Nami Knox Licking County

You might remember reading Dodie Melvin's column in the newspaper.

Over the past 20 years, NAMI Knox and Licking Counties Executive Director, Dodie Melvin, has dedicated her life to NAMI KLC’s mission of improving the quality of life for consumers of mental health services, their families and friends by mutual support, education, advocacy and advancement of research. Over this past year Dodie has been working to transition and pass her legacy on to a new Executive Director.

I have a good friend who has a mental illness. In fact, I have several wonderful friends who struggle everyday with a mental health condition, but Gabe – Gabe Howard – is the only one I know brave enough to speak out, and speak out loudly about it, even though by his own admission he lives in fear. Here’s what I’ve learned from Gabe that even though he is brave enough to speak out and advocate for others who have a mental illness, is managing his illness well with medication and therapy, is a motivator, author and well-recognized public speaker, he still lives in fear.

It has always been a question in my mind why a "mental illness" is not described as its real name – depression, bipolar, anxiety, etc., just as diabetes or cancer is? Whenever a violent incident occurs, we see headlines like, "The suspect has a mental illness!" These headlines, in my opinion, throw a bad light on mental illness in general and contribute to the stigma that surrounds it. This stigma creates shame, and that shame often stop people from seeking treatment who may need it.

To expand—if you have a mental illness, can you ask for a mental health day without fear at work—the fear of losing your job?

MANAGING DAILY ROUTINE DISRUPTIONS: "Disruptions are a part of everyday life," so they say...... so then, what is the big deal?

It's winter and I have decided bears have the right idea of hibernating until spring. The weather and snowy ground cover may be good for the farmer's winter wheat crop, but not so good for those of us who may struggle with depression, seasonal or otherwise, and anxiety. It's a season hard on mood disorders and we have to gather our resources and develop some resiliency to function to the benefit our mental health.

There are about 18 different definitions for recovery in the dictionary – simply put, recovery is the regaining or returning of something – like getting healthy after being sick.

In a quandary as to what mental health moment to share with you in the midst of the Jolly season, I thought of doing an article on SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), which is a common disorder shared repeatedly amongst some of us humans year after year during the winter months. SAD is a disorder which is treatable.

We are in times of uncertainty – the impact of the COVID Pandemic and its facts, cannot be ignored – but yet, we know, they are.

National Suicide Prevention Awareness

A gatekeeper is commonly a person who has control of opening a gate – in this sense as it pertains to suicide prevention -- a gatekeeper can open the gate to information that may save a life!

Author and blogger George Hoffman wrote that it takes a tremendous individual effort to overcome mental illness.

“I’M BIPOLAR” — Let’s talk about that!

To the Editor: May is Mental Health Month.

Pain is not always accountable like "aches and pains."

On March 30 of this year, as on every March 30, the International Bipolar Foundation (IBF) joined with others to observe World Bipolar Day.

Coping with life is a day-to-day challenge for most people, whatever their age or gender.

“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” – George Orwell, 1984