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Mental health seminar to be Nov. 21
Published Thursday, November 19, 2009
Those who are suffering from a mental health issue or have family members who are affected may find hope and support by attending the Mental Health Issues and the Effects on the Family seminar this weekend.
The workshop will be held from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Troy Recreation Center.
The seminar is sponsored by the African American Community Outreach Enrichment Program and is designed to help improve the lives of those who are affected by mental health issues including schizophrenia, bipolar, anxiety and depression.
“We have two speakers who will be able to provide valuable information and insight from a personal perspective,” said Angela McCray, a member of the outreach enrichment program. “Both are members of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which is the national voice on mental illness. Adele Morgan is schizophrenic and also bipolar. She will speak from personal experience about her dark days and how she has overcome them. She will also give encouragement to others by telling them how she is able to maintain her sanity and not go back to the dark days.”
Morgan’s mother, Zoe Newby, will also speak to the group about ways that she found to cope and deal with her daughter’s mental illnesses.
“The seminar will include a question and answer session and this will be an opportunity to ask specific questions that relate to the situations of those attending the seminar,” McCrary said. Refreshments will be served and there is no charge for the seminar.
“The African American Community Outreach Enrichment Program is a newly organized group that works to make a positive difference in the community,” McCray said.
“The group sponsors a monthly event designed to meet a specific need of the community.”
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Comments
Posted by bamajim (anonymous) on November 19, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What are the specific needs this group meets. That's all you ever hear, but not one of them mention the needs they meet. Just another group that wants tax exempt status so someone can put money in their pocket. WAKE UP AMERICA
Posted by Hammermito (anonymous) on November 19, 2009 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know anything personally about this group. I do know about NAMI, (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
The truth of the matter is that as far as society has come in accepting mentally ill people, it is still a subject that's depicted negatively in movies, (ie: mentally ill killer, mentally ill person who is childlike and dependent on others).
How many times is a former insane asylum depicted as a scary place where evil exists.
The reality is that very few mentally ill people are violent or deadly. Very few, (when talking statistics), are child-like and need to be supervised or tended to.
The facts are that most people with mental illness are right out there in society, working, being married, having families, functioning just like everyone else.
The only difference is that they are on medication and in counseling to control/treat their mental illness.
Contrary to popular belief, mental illness is not a lack of self-discipline or weakness. It is a brain disease caused by a chemical imbalance.
One day, we may have a magic pill to "cure" people from mental illness. But, until that time comes, there are going to be folks that suffer from it and whose lives are disrupted by it.
I am talking both the person who suffers from it and their family.
The speaker who is schizophrenic and bipolar has my immediate respect. She has two significant mental illnesses that she is dealing with and she wants to share as an inspiration to others who are also suffering from mental illness.
I wish her all the best.
Posted by dragonlady (anonymous) on November 19, 2009 at 5:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To quote directly from the article...
"The seminar is sponsored by the African American Community Outreach Enrichment Program and is designed to help improve the lives of those who are affected by mental health issues including schizophrenia, bipolar, anxiety and depression."
So I'm guessing that is the need being met.
Posted by turtle (anonymous) on November 19, 2009 at 7:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Exactly. The specific need being met is to educate people about mental illness and to encourage those who live with it not to give up. Trust me, bipolar is pure misery to live with. Like other illnesses there are days when one cannot get out of bed or function, and other times everything is just fine, and you never know when the swing will hit. Thanks to AACOEP for hosting this event.
Posted by MarkZamen (anonymous) on November 25, 2009 at 1:29 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
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