Briana White Paper

April 10th, 2019 | NAMI North Texas | Briana Lynn Dowling
What is NAMI? Inside This Issue

PG. 2
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s What is Stigma and how can we stop it
largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to from affecting us negatively?
building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by
PG. 2
mental illness1. NAMI North Texas serves a four-county area
(Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Rockwall Counties) and provides Learn about all the services NAMI offers to
education to those with family members and friends affected by help you and your loved ones with dealing
with any and all of your mental health
mental illness and for those diagnosed with mental illness. We
problems.
spread awareness about mental illness by going into schools,
churches, businesses, and anywhere we are welcome. PG. 3
Our tops tips to make the most of your
“self-care” weekend!
Stigma & How It Affects Us What NAMI Has to Offer
Social stigma has been a huge wall for people with mental Education:
health issues to overcome for years. Stigma has prevented
people from seeking treatment, adhering to treatment,  Family-to-Family: family of those with mental
and even discussing their mental illness, whether it has illness
been diagnosed or not.
 Peer-to-Peer: for those with mental illness
Mental illness does not need to be a diagnosed condition.
It can be as little as being depressed or very sad for short  NAMI Basics: For family of children and
periods of time. When I discuss the topic of “mental adolescents with mental illness
health” I see it as the definition of being mentally and
spiritually healthy in all facets of life.  NAMI Smarts: where you can learn to advocate
for those with mental illness on the policy level
Stigma happens when a person puts a label, stereotypes,
separates or discriminates against someone when they Support:
think they have some kind of “power” over them2.
 NAMI Connection Peer Support Groups
When stigma is present in a persons’ life it can discourage
them from getting treatment and can leave a person  NAMI Family Support Groups
feeling very confused and stressed, which will cause more
problems down the road. It is important that we break
the stigma so that more people can get the help they need.
What the Science Says

The science behind mental illness intervention, when it
comes to education, is very promising. A study was
“Break the done where they gave a survey to high school students
to see what their attitudes on mental illness were and
then gave them a one hour class on the facts of mental
stigma, with one illness, stigma, different disorders and treatment options
for mental illness2. They gave them another survey after
the class and measured the same attitudes they did in
person at a
the beginning and overall they saw a big decrease in
“stigma scores” meaning the class worked2.
This is the kind of education NAMI offers so we can see
time.” that the research says these classes are a good

investment and can make a big difference in peoples’
lives. All of NAMI’s classes are taught by people who
have been affected by mental illness so that you know
you are getting educated by people who have first-hand
experience.
==
April 10th, 2019 | NAMI North Texas | Briana Lynn Dowling 2
The Resource Guide
For our experience at NAMI we have worked on a
resource guide to help organize many of the resources
we can help refer our clients to.
We are going to use this guide to help us better direct

our clients to whatever services they may be looking for
from healthcare, medications, counseling, rehab,
housing, and even legal services!
Our goal is to make dealing with these mental health

issues as easy as possible by giving you the tools you
need to manage yourself and feel supported and heard
throughout this journey of yours.
Mental Health Matters for Everyone
Many of our calls and questions we receive everyday are
At NAMI we understand that mental health matters for about where people can find the services that they need
everyone regardless if they have been diagnosed with a to help them be on top of their mental health care. This
mental health condition. This is why NAMI offers family resource guide will help us be as efficient as possible.
and friends education and support classes to better help
those who are affected by mental illness so that we can
have a bigger impact on our community. Not only is
education on mental illness important for the actual
patient, but steps must be taken so that family members
Our Tips for Self-care
and caregivers have the proper facts and information so
 Spend some more time outdoors. Take a small
that we can prevent stigma from being spread.
walk, go on a picnic with a loved one or even
by yourself, or ride your bike.
Coming to classes and listening to  Commit to spend 1 hour each day doing
peoples’ first hand experiences will something that doesn’t have to do with work,
show you, you are not alone!
chores, or any other stressors in your life.
Read a book, watch a funny movie, or take a
NAMI is here to listen and talk to nap.
each and every person who needs it.
 Pamper yourself with whatever means you
have available. Take a nice bath, get a $4
NAMI see’s all of our members and
face, or again, TAKE A NAP.
supporters and thanks you greatly!
 Develop a new exercise regimen. A healthy
Through open thinking and body can lead to a healthy mind!
education, we will build a safe place
for those to be open with mental
illness.

References
1. National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d). About NAMI. Retrieved from https://www.nami.org/About-
NAMI
2. Ke, S., Lai, J., Sun, T., Yang, M. M., H., Wang, J. C., . . . Austin, J. (2015). Healthy young minds: The effects of a 1-
hour classroom workshop on mental illness stigma in high school students. Community Mental Health Journal, 51(3),
329-337. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.uta.edu/10.1007/s10597-014-9763-2
3.

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April 10th, 2019 | NAMI North Texas | Briana Lynn Dowling

What is NAMI? Inside This Issue

What the Science Says

This is the kind of education NAMI offers so we can see

time.” that the research says these classes are a good

We are going to use this guide to help us better direct

Our goal is to make dealing with these mental health

April 10th, 2019 | NAMI North Texas | Briana Lynn Dowling 3

April 10th, 2019 | NAMI North Texas | Briana Lynn Dowling 4

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