Finding a Therapist

Looking for a therapist, but don't know how to start?  The American Psychological Association (APA) has tips and pointers from Dr. Kathleen Nordal in their online article, "How to Find a Therapist". Dr. Nordal (the APA's Executive Director for Professional Practice) offers practical advice and questions to ask when considering a therapy program.

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For more information about mental health, wellness and recovery, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website!

Reaching Out

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There are many challenges to deal with when you or a loved one is living with a mental illness. NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania is committed to reaching out to consumers and family members throughout all stages of recovery. Through support groups, Family-to-Family education programs and awareness-raising events like the NAMI Walk, NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania is dedicated to providing support for those impacted by mental illness.

Want to be a part of this important work? There are many ways to get involved, support recovery and increase awareness of mental illness in southwestern Pa. Call us at 412-366-3788 to find out more!

Friday Five: Facts About Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

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- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that some people get after seeing or living through a dangerous event. When in danger, it’s natural to feel afraid, and the body makes changes (often referred to as a "fight-or-flight" response) to defend against the danger or to avoid it. With PTSD, this reaction lingers, leaving people with the disorder feeling stressed or frightened even when they’re no longer in danger.

- PTSD can happen after living through something upsetting or dangerous. This can include:
~ being a victim of or seeing violence
~ the death or serious illness of a loved one
~ war or combat
~ car accidents or plane crashes
~ hurricanes, tornadoes or fires
~ violent crimes (robberies or shootings)

- Symptoms of PTSD can include:
~ bad dreams
~ flashbacks
~ scary thoughts you can't control
~ staying away from places and things that remind you of what happened
~ feeling worried, guilty or sad
~ trouble sleeping
~ angry outbursts
~ thoughts of hurting yourself or others

- PTSD can happen to anyone at any age. Children get PTSD too, and may show other symptoms, including:
~ behaving like they did when they were younger
~ being unable to talk
~ complaining of stomach problems or headaches
~ refusing to go places or play with friends

- PTSD can be treated. Treatment may include "talk" therapy and/or medication, and can take 6 to 12 weeks or longer to complete. Treatment is not the same for everyone.

(This week's Friday Five facts are taken from the National Institute of Mental Health's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder booklet and definition sheet. For more information about PTSD and other mental illnesses, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.)

Pets for Depression and Health

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Pets can be a wonderful source of unconditional love and companionship, but did you know that having a pet can increase your sense of well-being and help improve mild to moderate depression? 

In the WebMD article "Pets for Depression and Health", Kathleen Doheny explores the role a pet can play in improving mood, relieving loneliness and impacting overall health.

For more information and resources about depression and other mood disorders, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website!

Exercise and Mental Wellness

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It's sometimes hard to get motivated to exercise, but here's news that might move you:  research indicates that exercise reduces anxiety and improves mood!

The Mayo Clinic's article, "Depression and anxiety: exercise eases symptoms" explores the benefits of exercise for mental health and includes realistic tips to keep you inspired.

Looking for an opportunity to get moving?  Why not join us for the 4th Annual NAMI Walk to raise awareness of mental illness in Southwestern Pennsylvania? Opportunities exist to form a Walk team, join an existing Walk team or walk as an individual. For more information, contact the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania office at 412-366-3788.

Visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website for more information on wellness and recovery!

Improving Emotional Health

Interested in boosting your ability to bounce back from stress and difficult situations? Curious about the factors that most impact mental and emotional health? Helpguide's article, "Improving Emotional Health: Strategies and Tips for Good Mental Health" offers physical, emotional and relational strategies for building resilience and stabilizing mood.

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For more online mental health information, be sure to visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website!

Family-to-Family Update: North Hills Class Added!

Another Family-to-Family class will be starting this September - a North Hills class will be taking place at the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania office!

Details for the North Hills Family-to-Family class are as follows:

Location:  105 Braunlich Drive Suite 200  Pittsburgh, PA 15237

Class Starting Date: Sept. 14

Class Time: 6:30-9 p.m.

To register for this or any of the Family-to-Family classes, call 412-366-3788!

Friday Five: Facts About Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

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- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term planning and the individual's sense of self-identity.

- While less well known than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, BPD is more common, affecting two percent of adults, mostly young women. Patients often need extensive mental health services and account for 20 percent of psychiatric hospitalizations. Yet, with help, many improve over time and are eventually able to lead productive lives.

- While a person with depression or bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for weeks, a person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day.  These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury and drug or alcohol abuse.

- People with BPD often have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. While they can develop intense but stormy attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends and loved ones may suddenly shift from idealization (great admiration and love) to devaluation (intense anger and dislike). Thus, they may form an immediate attachment and idealize the other person, but when a slight separation or conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to the other extreme and angrily accuse the other person of not caring for them at all.

- Treatments for BPD have improved in recent years. Group and individual psychotherapy are at least partially effective for many patients. Within the past 15 years, a new psychosocial treatment termed dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was developed specifically to treat BPD, and this technique has looked promising in treatment studies.

(This week's Friday Five facts are taken from the National Institute of Mental Health's Borderline Personality Disorder fact sheet. For more information about BPD and other mental illnesses, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.)

Family to Family: Fall Classes and Teacher Training Update

Fall is almost here, and that means NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania's Fall Family-to-Family Education Classes will be starting soon. Sponsored by NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania and NAMI Pennsylvania, the Family-to-Family Education Program is a free, 11-week course held in March and September for families and friends of individuals with brain disorders called serious mental illness. The course is taught by trained family members who have lived with this experience. Many family members describe this program as a life-changing experience.



In an effort to expand the Family-to-Family program throughout the 10-county region, NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania held a July Family-to-Family Teacher Training at the North Hills office. Training took place over three days and consisted of four psychoeducational classes that covered basic factual information as well as training about the emotional aspects of the family experience. The nine individuals that completed the July training are: Jean Cheppa, Theresa Gleason, Susan Harrington, Jennifer Lukondi, Mary Lindsay, Joyce (Maci) Maciak, Christine Michaels, Susan Niesser and Annie Watson.

September Family-to-Family classes will be held at the following locations:

Squirrel Hill: Children's Institute, 1405 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, begins Monday, Sept. 13, 6:30 - 9 p.m.

East Liberty: Veteran's Place of Washington Blvd., 945 Washington Blvd., Pittsburgh, begins Friday, Sept. 10, 6:30 - 9 p.m.

Washington, Pa: 907 Jefferson Avenue, begins Monday, Sept. 20, 7 - 9:30 p.m.

To register for a class or for more information about Family-to-Family or other NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania programs, please call (412)-366-3788!

Maintaining Stability While Unemployed

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Unemployment can add high stress to any life situation. BP Magazine's Sasha Faynor offers helpful tips on maintaining mood stability in her online article "When the job market crashes, your mood doesn't have to".

For more information about Bipolar Disorder and other mental illnesses, be sure to visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.

Pennsylvania Peer Support Coalition

Interested in peer support? Looking to use your skills to inspire recovery? Seeking information on becoming a Certified Peer Specialist?

Look no further!  The Pennsylvania Peer Support Coalition is a great resource for information about peer support activities in Pennsylvania. Visit their website for information on statewide peer support initiatives, job openings, training opportunities and much more.

For more information about other support options in southwestern Pennsylvania, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.

Friday Five: Facts About Aging and Depression

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- The risk of depression in the elderly increases with other illnesses and when ability to function becomes limited. Estimates of major depression in older people living in the community range from less than one percent to about five percent, but rises to 13.5 percent in those who require home healthcare and to 11.5 percent in elderly hospital patients.

- An estimated five million have subsyndromal depression, symptoms that fall short of meeting the full diagnostic criteria for a disorder.

-  Depressive disorder is not a normal part of aging. Emotional experiences of sadness, grief, response to loss and temporary “blue” moods are normal. Persistent depression that interferes significantly with ability to function is not.

- Health professionals may mistakenly think that persistent depression is an acceptable response to other serious illnesses and the social and financial hardships that often accompany aging - an attitude often shared by older people themselves. This contributes to low rates of diagnosis and treatment in older adults.

 - Depression can and should be treated when it occurs at the same time as other medical illnesses. Untreated depression can delay recovery or worsen the outcome of these other illnesses.


(This week's Friday Five facts are from the National Institute of Mental Health's "Older Adults: Depression and Suicide Facts" fact sheet. For more information about depression and other mental illnesses, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.)

Fiesta Time!

Hungry?  Join us for the Mad Mex benefit dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m!

For a $25 donation to NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania, you will enjoy appetizers, entree, dessert and soft drinks at Mad Mex in Robinson. Tax and gratuity are included. All proceeds benefit NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania.

For more information or to reserve your seat at our fiesta, call Alan Corn at (412) 281-7333 or email acorn@cartallegheny.org. Seats are limited, so call today!

Selective or Picky?

Researchers are currently investigating the psychological difference between selective eating (choosing to avoid certain foods for health, cultural or religious reasons) and picky eating (when foods are avoided because of texture, aroma or other unknown reasons).

Interested? Check out this interesting WDUQ article about the Finicky Eating in Adults Study, a result of the efforts of University of Pittsburgh and Duke University researchers that are seeking to better understand picky eating and its causes. For more information on eating disorders, be sure to explore NAMI's Fact Sheets on Eating Disorders and the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.

NAMI: Partnering With Next to Normal

NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania has been given a unique opportunity to partner with the cast of the hit Broadway musical Next to Normal to raise awareness of mental illness. Described as "an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other", Next to Normal focuses on a mother struggling with bipolar disorder and the effect that her illness has upon her family; the show also touches on themes such as grieving, suicide and psychiatric ethics.

Our Associate Director Debbie Ference had the opportunity to see Next to Normal during its Broadway run!

Next to Normal will begin touring in fall 2010 and will be at Pittsburgh's Benedum Center Tuesday, April 5 through Sunday, April 10, 2011.  Stay tuned for more information on how NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania will work with the Next to Normal cast to increase awareness and dispel the myths surrounding mental illness!

NAMI at Women's Shelter Health Fair

On Friday, Aug. 6, NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Consumer Action & Response Team of Allegheny County (CART) participated in a health fair at the Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. We met with women receiving services at the center to answer questions and distribute information about NAMI programs and offerings.

According to their website, the Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh "provides a 24-hour crisis hotline, temporary shelter, counseling and support groups, advocacy and support services for women victims of domestic violence and their children. Services are free and confidential."  Check out their Programs and Services, Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities for more information about this important Pittsburgh organization.

Featured Facts on Friday

Millions of Americans are affected by mental illness yet remain untreated or under‐treated for their conditions.

• One in four adults—approximately 57.7 million Americans— experiences a mental health disorder in a
given year. One in 17 lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder, and about one in 10 children have a serious mental or emotional disorder.

• About 2.4 million Americans, or 1.1 percent of the adult population, lives with schizophrenia.

• Bipolar disorder affects 5.7 million American adults, approximately 2.6 percent of the adult population per
year.

•  Major depressive disorder affects 6.7 percent of adults, or about 14.8 million American adults. According to the 2004 World Health Report, this is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada in ages between 15 to 44.

• Anxiety disorders, which include panic disorder, obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD), post‐traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder and phobias, affect about 18.1 percent of adults, an estimated 40 million individuals. Anxiety disorders frequently co‐occur with depression or addiction disorders.

• An estimated 5.2 million adults have co‐occurring mental health and addiction disorders. Of adults using
homeless services, thirty‐one percent reported having a combination of these conditions.

For more information on mental illness, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website. 

Source: NAMI National Fact Sheet