Worn out and happy at the NAMI Convention in San Francisco

Dog tired, feet hurt, with a bagful of squeezy balls from the exhibit hall and too many carbs in my system—life is good.  I’m in San Francisco this week at the 30th annual convention of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health movement.  About 2000 attendees—people whose lives have been affected by mental illness in their families and communities—have gathered to review the latest research, celebrate recent legislative victories (GO PARITY!  For more see previous post on “Our End of the Bailout Bill”) and discuss the many, many needs that are still unmet.  One in four individuals in America suffer from a serious mental illness such as depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, PTSD.  Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have the highest suicide rate in America.  Over 300,000 mentally ill individuals are now incarcerated; the largest mental health facility in the nation is the Los Angeles County Jail.   Step outside the convention center at the downtown SF Hilton and you immediately see homeless mentally ill individuals sleeping on the street.  Mental health services in this country are still a disgrace.  As parents of children with behavioral health disorders, we know the dread of wondering, in the small hours of the night, “What will become of my child?”  Unfortunately, some of our children will end up in jail, on the street, or dead.  It doesn’t have to happen.  The options need to be broader and the answers more compassionate.  NAMI, with its affiliates in 1100 communities (including Knoxville, Tennessee where I am proud to be the affiliate president) is fighting that battle, and and making those changes happen.  NAMI changes lives…NAMI saves lives.  NAMI helps families stay together.  Someone you love has a mental illness…that’s why there’s NAMI.  Find out more at www.nami.org.

And keep in touch.  —Wendy

special needs parent writer's group

Recently a parent in my area (East Tennessee) undertook to form a special needs parent writing group on Facebook (hope to see it go live soon) so that parents like ourselves can try out ideas, compare notes, and edge their way into publication.   Like so many of us, these parents are writing their way out of deep, dark holes and throwing down a rope to help others climb out, too.  Good for all of us!  Are there special needs writing groups in your area or your social network?  How did it start?  What works and what doesn’t?  Suggestions?

—Wendy

Okay, this is just bragging.

Team Up for Your Child was recently selected as one of the “Fifty Best Parenting Books” by RadicalParenting.com, a website written for parents by teens and twenty-somethings.  As the mother of a twenty-something daughter (David’s older sister Anna) who only recently passed out of the “mom can’t possibly know anything worthwhile” stage, I was really touched!  The results should be up in a few weeks, but meanwhile, check out the website, and click on the link to “Best Mom Blogs.”  My favorite is “StimeyLand”—written by the mom of a child with autism.  Really, really funny and sweet.

Newsletters Shall Always Be With Us

My free monthly e-mail newsletter hones in on a single topic—currently, mental health insurance—for a brief dose of  been-there-made-that-mistake-figured-out-a-better-way advice gathered from parents of special needs children.   You can Sign up here.   This would make me very happy—but I promise to never, ever transfer your name to another source. Because that’s just wrong.

If you have a good idea—or want to correct, instruct, argue, or add to what’s said here, please drop me a line at wendy@meltonhillmedia.com. If I use your idea, you will get a $50 gift certificate.

Little progress, many holes in mental health care for children

As the new administration looks at health care reform, the first step is likely to be extending health insurance coverage to every child in America. Rosalyn Carter and other mental health advocates want to make sure that coverage includes access to affordable, accessible mental health care.  This issue’s time may be at hand, particularly because the recent $700-billion dollar bailout plan included a rider mandating mental health parity.  That means:  If a policy includes mental health benefits, it must have the same amount of coverage for mental health as physical health.  HUGE boon to families whose members need mental health treatment.  (See previous post “Our End of the Bail-Out Plan.”)

It’s not only an insurance issue—it’s a matter of not having the services where they are needed most. America has a drastic shortage of pediatric psychiatrists, and in many rural areas, primary care doctors have to prescribe powerful psychiatric drugs for conditions they are not fully trained to identify or treat.    Read more about this in a CNN report on a recent national gathering.

Story Highlights:

• Experts from across the country gather to discuss mental health needs of children
• One in five U.S. children has a diagnosable mental disorder
• 75 to 80 percent of affected children do not get the needed mental health services
• Hope is high that new administration will tackle issue in health care reform

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/11/21/mental.health.kids/index.html

Post a comment to let me know what you think about this issue!  Thanks.