Reverend Susan Gregg-Schroeder - Mental Health Ministries – to erase
the stigma of mental illness - MHM e-Spotlight - Winter 2014
The New Year - A Time of New Beginnings
New Year's Resolutions
One of the marks of the New Year is making resolutions. High on the list of resolutions is the desire
to improve health. Over 66 percent of
adult Americans are considered overweight or obese so it is not surprising to
find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. People
buy exercise equipment and join gyms.
Many of those exercise machines end up in garage sales or on eBay. After a few months of good intentions, gym
attendance often lapses.
But approximately ten million people in the United States suffer
from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder. Many medications used to treat mental illness
can also cause weight gain. Eating
disorders can lead to severe medical complications, depression, isolation and
substance abuse. If left untreated,
eating disorders can even be fatal.
Video - Wasting Away: Eating Disorders
Mental Health Ministries has added a video to our website,
Wasting Away: Eating Disorders. More
than 90% of those who have an eating disorder are women between the ages of 12
and 25 although we are seeing an increase in eating disorders.
In our video two families share their struggles in dealing with
eating disorders. You can view this
resource on the Mental Health Ministries Home page or at
http://youtu.be/q5ud-5QSfls
<iframe width="420" height="315"
src="//www.youtube.com/embed/q5ud-5QSfls" frameborder="0"
allowfullscreen></iframe>
Article - Bipolar Disorder Takes Different Path in Patients Who
Binge Eat
The Mayo Clinic released a study about eating disorders and
persons with bipolar disorder. Bipolar
disorder appears to take a different path among patients who binge eat than it
does in patients with bipolar who are obese but do not binge eat, according to
a study published online in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Close to 10 percent of Americans with bipolar have some form of
binge eating disorder. Within that group, suicidal thoughts, psychosis, anxiety
disorders and substance abuse are more likely. It was more common for women
than men with bipolar disorder to binge eat or to be obese, the study
showed. The article is available at
http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2013-rst/7588.html
Support Group Resource - Starting a Spiritual Support Group for
Mental Health and Wellness in Your Faith Community
Interfaith Network on Mental Illness has a document to help
faith communities start a support group based on the pioneering work done by
the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Boulder,
Colorado. It is available at
http://www.inmi.us/data/Starting_a_Spiritual_Support_Group2.pdf
Website - Interfaith Directory on Faith/Spirituality and Mental
Health
After the White House Conference on Mental Health last June, the
Interfaith Network on Mental Illness (INMI) proposed to develop an on-line
directory for all organizations that are working on the intersection between
faith/spirituality and mental health.
You are invited to go to the directory and register your faith community
or organization at www.inmi.us/fwconn.
For questions you can contact Joanne Kelly at joanne.kelly@inmi.us.
Organizing a Successful Conference
With the busy holiday season behind us, many congregations and
collaborative groups are looking ahead to planning a workshop or conference to
address spirituality/faith and mental illness.
We know that education is the first step in desigmatizing mental
illness. Mental Health Ministries offers
a handout to help your planning committee begin to think about planning an
event appropriate to your needs. It is
helpful to see what other groups are doing and two upcoming conferences are
included in this Spotlight. There are
some basic ideas and a suggested schedule for a half day or full day conference
on our website.
Conference - Creating Hope: The Power of Faith Communities in
Mental Health Recovery
Pathways to Promise will host a one day conference on Wednesday,
January 15, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois.
For more information on this conference, “Creating Hope: The Power of
Faith Communities in Mental Health Recovery,” visit the Pathways to Promise
website at www.Pathways2Promise.org.
Conference - Walking Together
A Walking Together Conference will be held in Houston, Texas,
February 6-8, 2014. The focus of the conference
is, “Christian Communities & Faithful Response to Mental Illness.” Over three days in February, the Walking
Together conference will convene nationally recognized scholars and local
community leaders to explore these questions. For more information go to:
http://www.reimagininglifetogether.org/event/walking-together-conference/
Journal of Muslim Mental Health
Journal of Muslim Mental HealthThe Journal of Muslim Mental
Health has announced that it now provides free access online to full text
content. Go to website: http://www.journalofmuslimmentalhealth.org.
The current issue (Vol. 7, Issue 2) focuses on stigma
experienced by Muslims. The following are article titles in this issue: Mental
Health Stigma in the Muslim Community; Attitudes Toward Muslim Americans
Post-9/11; Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors of Muslim Immigrants in the
United States; and American Muslim College Students: The Impact of
Religiousness and Stigma on Active Coping.
Congregational Assessment Tool
The Congregational Accessibility Network from the Anabaptist
Disabilities Network has developed a survey that asks about various kinds of supports
for persons living with disabilities, including mental health. You can find
that section of the survey at http://www.accessibilitynetwork.net/Survey/Survey_Overview/Support
It Worked For Us
We can learn from each other. The Models of Ministry page on the
Mental Health Ministries website is a way for faith communities to share what
they are doing…what has worked and what the challenges have been. How did your
ministry get started? Where did you find the support and encouragement to move
forward? What resources did you find helpful? Each congregation is unique and
will create ministries appropriate to the needs of their community.
There are many exciting and creative ministries out there! Seeds
are being planted and many are flourishing in surprising ways. Because it is an
ever evolving and changing landscape, staffing and funding cutbacks impact
outreach programs. Therefore, it is not possible to keep a current list of
active ministries. Instead my hope is that the models shared may be a springboard
to provide ideas and encouragement to begin or expand a mental health ministry
in your own garden.
You are invited and encouraged to share what is happening in
your congregation, faith group or community to erase the stigma of mental
illness and provide caring and compassionate support for persons affected by
mental illness. You can contact Mental Health Ministries through the website or
by e-mailing Susan at sgschroed@cox.net.
Mental Health Ministries on Facebook
FacebookWe encourage you to “Like” us on our Facebook page to
get timely updates on resources, articles, and ideas of what other people are
doing. We also encourage your comments
and contributions.
Snippets from Susan
Crystal Balls
The New Year is time to reflect on our lives. The busy holidays are over but the reality is
that most of us live very hectic, busy lives throughout the year. We often use the expression, "I'm
juggling too many balls," or "I can't keep all the balls in the
air."
As the New Year begins, I invite you to imagine that the most
important parts of your life are beautiful, fragile crystal balls. Naming the
crystal balls will be different for each of us. For many of us our crystal
balls will include such things as our faith, our true self, our family, our friends,
our passions, our hobbies, and maybe even aspects of our work.
Now imagine that all the other balls we struggle to keep in the
air are rubber balls. As we juggle all these balls, it is all right if the
rubber balls drop now and then. They will bounce back. But if we drop one of
the precious crystal balls, it will shatter... and be lost forever.
Treasure and care for the crystal balls in your life.
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Reverend Susan Gregg-Schroeder
Coordinator of Mental Health Ministries
6707 Monte Verde Dr.
San Diego, CA 92119
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