100 REASONS TO LIVE

Thank you to NAMI for providing the following article! 

Gaining Support and Fighting Stigma through Music

By Maggie Smith, NAMI Information Assistant

You can hear the notes drifting through the air, the sound rising and falling as the musicians play their instruments, following the rise and fall of the conductor’s hands. It seems as effortless and natural as the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe in and out. It’s hard to believe that the music you are hearing is the result of nearly 30 individuals, ranging from age 8 to older than 70, playing about a dozen different instruments at the same time. And for some, it might be harder to believe that these individuals’ lives are all impacted in some way by mental illness. In fact, the members of this orchestra live with illnesses including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, ADHD, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia and addiction.

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Supporting Change!      
Article introduction by Brianna Palmer

On July 12^th an article was posted on the Asbury Park Press website regarding mental illness and stigma. The article explains in detail the never ending cycle of stigma and how it prevents many people with mental illnesses from seeking treatment. Celina Gray, Director of the Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma talked about the different aspects of mental health and stigma in an informal talk given on June 18^th. She stressed the importance of realizing that a mental illness is no different than any other illness, such as cancer, and that the world needs to stop treating it as different. She also talked about how stress on children, such as bullying in high school, was having a powerful impact on their mental health. The article stresses the importance of ruling your mental health and seeking treatment no matter what. The ultimate goal of the future is to raise awareness and decrease stigma all together. This article is an important one in relation to the mental health community and reflects the goal we ourselves have. To read the full article, click here.

The Common Thread
 by Tara Forney-Apgar

What do Albert Einstein, Babe Ruth, Bill Cosby and Will Smith have in common? Aside from being famous and achieving great success, they all share something else.  Each one of these famous American’s, along with many other notable people, are known to have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  It’s not uncommon to categorize people or identify them by their disorders or conditions.  Yet, like everyone else, people with ADD or ADHD have many, many great qualities outside of their diagnosis.  Read more here.

Submissions to the Website

Do you have an article, picture, poem or story that you would like to share?  Please submit it to us at mail@stigmahurts.org.  Submissions will be reviewed by the committee and posted to the website.   Include your contact information so we can let you know as they are posted!