BHN Hosting Discussion Groups about Mental Health and Substance Use in St. Louis City
June 8, 2018Behavioral Health Network (BHN) is hosting group discussion sessions with various community members to understand strengths and challenges for St. Louis adults with mental health and/or substance use needs. We will ask you to share your opinions about adult mental health and substance use wellbeing/needs within St. Louis City. You will not be required to share personal experiences. There will be activities to help get everyone involved!
When and Where? Sessions will be Read More
Navigating a Mental Health Crisis
Missouri and Mental Health Parity
NAMI Missouri Executive Director, Gena Terlizzi, is interviewed about a recently distributed report entitled, “Nowhere to Turn”. This is part of an overall collaborative effort to enhance Missouri’s current mental health parity law that seeks to level the playing field when it comes to mental healthcare coverage compared to other medical care coverage. If you want to help, please contact your state legislators and ask them to vote for HB 2384. CLICK HERE to email them now.
Ensuring Your Child Is Supported At School
May 14, 2018 | By Deborah Offner, Ph.D.
At least 1 in 5 school-aged children is affected by a mental health condition. The two most common conditions among children and adolescents are anxiety followed by depression, but children can have other difficulties that affect their ability to fully take part in and benefit from their classroom experiences. These include attention deficit-hyperactivity, autism spectrum disorder and eating disorders.
Many children can also suffer from emotional reactions to the strain Read More
New Initiative Helps Keep People With Mental Illness Out Of Jail
May 5, 2018
NAMI is pleased to announce the launch of Serving Safely, a national initiative to help police and sheriffs’ departments effectively respond to mental health crises. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, “Serving Safely: The National Initiative to Enhance Policing for Persons with Mental Illnesses and Developmental Disabilities” will be a one-stop shop for communities—specifically law enforcement agencies—to request training and technical assistance. Through the initiative’s work, law enforcement agencies will be better prepared to interact Read More
Social Anxiety Doesn’t Get The Attention It Deserves
May 21, 2018 | By Nicole Pajer
Sophie Trapani knew something was wrong when she started getting sick before class her freshman year of college.
She’d signed up for a course that required her to stand in front of her peers and deliver speeches. Public speaking can be daunting for most people, so she tried to bury her fears and push forward. But her anxiety seemed far worse than what her classmates were going through.
“It felt like my body was shutting down Read More
NAMI Releases New Crisis Guide
4/24/2018
NAMI is proud to release “Navigating a Mental Health Crisis: A NAMI Resource Guide for Those Experiencing a Mental Health Emergency.” NAMI developed this guide to support people experiencing mental health crises and their loved ones.
This potentially life-saving guide outlines what can contribute to a crisis, warning signs that a crisis is emerging, strategies to help de-escalate a crisis and resources available for those affected. Also included is information about advocating for a person in crisis along with a sample Read More
Encouraging Youth To Share Their Stories
April 27, 2018 | By Laura Greenstein
Far too often, young people experience stigma that invalidates their struggles with mental health. Far too often, young people are treated as if they are incapable of experiencing mental illness. Far too often, young people don’t get the help they need.
How can we expect our youth to reach out for help with challenging symptoms when they often only receive more pain than help? When they think they will be stigmatized or told they are “too Read More