Members of local church congregations gathered Tuesday evening, Oct. 9 to learn about the important role they can play in coping with the scourge of mental illness.
“Faith is a powerful component,” said Joe Ashworth, a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Southern Maryland.
The event, billed as a “Night Out with NAMI,” was held at the St. John Vianney Family Life Center in Prince Frederick. The evening out was part of NAMI’s observance of Mental Illness Awareness Week.
Speakers at the event included family members of individuals with mental illness and those who continue to cope with such afflictions as bipolar disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder.
“I was a total basket case,” said Charlene, who explained her PTSD and personality disorder led her “biological family” to shun her. She found solace in her church. “My church is my family,” she said.
Dealing with her bipolar disorder was “an uphill challenge” said Cassie, who added that joining a church “helped me understand I am not alone.”
Amy said that her son’s bipolar disorder “hit our family like a tsunami.” She described mental illness as “a no casserole illness,” meaning that unlike a family touched by cancer, no friends are there to visit, bring food and lend support when a mental illness must be endured.
“People who have mental illness have a lot to offer us,” said Amy, who added her son has come back to the family’s church and is doing better.
The event’s Power Point presentation was a blend of discouraging and encouraging information. Ashworth reported the startling statistics—one in every four adults will experience a mental health disorder in a given year and one child in 10 will have a mental illness. Additionally, about 20 to 25 percent of jail and prison inmates live with mental illness.
Although the Southern Maryland area continues to grow—Ashworth estimated the local NAMI chapter serves a population of 350,000—the region is seriously lacking in the resources and healthcare providers needed to address the issue.
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