THURSDAY: AWARENESS DAY--NAMI



Can you believe it's already Thursday again? I can't! June has flown by!

Mental illness still carries a heavy stigma. Even with the wealth of research and information that is available, there still seems to be an archaic view that those who have mental illnesses are "crazy", "paranoid", "social outcasts".

Those of us who have a parent who hoards have spent our lives in the midst of untreated mental health issues. We know how unfair the stigma is, and how devastating the effects an untreated mental health issue can be to everyone who comes into contact with the person who is affected.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is a national organization which advocates for those affected by serious mental illnesses. They raise money for research, offer education and support programs, and best of all...they may be in your neighborhood!

Their website, www.nami.org, is a great place to find information about different disorders too! Check them out, and consider raising funds for their organization in one of their annual walks!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hoarding--it's not about the STUFF

Since I've become so open with my childhood and the family secret, I am often asked why all the stuff in the house was so bad. It's easy to look at a pile of boxes and bags sliding down atop the boxes filled with craft supplies and books, and not understand why this was so difficult. Very simply, it's not about the STUFF . Research indicates that almost all those who suffer with hoarding compulsions have another issue--mental illness, or brain injury. Hoarding is not THE issue; it's a physically manifested symptom of an internal problem. My take on it is simple. The stuff does one of two things: 1. The grand chaos of things is a reflection of an internal chaos in the brain. Many of our HPs have an inability to sort in a "normal" way. Instead of overgeneralizing things into groups, hoarders have a tendency toward "over-specification" (My word for everything being too unique to actually be the same as something else. I'm sure there is a more profe
Read more

Admitting the Truth, Uncovering the Lie

Image
"White lies" became a regular and normal part of my childhood. I've heard others tell stories about the elaborate tales of renovation that were built and concocted to keep friends and family away from the family home, the hoard. I was never that creative. I would say something along the lines of the house being a mess, believing that no one would truly suspect the truth--the house was a MESS! It hit me recently that I still have trouble telling the truth in situations where it really doesn't make a difference whether I tell the truth or not. It disturbs me to think that telling a half-truth or painting a beautiful deception is not only easy for me, but that my moral compass does not readily stop me from doing it. Borrowed from Mark Pocan, WI representative, personal blog For instance, I have told a lie about my abilities in gymnastics and tumbling since I was a small child. I'm not sure how the lie first reared its ugly head, but like a zit that is touched
Read more

You Failed Me

Image
Way back in the day...and by that, I mean, when I was still a young thing back in high school, I did something kind of stupid. Okay...so I did a lot of things that were REALLY stupid back in the day. I admit that. But this one, well...my stupidity was minor compared to the failure of the authorities.
Read more