From the desk of Jackie Lane, Executive Director NAMI CC&I
We were especially pleased to learn of two important changes in the presentation of the NAMI Basics program, a six-week program designed for parents of children experiencing mental health and social/emotional issues. For the past few years, we at NAMI CC&I have tried to launch Basics as a part of “Challenging Child Initiative” without real success. There have been several obstacles to overcome including the lack of time for parents with young children to attend a six-week course and child care issues. Also, there has been interest from professionals in the fields of early childhood education and childcare; however, the program was designed for parents and not professionals.
Thus, the changes made by NAMI National are welcome at a time when there is so much emphasis on early childhood trauma and ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). Also see Dr. James McGuire’s article in this newsletter. NAMI is providing NAMI Basics OnDemand, an online version of the Basics course for families of younger children who are exhibiting social/emotional issues. Hopefully this will provide easier access to this educational program and overcome the obstacles that prevent many parents from attending live Basics classes.
We have also had requests from professionals in the field of early childhood education to take the NAMI Basics course. Traditionally, our courses are for parents/families and have not been open to professionals. The NAMI Basics course has now been adapted and formatted for professionals with the release of NAMI Basics Education Program for Professionals. We are planning for the training of facilitators in order to offer this course to childcare workers, preschool teachers, and others that work professionally with children.
In reading and viewing the materials in the attachments of Dr. McGuire’s article, you will see that early prevention and intervention is vital if we are to address the alarming statistics concerning ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). I guess one could say that a safe childhood can go a long way in producing a mentally healthy adult population.
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From the desk of James McGuire, MD, Psychiatrist and NAMI CCI Board Membe
r
Children's Traumatic Experiences Lead To Adult Problems
It was once thought that children were endlessly resilient and would “forget” about any traumatic experiences they experienced in childhood—after all, they were “just” kids. However, research, observation and experience have shown that this is not true.
Over 20 years ago Drs. Vincent Filleti and Robert Anda, in conjunction with the Center for the Developing Child, published a landmark study on Adverse Childhood Events. (
Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults. Vincent J. Felitti MD, Robert F. Anda MD, et al ,Am J. Prev Med 14(4);245-258.)
Since its publication there has been a stream of solid interdisciplinary research evidence of the multiple negative impacts of adverse childhood events in the lives of those experiencing them.
In June of 2018 the American Academy of Pediatrics published a Journal Blog on:
T
he effects of toxic stress and adverse childhood events at our southern border: letting the published evidence speak for itself.
In the blog they reference (
http://bit.ly/2ytgvPv
) articles published by the Journal of Pediatrics regarding Toxic Stress. This blog was a follow-up to a 2012 article published in the Journal of Pediatrics in which Jack Shonkoff MD and others outline the lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Dr. Shonkoff is the director of the Center of the Developing Child at Harvard University. (
developingchild.harvard.edu
). In the article for 2012 Dr. Shonkoff notes:
“
although debates about early childhood policy focus almost entirely on educational objectives, science indicates that sound investments in interventions that reduce adversity are also likely to strengthen the foundations of physical and mental health which generate even larger returns for all of society.“
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Nadine Burke-Harris MD is a pediatrician who has been a tireless advocate for spreading the word about the importance of Adverse Childhood Events and their long-term consequences in the lives of those experiencing them. (See YouTube talks below)
She has recently written a book, “The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity.” In the book she shares her journey in initially recognizing and understanding the impact of adverse childhood events in the lives of the children and families that she treats, in her own life, and the impact of ACEs on health and wellness of the community.
Her book will bring alive the story and crucial importance of attending to as well as the primary prevention of ACES.
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The following links contain more information and research:
Over the past several decades emerging research has revealed early adversity as a major threat to health and well-being across the life course. Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, have been linked to poor health outcomes in adulthood, and there is growing literature indicating that toxic stress caused by ACEs can profoundly alter child and adolescent development. This link includes User Guides for ACE-Q:
https://centerforyouthwellness.org/aceq-pdf/
For even more information: Google "Overview of the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)Study" - Dr. Robert Anda
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August is such a busy month! Sports practices start, camps are wrapping up the final sessions and it seems as if every ad we see is focused on the waning days of summer and back to school shopping. Everyone wants one more sail in the harbor, one more cookout on the beach, one more day of sunny skies and lessening traffic. But mental health doesn’t take a holiday, and Nantucket echoed that sentiment with two events.
On August 8
th ,
the 4
th
annual Dragonfly Fundraiser was held at the Great Harbor Yacht Club. Dragonfly is an evening to inspire change with mental illness and to raise funds for NAMI CC&I on Nantucket with NAMI sharing proceeds this year with Fairwinds, Nantucket’s Counseling Center. This wonderful evening of music, hors d’oeuvres, silent auction (and the addition of a live auction this year) is possible through the ceaseless efforts of event organizer Kate Kling and her dedicated team. Kate organized the first Dragonfly event in memory of her sister who struggled with depression and ultimately took her life. All monies raised through Dragonfly stay on Nantucket and it would be an understatement to say how grateful we are for this annual event.
Our second island event partnered NAMI with St. Paul's Church for a candlelight service of remembrance and hope. The service of music and spoken word entitled S
hining Light into the Darkness,
included shared messages from a brother with an adult sibling managing his mental illness and living as independently as possible, a mother who overcame postpartum psychosis and an oncology & palliative nurse who spoke of compassionate hope care in the medical profession. The second of two quilts from Postpartum Support International was displayed with hearts bearing the names of those who tragically took their life and in some instances the life of their children as well. As the first candle on the candelabra was lit, a prayer was said and names spoken either aloud or in the heart of those who lost their struggle with mental illness. The second candle offered a prayer to those living with mental illness while the third candle offered a prayer and spoke the names of those who love and care for someone with mental illness, doctors and nurses and all service providers. The following day at both Sunday services, Father Max Wolf spoke to the congregation about love and hope and seeing the individual, not the illness while he read the NAMI Support Group principles.
You never know when you will touch the heart and mind of a stranger, now a friend, and we at NAMI on Nantucket will continue to spread the message “
mental health matters, you matter
”.
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I can’t believe summer is over! Can we rewind and start over?
August on Island was hectic with tourists, but also filled with many wonderful events. The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, held in August, featured the movie,
Bedlam.
The movie explored a major social crisis of our time—the lack of adequate care for the mentally ill. After the film a panel discussion was held with Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, producer Peter Miller, director Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, National Alliance on Mental Illness board president Adrienne Kennedy, and Treatment Advocacy Center executive director John Snook.
The day after the
Bedlam
movie and discussion, the MVFF hosted a thought-provoking gathering to discuss, listen, explore, and meditate on the issue of: SANITY, exploring the place of stigma, dignity, and acceptance in caring for people with mental illness.
The group was limited to forty people and every seat was taken. The conversation flowed easily and could have gone on for hours. We must hope that with each movie, each conversation, each magazine article, Youtube video, or television show, whatever it is that educates others on mental illness, that we are breaking stigma and improving the quality of people’s lives.
September is Suicide Awareness Month. Darkness Into Vineyard Light is hosting their second annual Suicide Awareness and Prevention Walk on Saturday, September 28. DVL chose NAMI MV as their charity of choice this year. All proceeds from the walk will be donated to us for use here on Island.
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Sponsorship opportunities are listed below the Walk Registration form. Keep scrolling! It’s not too late to sponsor even after the event!
On September 25 and 26, NAMI MV offered two Mental Health First Aid Training Courses. We had a fantastic response and allowed a few extra people over the standard 20-person classes. Edgartown Police sent a total of 15 officers – WOW! All our Police Departments, as well as Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, EMT stations, local Red Cross, and social service agencies sent people.
Retired Capt. Marty Baker and Sergeant Kevin Marshall from Nantucket facilitated the courses and did a fabulous job. We plan to offer another MHFA course this winter.
Blessings and hope,
Lisa
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DUAL DX
Substance Abuse
&
Mental Illness
You Might Use…….
You Might Experience……
Alcohol Anxiety
Marijuana Depression
Pain Killers Bipolar Disorder
Heroin Schizophrenia
Other Substances Other Mental Health Conditions
If you are concerned about somebody who is suffering from a Dual Diagnosis, and wish to learn more about how to help, contact Kim Lemmon, Director of Family Programs, to learn more about this 4 session educational/support program being planned for this Fall.
Please Note: We have made a change to the NAMI Support Group Schedule. The twice monthly meeting at the NAMI Office for family members effected by Dual Diagnosis has been discontinued. If you have a loved one you are supporting with their struggle of both a mental health condition and substance abuse, we will be offering an educationally based program designed to help you better prepare for that role.
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"
I better understand where I am in the process and where my veteran is in the process. I can now be a better support person."
The first offering of NAMI Homefront on Cape Cod has completed! Thank you to the trained facilitators of this program: Jud Phelps, NAMI Director of Client Services, retired; Manny Marrero, OTR/L, Cape Cod Health Care; Kim Healy, Yellow Ribbon Support Specialist, Armed Forces Services Corporation.
For more information about this educational program for military families and when the next class may be offered, call Kim Lemmon at the NAMI office, 508-778-4277.
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The Siobhan Leigh Kinlin Memorial Golf Tournament Tenth Anniversary Celebration held at Oyster Harbors on Monday, September 9 was another huge success: 10 Years of Support for Mental Health and Wellness on Cape Cod and the Islands. Kerry Arnett who founded the event and Robert Kinlin who has elevated it to where it is today were both recognized with placques.
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RESEARCH WEEKLY: September Research Roundup
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Research Roundup is a monthly public service of the Office of Research and Public Affairs. Each edition describes a striking new data point about severe mental illness and summarizes recently published research reports or developments.
DATAPOINT of the month
- One in four individuals with serious mental illness live in poverty
Twenty-four percent
of the 11.3 million individuals with serious mental illness lived below the federal poverty line in 2018, according to results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a survey conducted annually by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, released last month. There was a significant increase in the number of individuals with serious mental illness living in poverty from the previous year, when 22% or 2.5 million individuals lived on less than $12,140 a year.
RESEARCH of the month
- Improving metabolic risk screening for individuals taking antipsychotic medications.
Despite the importance of antipsychotic medications in reducing adverse symptoms for people with severe mental illness, they sometimes come with side effects. One of the most serious side effects of these effective medications is cardiometabolic disease, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, both of which contribute to the lower life-expectancy experienced by individuals with severe mental illness compared to the general population. Therefore, screening for these illnesses in individuals taking antipsychotic medications is crucial.
A recently published systematic review of all studied interventions for metabolic risk screening in people taking antipsychotic medications found that although most of the interventions showed improvements in metabolic risk screening, many lacked the scientific rigor necessary to bridge the gap between research and incorporation into clinical practice. Even in the research settings, up to one-third of individuals taking antipsychotic medications were never screened for cardiometabolic risk. The authors write that strategies that focused on shifting provider culture to encourage screening were among the most promising approaches.
- Using real-world functioning to assess treatments for schizophrenia
Schizophrenia can be extremely disabling to many individuals with the illness. Yet, much research into treatments for schizophrenia does not measure how the treatment affects real-world functioning in individuals. In addition, current assessments often depend on self-reporting, which is known to be unreliable due to the time between when the event occurred and when the individual is asked to recall it.
New research published this month in Schizophrenia Bulletin provides an alternative to such methods, utilizing a type of tool referred to as ecological momentary assessment (EMA). EMA is a data collection technique delivered through a smart phone that allows for real-time assessment of behaviors. The smart phone can signal an individual several times a day to respond to a brief questionnaire about their daily life and has already shown to be feasible and reliable for research into a variety of different factors in schizophrenia such as severity of hallucination symptoms or substance abuse.
The current study utilized the EMA technique to examine how this tool can be used to assess functioning in individuals with schizophrenia. The authors found that the brief surveys delivered to participants via their smart phone were accurate and reliable in measuring different types of real-world functioning, including social interactions, self-care, home-care, leisure, work, and educational functioning behaviors. The authors suggest that the results support the inclusion of EMA of real-world functioning as an outcome measure for future research in schizophrenia.
- Research neglect of suicide prevention.
Ethical considerations around research into vulnerable populations is extremely important, justifying the risk versus the potential benefits and protecting the individual participant and society. However, a recently published JAMA Psychiatry viewpoint article argues that ethical considerations have negatively shaped attitudes on suicide research, limiting innovative research and resulting in major scientific neglect into this important issue.
There is a need for research into suicide prevention, as suicide rates have been steadily increasing in the United States over the past 20 years, according to the authors. Yet, research has shown that currently, there are no known risk factors for suicidal ideation that predict suicide with any accuracy. The authors argue that novel investigative approaches are necessary to reverse the societal injustice of the scientific neglect of suicide.
Elizabeth Sinclair
Director of Research
Treatment Advocacy Center
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On Friday, September 20
th
The Cape and Islands Family Support Network hosted a Symposium on Eating Disorders at the Cape Codder in Hyannis.
It was an informative day with presentations by:
Ovidio Bermudez, MD, speaking on:
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
Sheri Damon, LMHC, speaking on:
Supporting Families: A Collaborative Approach
Brooke Mathewes, LCPC, Med,
speaking on:
The Challenge of Co-Occuring Disorders: Eating Disorders, Substance Abuse and Trauma
Exhibitor tables included Eating Recovery Center (ERC) / Insight Behavioral Health Centers, The Foundation for Learning and Inspiring Health and Healing (FLIHH), Hynes Recovery Services, NAMI Cape Cod & Islands, Newport Academy, O’Connor Professional Group (OPG), and the premier sponsor, Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center.
Dawn Hynes, MSW is the Founder of Hynes Recovery Services and The Cape and Islands Family Support Network and works to help families find tools and resources for those battling an eating disorder.
For more information, visit:
hynesrecovery.com
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When shopping on Amazon, think NAMI CC&I and Amazon Smile.
Every dollar you give to NAMI CC&I goes to help support, educate and advocate for the residents of Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
Amazon donates 0.5% of your eligible purchases.
It's so easy, you can still use your Amazon Prime and you still collect points. All you need to do is:
When you are going to make a purchase on Amazon, first enter
http://smile.amazon.com
i
n your internet browser. On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you will be prompted to select a charitable organization . Select NAMI Cape Cod Inc.
Thank You!
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