National Alliance on Mental Illness

BOARD OF DIRECTORS2014-2015

Executive Committee:Sue Guffey – President

Jimmy Walsh – 1st Vice PresidentMicah Mobley – 2nd Vice President

Eleanor Rohling – SecretaryJoel Willis – Treasurer

Shannon Weston – At LargeJoan Elder – At Large

Will O’Rear – Ex-Officio

Board Members:Dr. Pippa Abston

Dr. Army Daniel, Jr.Loy DimoffD.G. EwingPatti Ford

Dr. Nelson HandalDaisy Hollingsworth

Virginia MajorsJane Nichols

Caroline Titcomb ParrottAna Maria Ramirez Sawyer

Ruthie WarrenMichelle Alcathie-White

David Young

Lifetime Members:Rogene ParrisAnnie SaylorAnn Denbo

Sylvia Richey

Staff:Wanda Laird – Executive Director

Ethel Green – Assistant to Exec. DirectorRoxann Becker – Financial/Office Assistant

William Luckie – Bookkeeper

Inside This Issue...• NAMI’s 35th Annual Convention• Letter from President Sue Guffey • Message from Executive Director• 28th NAMI Alabama Annual Meeting

photos

FIND HELP. FIND HOPE.VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1 • SEPTEMBER 2014

• Schedule of Events• NIMH article, “Magnetic Stimulation

Boosts Human Memory, Network Connectivity”

Advocates for Change: From Dialogue to Action

The theme for the NAMI (National) Convention, which was held in Washington, D.C., was Advocates for Change: From Dialogue to Action. NAMI Alabama mem-bers were pleased to hear dynamic presentations from Virginia State Senator Creigh Deeds, singing star Demi Lovato, and former U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy (as shown to the left with the Color Guard).

Following the inspiring presentations, NAMI Alabama del-egates joined hundreds of advocates on Capitol Hill to participate in NAMI’s National Day of Action. They met

with Senator Jeff Sessions, a representative from Senator Shelby’s office as well as with a representative from each of the Alabama congressional offices to call on them to advocate for legislation supporting people with mental illness and their families, thus promoting the theme, Advocates for Change: From Dialogue to Action.

PARTNER

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

NAMI Alabama Delegates

NAMI Alabama Caucus1st Row L to R: Beverly Parker, Dr. Jackie Feldman, and Jackie Milton2nd Row L to R: Ethel Green, Ricky Hatcher, Dr. Nathan Kouns, and Daniel Williams3rd Row L to R: Connie Ewing, Lois Herndon, Melissa Schilling, Sue Guffey (President),

Zina May, and Larry Guffey4th Row: L to R: Joy Doering, Katie Darnell, Doug Collinsworth, Maggie Collinsworth,

and Doug Ford5th Row L to R: Roxann Becker, Helena Doering, Scott Elder, and Joan Elder

Letter from the President

Dear NAMI Family,

I am so excited and fired up after the events of the past two months. First was our 28th Annual Meeting in August. Outstanding speakers, good attendance, catching up with friends--a very positive experience. Commissioner Jim Reddoch’s favorable comments about NAMI Alabama and our work were encouraging. Ann Denbo and Rogene Parris were recognized for their pioneering work in mental health in Alabama. In fact, Ann Denbo was recognized for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend the meeting. We appreciate both of them for paving the way for us in Alabama. Congratulations to all of the award recipients! Please view the photo and topic of each speaker in this issue and contact the office (800-626-4199) if you wish to see a DVD of one of the presentations. We also appreciate Mary Elizabeth Perry for discussing the Regional Care Organizations (RCOs) and Sylvia Richey for sharing about the National Council for Behavioral Health Conference that she recently attended. Kudos to Wanda Laird, Ethel Green, Roxann Becker, and new volunteer Christopher Daniel who contributed to the success of this meeting. We also appreciate Ana Maria Ramirez Sawyer, Ida Lockette, Patti Ford, and Micah Mobley for assisting with the technical logistics. As always, the event would not have been possible without our sponsors (listed in this issue). Thank you! Thank you!

Please note our officers and Board members on the cover of this issue. Congratulations to the following Board members that were elected to serve again: Patti Ford, Dr. Nelson Handal, Jane Nichols, Ana Maria Ramirez Sawyer, and Dr. Joel Willis. Congratulations and welcome to new Board members: Dr. Army Daniel, Jr., Virginia Majors, David Young, and Loy Dimoff. Loy was appointed to replace Dr. Teruko Bredemann who is unable to complete her term. We look forward to working with everyone. The following committee chairpersons will be meeting with their committees soon to plan for the 2014-15 fiscal year: Joan Elder – Education, Daisy Hollingsworth – Membership, D.G. Ewing – Standards of Excellence, Dr. Joel Willis – Finance, and Dr. Pippa Abston – Advocacy.

The NAMI (National) Convention was the best I have attended (six). Our new Executive Director, Mary Giliberti, is a dynamic speaker, very motivational, compas-sionate, and so accessible. Her husband is from Oxford (as in Alabama, not England), and she assured me that she will be in Alabama from time to time and will be available to us. The second speaker I heard on Wednesday was Dr. Richard Shelton, Professor and Vice Chair of Research, UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology (he is way more impressive than his title!). Our own Dr. Jackie Feldman has been named Associate Medical Director of NAMI and will be working closely with the brilliant, personable, funny Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI’s Medical Director. Dr. Nathan Kouns, a young resident from UAB, was also in our delegation, and he is going to be a terrific asset to us. Everyone in the Alabama Delegation was so impressive, especially on Thursday when we went to the “Hill.” I truly believe we presented ourselves as a “force to be reckoned with.” We learned how much needs to be done to educate those who are supposed to be representing us. In short, I was extremely proud of everyone who attended. We have the passion, the drive, the desire, and the knowledge to make positive changes in mental health in this country. Not any of us will ever forget the experience of hearing Congressman Tim Murphy speak about H.R.3717 which he introduced in 2013. Learn all you can about this bill and the one introduced by Senator Tom Barber of Arizona--addresses many of the same issues but is not as comprehensive. Before our

trip to the “Hill,” we were inspired by Executive Director Mary Giliberti, Patrick Kennedy, Demi Lovato, and Senator Creigh Deeds. Another notable speech was by Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. If you can see any of these speeches on the NAMI site or elsewhere, please do so!

Our Alabama Caucus was well attended, and I was pleased with the efficient way we handled the election process. The NAMI Board winners are: Janet Edelman of Maryland, Marilyn Ricci of Connecticut, Adrienne Kennedy of Texas, Ron Morton of Tennessee, and Jim Hayes of South Carolina.

Daniel Williams shared with us that he has not only been voted to serve on the Veterans and Military Counsel Board but that he will be serving as President. One of his key responsibilities will be to draft a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the VA and NAMI to be implemented nationwide. We are so proud of Daniel!

Three events moved me to tears: the movie “Arts and Crafts,” the dramatic presentation “Bob: Blessed be the Dysfunction that Binds,” and country singer Jason DeShaw’s performance at the banquet.

Thank you, Delegates, who are continuing the follow-up work now that we are back in Alabama. Let us not forget to turn Dialogue into Action. We must move forward! We must adapt to change. We must move out of our comfort zones. Rekindle your passion!

Get fired up!

I love and appreciate you.

Sue Guffey Board President

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Message from the Executive Director

Through our partnership with Alabama State University, National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month (in July) was a big success. A panel discussion followed the screening of the documentary, Hidden Pictures: A Personal Journey into Global Mental Health, by Dr. Delaney Ruston. Our Hispanic Coordinator, Ana Maria Ramirez Sawyer, Dr. LaWanda Edwards, Associate Professor, Coordinator of Counselor Education Programs, ISP-College of Education, and Vincent D. Hinton, Assistant Professor in Counselor Education at ASU discussed various mental health issues with the audience. Attendees appreciated the opportunity to share personal and family circumstances. Immediately following the discussion, the audience was invited to tour the Nothing to Hide exhibit on display at ASU.

The Nothing to Hide exhibit, which was sponsored by NAMI Montgomery and NAMI Alabama, is a museum–quality photo-text traveling exhibit featuring photo-graphs and interviews with families whose lives are affected by issues such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, major depres-sion, and anxiety disorders. Their account demonstrates strength and accomplishment in the face of the adversity and stigma of mental illness. The Nothing to Hide exhibit is from Family Diversity Projects which is a non-profit organization devoted to educating people of all ages about the full range of diversity. It has been displayed by several affiliates around the state. We were pleased to also share it with Auburn University at Montgomery. During the month of August, it was on display in the Taylor Center where a reception was held for new students, faculty, and staff. Dr. Yulanda Tyre, Assistant Vice Chief Officer of Student Affairs, and Timothy Spraggins, Chief Diversity Officer thanked NAMI Alabama and NAMI Montgomery for providing the exhibit. We were given the opportunity to speak about NAMI and our outreach efforts, especially the fact that we are working on the development of an AUM NAMI on Campus Club. Troy State University students were also invited to tour the exhibit.

As we celebrate National Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Month (in September), we are excited to have Family to Family classes taking place during the months of September and October at NAMI Shoals, NAMI Mobile, NAMI Marshall County, NAMI Montgomery, and NAMI Montgomery/Tuskegee. We are also pleased to be working with the Council on Substance Abuse to promote our programs and provided educational materials. Ana Maria Ramirez Sawyer will also be participating in a panel discussion at ASU.

In addition to Family to Family, our other signature programs are doing well. We have an In Our Own Voice state training scheduled for October 10-12 and a Connection state training scheduled for November 14-16. Please promote these two trainings with your friends and colleagues. Our goal is to have more Connection support groups around the state. See the Schedule of Events for more information on events/activities scheduled throughout the year.

The first statewide NAMIWalk will be held in Montgomery on September 26, 2015 at the Wynton Blount Cultural Park. We need to raise funds to help promote our education, advocacy, support programs, and initiatives. Therefore, we hope that individuals and businesses will keep this in mind when planning budgets. Sponsor-ship levels range from $250 to $15,000. Teams of 10 should be able to raise at least $1,000. We are currently recruiting team captains. For more information, please call 800-626-4199. Updates will be emailed to our membership as we progress with this colossal project.

Jane Nichols, our Board NAMIWalk Chairperson, is pleased to announce that State Senator Cam Ward will be serving as our State Honorary NAMIWalk Chairperson! In accepting this position, Senator Ward said, “I am honored to work with such a dedi-cated group of activists to raise awareness for mental health issues in our state. Thousands of citizens in our state are challenged with mental health diagnoses every year. We have a real opportunity to provide needed assistance to our fellow Alabamians.” Thank you Senator Ward! NAMI Alabama is honored to be working with you.

We look forward to working with everyone during the 2014-15 fiscal year! Let’s continue to encourage individuals living with mental illness to FIND HELP. FIND HOPE.

Wanda Laird Executive Director

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Patricia Scheifler (R) of NAMI Birmingham

2014 NAMI Alabama AwardsPresident Sue Guffey presented awards and congratulated each recipient.

Special Recognition Awards

Paul Irvin of NAMI Birmingham Connie Ewing (L) and Zina May (R) accepted awards for Carmen Brown, WBLX Radio

Community Corner and Ryan “Pablo” Foster, WZEW Radio 92 Zew Community Round Table

Herb Maloney of NAMI Montgomery Jacqueline Wilson (L), President of NAMI Huntsville, accepted the award for Dr. Army Daniel

Connie Ewing (L) of NAMI Mobile

Consumer of the Year

Multicultural Faith Based Advocate Award

Outstanding Advocate of the Year

Recipient Judge William “Bill” Bostick (second from L) thanked Col. Bryan Morgan (L), Mentor

Coordinator, Shelby VTC, and NAMI Alabama Veterans Military Council Representative, Daniel Williams (R)

for their assistance with the mental health courts

Friend of the Court

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Zina May (L) accepted these two awards on behalf of Dani Dials, WALA Fox 10 TV News / Studio 10

Television Station and Michelle Matthews, Mobile Press Register Newspaper for publicizing the NAMI

Mobile Walk which was held in May.

Dr. Jacqueline Feldman

Television Station of the Year and Newspaper of the Year

Mental Health Professional of the Year

2014 NAMI Alabama AwardsPresident Sue Guffey presented awards and congratulated each recipient.

NAMI MobileZina May (Center), President of NAMI Mobile, accepted the award from Sue Guffey along with NAMI Mobile members from L to R: Carol Mann, Mary Elizabeth Perry, Ana Maria

Ramirez Sawyer, Ida Lockett, Connie Ewing, Loy Dimoff, and Melissa Slater

Shining Star Affiliate

Joy Doering (L), PresidentNAMI Birmingham

Shining Star Affiliate Leader

Betty Robertson (L) of NAMI Shoals

Rogene Parris Family Member of the Year

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28th Annual Meeting Presentations/Speakers

Commissioner Jim Reddoch

AL Department of Mental Health Update

Blake LeVineAuthor of Beating Bipolar and Founder of

BipolarOnline.com

The Importance of Support Groups and Treatment

in Bipolar Disorder

Chris A. Zeigler DendyAuthor and Publisher

The Importance of Support Groups and Treatment in Bipolar Disorder

Tommy Dendy

Kimberly BissetConsultant and Trainer, Radiate Career Consulting

Hope, Promise, and Strengths, Using the G.I.F.T., Gathering Inspiring Future

Talent Training for Young Adults Aspiring to be Peer Mentors

Susan SallinNAMI Basics Teacher and Parents and Teachers

as Allies Presenter

Bridging the Gap between the Provider and Individual Living

with Mental Illness

Bailey Davis (L), Program Manager, Jefferson County Community Corrections, UAB TASC Programs and

William North, Assistant District Attorney, Jefferson County

Mental Health Court: Creating a Practical, Flexible, and

Compassionate Alternative in the Criminal Justice System

28th NAMI Alabama Annual Meeting

SponsorsAlabama Department of Mental Health

Alabama Clinical Schools

Alabama Partnership for Telehealth, Inc.

AltaPointe Health Systems, Inc.

Crossbridge Behavioral Health

Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

Northeast Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. & Lundbeck

Teva Select Brands

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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Magnetic Stimulation Boosts Human Memory, Network ConnectivityFirst Direct Evidence – NIH-supported StudyAugust 28, 2014 • Science Update

Scientists have improved memory for associations between faces and words by electromagnetically stimulat-ing neural connections in a brain network. In the process, they produced the first direct evidence that stronger interactions between different areas of the human brain’s memory and thinking hubs underlie such associative memory.

“Our demonstration of a non-invasive method to target the function of deep brain structures could potentially be modified to treat disor-ders of hippocampus - cortex network connectivity, such as memory deficits in schizophrenia,” said Joel Voss, Ph.D., of Northwestern University, whose research was funded, in part, by NIMH. “However, substantial research will be required to move this technique from proof-of-concept to practical treatments.”

Voss, and colleagues, report on their functional neuroimaging study in the journal Science, August 29, 2014.

Evidence from animal research had suggested that associative memories are formed through interactions between the memory hub, the hippocampus, located deep in the brain, and a network of thinking circuitry in its outer mantle, or cortex.

To test this in humans, the Northwestern team jump-started network activity in 16 healthy adults over 5 consecutive days using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) – in which a small electro-magnet held over the skull triggers an electrical current in targeted brain tissue. Previous studies sug-gested that such a sustained course of rTMS boosts connectivity throughout the network.

For each participant, Voss’s team first pinpointed the optimal site to stimulate over a brain area near the skull at the left side of the brain. They based this on the site’s connectivity with a target area deep in the memory hub during a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan; fMRI provides a picture of which brain areas are active and connected at any given moment – the more in-synch the activity between sites, the more connectivity. Over the 5 days, the participants also performed a task in which they had to remember words associated with particular faces.

Both task performance and circuit connectivity improved after a few days of rTMS, but not after a similar course of sham, or placebo, rTMS. This confirmed that the stimulation did, indeed, account for the changes. The greater the connectivity among the network of brain areas, the more the subjects’ memory improved. The rTMS-triggered memory improvement lasted at least 24 hours.

The study confirms in human brain that memory depends on cortex areas working in concert with the hippocampus. It also demonstrates – for the first time – a way to non-invasively and specifically improve memory. Future trials will test the technique in people with memory impairments, said Voss.

Cortex regions that showed increased connectivity with a part of the brain’s memory hub (left), or hippocampus (red arrow), following magnetic stimulation at sites over the left parietal cortex (blue arrow). Researchers linked improved performance on an associative memory task to the boost in connectivity.

Source: Joel Voss, Ph.D., Northwestern UniversityReference: Wang JX, Rogers LM, Gross EZ, Ryals AJ, Dokucu ME, Brandstatt KL, Hermiller MS, Voss JL. Targeted Enhancement of cortical-hippocampal brain networks and associative memory. Science, August 29, 2014. Vol. 345 no. 6200 pp. 1054 1057 DOI: 10.1126/science.1252900See NIMH Director’s Blog: “Manipulating Memory.”

For more information, visit www.nimh.org.

Join NAMI and/or Renew Your MembershipWhen you become a member of NAMI, you become part of America's largest grassroots

organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals living with serious mental illness. Join online today!

Dues Structure:$35.00 Regular Membership

$3.00 Open Door Membership (for economic necessity only)

For more information, please call 334-396-4797.

1401 I-85 Parkway, Suite AMontgomery, AL 36106Phone: (334) 396-4797

Fax: (334) 396-4794Email: wlaird@NAMIAlabama.org

www.NAMIAlabama.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness

NAMI Alabama DonationsDonations

Virginia Majors | Sylvia Norton | Diana Schmidt

MemorialsCiavon Hartman in memory of Ruth Ann Miller

Ethel Green in memory of Don White

Jane Nichols

SeptemberNational Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Month

September 16-22 - National Wellness Week

OctoberADHD Awareness Month, Substance Abuse Month, and

National Disability Employment Awareness MonthOctober 5-11 - Mental Illness Awareness Week

October 10-12 - In Our Own Voice Presenter TrainingMontgomery, AL

October 9-15 - OCD Awareness WeekOctober 10 - National Bipolar Awareness Day

October 10 - National Depression Screening DayOctober 10 - Worldwide Mental Health Day

NovemberNovember 9-15 - Mental Health Wellness Week

November 14-16 - Connection Facilitator TrainingMontgomery, AL

JanuaryMental Wellness Month

FebruaryFebruary 20-21 - NAMI Alabama Leadership Meeting

February 23-March 1 - National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

MarchMarch 16-22 - National Brain Awareness Week

AprilAlcohol Awareness Month, Autism Awareness Month

April (TBD) - Alabama Recovery Conference - Shocco Springs

MayMental Health Month

May 2-8 - National Children’s Mental Health WeekMay 8 - National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day

May 4-10 - National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week

May 15-21 - Older Americans’ Mental Health WeekMay 18-24 - Schizophrenia Awareness Week

JuneJune 27 - National Post Traumatic Stress

Disorder Awareness Day

JulyNational Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

AugustAugust 20-22 - NAMI Alabama Annual Meeting