The “forbidden” world of mental illness is finally being targeted by people who will make a difference, one by one. A group of interested neighbors, friends and professionals recently met at the home of Julie and George Menke in Greensboro to discuss services and programs to meet the needs of those suffering from mental illness.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.” Those statistics are staggering, and yet help and support is difficult to obtain in many communities. Hospitals lack psychiatric stabilization units and services, housing and care for those with mental illness is unwelcomed in many communities and costs for treatment is most often unaffordable for most people. Severely mentally ill individuals suffering from diseases of the brain, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, often do not receive the treatment they need in a hospital or outpatient setting. The consequences can be devastating – homelessness, victimization, incarceration, repeated hospitalization and death.

Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder. Mental illness does not discriminate. It can affect people of any age, race, religion or income and are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable and people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan.

Patricia Jacob-Hopkins attended as the Executive Director of Family Initiative Residence Inc. (FIR) located in Conyers. FIR is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing community based residential/psychiatric services and lifestyle guidance for persons with mental illness. The FIR Campus has capacity for 60 individuals and is spread over five buildings offering four levels of service. With more than 20 years of experience in the mental health field, Jacob-Hopkins is dedicated to meeting the needs of individuals who suffer with severe and persistent mental illness. Jacob-Hopkins has gained invaluable insights into those she serves 24/7 and believes that with the proper social environment and supportive services these individuals can live productive lives and be a vital part of our community. Her vision is that the FIR Program model will be duplicated in other communities including Lake Oconee. Jacob-Hopkins and her family relocated to the Lake Oconee community two years ago and she is very interested in and willing to help the local community get on board to establish more support and awareness of the mental health issues affecting our daily lives. Jacob-Hopkins believes that the time to start the process of identifying signs of mental illness is in early childhood development years looking for the soft signs of mental illness or the potential for later development. She feels it is imperative that our educators become actively involved in the mental health awareness initiative. To contact Jacob-Hopkins directly or for more information on the Family Initiative Residence Inc., go to www.FirInc.org.

Mr. Camden Pace, the Associate Director of Advocacy for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Georgia shared his own astonishing story at the recent gathering at the Menke home.

Pace suffered early onset bipolar disorder as a child with suicidal ideation and became an alcoholic as a young teenager by seeking relief from its torment. In spite of these severe handicaps, he managed to be offered college scholarships in football, track and swimming. He accepted an appointment from U.S. Congressman, Doug Bernard to the U.S. Air Force Academy. His severe episodes of mental illness went undiagnosed, and he was released from the military a broken man. Pace bounced between other schools while constantly going through the horrors of medication changes. In a brief period of four months of trying cycling as a help for his depression, he became a cycling champion for the University of Georgia.

A three-year period in isolation from severe episodes followed before he surfaced again after having been asked to represent the United States Cycling Federation as an Olympic Torch Bearer for the 1996 games. His parents had cried out for help for 10 years to a broken mental health system that was impossible to navigate. They paid a fortune for medications only to be repeatedly told there was no hope of his recovery because of the severity of his illness. No solution was ever offered to his family.

Ten years later, Pace pursued the programs through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) at the recommendation from his psychiatrist. The NAMI programs and network of caring people, have been an important part of Pace ’s personal success in recovery. Pace is an honors program student carrying a 4.0 GPA with the hope of becoming an attorney for the most vulnerable and disenfranchised of our society. In the capacity of Associate Director of Advocacy, he serves as an advocate for NAMI Georgia as a speaker and educator for easier access to the best mental health treatment and services for all of the mentally ill and their families. His presentations reach the legislature, law enforcement, crisis responders, hospitals and other agencies critical on the continuum from crisis to recovery and wellness. Pace’s vision is to see Georgia lead the Nation in understanding and treating mental illness. He is proof that treatment works and that hope and harmony for a family is possible.

NAMI has over 40 chapters across Georgia providing weekly support groups and free education classes for those affected by mental illness, their families, veterans, law enforcement officers and health care providers. The Georgia Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in cooperation with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Sherriff’s Association, the Georgia Chiefs of Police Association and the Department of Behavioral Health, has trained over 3500 law enforcement officers how to recognize and de-escalate a situation involving someone having a mental health crisis. The Georgia CIT program won the 2009 Civil Rights Award from the International Chiefs of Police Association.

Other NAMI support groups include Connection Support for people living with mental illness, NAMI Family Support Group for people whose loved one is living with mental illness, Peer-to-Peer recovery education for people with mental illness who are interested in achieving and maintaining wellness. The Peer-to-Peer course provides a full approach to recovery, including individual empowerment, family and peer support, relapse prevention, communications skills and general health. This free 10-week course is taught by trained mentors who have achieved a level of recovery in their own lives. NAMI Basics is a peer-directed education program developed specifically for parents and other family caregivers of children and adolescents who have either been diagnosed with a serious mental illness/serious emotional disturbance or who are experiencing symptoms but have not yet been diagnosed. This free six-week course is taught by trained family members. Family-to-Family has educated thousands of families through a free 12-week course which provides current information about the different mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia; up-to-date medication information; communication techniques, coping skills, problem-solving workshops and many other topics. NAMI also collaborates with local mental health providers such as Advantage Behavioral Health.

Learn more about the full spectrum of programs and services that NAMI provides across the country for people whose lives have been affected by serious mental illness. When you become a member of NAMI, you become part of America’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with serious mental illness. NAMI is devoted to helping sufferers and families through the long haul—the ups and downs—an admirable goal.

You can also help by becoming involved and informed. Plan to participate in a NAMI walk to raise funds to help reduce stigma and bring NAMI programs and awareness to more and more communities. You can join online at www.nami.org. For more information on local NAMI support groups e-mail AthensNAMI@yahoo.com. Talk to your employer about sponsoring a team of your co-workers. Attend a NAMI training, become a facilitator, and reach out to that one in four who might be a co-worker, neighbor, family member or friend. They need your compassion and understanding. Early intervention makes a difference. Increased interest in identifying at-risk individuals and implementing early intervention will reduce functional impairments and improve the course of any mental disorder.

NAMI is coming to Lake Oconee. Watch for more information on NAMI Basics and Family-to-Family. If you are interested in attending or becoming involved, e-mail NAMI.LakeOconee@gmail.com. Please include your full name and contact information, including phone number.

In closing, in response to a comment about “being strong,” a friend recently said that there were times when she hadn’t felt very strong at all and felt overwhelmed by circumstances, hadn’t really handled things well, but had succumbed to what felt like an undertow inside of her. It’s understood that we all go through those times. For people with severe mental illness, that undertow maybe never goes away, but there is hope that they will be able to find a way to recover and swim without sinking.