The Cook County North Suburban Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (“NAMI CCNS”) has announced a new Executive Director and a new Program Director to lead the organization in its mission to assist individuals and families coping with mental illness. Jeffrey Rabin was appointed as Executive Director of NAMI CCNS...
2022 is coming to a close, and what a year it’s been! We’re excited to offer many of our classes and events in person, and it’s been a delight to connect with friends old and new. At NAMI CCNS, helping others is not just a duty, but a calling; and...
Health officials preparing to broaden the reach of a national mental-health crisis line are working to strengthen an overstretched network of call centers that didn’t connect with about one in six callers in recent years, a Wall Street Journal data review showed. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will transition on...
SPENCER, Okla. — Even on the day Alania Vasquez reported her 14-year-old son to police, the enormity of the decision hadn’t fully hit her. She told an officer who came to her apartment that she believed her son would hurt people, likely at a school. He had a growing obsession...
Dear Friends, What a year! With all that’s happening in the world, it’s important more than ever to remember what matters most. At NAMI CCNS, we’ve been busy as usual—educating the community through presentations, helping callers on our Warm Line, hosting dozens of community education events on a broad range...
Nothing ever truly prepares a person for combat or the hardships of military life. Soldiers quickly learn that they need each other more than anything! They fight for each other and die for each other. Bonds solidify and men stand side-by-side and shoulder-to-shoulder. Soldiers survive because of these bonds in...
Incredibly, we’re approaching the Two Year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic (it did start about this time two years ago), which forced many of us to retreat to our homes for long-term social isolation. Not surprisingly, our collective mental health is the worse for the wear because of it. Therapists...
National Alliance on Mental Illness Support groups bring together people who are experiencing — or have experienced — similar challenges or experiences. Examples include: bereavement, caregiving, cancer diagnoses, or mental health issues in loved ones. Like a bridge between participants’ shared challenges and resulting emotional health, support groups offer emotional...
COVID-19 is affecting everyone. It has become a health crisis that threatens our physical and psychological well-being. Even if we’re lucky enough to steer clear of the disease, we’re nonetheless socially distanced, our work may have dried up or completely changed, businesses around us are closing, and our children are...
There are many questions we ask ourselves about suicide. The biggest question for families and loved ones left behind by someone who commits suicide is always, “WHY?” Why would they do that? How could I have prevented it? The only real way to prevent it is to learn more and...
Although the moniker ‘eating disorder’ specifically mentions eating, eating disorders are about far more than food; they are a range of psychological conditions that result in unhealthy eating habits. Eating disorders are surprisingly prevalent; in the U.S. alone, 20 million women and 10 million men are estimated to have suffered...
The social isolation effects on mental health are being seen all over the world! In most parts of the country, we’re living under conditions that we have never experienced before. For the first time in our lives, we’ve been sheltering in place for almost four months now, with an uncertain...
Mental health providers and the US Department of Veterans Affairs’ medical staff have kept thousands of veterans in treatment through telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. But as the pandemic’s social isolation drags on, and job losses keep piling up, leaving financial crises in their wake, the mental health fallout is...
Perhaps you’re considering online mental health therapy, but are wondering if it is as powerful as in-person therapy. During our current time of social distancing because of COVID-19, even many clinicians who normally only conduct in-person therapy have switched to online formats. Meeting online can offer better appointment availability, since...
The current pandemic is affecting just about everyone. We’ve been separated from friends and loved ones, disconnected from many of our favorite activities, and become full-time remote employees and homeschool coaches. Many people have lost their jobs altogether, and some have lost their businesses or are in the process of...