Family Support Group Facilitator Training
February 23, 2019The NAMI Family Support Group Program is a peer-led support group for family and friends of people experiencing mental health conditions, and gives participants an opportunity to learn from their common experience. All groups are confidential and participants may share as much or as little personal information as they want. NAMI Family Support Group uses a more »
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Cast Your Vote for Advocate of the Year
February 20, 2019To honor outstanding mental health advocates in Bucks County, we are highlighting 4 members of our community as “Advocates of the Year.” We need your help in doing this, so cast your vote using the form below. Please note: paid NAMI employees and their families are not eligible to be nominated for an “Advocate of more »
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How My Depression Made Me A Better State Representative
February 19, 2019By Michael Schlossberg | Dec. 17, 2018 When I first told the world I suffered from a major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, I miscalculated. I was angry at the time, and I didn’t realize it would actually have a positive impact on me and the people I represent. I’m a full-time elected official. I have the more »
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Hold On You Matter Walk
February 18, 2019Walk Date: Sunday, April 28, 2019 Where: Bucks County Technical High School 610 Wistar Road, Fairless Hills Download Flyer Check In/Registration Time: 9:00 am Walk Begins: 10:00 am Rain or Shine To register, go to: http://www.lenapevf.org/bcsptf-walk For more information, please contact: Name: Dawn Seader Phone: 267-904-7655 Email: holdonyoumatter@buckscounty.org
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Savage Tri Team Virtual Challenge to Benefit NAMI
February 16, 2019Savage Tri Team is excited to announce its first virtual challenge! Join us for the month of March dedicating your swim, bike, or running miles to Stomp the Stigma of Mental Health. Savage Tri Team wants to encourage you to not only be your best physical self, but also mentally! Use those miles as a more »
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February Forum: Mike Schlossberg
February 14, 2019Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 7pm Abington Memorial Health Center – Warminster Campus 225 Newtown Rd, Warminster, PA 18974 This is a FREE event and ALL are welcome! For the month of February, NAMI Bucks County, PA welcomes Mike Schlossberg, who has been a writer since he wrote his first short story in eighth grade, more »
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Discussing Mental Illness with the Person You’re Dating
February 11, 2019By Freddie Tubbs | Feb. 08, 2019 | NAMI Blog – Mental illness is not something a person should feel they have to hide, just like any other medical condition. It is a part of you that requires care and time, and would be very difficult to keep from a significant other. Telling a new more »
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Vote NAMI for Bucks County’s Most Happening Charity!
February 10, 2019NAMI Bucks County has been nominated for the most happening charity in Bucks County on Bucks Happening! Vote for us (National Alliance on Mental Illness) here: https://bit.ly/2sDLRNX. There are dozens of amazing charities to vote for on the Bucks Happening List this year, and they are all worth your vote – we admire each and more »
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A Funny Fundraiser: Comedy Show
February 8, 2019TEAM GARBO, our top fundraising team for 2018, is having their first fundraiser, A Funny Fundraiser, at the Comedy Cabaret Comedy Club Bucks County in Doylestown. Doors open at 8:15pm, and the comedy show begins at 9pm on Friday, February 8, 2019. All proceeds raised will go towards the NAMI Bucks County Stride for Mental more »
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CMS Encourages Provision of Peer Support Specialist Services
February 7, 2019This past week yielded a quiet but profound win for peers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services encouraged Medicare Advantage plans (Medicare plans offered by private health insurers) to provide peer support specialist services. At NAMI, we believe strongly in the power of peer support in recovery. Read the document from CMS here.
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Code Blue Shelters in Bucks County
February 1, 2019Bucks County has activated a CODE BLUE Effective at 7 P.M. on Friday February 1, 2019 until 7 A.M. Sunday February 3, 2019 in the following locations: Lower Bucks Shelter Calvary Baptist Church 250 Green Lane Bristol, PA 19007 Hotline at 215-550-3868 x 100 Central Bucks Shelter Doylestown Presbyterian Church 127 East Court Street Doylestown, more »
Read MoreConnection Support Group Cancelled Tonight
January 29, 2019Your safety is most important to us, so we’ve decided to cancel this evening’s NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group in Warrington. We apologize for any inconvenience. We are still available by calling the NAMI Helpline: 1-866-399-6264. Stay safe tonight, and we hope to see you all next week! 💚NAMI
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SNAP Benefits During the Government Shutdown
January 27, 2019A note from CSP Coordinator, Nancy Scheible on SNAP Benefits: “Some rumors have been circulating that the February SNAP benefits that recipients got early last week because of the partial government shutdown have to be spent by Jan 31st – THIS IS FALSE! “Recipients DO NOT need to be spent by January 31st, and in more »
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Ending the Silence in Riegelsville, PA
January 26, 2019NAMI Bucks County, PA is “Ending the Silence” at Riegelsville Library on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 1pm. Join us, and let’s talk about mental health and suicide prevention. This event is free, open to everyone, and there’s no registration required. You will learn about the warning signs and symptoms of mental illness and how more »
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Art Heals: Group Art Show
January 21, 2019#ArtHeals Group Art Show Friday, January 25th 6-10pm Tattooed Mom 530 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 Presented and curated by Kyle Confehr, Tattooed Mom, NAMI Bucks County, PA, and NAMI Philadelphia. “#ArtHeals” is an exhibition of local Philadelphia artists and artwork hosted in a stigma free environment. This show shines a light on mental health more »
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Register for NAMI Family-to-Family Beginning in February
January 20, 2019NAMI Family-to-Family is a free, 12-session educational program for family, significant others and friends of people living with mental illness. It is a designated evidenced-based program. Research shows that the program significantly improves the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to an individual living with a mental health condition. Family-to-Family is taught by more »
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Register for NAMI Peer-to-Peer beginning in March
– NAMI Peer-to-Peer is a free, 8-session educational program for adults with mental illness who are looking to better understand their condition and journey toward recovery. Taught by a trained team of people who’ve been there, the program includes presentations, discussion and interactive exercises. Everything is confidential, and NAMI never recommends a specific medical therapy more »
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Martin Luther King: Depressed and Creatively Maladjusted
January 19, 2019Why Martin Luther King was creatively maladjusted By Nassir Ghaemi M.D., M.P.H. for Psychology Today Every year, around the MLK holiday, Americans celebrate his dream of racial equality. And each year, some wonder about those aspects of his life’s work that have remained unfulfilled. Racial equality was only the first of King’s three major social goals: the more »
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The Government Shutdown and You
January 17, 2019As the partial government shutdown continues, NAMI has put together the following overview of services that impact people with mental illness and whether these services are impacted by the shutdown. The US Capitol is seen from Air Force One on January 14, 2019, as the government enters its fourth week of the partial shutdown. Mandel more »
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We Support You, Perkasie! New Support Group Added!
January 13, 2019We are pleased to announce the addition of a new NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group location: Perkasie, PA! Our first meeting will be held on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at 6:30pm at St. Peters Tohickon United Church of Christ. This FREE peer support group will meet regularly on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Sundays of more »
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Congratulations to the 20th Graduating CIT Class!
January 11, 2019We’d like to congratulate all of the graduates of Bucks County’s 20th Crisis Intervention Team Training! First responders from Bucks County and the Slate Belt Regional Police Department received 40 hours of training on recognizing psychiatric distress and other conditions, and how to de-escalate a crisis. Mental health is health, and it matters in Bucks more »
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NAMI Receives Foundations Community Partnership Grant
January 10, 2019We would like to express our gratitude to Foundations Community Partnership for their continued support of NAMI Bucks County, PA. This year, we recieved a grant to work with the Catalyst Center For Nonprofit Management for strategic planning. This support is crucial to our development and continued success in fulfilling our mission. Thank you to more »
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Stigma Won’t Stop Me From My Recovery
January 6, 2019by Danielle Cooper THE STIGMA AROUND MENTAL ILLNESS HIT ME HARD THIS WEEK. Last week I went to the pharmacy to pick up my meds, and was asked to sign a document titled ‘Narcotics Monitoring Program’. The med in question was my lorazepam. It was the first time I’ve ever had to do such a more »
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Our Helpline is BACK!
December 24, 2018Our helpline is back up and running! Give us a call if you need support. We are here for you all throughout the holidays. 1-866-399-NAMI (6264)
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We’ve Moved! (Helpline Down)
December 20, 2018NAMI Bucks County, PA is thrilled to announce our move to a new office suite in Warrington Green. Our NAMI Connection Support Groups that were held at our Warminster location will now be held every Tuesday evening from 6:30-8pm in our new conference room. Our new address is: 1432 Easton Road, Suite 2D Warrington, PA more »
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For Those Who Find the Holidays Triggering
December 16, 2018By Hilary Jacobs Hendel, LCSW | Dec. 14, 2018 from the NAMI blog – My patient, Han, used to dread going home to his parent’s house for the holidays. He found it hard to relax and be himself, and his wife and children also dreaded it. His parents made hurtful remarks, criticizing everything from their more »
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Holiday Help in Bucks County
December 13, 2018We are in the midst of Holiday Season 2018, preparing for a happy and prosperous 2019. For some, this is a very difficult time of year, and we’d like to pass along some resources for you to share. NAMI Support Groups We have a NAMI Support Groups for everyone, and they’re running before and after more »
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NEW LEVITTOWN SUPPORT GROUP ADDED!
December 3, 2018We are pleased to announce the addition of a new NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group location: Levittown, PA! Our first meeting will be held on Thursday, December 27, 2018 at 3pm at the United Christian Church of Levittown. This FREE peer support group will meet regularly on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. more »
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Support NAMI on Cyber Monday
November 26, 2018Score Cyber Monday deals at smile.amazon.com/ch/20-4135679 and AmazonSmile donates to NAMI Bucks County, PA. Help to #CureStigma while you shop!
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Give to NAMI on Giving Tuesday
November 24, 2018On #GivingTuesday, give like mental health depends on it. Because it does. Your donation to NAMI Bucks County, PA funds much needed #MentalHealth support and education programs that help to build better lives for everyone affected by mental illness. Our advocacy has touched and changed thousands of lives in Bucks County. #MentalIllness can be fatal, more »
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Your Donation Makes an IMPACT
November 11, 2018Thank you for your generous tax deductible donation. You are helping us provide support, education and advocacy to thousands of of people living with mental illness in Bucks County and across the state of Pennsylvania. Click here to read a letter from our Executive Director, Debbie Moritz, on how your donation is making an impact. more »
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Healthcare.gov is OPEN: How to Buy Safely
November 10, 2018On Nov. 1, HealthCare.gov started its annual enrollment period for health insurance. If you don’t have health care coverage or you just need to renew your plan, make time to review your health plan options before open enrollment ends on December 15. Some health plans may deny coverage for pre-existing conditions or don’t cover mental more »
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#Vote4MentalHealth On November 6th!
November 4, 2018Elected officials make decisions that affect how, when and where my family and I can get the mental health services and supports we need. ✓ PLEDGE TO VOTE Learn the Issues For decades, mental health advocates have shaped laws, increased funding and promoted research to address the inequities and injustices facing people with mental illness more »
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In response to suicides at Penn, a new mental health bill may soon become law
October 30, 2018By Max Cohen and Bebe Hodges 10/25/18 1:53am In light of the recent suicides at Penn, a new Pennsylvania bill aiming to improve suicide prevention services and mental health resources at Pennsylvania universities is close to being signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf (D-Pa.). The legislation defines a new set of standards that four-year more »
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Infinite Reasons to Live Event at Doylestown Hospital
October 28, 2018NAMI joins Peyton Heart Project Ambassador, Patti Dille, and the Bucks County Suicide Prevention Taskforce to present an evening of crafting, kindness, and storytelling. We will share our stories of lived experience with mental health and surviving suicide while you tag Peyton Hearts to be left around our community to give hope to anyone who more »
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See Nick TONIGHT in This Is My Brave!
October 18, 2018This Is My Brave is a show about what it’s like to live through mental illness and come out on the other side. The emotions from having experienced mental illness first-hand are raw, excruciating, thrilling, inspiring and so much more. Join us at Gratz College in Elkins Park, PA for this live presentation of touching more »
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Ask Your PA State Senator to VOTE NO to HB 2138
October 17, 2018The Pennsylvania Senate could vote as early as today on a bill targeting individuals and families who rely on Medicaid. If it passes, people could lose coverage. House Bill 2138 calls for work requirements, lockout periods, eligibility determinations, and eligibility bans. Our partners at the Pennsylvania Health Access Network put together this graphic showing how more »
Read MoreWhy are so many Pa. prison inmates committing suicide?
October 10, 2018DAVID SWANSON / FILE PHOTOGRAPH Stephen Leonardo is no mental-health expert; he’s just an inmate who was assigned to janitorial duty on the unit of Graterford prison where the psychiatric observation cells were located. Still, even he could tell Christopher Gilchrist — a 28-year-old inmate with diagnosed serious mental illness — was on the precipice. It wasn’t hard, more »
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Thomas Dunning: The Mental Health Runner
October 4, 2018Thomas first began to struggle processing his emotions when he lost his brother to cancer. It had serious and long-lasting effects on his mental well-being, to the point where he developed auditory hallucinations. Since being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, he has been able to access the right medications, and now feels more in control of his symptoms. I’ve more »
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Vote4MentalHealth
Elected officials make decisions that affect how, when and where my family and I can get the mental health services and supports we need. ✓ PLEDGE TO VOTE Learn the Issues For decades, mental health advocates have shaped laws, increased funding and promoted research to address the inequities and injustices facing people with mental illness more »
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Volunteer & Member Appreciation Picnic
September 19, 2018Team NAMI Bucks County, PA upholds our mission of building better lives for those affected by mental illness in Bucks County through the help of our dedicated volunteers and loyal members. We would like you to know just how much we appreciate you, so if you have volunteered for us or are a current member, more »
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NAMI and Others File Lawsuit Against the Short-Term, Limited Duration Plan Final Rule
September 14, 20189/14/2018 In partnership with the Association for Community Affiliated Plans and other organizations, NAMI filed suit today to invalidate the federal short-term, limited duration (STLD) insurance plan rule issued last month by three federal agencies. The legal challenge seeks a temporary injunction against the recently issued STLD rule, which would expand the availability of plans more »
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Peer-to-Peer Class Delayed One Week
September 12, 2018ANNOUNCEMENT! Our Peer-to-Peer class, scheduled to begin tonight in Warminster, has been postponed until next week as we await the arrival of the materials you’ll need to learn more about your diagnosis and living in recovery. We apologize for any inconvenience and will see you on the first day of class, Wednesday, September 19, 2018! more »
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Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
September 10, 2018Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. In fact, suicide is often the result of an untreated mental health condition. Suicidal thoughts, although common, should not be considered normal and often indicate more serious issues. Each year, more than 41,000 individuals die by suicide, leaving behind more »
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Register Now for Fall Classes
September 8, 2018— NAMI Peer-to-Peer and NAMI Family-to-Family are set to begin again this coming week in Bucks County. – Learn more about mental health diagnoses, caregiving, self-care, and more. Most importantly, you’ll learn that you’re not alone (1 in 5 youths and 1 in 4 adults live with mental health conditions) and that recovery is possible. more »
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Ending the Silence Preview Presentation
August 28, 2018– NAMI Bucks County, PA is holding a preview of our early intervention mental health education presentation, Ending the Silence at Penn Foundation on Monday, September 17, 2018 at 9am. – You will learn about the warning signs and symptoms of mental illness and how to help yourself and/or a friend, treatment options, positive coping more »
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John McCain’s Statement to NAMI
August 26, 2018The following is a statement provided by Senator John McCain to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, regarding his capacity as a candidate for the U.S. Presidency in 2008. “The next President will face a great challenge due to the rising cost of health care of all types. America has the finest doctors and more »
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Kevin Love Talks to Carson Daly About Men’s Mental Health
August 22, 2018When NBA star Kevin Love wrote an essay about his struggles with anxiety and depression, it brought awareness to mental health issues that are often not openly discussed, especially among men. The article caught the attention of TODAY’s Carson Daly, who has had his own battle with anxiety and panic attacks. Watch the video from more »
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Back-to-School Fundraiser
August 19, 2018In July of this year, New York and Virginia became the first states in the country to mandate mental health education. While we are working toward that victory in Pennsylvania, we need your help in funding and expanding NAMI Signature Education Programs in Bucks County. Please consider a donation to NAMI Bucks County, PA to more »
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How Can You Treat Someone Who Doesn’t Think They’re Mentally Ill
August 18, 2018Simone Golob/Getty Images Laws are being passed that make it possible to compel people to receive treatment for health problems they don’t believe they have. by Carrie Arnold | Vice | Aug 8 2018 – On July 3, 2014, Misty Mayo boarded a Greyhound bus bound for Los Angeles. Desperate to escape her hometown of more »
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Three ways to get people the mental-health care they need
August 7, 2018– by Kate Farinholt, Jean Harris and Rhonda Thissen – Kate Farinholt is executive director of NAMI Maryland. Jean Harris is executive director of NAMI DC. Rhonda Thissen is executive director of NAMI Virginia. – Recent high-profile celebrity suicides have gotten people talking about mental-health care. Unfortunately, too many Americans from all walks of life more »
Read MoreNAMI’s New President Outlines Priorities For Serious Mental Illness
August 3, 2018July 17, 2018 | By Adrienne Kennedy On June 30, among the 15 of my board member peers, I was elected to serve as President of the NAMI Board of Directors for 2018/2019. I am honored and humbled to be provided the opportunity to represent the hundreds of thousands of families, peers and avid supporters who comprise more »
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Advocacy Alert: Insurance Coverage
August 2, 2018Another Blow to Insurance Coverage for People with Mental Illness On August 1, the Administration dealt another blow to mental health parity by allowing for an expansion of certain health insurance plans that are not required to cover people with pre-existing conditions or provide coverage for mental health services. These “short-term limited-duration” plans will now more »
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Humble Beginnings: The History of NAMI Bucks County
July 30, 2018What we know today as NAMI Bucks County, PA, began in 1983 as a small support group consisting of seven family members who met at the Bucks County Free Library in Langhorne. The group was advertised as “Families Unite for Mental Health” and continued to meet at the library for the better part of a more »
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Strength Over Silence: Stories of Courage, Culture and Community
July 28, 2018In this three-part docuseries, NAMI explores unique perspectives on mental health from the African-American and Latino communities. Through candid and courageous stories of lived experience, these mental health champions share their journeys of resiliency and recovery. Barbershop Confessions in the Big Easy Meet Lorenzo Lewis, founder of The Confess Project, and learn how he uses more »
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Minority Mental Health Matters
July 23, 2018Rohan Sharma Shares His Story for Minority Mental Health Month – “My name is Rohan Sharma, and though my journey with mental illness has been difficult at times, I am actually very grateful because it has helped me to grow in many ways. My story begins in the Fall of 2011, where I was a more »
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NAMI MAN Goes To Therapy
July 22, 2018Mental Health Superheroes Need Therapy Too! There is no shame in going to therapy. Mental Health Superheroes need therapy too. If you haven’t found what works for you, fear not! There are many kinds of therapy and support available. Don’t give up before you find what works best for you!
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Personal Stories: Andrienne’s #BestLife
July 11, 2018“You Can Live Your Best Life Despite A Mental Illness” I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder about 4 years ago. When I was first diagnosed I thought that my life was over. This was because I was once a person who had a preconceived idea of what a “crazy” person looked more »
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NAMICon18 Photo Highlights
July 2, 2018It has been an extraordinary week at the 2018 NAMI National Convention for NAMI MAN and team NAMI Bucks County, PA. Here are a few highlights in pictures while we make our way back to Bucks County and prepare to continue our mission of education, advocacy and support.
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Personal Stories: Can Faith and Mental Illness Coexist?
June 27, 2018Our friend Brandon Mullins says it can, just in time for the end of #MensMentalHealthMonth. When I was a child, I remember my grandparents coming over to visit. My grandmother never said much. Her facial expressions never changed. It was always the same hardened look, her eyes fixed on something faraway, like she wasn’t fully more »
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NAMI Homefront is now ONLINE!
June 24, 2018– NAMI Homefront NAMI Homefront is a free, 6-session educational program for families, caregivers and friends of military service members and vets with mental health conditions. Based on the nationally recognized NAMI Family-to-Family program, NAMI Homefront is designed to address the unique needs of family, caregivers and friends of those who have served or are more »
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NAMI Releases New Crisis Guide
April 26, 2018Navigating a Mental Health Crisis When mental illness is present, the potential for crisis is never far from mind. Crisis episodes related to mental illness can feel incredibly overwhelming. There’s the initial shock, followed by a flood of questions—the most prominent of which is: “What can we do?” People experiencing mental illness—and the people who more »
Read More18th Bucks County Crisis Intervention Team Training Graduation
April 8, 201838 officers graduated from the 18th Bucks County Crisis Intervention Team training class (read more about the training below) on Friday, April 6, 2018 with knowledge of how to treat mental illness as a disease, not a crime. NAMI of PA, Bucks County Chapter congratulates these fine graduates, and applauds the County of Bucks and more »
Read MorePersonal Stories: Don’t Call Me Crazy
March 18, 2018Personal Stories Don’t Call Me Crazy by Robert Spencer In the light of recent events, there has been a lot of focus on mental illness and it hasn’t been positive. Studies have shown that people living with mental illness are far more likely to be the victims of violent crimes than the perpetrators, but more »
Read MoreSCASD Education Foundation Creates Student Mental Health Fund
February 19, 2019State College Area School District Education Foundation has established a new fund that will support student mental health and well-being initiatives across the district. The Mental Health Matters fund will be supported by foundation fundraising efforts and will be the beneficiary of the second annual Maroon & Gray Society Banquet in May. “Our role as more »
Read MorePeople With Serious Mental Illnesses Are Waiting Months, Up To ‘A Year Or More’ To Get Treatment
The former Harrisburg State Hospital closed in 2006 and now serves as government offices. BRETT SHOLTIS Twenty-four-year-old Samantha Valley is a familiar face to staff at Dauphin County’s Case Management Unit, where she meets regularly with her caseworker. Valley’s birth mother lost custody of her, and Valley spent her preschool years in foster care. She more »
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