A little over three years ago, I endured the toughest trial of my adult life. There’s not a birthing or baby class detailed enough to prepare someone for what I faced. No one ever warned me that you could end up in the psych ward after having a baby. I remember feeli...
The day I turned in my master’s thesis, I woke up early. I curled my hair and applied a generous coat of makeup — even making time for contouring and setting spray. I posed for pictures with a school friend; we beamed, holding our freshly printed and bound 100-page docume...
When I fell into depression in September 2012, watching Netflix, eating ice cream and lying on the couch are what my days consisted of for months. I felt exhausted without doing anything physical. The hours of sleeping, lack of exercise and half-gallon containers of ice cre...
In celebration of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month last year, NAMI Montgomery County, Md., shared a message of hope with Latino parishioners at St. Jude’s Church in Rockville. Following the weekly Sunday night Mass in Spanish, we organized the NAMI program ...
When you hear of people living with ADHD, is your first thought of a child struggling to sit still in a classroom? Probably. But while hyperactivity usually diminishes, inattentiveness and impulsiveness will likely persist into adulthood. It’s a common misconception that A...
A recent survey reports that 47% of adults living with schizophrenia drop out of college, compared to the 27% college dropout rate in the U.S. overall. Another study reports that students diagnosed with bipolar disorder are 70% more likely to drop out of college than stud...
Congress is on break this week, which means Senators and Representatives are back home—but not on vacation. It’s time to remind them that one in five of the constituents they’ll encounter back home lives with a mental health condition. Last year, Congress passed import...
One month before Thanksgiving 2016, my small congregation of Forest Home Chapel—a United Methodist Church in Ithaca, NY—baked 100 pies and sold them all in the first hour of the sale. Our goal was to raise both funds and awareness for our nearby NAMI affiliate. NAMI Fi...
Note: This blog is presented as a cross-collaboration between NAMI and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention , whose mission is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. It originally appeared on the AFSP Lifesavers Blog . - When ...
The news spread quickly. Two youths from the local high school had died over the weekend. “They committed suicide” were the words I heard to explain the tragic loss of two young people, who had their entire lives ahead of them. It is common to hear those two words togeth...
About four years ago, while waiting to be called for an appointment, I had the good fortune to sit next to a woman who had been fundamental in starting our state’s chapter of NAMI. I had been looking for an opportunity to become involved in volunteerism. I wanted to do so...
When I was sixteen years old, I was an athlete and I loved football. If my coach told me I could run through a brick wall, I would try. I felt “invincible”—holding the world by the tail. Then it all changed in less than a second. During a football game, I injured my knee...
It started in fifth grade: the thoughts and feelings of wanting to die, to disappear. It took me decades to learn how to manage it, and I’m still learning every day. I say manage because that’s what I do: manage. It isn’t just going away for me. In my late teens, I strug...
When I was 10 years old, my homeroom teacher distributed photocopied handouts about depression. I scanned the faded bullet points: Feelings of sadness and hopelessness, loss of interest in usual hobbies and activities, lack of energy, sleep disturbances, reduced appetite,...
Navajo brother and sister duo Clayson and Jeneda Jenally make up the band, Sihasin. Photo courtesy of the artist. One of those traditions that can have a positive influence on mental health is music. Music has historically played a significant role when it com...
In 2015, NAMI helped shape the national conversation on mental health across the country. On both a local and national level, NAMI influenced mental health policy, the understanding of mental illness and showed the power that education and peer support can have for people li...
Many Olympians have talked about various health issues they’ve overcome, but so few have opened up about living with a mental health condition. This is surprising due to the immense mental component of being an Olympic athlete. Many Olympians have commented that the men...
As you head to college this fall, you will face several exciting decisions. From choosing a meal plan to registering for classes, you will have a say in all things big and small that will shape your day-to-day life on campus. But one subject that tends to get overlooked i...
Sometimes it can be a challenge to find the silver lining—especially when it comes to mental health. When you’re experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition, it’s only natural to view them in a negative light. But that’s not always the only available perspective....
Depression can be hard to talk about—so hard that a lot of men end up silently struggling for years, only to reach out when they’ve hit rock bottom. Others, sadly, don’t reach out at all. This is one of the reasons why men account for 3.5 times the number of suicides ...