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NAMI-NYC
METRO'S NEWSLETTER --- SPRING 2006
From
the Executive Director
Wendy Brennan, MS
On
January 2 of this year, I began my tenure as the organization's
newexecutive director. Though I have been with NAMI-NYC Metro for
over three years, I can't think of a more exciting time to be working
here.
Read on...
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Where's NAMI?
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Addressing
the Lack of Mental Health Services on College Campuses
 by
Tom Kranidas, PhD
As members of the NAMI community, it's important
for us to recognize that there are very few of our chapters
on American campuses. There are some, of course: Jim Monti,
a college student, discusses in the August 2005 edition of
NAMI Connection his founding of a chapter at the University
of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. NAMI National, meanwhile,
now has an office for the development of campus chapters under
the direction of Renata Ponichtera. But the total of these
efforts is not yet enough to fully reach such a vulnerable
population. It is important to understand this and to encourage
a greater assimilation of students with mental illness into
campus society. Read
on...
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Q&A with with Pamela Spiro Wagner and Carolyn S. Spiro, PhD
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Authors of Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through
Schizophrenia
by Alison Burke
Divided Minds is a dual memoir of
identical twins, now in their early 50’s: Pamela, a writer
who has been struggling with schizophrenia since her teen
years,and Carolyn, a psychiatrist. Their story is told in
the alternating voices of the sisters. With striking honesty,
they revisit their inseparable childhoods, their competitive
teen years and their estranged college years where it becomes
clear that Pamela will forever struggle with mental illness
and Carolyn will desperately attempt to understand it. On
March 8, NAMI-NYC Metro held an evening evententitled “Siblings
and Schizophrenia: How Mental Illness Affects Sibling Relationships,”
at which the Spiros read from and discussed their memoir with
members of the NAMI community. Their reading was followed
by a panel discussion led by award-winning author Jay Neugeboren,
whose book, Imagining Robert, chronicles his brother’s
decades-long struggle with mental illness.
Read
on...
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"We've Been In the Hole Before and We Know How to Get Out"
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Interview with a NAMI-NYC Metro Peer Mentor
by Yana Gorin
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Bill, a peer
mentor here at NAMI-NYC Metro, to talk about his experiences
with the program. NAMI is currently looking for other consumers
like Bill to reach out to young people struggling with mental
illness. If you are interested in learning more about the
Peer Mentor Program, please contact the Helpline at 212.684.3264.
Read
on...
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Mental Health Services and Choosing a College
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Striking
a Balance
Reprinted
with permission from the NAMI on Campus web site
NAMI on Campus is an extension of the National Alliance on
Mental Illness. NAMI on Campus affiliates are student-run,
student-led organizations that provide mental health support,
education and advocacy in a university or college setting.
Currently, there are 23 NAMI on Campus affiliates, plus a
large number of groups in the initial stages of development.
This list of “must do's” before applying offers useful guidelines
to assist students and their families during the college decision
process. Read
on...
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From the Board
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Dear NAMI-NYC Metro Members and Friends,
The board of directors of NAMI-NYC Metro
wishes to announce that after six-and-a-half years of dedicated
service as executive director of NAMI-NYC Metro, Evelyn Roberts
has decided to leave NAMI and pursue new opportunities and
challenges. We are pleased to announce that Wendy Brennan,
who has been a member of the staff since June 2003, is our
new executive director, as of January 2, 2006. Read
on...
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