No one, including family and close friends, has ever asked me about the first time I heard a voice. I think it’s a tough topic to talk about. Hearing voices isn’t considered normal. Regardless, I remember. Some voices are more memorable than others, just like real people. ...
Back in the Army, when I was in the depths of undiagnosed schizophrenia, I wrote long letters asking my friends and family if they could see and feel what I was experiencing while stationed in the Mojave Desert. I thought if I could persuade them to stare at a TV or comput...
Iloperidone is a medication that works in the brain to treat schizophrenia. It is also known as a second generation antipsychotic (SGA) or atypical antipsychotic.
Research continues to fuel the dramatic breakthroughs and scientific advancements in the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of serious brain disorders that are helping millions of Americans recover from the once crippling effects of severe mental illness.
NAMI publishes public and community surveys to explore and discover the experiences and perspectives of individuals, family caregivers and members of the public on an array of important topics.
NAMI publishes public and community surveys to explore and discover the experiences and perspectives of individuals, family caregivers and members of the public on an array of important topics.
Aripiprazole is a medication that works in the brain to treat schizophrenia. It is also known as a second generation antipsychotic (SGA) or atypical antipsychotic.
NAMI talks to Dr. Xavier Amador about his upcoming NAMI National Convention Special Presentation and his world-renowned LEAP Institute.
While millions of Americans who suffer from once crippling brain disorders are experiencing new found freedom and independence as a result of remarkable breakthrough medications, the majority are still imprisoned by stigma and discrimination resulting from imperfect laws and...
The national grassroots advocacy organization presented the NAMI Outstanding Media Awards during its 21st Annual Convention being held this week in San Diego.
I am a single dad who just happens to have a chronic mental illness. After years of struggling, I found a wonderful doctor that actually took his time going through my symptoms in detail. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder/anxiety and major depr...
As part of my recovery, I learned as much as I could about schizophrenia, which further deepened my compassion for those with mental health conditions and their loved ones. I now speak about the resources available from NAMI at a local hospital and teach the NAMI Family-to-Fa...
Love's All That Makes Sense By Sakeenah and Anika Francis Purchase As the end of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month draws near, NAMI wants to share some passages from a special book, Loves’ All That Makes Sense: A Mother Daughter Memoir , by Sakeenah and ...
My most treasured item is a blue, acrylic sweater my mom knit me. It has a horse on the back and my nickname in block letters on the front: GEN. I only wear it once a year to keep it from fading and falling apart. I didn’t always treasure my mom. When I was younger, I ...
A man diagnosed with schizophrenia was in a psychiatric hospital being considered for release. He sat in front of a team of psychiatrists who asked him the usual questions: Have your symptoms improved? Are you ready to leave? What do you plan to do? It was his answer to t...
In 2005, my son was hospitalized and diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 24. When our doctor gave us the diagnosis, he told us that he wished our son had a terminal illness instead. He said that would be far easier to live with than what we would be “dealing wi...
What does it mean to “hear things” and “see things?” This question has been one that has puzzled me for as long as I have understood schizophrenia. When I was a child and I met my aunt, completely taken over by schizophrenia, my father explained to me that she “heard”...
Hollywood has a long history of misrepresenting those with mental health conditions. These representations are usually portrayals of people with mental illness as violent and dangerous, which contribute to harmful stereotypes about mental illness. Inaccurate representatio...
While meeting my first client as a peer coach, I was nervous. Steve, my client, was in his 60s and could barely mumble “good” after I asked how he was. He has schizophrenia as well as cognitive disabilities. Even though I struggled with my own paranoia and delusions, I f...
What do we make about the connection between cat bites and the risk of depression?