National Alliance On Mental Illness SCC

Information may not be reliable

Welcome to NAMI Santa Clara County

NAMI Santa Clara County is one of the largest Bay Area NAMI affiliates of the the NAMI California and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). We offer practical experience, support, education, comfort and understanding to anyone concerned about mental illnesses (primarily schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression and OCD) and their treatment of services in Santa Clara County.
In addition, we work with public organizations, private businesses and the media to increase organizational and personal knowledge of effective ways to deal with the illnesses while advocating for increased research and improved services for individuals with mental illness.

The Board of Directors of NAMI Santa Clara County cordially invites you to join us at a dinner to celebrate our milestone 35th Anniversary and to honor people who have truly made a difference to our success.

Another Honor for NAMI Volunteers
The remarkable run of recognition for the efforts of NAMI Santa Clara and its volunteers continued recently. Gini and John Mitchem were honored for their NAMI volunteer work at Disability Awareness Night at a San Jose Giants baseball game. This follows similar honors this year and in recent years for activist members Luisa Perez, Sharon Roth, Kathy Forward, Monica Nay, Navah Statman, Vic and Mary Ojakian, and Dan Wu as well as for NAMI SCC itself as an organization.
The Mitchems joined two other local honorees in receiving an EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award in recognition of their "competitive spirit and effort on behalf of the disability community". The award is sponsored by the EP Foundation for Education, MassMutual Financial Group and League of Dreams and was presented at the Disability Awareness Night sponsored by Miceli Financial Partners of San Jose.
Gini and John feel very fortunate to work with so many great NAMI volunteers, the vast majority of whom do not receive recognition outside our immediate NAMI community. But together we make important contributions in support, education, and advocacy as we work for a life in the community for everyone.

NAMI Celebrates Opening of its Community Resource and Support Center
On Nov. 5, 2009, NAMI SCC hosted a well-attended Open House to celebrate the opening of our Community Resource and Support Center at 2010 N. First Street, Suite 530, San Jose.
The Center is committed to providing resources, referrals, support, and education to people with mental illness, their families and friends, as well as to mental health professionals. The Center operates a 24-hour warm line to assist families and individuals in crisis. It provides library resources and an information kiosk on all aspects of mental illness in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. It holds and sponsors free support groups at the Center and throughout Santa Clara County for families and mental health clients in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
The Center also provides extensive education programs for families, mental health clients, mental health providers, and teachers. These courses are available free to the participants on an ongoing basis.
The Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm. Drop-ins are welcome, and trained volunteers are available to answer questions and assist in locating information. There is no income restriction, and the Center serves individuals from all walks of life. For further information contact the Center at 408 453-0400 or info@namisantaclara.org

MY FAMILY MEMBER HAS BEEN ARRESTED—WHAT DO I DO?
Despite the good efforts of CIT trained police officers, sometimes our family member's illness causes behavior that leads to arrest. NAMI SCC has an up-to-date guide to assist families when a loved one who suffers from a biological brain disorder is in the Santa Clara County criminal justice system.
Read the guide.

(Note: Our public defender is Malorie Street (408) 299-7194 email: mstreet@pdo.sccgov.org though often it is more efficient to contact her paralegal, Mary Davis-Lauth, 408 299 7790, mdavis@pdo.sccgov.org)

NAMI national has released a new report, Grading the States 2009, assessing the nation's public mental health care system for adults and finding that the national average grade is a D.
Fourteen states improved their grades since NAMI's last report card three years ago. Twelve states fell backwards. Read all about it.

Excellent Discussion of Serious Mental Illness
A wonderful hour-long discussion, of serious mental illness is available from Charlie Rose. It features Dr. Eric Kandel, Nobel Prize winner in medicine; Elyn Saks, famous USC Law Professor and author who has schizophrenia; Kay Redfield Jamison, famous psychologist and author who has bipolar disorder; and three accomplished researchers including Helen Mayberg who talks about electrical stimulation of area 25 in the brain in treatment of depression. Schizophrenia, bipolar and depression are all discussed in the program.
NAMI Launches Social Networking Site for Young Adults
StrengthofUs.org, is a new online community where young adults living with mental health concerns can provide mutual support in navigating unique challenges and opportunities during the critical transition years from ages 18 to 25. Developed by young adults, StrengthofUs.org is a user-driven social networking community where members can connect with peers, share personal stories, creativity and helpful resources by writing and responding to blog entries, engaging in discussion groups and sharing videos, photos and other news.
Glenn Close Fights Stigma

Breaking the Cycles
Breaking the Cycles is Lisa Frederiksen's blog, our October Meeting speaker. It specializes in research and information on alcohol related issues, including the latest brain research, underage drinking, alcohol abuse, alcoholism, dual diagnosis, codependency issues, co-addictions and more.
Why Smoking Relieves Schizophrenia Symptoms
A recent NARSAD study suggests a reason for the much greater incidence of smoking among those with schizophrenia compared to the general public. It involves the ameliorating effect of nicotine on a substance found to impair memory function that is present in higher levels among those with schizophrenia.
What a Difference a Friend Makes
What a Difference a Friend Makes is a new website produced by SAMHSA for people living with mental illness—and their friends. You'll find tools to help in the recovery process, and you can also learn about the different kinds of mental illnesses, read real-life stories about support and recovery, and interact with the video to see how friends can make all the difference.
How to Help Your Ill Family Member

Network of Care Online Resources
Network of Care is a website where consumers, community-based organizations and municipal government workers can access a wide variety of mental health information. It includes a service directory, a library, a political advocacy tool, and community message boards. In particular, the "My Folder" section of the site, has WRAP training by Mary Ellen Copeland, that now allows all consumers the ability to do a WRAP plan.
I Am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help
In this online video of a lecture given by Dr. Xavier Amador, author of "I Am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help," he discusses the 40% of those with mental illness that lack insight regarding their illness and what we can do to help.