NAMI Metro Suburban improves the lives of individuals, families and communities affected by mental illness by providing education, support and advocacy through the western suburbs of Cook County.
Call us: 708-524-2582


Donate

NAMI Metro Suburban Blog

Mental Health Stigma and Health Care Practitioners

download
~ The one thing more exhausting than having a mental illness is trying to pretend that you don't have one ~ When mental health patients seek non-mental health medical services, sometimes being 'seen' by medical professionals can be both unusual and paramount to your care. Most of us simply want to be seen by others as the authentic and multi-layere...
Continue reading
  210 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
210 Hits
0 Comments

What is a Volunteer?

volunteer-agencyimg
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a Volunteer is: a person who does something, especially for other people or for an organization, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it. According to the values we hold at NAMI Metro Suburban, a volunteer is a key component of our success and a champion for our cause. As Volunteer Appreciation Wee...
Continue reading
  151 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
151 Hits
0 Comments

The Stigma Trap

stigma-pledge-410x230
I recently encountered a simple, unintentional act that reminded me of the stigma that still surrounds mental illness; not just stigma placed on those of us living with mental health conditions but the perceived stigma that we place on ourselves. In this case I had written an article to be used as a promotional piece for a non-profit that focuses o...
Continue reading
  180 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
180 Hits
0 Comments

Take Good Care: Anticipating Symptom Triggers

7ce45c57e700a6adc717b033a9fb5998
Here's the truth. Sometimes I fib. I turn down invitations and say that I'm busy. I am busy, but not in the way that most people may understand. I'm busy tending to my own equilibrium in any way that I can. I'm busy silencing the racing thoughts; busy sitting in complete solitude to calm my irrational fears; busy feeling my feelings so that they wo...
Continue reading
  95 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
95 Hits
0 Comments

What I Really Needed to Know About Raising a Child With Mental Illness

mom-child
Elizabeth Stone compared having a child to making the decision to have your heart forever go walking outside your body and I could not agree more as neither education or experience could prepare me for the emotions or challenges that come along with raising a child who fights through life with a mental illness. I myself have battled with mental ill...
Continue reading
  96 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
96 Hits
0 Comments

The History of the Recovery Movement: What can be done?

recovery1
The history of the recovery movement is the history of the elimination of stigma. Mental health still needs to be made a priority today. Language will and has played an important part of the anti-stigma movement. Education and knowing the facts help people to understand mental health. Groups like Family to Family educate family members about unders...
Continue reading
  86 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
86 Hits
0 Comments

Setting Goals: My Vision For 2019

bigstock-dream-big-set-goals-take-act-191570074-980x600
  This past December 14th I graduated with my bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science. This is a huge deal because I had started my journey 12 years ago and like most things, I never finished. It was hard managing my bipolar 1 and going to school full time. I graduated with honors and I am very proud of myself. Now the question lingers in my m...
Continue reading
  407 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
407 Hits
0 Comments

Is Grief Real If Nobody Died?

pexels-photo-934964
"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear" -  (C.S. Lewis) I learned the truth of these words early on in the first few years of struggling to manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder. I also was reminded at this time that the condition of grief is nearly universal, and yet its forms are exquisitely personal for each of us.At its heart,...
Continue reading
  364 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
364 Hits
0 Comments

Being Part of the Change

BeTheChange-Logo-1
  Being diagnosed with any mental illness is, at some point, hard to digest. I was first diagnosed in November of 2009. What may seem odd or strange is that all I felt was feeling of relief. I finally knew what was wrong with me and it was not just because I was some crazy person. I had an illness, a sickness that could get better. On the othe...
Continue reading
  441 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
441 Hits
0 Comments

Finding Purpose

purpose-sign
I literally took the long road home to find my purpose in life, and it rode in on a bipolar diagnosis and a lifetime of long-distance running. My discovery road included many twists and turns in order for me to notice what matters most in life, and then it delivered me to exactly where I needed to be. Along the way I learned that what fuels my soul...
Continue reading
  388 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
388 Hits
0 Comments

#mindfulness: more than just a trending term

mindful
Mindfulness. I see this word everywhere—on my social media, in the news, in blog posts and articles. Sometimes I feel like as common as this word is, its meaning is starting to get lost. For example, many of the platforms where I see "mindfulness" mentioned are part of the problem. They contribute to the overwhelming proliferation of content via so...
Continue reading
  539 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
539 Hits
0 Comments

From Isolation to Advocacy

1_BAArPHYdTBAC3-xbBJdZPQ
A lot of what I experienced at the height of my illness was accompanied by isolation. The year was 2002. And I was at home. The basement walls were moving and I felt the cabinets beginning to open. I was laying on the couch and had the feeling that I would not be able to get up. Even If I wanted to I could not shift my legs into a position to ...
Continue reading
  543 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
543 Hits
0 Comments

Turkey, Pumpkin Pie and Giving Tuesday

giving-tuesday
The temperatures are finally dropping and the leaves are changing colors. The cool, crisp air lets me know my favorite time of year has arrived. I've been to the apple orchard, gone on a hay ride, and put out Halloween decorations at home. But through all of it I'm really thinking ahead the best holiday of the year. I'm thinking about Thanksgiving....
Continue reading
  504 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
504 Hits
0 Comments

The Voice of Change

puzzle
Mental Health is a hot topic these days. More people are speaking up, telling their stories and showing compassion for those who struggle. Celebrities like Stephen Colbert, Demi Lovato and Kanye West are sharing their experiences with mental health conditions. Just yesterday, Chance the Rapper pledged $1,000,000 to support mental health services in...
Continue reading
  481 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
481 Hits
0 Comments

Say It Out Loud: Are You Having Thoughts Of Suicide

na_ribbon2
When I was in college, I talked about suicide constantly. Just saying that word-suicide-in a safe and well-informed space, then saying it again, and again, has completely transformed the way I speak and think about suicidality. If you were in the right place at the right time, you could have walked down a hallway and heard twenty different students...
Continue reading
  452 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
452 Hits
0 Comments

Take Your First Step

First-Step
I can say now that I have a mental health condition but back in 2008, that was my secret to keep. I always felt shame and thought that I was somehow different, or less than, those around me. I wanted to explain, to have people understand this was passed down through generations of my family and was not something I controlled. I wanted to speak out,...
Continue reading
  400 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
400 Hits
0 Comments

This Year Will Be Different - Six Tips to Stress Less

students
Every August, as the back-to-school sales start rolling out, and the temperature drops a few degrees, I start getting the back-to-school jitters. I stockpile accordion folders, 3-ring binders, and gel pens to color-code my notes; I pick out the perfect planner, which will soon hold my entire life together. I try to make use of the advice I get ever...
Continue reading
  430 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
430 Hits
0 Comments

What is Hope?

Hope
Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines hope as "desire accompanied by expectation of fulfillment or success." Hope is a word we throw around frequently at NAMI. We even use the tag line "Find Help. Find Hope." While attending the NAMI National Convention in New Orleans, the question popped into my head, how would I define hope? Is it the woman sitting t...
Continue reading
  421 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
421 Hits
0 Comments

What My Recovery Looks Like

Recovery
Recovery, it has been such an adventure to find my path towards it. I decided to try to take control of my mental health on March 16th, 2017. I have Bipolar 1 and ADHD. My journey towards recovery has been a very short one but very eventful. I started with an idea of recovery that has changed with time. My original goal was to be functioning and me...
Continue reading
  399 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
399 Hits
0 Comments

Mental Health and Substance Use - Two Problems, One Recovery

MISA
Imagine how it must feel to be labeled a substance abuser. A substance abuser is discriminated against. A substance abuser is called weak, immoral, incapable of succeeding in society, an outcast and a criminal. Because of the way that substances like street drugs are viewed in our society there is a huge stigma attached to them. They are "criminali...
Continue reading
  436 Hits
  0 Comments
Tweet
Share on Pinterest
436 Hits
0 Comments
    Previous    
1 2