The CNS Anti Stigma team is excited to be planning our Fourth Annual Stomp Out Stigma 5K Run Walk!! The event, which has been wildly successful in past years, will be on Saturday, September 17, 2011. On that day, registration begins at 8:00, and the run will start at 9:00, with the walk starting once the runners have left. Be sure to register early!!

Before September 1, the entry fee is $20. September 1 and after,
the entry fee is $25.

You can register online by going to www.getmeregistered.com HERE and typing "stomp out stigma" in the search field. 

Thanks to all of you, this event has been both fun and fruitful in its first three years. We can't wait to share it with you again this year!

For more information or sponsorship opportunities please contact Amy Yashinsky at 248-871-1403 or ayashinsky@cnsmi.org

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Mental Health First Aid was such a success in 2010!  We are excited to announce the upcoming dates for 2011!  Mental Health First Aid is a two-day training.  Training on both days will begin at 9:30 and end at 4:30. 

2011 Mental Health First Aid Training Dates:
May 19-20—FULL!!
July 28-29—FULL!!
September 22-23—FULL!!

The cost of training will be $30/person and will cover instruction materials and lunch on both days.

What is Mental Health First Aid?

People who enroll in the Mental Health First Aid training learn a five-step action plan to help loved ones, colleagues, neighbors, and others cope with mental health problems.  Similar to traditional First Aid and CPR, Mental Health First Aid is help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis until professional treatment is obtained or the crisis resolves.  Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based public education and prevention tool—it improves the public’s knowledge of mental health problems and connects people with care for their mental health.  

Who should take Mental Health First Aid?  Everybody!     

Hospitals and Health Care Centers, School employees, Direct-care Home Staff, Families and Caring Citizens, Nurses, Policymakers, Faith Community Members, Law Enforcement/Justice, Mental Health Authority Employees
This program has been made possible by  Community Network Services  and
Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority

For more information about scheduling a training for your agency, group, or community, please contact Amy Yashinsky at 248-871-1403 or ayashinsky@cnsmi.org

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Stigma is when someone judges you based on a personal trait. Unfortunately, this is a common experience for people who have a mental health condition. Stigma may be obvious and direct, such as someone making a negative remark about your mental illness or your treatment. Or it may be subtle, such as someone assuming you could be unstable, violent or dangerous because you have a mental health condition. You may even judge yourself.

Some of the harmful effects of stigma can include:

• Lack of understanding by family, friends, colleagues or others you know
  
• Discrimination at work or school
  
• Difficulty finding housing
  
• Bullying, physical violence or harassment
  
• Health insurance that doesn't adequately cover your mental illness
  
• The belief that you will never be able to succeed at certain challenges or that you can't improve your situation
  

Here are some ways you can deal with stigma:

Get treatment. You may be reluctant to admit you have a condition that needs treatment. Don't let the fear of being "labeled" with a mental illness prevent you from seeking help. Treatment can provide relief by identifying what's wrong in concrete terms and reducing symptoms that interfere with your work and personal life.

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Mark your July calendars and get a group together (with a driver) and head out to see "Creative Minds, Changing Minds," exhibition opening Friday, July 1 at the Novi Public Library and Novi Civic Center. The Show will be at the Novi Public buildings, 45255 W. Ten Mile Road, until Monday, July 18, when it will move to Crittenton Hospital, 1101 West University Drive, Rochester for exhibition until July 29.

Two paintings, "The Party," by Jennifer Leonard, from Holly and "Lovin the Happiness," by Sean Turner, also from Oakland County will be featured. The 36 artists whose work is represented in this statewide juried traveling art show are individuals of all ages who are living with a mental illness or a developmental disability. Each receives supports and services from their local Community Mental Health Agency in the state of Michigan. This venue in Oakland County is sponsored by the Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority and the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards (MACMHB).

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We have reached another important milestone in the expansion of the CNS Anti-Stigma program. June 25, 2011 was our first opportunity to present at an international conference. We were honored to be a part of the 12th Annual Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Care Conference that was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Being asked to speak at an international conference was humbling, to say the least, and it was also very exhilarating at the same time. One of the things that stood out the most in my mind is that people are basically the same all over the world and we all want the same things. We all want safe shelter, food, and companionship and it doesn't matter who we are or where we are, we all have these same needs and desires. I also found it interesting that the same struggles we have in Michigan — cuts to mental health budgets, large caseloads with limited staff to properly meet the needs that the consumers they serve have — are also common on a national and international level. The more we try to find how we're all so different the more it's proven that we're really the same!

Our workshop was very well received by those who attended and it is my hope that we will continue to expand our horizons to include more contacts with the international mental health community!

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