I am not sick, I don't need help!

Dr. Xavier Amador is an internationally sought-after speaker, clinical psychologist, professor at Columbia University Teachers College in New York City, the Founder and Director of the LEAP™ Institute and author of eight books including the national best seller I’m Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help!™

In this video he talks about dealing with anosognosia, the lack of insight regarding a mental illness. The video was recorded during the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia's Annual Conference in 2005.

For a PowerPoint presentation on Dr. Amador's Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner (LEAP) approach, click here.

Part 1 of 2 (57 minutes)

Part 2 of 2 (53 minutes)

This video was reviewed by Schizophrenia.com on December 27, 2006. To read the review, please click here.


Other videos featuring Dr. Amador:

Cambridge Talk on Helping People with Mental Illness - October 2, 2012 (NAMI Cambridge Chapter)

Keynote speech to the annual convention of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (May 2011)

2011 Nordic Psychiatry Academy Interview with Dr. Amador

"I am not Sick, I don't need help!" presentation at the 2011 Nordic Psychiatry Academy

Anosognosia Workshop — July 3, 2010 (NAMI Conference)

Also see:

I am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help! How to help someone with mental illness accept treatment. 10th Anniversary Edition

Personal Directives - Nova Scotia

Also see:

Personal Directives

Elyn Saks: A tale of mental illness -- from the inside

Also see:

Elyn Saks

The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness

Laing House Virtual Tour

Also see:

Laing House

Glenn Close, Jessie Close, and Calen Pick speak about stigma, prejudice, and discrimination

Also see:

Bring Change 2 Mind

Living with Schizophrenia

To view the entire video (25.5 minutes), please click here.

Also see:

Living with Schizophrenia: A Call for Hope and Recovery

Overcoming Schizophrenia

Rochester group launches website devoted to schizophrenia

An article posted on August 22nd by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:

By Michael Zeigler

A Rochester-area organization that raises money for research and education about schizophrenia is marking its 25th anniversary by taking to the Internet.

CARES (Committee to Aid Research to End Schizophrenia) has launched cares-web.com, a website offering information about the complex mental disorder that can cause depression, delusions and paranoia.

The site includes more than 100 videos by medical professionals about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment; the emotional impact on families; dealing with stigma; and community resources for families and caregivers.

Beginning this fall, the site also will include "CARES Corner," a monthly feature in which viewers can interact with health professionals on specific subjects.

"We'll be able to reach hundreds and thousands more people than we have before," said the organization's president, John Delehanty of Penfield.

CARES was started in 1986 by Barbara Swigert of Penfield after her daughter was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Since then, the organization has held fundraisers and donated $250,000 to assist more than 90 research projects.

CARES had planned this year to end large fundraising events, such as golf tournaments, because its members were aging.

The group still planned to accept donations, however.

But at a luncheon in June, Dr. J. Steven Lamberti, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and health educator Thomas Conant unveiled a proposal to develop a website that would be a resource for people with schizophrenia and their families, Delehanty said.

The organization agreed and the site was up and running by early August.

The website includes a donation function. The organization also will continue its plans to conduct mail-in fundraisers, Delehanty said.

MZEIGLER@DemocratandChronicle.com

One Man’s Journey Through Crime, Drugs, Schizophrenia and Rehabilitation

An article and video posted yesterday by the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange:

By Leonard Witt

When Andrew Peterman of Idaho first came into the juvenile justice system at age 15, he did not know that schizophrenia was driving his anger, which in turn was resulting in arrests and illicit drug and alcohol usage. In time, thanks to juvenile detention and treatment for his schizophrenia he has been able to straighten out his life.

In fact, he has come so far on his journey that the Coalition for Juvenile Justice awarded him the 2011 National CJJ Spirit of Youth Award to “recognize and celebrate a young adult…who has made great strides through involvement with the juvenile justice system, overcome personal obstacles and is today making significant contributions to society.” In the video below by Leonard Witt, Peterman tells of his journey through crime, drugs, schizophrenia and rehabilitation.

Also see:

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia's YouTube Channel

New film -- Living with Schizophrenia: A Call for Hope and Recovery

I highly recommend this film.

From this website:

This film is dedicated to the approximately two million Americans living with schizophrenia, and to the people supporting them in their journeys of recovery.

"Living with Schizophrenia: A Call for Hope and Recovery" explores the lives of three people living with schizophrenia, a chronic brain disorder that can be severe and disabling and often is misunderstood and stigmatized. The documentary reveals their daily struggles, personal insights about the illness, and paths the mental health recovery process.

These are the stories of hope that aren’t making headlines.

"Living with Schizophrenia" was funded and produced by Janssen Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The people featured in the film present their own stories and ideas and were not compensated by Janssen to appear in the film. Janssen does not endorse any organization, source of information or project named in the film. Janssen products are not named or promoted in the film.

To view the film, please click here.

Also see:

"Living with Schizophrenia" Documentary Shines Spotlight on People with Schizophrenia: A Misunderstood and Stigmatized Illness

Overcoming Schizophrenia

Embracing My Mind, Inc. (EMM)

Rebecca Lyn Phillips (on Twitter)

Dr. Xavier Amador

What causes schizophrenia?

Also see:

Schizophrenia, what are the symptoms?

Schizophrenia, what are the treatments?

Schizophrenia, when is hospitalization required?

Schizophrenia, what should be done if a loved one might have it?

Schizophrenia, is it hereditary?

Schizophrenia, is it the same as multiple personality disorder?

Is schizophrenia a fatal diagnosis?

Is schizophrenia preventable?

Jeffrey Lieberman, M.D.

Do I Have Schizophrenia?

Please click here to view a larger version of this video.

Struggle

In Our Own Voice

For further information on In Our Own Voice, please click here.

oneinfive.ca - Speaking up about Nova Scotia Mental Health Issues

From www.oneinfive.ca:



To view more of the videos, please click here.

Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia Awareness Campaign

I am very impressed with the two new videos produced by the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia (MHFNS). They can by viewed by clicking here.

For those who don't know, the video featuring Mr. Robert Hunt (pictured), Chair, Board of Directors, MHFNS, was filmed in the tunnels connecting buildings at the Nova Scotia Hospital, through which patients, staff, and volunteers travel on a regular basis, particularly during the winter months.

Please click on the image to magnify it.

Schizophrenia and social cognition

Part 1 (above)




Part 2 (above)

I must note that the presenter uses the term "a schizophrenic person". This is unfortunate as it takes away from an otherwise very good presentation.

Fear | Less: Opening Minds about Schizophrenia

From the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario:

Fear|Less: Opening Minds about Schizophrenia explores one young man’s journey of living with schizophrenia. It balances the perspectives of Jesse (the young man) and that of his mother, Susan, while touching on the broader sociological and clinical perspectives.

Fear|Less first premiered at the October Schizophrenia Awareness Month reception kick-off in 2007, at Hart House, University of Toronto. It was subsequently screened at the Rendezvous with Madness film festival, and then at the U of T Film Festival, where it won a Director’s Award.

We are very proud of Fear|Less, and acknowledge the courage it took for Jesse and others to speak out on camera about schizophrenia.

This documentary was a co-production between SpaceCapsule Films and the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario.

To view this documentary, click here.

Overcoming the stigma

Group makes DVD about how mentally ill are treated

From the May 15th edition of The Chronicle Herald:

By Cathy von Kintzl (Truro Bureau)

TRURO — Joe was 15 and in high school when he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

"There’s a stigma in high school without mental illness," the young man says on a recently released educational DVD entitled Labelled: Mentally ill.

"It’s a hard place for a lot of kids. Throwing a severe bout of mania into that. . . . There was a lot of judgment from students and teachers. People thought I was on drugs or wanted attention. It was really difficult."

Experiences like Joe’s are reiterated time and again during the 30-minute documentary-style film created by five Colchester County residents who have experienced mental illness either personally, or through family or friends.

"Someone I knew approached me about four years ago with an idea for a video that addresses the stigma about mental illness," co-creator Geoff Alcock of Salmon River said in an interview Wednesday.

"People fear that if someone knows they have a mental illness, they’ll be discriminated against."

And sometimes they are discriminated against at work, in school, in social settings and beyond, he said.

Those situations drove the project team into action.

Mr. Alcock, Jane Bermingham of Truro, Christina Myhre of Central North River and Audrey Bailey and Belinda Meers of Bible Hill held their first meeting in 2005 and applied for funding from the provincial Health Department.

The team got $36,500 and spent three years and countless volunteer hours making the DVD with a professional production company, Densmore’s Video Presentations.

The result is a collection of testimonials from people, like Joe, who are living with mental illness and the health professionals who work with them.

For example, there is Ken, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 31.

"You don’t want to be mentally ill," he said on the DVD. "It’s a disability that we’ve got. It’s not our fault."

Ken blames the media for some public misconceptions he encounters, such as that mentally ill people are dangerous.

"People are unfortunately being educated by the TV and it doesn’t give a realistic portrayal."

Ms. Bermingham said during the same interview with Mr. Alcock that she’d like to see the DVD, which is available free of charge to organizations, in every school and library and in the hands of church, service and community groups so that people of all ages can see it.

"I think family and friends of people diagnosed with mental illness sometimes don’t know how to handle it, what to do," she said.

The group hopes the DVD will help, and members say it isn’t really about educating people about mental illnesses as much as better identifying and overcoming stigmas associated with them.

"I think we’ve come a long way, but we still have a way to go," Ms. Bailey said.

For information, Ms. Bermingham can be reached at 895-8947 and Ms. Bailey at 893-7636.

Audrey Bailey holds a copy of the DVD Labelled: Mentally ill. Other members of the project team are Geoff Alcock, Jane Bermingham and Christina Myhre. (Photograph by Cathy von Kintzel / Truro Bureau)

Stroke of insight: Jill Bolte Taylor on TED.com

From TEDBlog:

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story of recovery and awareness -- of how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another. (Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 18:44.)

She begins her talk by stating:

"I grew up to study the brain because I have a brother who has been diagnosed with a brain disorder, schizophrenia. And as a sister and as a scientist, I wanted to understand, why is it that I can take my dreams, I can connect them to my reality, and I can make my dreams come true - what is it about my brother’s brain and his schizophrenia that he cannot connect his dreams to a common, shared reality, so they instead become delusions?"




Click on the arrow to start the video.

Demystifying Medicine - Schizophrenia: Clinical and Basic Aspects

National Institutes of Health Videocasting

Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Total Running Time: 1:55:00

To view the video, click here.