"I
think my loved one may be having a mental health crisis.
What do I do?"
NAMI is here to help.
Call us at (740)593-7424 or, if you prefer, email us at
namiathens@gmail.com.
We will help you assess the situation, avoid
aggrivating your loved one, and know the other resources
available to you.
Here are some tips on
handling a crisis safely.
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From
the NAMI (national) website:
Mental illnesses include such disorders as schizophrenia, schizoaffective
disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive
disorder, panic and other severe anxiety disorders, autism and
pervasive developmental disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, borderline personality disorder, and other severe and
persistent mental illnesses that affect the brain.
These disorders can profoundly disrupt a person's
thinking, feeling, moods, ability to relate to others and capacity
for coping with the demands of life.
Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age,
race, religion, or income. Mental illnesses are not the result
of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing.
Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people with
serious mental illness need medication to help control symptoms,
but also rely on supportive counseling, self-help groups, assistance
with housing, vocational rehabilitation, income assistance and
other community services in order to achieve their highest level
of recovery.
Here are some important facts about mental illness
and recovery:
- Mental illnesses are biologically based brain
disorders. They cannot be overcome through "will power"
and are not related to a person's "character" or intelligence.
- Mental disorders fall along a continuum of
severity. The most serious and disabling conditions affect five
to ten million adults (2.6 – 5.4%) and three to five million
children ages five to seventeen (5 – 9%) in the United
States.
- Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability
(lost years of productive life) in the North America, Europe
and, increasingly, in the world. By 2020, Major Depressive illness
will be the leading cause of disability in the world for women
and children.
- Mental illnesses strike individuals in the
prime of their lives, often during adolescence and young adulthood.
All ages are susceptible, but the young and the old are especially
vulnerable.
- Without treatment the consequences of mental
illness for the individual and society are staggering: unnecessary
disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate
incarceration, suicide and wasted lives; The economic cost of
untreated mental illness is more than 100 billion dollars each
year in the United States.
- The best treatments for serious mental illnesses
today are highly effective; between 70 and 90 percent of individuals
have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality
of life with a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial
treatments and supports;
- Early identification and treatment is of vital
importance; By getting people the treatment they need early,
recovery is accelerated and the brain is protected from further
harm related to the course of illness.
- Stigma erodes confidence that mental disorders
are real, treatable health conditions. We have allowed stigma
and a now unwarranted sense of hopelessness to erect attitudinal,
structural and financial barriers to effective treatment and
recovery. It is time to take these barriers down.
To find out more about specific illnesses visit
the NAMI's By
Illness page.
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