NAMI cites Center for reporting of mental illness

NAMI Dane County has presented its annual Media Award to the Wisconsin Center for analytical Journalism for stories that increased the public’s understanding of mental illness. The award recognized the Center’s extensive coverage of perinatal depression among low-income mothers, Wisconsin’s high suicide rates and elevated suicide rates among Native Americans in Wisconsin and nationwide. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is a nonprofit, proletariat organization that strives to improve the lives of people living with serious mental disorder.

In accepting the award April 5 at NAMI’s awards dinner, the Center’s managerial director, Andy Hall, and reporter and multimedia manager, Kate Golden, dedicated it to the families who shared their stories to foster public understanding of suicides and perinatal depression and potential strategies for prevention. They also recognized work of former Center reporting interns Sara Jerving and Allie Tempus, who wrote the stories; and news organizations that collaborated on the reporting, including Wisconsin Public Radio, IndianCountryTV.com, Wisconsin Public Television and Native America Calling.

Mental health boost for provincial WA

New state funding is expected to boost the excellence and number of mental health workers in regional Western Australia. The State Government has handed the Western Australian Association for Mental Health nearly $1.7 million to dispense to non-government agencies over the next two years.

The association's Stephen Hall says the money will go towards recruiting and preparation mental illness workers. "We can increase the capacity of the workforce with training and other things around that," he said. "That's particularly important for service delivery in rustic and remote settings, having a professional workforce that is well trained and has the proficiency that is needed on the ground."

Housing vital to treat mental health issues

I am a senior who volunteers three times a week on the psychoanalysis in-patient unit. I have been doing that volunteer work for over three years and have never felt concern for my safety. The truth is that the vast majority of people with a mental health are not threatening or dangerous. Rather, they are much more likely to be fatalities of crime.


It saddens me that so many people have stigmatized those with a mental illness as being bad or weak-willed, or frightening or dangerous. That simply is just not true. People with mental illnesses are just like you and me. Chances are someone you know has a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness. Councillors needs to educate themselves on the realities of mental illness and become true leaders in Nanaimo. They must allow the housing for people with mental illness to ensue.

Accesses to food can collision mental health

New research is flaking light on how a lack of access to food affects our mental health. Staff at the University of Otago in Wellington has found a lack of access to safe, nutritious, affordable food is a growing problem in New Zealand and is adding to psychological suffering amongst thousands of adults. Dr Kristie Carter says females are more at risk than males of suffering from so-called food insecurity, as are those who struggle to afford food. She hopes the research can be used by health and welfare agencies to tackle food uncertainty and mental illness hand-in-hand.

Mental Disorders and Fatness

Studies have shown a strong connection between common mental disorder and obesity. It is suggested that people with repeated episodes of common mental disorder are particularly at risk of following obesity. There are several possible reasons or explanations for the finding that importunate common mental illness and emotional problems like anxiety, depression, stress, and fear are the risk factors for obesity.


In a prospective followers study with four measures of common mental disorders and obesity over 19 years conducted at the civil service department in London it was concluded that in the British adults common mental disorders lead to an augmented risk of obesity. The association was found to be cumulative such that the people with chronic or repeat episodes of common mental disorder are particularly at the jeopardy of weight gain.

Clemons tackles mental illness shame

Canadian Football League legend Michael (Pinball) Clemons describes Mental illness as a huge linebacker delivering a hit from the blind side. "It consistently delivers crushing, if not fatal blows to our business community and families," he said today at the Mental Fitness pinnacle, being held at the Centre for Health & Safety Innovation, on Creek bank Rd.


Clemons is keynote speaker at the day-long event, helping crowd organizations High Point Wellness Centre, the University of Toronto's Division of General Psychiatry, and Workplace Safety and Prevention Services tackle the stigma surrounding mental illness in the workplace. It's anticipated that mental illness costs Canada $51 billion per year, according to Dr. Jayne Baker, who works with the Mental Health Commission of Canada. About one in five Canadians is pretentious by mental illness, The Canadian Institutes of Health Research reports. Senior leaders and those in attendance participated in an open discussion about mental health and a number of seminars that aim to authorize people to improve their own mental health.

England cricket ace’s optimistic spin on mental health

The England cricketer flew home from the World Cup after keeping his illness a clandestine from most of his team-mates. Being open about this condition, Yardy, 30, has offered support to millions of people who may be suffering in silence. In the UK, one in four of us will be affected at some point during our lifetime - but we're not alone. Celebrities counting George Michael, Uma Thurman, Dame Kelly Holmes and Dancing On Ice star Denise Welch have all spoken out about their Mental illness.

Mark Davies, from the Mental health charity Rethink, said: "In being honest and open about their problems celebrities show great bravery and also give heart to millions of people who suffer in silence because of the fear of stigma and favoritism. "Now it's Michael Yardy. But many others in the public eye - such as Stephen Fry and Alastair Campbell - have done the same thing. "What they show is that mental illness is like any other illness. It can affect anyone regardless of who they are or what they do. Attitudes ARE changing as a result of their bravery." Mark added that it is wrong to think of the condition as not being able to handle stress.