PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE · 2019. 6. 3. · MAY 2019 Vol. 5 P.O ox 1423 Woodbridge, VA 22195-1423...
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MAY 2019 Vol. 5 P.O Box 1423 Woodbridge, VA 22195-1423 703-659-9983 www.nami-pw.org PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By S.L. Higginboom I am S. L. Higginboom, newly elected President of NAMI Prince William. I would first like to thank Marjorie Antus for her years of service to NAMI Prince William and those that NAMI Prince William helps. I have been on the board of NAMI Prince William for the last year, serving with Marj. Her hard work for NAMI is inspiraonal. This year my wife, Cyndi, has joined the Board of NAMI Prince William. Our reasons for serving in- clude personal experiences with mental illness. We are the parents of seven children. Some have suffered from mental illness. Three years ago, a son, who was an acve duty marine, died by sui- cide at age 23. He was receiving help from mental health providers at his marine corps base to help him deal with a painful divorce. He was also re- ceiving spiritual counselling to help him deal with that same issue. Neither his health care providers nor his spiritual advisor had any clue that our son was in danger of dying by suicide. Neither did we. We always thought our son’s failure to reveal his suicidal thoughts had to do with the sgma in- volved in having such thoughts and the fear that if he admied to such thoughts, it would negavely affect his marine corps career. A recent arcle in the New York Times discussing suicide suggests that suicide prevenon is more complicated than the general wisdom would have people believe. That general wisdom is that a per- son suffering suicidal thoughts will nofy friends, family or a hotline and seek help. And that follow- ing reaching out, help that will prevent suicide will be forthcoming. However, the arcle states that suicide prevenon is difficult because family members rarely know that someone they love is about to aempt sui- cide; oſten that person doesn’t know herself. The case of someone making extensive plans for a sui- cide is unusual; much more common scenario is the grabbing of whatever is at hand in a moment of despair. According to a 2016 study cited in the arcle, al- most half of people who try to kill themselves do so impulsively. One 2001 study that interviewed survivors of near-lethal aempts (defined as any aempt that would have been fatal without emer- gent medical intervenon, or any aempt involving a gun) found that roughly a quarter considered their acons for less than five minutes. This doesn’t give anyone much me to noce something is wrong and step in to provide the necessary help to prevent the suicide. The arcle states that mental health providers nonetheless perpetuate the narrave that suicide is preventable, if paents and family members just follow the right steps. Suicide prevenon cam- paigns encourage people to overcome sgma, tell someone or call a hotline. The implicaon is that the help is there, just waing to be sought out. But, according to the arcle, it is not that easy. As many of us involved with NAMI Prince William have experienced, good outpaent psychiatric care is hard to find, hard to get into and hard to pay for. Inpaent care is reserved for the most extreme SUICIDE PREVENTION — A COMPLICATED MATTER Cont. on pg. 2
Transcript of PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE · 2019. 6. 3. · MAY 2019 Vol. 5 P.O ox 1423 Woodbridge, VA 22195-1423...
MAY 2019
Vol. 5
P.O Box 1423 Woodbridge, VA 22195-1423
703-659-9983 www.nami-pw.org
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By S.L. Higginbottom
I am S. L. Higginbottom, newly elected President of NAMI Prince William. I would first like to thank Marjorie Antus for her years of service to NAMI Prince William and those that NAMI Prince William helps. I have been on the board of NAMI Prince William for the last year, serving with Marj. Her hard work for NAMI is inspirational.
This year my wife, Cyndi, has joined the Board of NAMI Prince William. Our reasons for serving in-clude personal experiences with mental illness. We are the parents of seven children. Some have suffered from mental illness. Three years ago, a son, who was an active duty marine, died by sui-cide at age 23. He was receiving help from mental health providers at his marine corps base to help him deal with a painful divorce. He was also re-ceiving spiritual counselling to help him deal with that same issue. Neither his health care providers nor his spiritual advisor had any clue that our son was in danger of dying by suicide. Neither did we. We always thought our son’s failure to reveal his suicidal thoughts had to do with the stigma in-volved in having such thoughts and the fear that if he admitted to such thoughts, it would negatively affect his marine corps career.
A recent article in the New York Times discussing suicide suggests that suicide prevention is more complicated than the general wisdom would have people believe. That general wisdom is that a per-son suffering suicidal thoughts will notify friends, family or a hotline and seek help. And that follow-ing reaching out, help that will prevent suicide will be forthcoming.
However, the article states that suicide prevention is difficult because family members rarely know that someone they love is about to attempt sui-cide; often that person doesn’t know herself. The case of someone making extensive plans for a sui-cide is unusual; much more common scenario is the grabbing of whatever is at hand in a moment of despair.
According to a 2016 study cited in the article, al-most half of people who try to kill themselves do so impulsively. One 2001 study that interviewed survivors of near-lethal attempts (defined as any attempt that would have been fatal without emer-gent medical intervention, or any attempt involving a gun) found that roughly a quarter considered their actions for less than five minutes. This doesn’t give anyone much time to notice something is wrong and step in to provide the necessary help to prevent the suicide.
The article states that mental health providers nonetheless perpetuate the narrative that suicide is preventable, if patients and family members just follow the right steps. Suicide prevention cam-paigns encourage people to overcome stigma, tell someone or call a hotline. The implication is that the help is there, just waiting to be sought out.
But, according to the article, it is not that easy. As many of us involved with NAMI Prince William have experienced, good outpatient psychiatric care is hard to find, hard to get into and hard to pay for. Inpatient care is reserved for the most extreme
SUICIDE PREVENTION — A COMPLICATED MATTER
Cont. on pg. 2
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2019 ANNUAL MEETING
(cont. from pg. 1)
cases, and even for them, there are not enough beds and patients are released from care often too quickly. Initiatives like crisis hotlines and anti-stigma campaigns focus on opening more portals into mental health services, but this is like cutting doorways into an empty building. There simply is not enough mental health services available for all who need such services.
I hope that during my tenure as President of NAMI Prince William, that NAMI will continue to advo-cate for more mental health services, that NAMI
will continue its work in removing the stigma attached to those who suffer from mental health, and that NAMI will continue helping families and peers in understanding mental illness. I hope that such programs will help provide for a future where those who have a mental illness, including those with suicidal thoughts, will readily seek help, and find the help that help when they seek it.
Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, NAMI and the rest of the country are raising awareness of mental health. Each year we fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.
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UPCOMING CLASS
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2019 NAMI NATIONAL CONVENTION
Our Movement, Our Moment 2019 NAMI National Convention
June 19 – 22, 2019 - Hyatt Regency Seattle
REGISTER TODAY
Join the nation’s largest gathering of mental health advocates as we share, learn and network around important mental health issues.
Launching at this year’s convention – NAMI’s new strategic plan! The convention’s theme, Our Movement, Our Moment captures the power and excitement of this moment as we mobilize the NAMI movement!
The 2019 NAMI National Convention offers engaging presenters, thought-provoking topics and the latest updates on important research.
For more information, go to www.nami.org/convention
THINGS TO KNOW
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THINGS TO KNOW
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NAMI PRINCE WILLIAM FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS
The challenges of mental illness do not only affect an individual's family members but also friends, teachers, neighbors, coworkers and others in the community. “Family member” and “caregiver” refer to anyone giving emotional, financial or practical support to a person with a mental health condition. Whether you're providing a lot of assistance or very little, the information and support you receive from a NAMI Family Support Group can help you better understand the issues that you might face. (Excerpt from: http://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Family-Members-and-Caregivers.)
The most important thing to know is YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Below are the two NAMI Family Support Groups currently being held in Prince William County:
WOODBRIDGE
Second Tuesday of the Month, 7:00 pm to 9:00pm Sentara Potomac Hospital Room "C" in the Hylton Education Center 2300 Opitz Boulevard, Woodbridge, VA Contact: Donna Fortunato, 571-437-4579
HAYMARKET:
Third Tuesday of the Month, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm Haymarket Gainesville Community Library Community Room 14870 Lightner Road, Haymarket, VA Contact: Bonnie Cuppett, 703-659-9983
THINGS TO KNOW
Most family members attend the groups when their loved one is in crisis. When the crisis is over, they stop coming. Get in the habit of attending every month, whether things are going well or not. That way, if a crisis does hit, you know where you need to be. And remember, there are others who are new to this journey, and they need the support you can
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NAMI Membership exists at 3 levels:
Affiliate, State & National. NAMI
Prince William (NAMI-PW) is a 501
(c)(3) non-profit, charitable
organization—contributions are tax-
deductible to the fullest extent allowed
by law. Together, we can continue to
fight for all those affected by mental
illness. PLEASE NOTE: If making
a donation, in order for NAMI-PW
to receive your full donation, please
send your donation to the NAMI-
PW office. Thank you!
CONTRIBUTIONS BENEFIT NAMI-PW, A NOT-FOR-PROFIT TAX EXEMPT
ORGANIZATION, TAX ID 64-0958983.
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL
INFORMATION OF NAMI-PW MAY
BE OBTAINED FROM THE VIRGINIA STATE OFFICE OF CONSUMER
AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURAL AND CONSUMER SERVICES, P.O.BOX 1163, RICHMOND,
VA 23218. REGISTRATION DOES NOT
IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE
STATE. NAMI RECEIVES 100% OF
EACH DONATION.
Members are NAMI-PW’s lifeblood; your membership helps us continue to provide free outreach, support & education. In bringing mental health
issues to wider attention, we advocate for better treatment. As our membership base grows, our voice becomes stronger.
Respect, Compassion & Hope … NAMI Works!
P.O. Box 1423, Woodbridge, VA 22195-1423
T 703-659-9983 Email: [email protected] Website: nami-pw.org
I’d like to volun-teer for NAMI-PW’s 2019 Go Green for Mental Health Walk/Run. I wish to receive NAMI National’s
solicitations.
Check here for renewal: Date:______________
Name:_______________________________________
Address:_____________________________________
City/St:______________________________________
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MEMBERSHIPS: Household $60 Regular $40 Open Door $5
*SPONSORSHIPS: Professional $75 Corporate $250
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*Sponsorships are separate from membership and are considered donations to NAMI Prince William.
Please complete the form below and mail your membership/donation to the P.O. Box noted above, or pay online through our secure website at: nami-pw.org
THINGS TO KNOW
