Blog articles from NAMI Santa Clara County
By Moryt Milo Simple gestures of financial kindness can end up costing someone who relies solely on government subsidies for their benefits. The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE) program is a way for those with a qualifying disability to achieve financial independence without worrying about breaching the $2,000 asset threshold. The program is…
By Moryt Milo When Dr. Manpreet Singh, associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, talks about the future for those with bipolar disorder, she is optimistic that early intervention and prevention can change the outcome for at-risk youth. Evidence from her clinical studies shows that family-focused psychotherapy can reduce…
The holiday season is supposed to be a time full of joy, parties and gatherings with friends and families. But the holidays can be a difficult time for many persons dealing with: Personal Grief, Loneliness, Illnesses of all Kinds, Economic Concerns, Separation From Family Members and Relationship Issues Like Separation or Divorce. We talk…
By Moryt Milo Life has a funny way of testing one’s mettle. Marjorie Baldwin, then professor at East Carolina University, never imagined her years of research in employment discrimination toward those with disabilities would turn personal. Yet that’s exactly what happened fourteen years into her career when her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Baldwin’s work…
By Moryt Milo After thirteen years as the National Institute of Mental Health Director, Tom Insel left his government job. Some might say he turned into a renegade, when Insel acknowledged that limited progress had been made to improve the lives of those with severe mental illness. “We decided, in some odd way, that the…
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, El Camino Hospital’s behavioral health department never stopped admitting patients in mental health crisis, and the hospital saw a significant increase in first-time admittances.
The family dynamics created by mental illness are as diverse as the diseases that shape them.When Natalie Shampanier, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, tried to help her mother who began to exhibit symptoms of severe paranoia and psychosis in her 50s, Natalie’s family life became complicated.
A pal, a peer, a mentor—everyone needs someone to lean on. For those diagnosed with a mental illness, having anyone in their corner when leaving a hospital, outpatient program, or jail can be the first step toward healing—especially when that individual has been down the same path.
No one understands that better than…..
By Moryt Milo (June 8 General Meeting) When Teresa Pasquini and Lauren Rettagliata released their “Housing That Heals” paper in May 2020, the study struck a nerve in the mental health community, and the women knew why. “There was so much truth in what we were saying,” Teresa said. A truth that advocated for local, state, and federal policymakers and community partners to think beyond the Housing First model and to…
By Moryt Milo When the pandemic forced court hearings onto virtual platforms, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Stephen Manley took his Behavioral Health Court hearings to the “client”—the Judge doesn’t refer to individuals as defendants. The judge met his clients virtually in their environments — in residential treatment facilities, homes, apartments, treatment programs, riding…