or movement meant a prey animal might be stalking them. They immediately froze, fled, or fought to save their lives. If they saw a twisted branch in the path ahead, they jumped aside--better to avoid a harmless branch than be bitten by a venomous snake. And so in daily life, we unconsciously scan for threats, reacting to anything out of the ordinary. Yet in today’s world of continual change, the negativity bias can keep us on constant alert, filling our minds with fear and anxiety, undermining our health with chronic worry and a dark, foreboding view of the world.

Savoring breaks through negativity, helping to relieve stress. It brings us what psychologist Barbara Fredrickson has called the “broaden and build” effect of positive emotions, broadening our perspective and building our resources, transforming our lives and enabling us to flourish (Fredrickson, 2001).

Even in the midst of problems, savoring can help us cope. University of Washington psychologists Daniel Hurley and Paul Kwon have found that people with very few positive events in their lives can increase their well-being by savoring. They recom-mend it as a valuable practice for all of us when we’re going through hard times (Hurley & Kwon, 2013).

What about you? Will you take a few moments to savor the beauty in your world today?

June 2018 Page 7

montco memo Volume XXXVII Issue 11

Tributes and Other Contributions

The Tribute Fund is a good way to mark anniversaries, weddings and other special occasions, and to express sympathy for the loss of a loved one. We will send a note of appreciation to anyone you designate. Send your check to NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County, 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204, Lansdale, PA 19446. When designating NAMI in an obituary notice, please specify NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County. Individual Donations: Lawrence A. Real, M.D. In Memory of: Sylvia Di Ianni: Tony DiValerio, The Bucci Family, Bridget Dippolito In Memory of: Molly Q. Frantz: Michael Solomon Corporate Matching Donations: Aetna Foundation: Sue Soriano

PENNSYLVANIA MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Dues are for one year and are Tax Deductible. Donations are welcome and are also Tax Deductible.

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NAME__________________________________________________________________________________

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CITY_______________________________________STATE_____ZIP______________________________

PHONE (H)__________________________________(C)_________________________________________

E-MAIL_________________________________________________________________________________

_____Annual Due: Household $60.00 Individual $40.00 _____Open Door $5.00 (Amount $_____) _____Donation $______

What is the best way for us to contact you? Phone ______ Email ______ Snail Mail ______

Make check payable and return to: NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204 Lansdale, PA 19446 Or join or renew on our website: http://www.namimontcopa.org/join/

Double or triple the impact of your donation at no additional cost! Please check with your employer’s Human Resources Department to

see if your donation can be matched through a company matching gift program. NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is also an approved United Way Donor Choice Agency - Code #5076.

NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is open to all individuals subscribing to its purpose. All members receive NAMI newsletters and are automatically affiliated with NAMI PA and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is a non-profit organization under Section 501(c)3 and all dues and donations are tax-deductible. Official registration and financial information of NAMI PA Montgomery County may be obtained from the PA Department of State by calling toll free within PA 1.800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. The official registration and financial information of NAMI PA Montgomery County can be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within Pennsylvania:

1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

PENNSYLVANIA MONTGOMERY COUNTY 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204 Lansdale, PA 19446