March 2018

Vol. 3

P.O Box 1423 Woodbridge, VA 22195-1423

703-659-9983 www.nami-pw.org

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Marjorie Antus

The co-founder of NAMI Prince William, Phil Ross, passed away on February 14 at the age of seventy-seven.

It was Phil and Dr. David Carlini who came up with the idea for NAMI-PW during an accidental meeting in a snow-filled parking lot on a January night in 2004.

“I was considered to be the de facto president during our formative years,” Phil once said. “Before we became an official affiliate, I was elected to be president and chairman of the board among many other miscellaneous roles such as unofficial web master and virtual office manager” as well as historian and custodian of affiliate records.

Happily, Phil’s accomplishments with NAMI-PW were described in a tribute that appeared in the March 2017 edition of this newsletter.

We now consider his gracious spirit.

Phil Ross, back row, far right.

“Phil was reserved about his personal life, but quick to share information anytime someone needed mental health assistance,” says Larry Springer, a colleague of Phil’s from the earliest days of the affiliate. He also “willingly took the lead in items that came up in the new affiliate: design and maintenance of our brochure as well as major involvement in the constitution, by-laws,

website, and year-end progress reports. He was a man of respect and admiration who left a great legacy.”

Busy as he was getting NAMI-PW off the ground, Phil became mentor and friend to Cynthia Dudley, now executive director of Trillium Drop-In Center in Woodbridge. “I didn’t really get to know Phil until April 2007 when he told me about grant funding available for peer programs,” Cynthia says. “We wrote the grant with Phil’s help and encouragement, which never wavered.” When the Trillium corporation was formed and a property search undertaken, Phil could be counted on to answer questions and offer support. “His participation in these efforts seemed tireless,” says Cynthia. “He just cared so much about the services that people living with mental illness were receiving in our community.

Here’s my story about Phil.

In August 2014, the NAMI national convention was about to begin in Washington, DC. Wanting to attend the four-day event, Phil knew by mid-July that he wouldn’t be able to do so because of the “impending crisis” surrounding a relative who was in a downward spiral.

Right before the convention, Phil emailed a “good news / bad news” assessment of the critical sequence that had finally taken place involving his ill relative, a car, the Frederick County police, and an admission to Adventist Behavioral Health Center in Rockville.

Phil managed to attend the NAMI convention after all. “I’ll look over the convention program,” he emailed, “and attempt to prioritize the sessions I’d like to attend and boil it down to a workable agenda. But I do plan to get out to Adventist some evenings for the one-hour visiting period.” That was Phil, always showing up for a beloved relative in crisis and always showing up for NAMI Prince William and Trillium which is clear, he also loved.

PHIL ROSS, CO-FOUNDER OF NAMI PRINCE WILLIAM

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UPCOMING EVENT

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Marjorie Antus

Marjorie became active in NAMI Prince William in 2014 and has served as NAMI Prince William’s President since April 2016. She has taught on both the high school and graduate school levels and written about mental health and suicide in her blog Marysshortcut and her book My Daughter, Her Suicide, and God: A Memoir of Hope. She appears in the newly released DVD titled Reclaiming Life: Faith, Hope, and Suicide Loss. "The most rewarding thing about serving as Presi-dent of the affiliate is witnessing its growth as a community of friendship and ser-vice. My goal is to nurture that growth in the coming years."

S. L. Higginbottom

S.L. is a recently retired federal lawyer who has served on the board of Koinonia, an organization that addresses the needs of the working poor in Franconia. He moved to the area forty-two years ago where he met his wife, Cynthia. They have seven adult children, several of whom have suffered from mental illness. “I have been looking for a way to give my time to the community. When I was asked to consider serving on the board of NAMI Prince William, I realized, after prayer, that this would be a good way to serve.”

Pauline Hunter

Pauline has served on the NAMI Prince William board of directors since 2017. Having worked for the federal government for many years, she has a large net-work of friends and former colleagues to call upon. She envisions using her skills as family services coordinator, community relations director, and event planner to expand NAMI Prince William’s footprint within the African American, faith-based communities and service organizations. “Reaching a broader community will help a population that may not be fully represented within current NAMI out-reach programs.”

Carol Ray

Carol has served on the NAMI Prince William board of directors since 2017. She holds a doctorate in Interdisciplinary Nutrition and has served both as executive director of an agency dealing with health issues and also as a university project coordinator for physician conferences. She has taught college-level anatomy, bi-ology, and physiology. Her recent book Ph.D's Have Bipolar Too: My Story speaks to her personal mental health challenges and advocacy. "I understand what it is like to cope with mental illness and feel that I can be sensitive to the needs of those who live with mental illness."

NAMI PRINCE WILLIAM BOARD OF DIRECTOR CANDIDATES

FOR 2018 ANNUAL MEETING ELECTION MARCH 27

UPCOMING EVENT

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UPCOMING EVENT

HELP SUPPORT NAMI PRINCE WILLIAM

DINING OUT TO DONATE

During the next four months , February-May, NAMI Prince William will be one of the fea-tured charities for Panera Bread. Our affiliate will receive 20% of the sale proceeds from an-yone who comes in with the attached flyer (or shows a copy on their phone or tablet) and orders at the Panera locations listed below on the specific dates and times noted. Please note this is only valid on the dates and times listed below at these specific locations. Please pass this flyer along by email, text or hard copy to family, friends and co-workers. We will be posting the current month’s flyer in our newsletters, on our website and will be eblasted out to our members and community partners.

Gainesville - 7351 Atlas Way, 3/6/18 4-8pm

Dumfries - 4402 Fortuna Center Plaza, 4/11/18, 4-8pm

Manassas - 9508 Liberia Ave., 5/14/18 4-8pm

Below is the March flyer. Please copy or print and present when you place your order.

ADVOCACY

On February 26, Joyce Hudson pre-

sented to 26 officers at the CIT Train-

ing in Manassas.

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THINGS TO KNOW

Your Genes

Genes are segments of DNA found in every cell and are passed

down from parents to children at conception. Some diseases—

such as sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis—are caused by ge-

netic mutation(s), or a permanent change in one or more spe-

cific genes.

In other diseases, including many brain disorders, gene variants

play a role in increasing or decreasing a person’s risk of devel-

oping a disease or condition. Research is advancing our under-

standing of the role of genetics in mental health. Although

there are common genetic variants associated with rare disor-

ders like Fragile X or Rett syndrome, no gene variants can pre-

dict with certainty that a person will develop a mental disorder.

In most cases, even the genetic variant with the most sup-

porting research raise a person’s risk by only very small

amounts. Knowing that you have one of these gene variants

won’t tell you nearly as much about your risk as your family

history can.

What About Genetic Testing or Genome Scans? Can They Help

Predict My Risk of Developing a Mental Disorder?

The short answer to this question is no—not yet.

One day, genetic research may make it possible to provide a

more complete picture of a person’s risk of getting a particular

mental disorder or to diagnose it, based on his or her genes.

For example, recent NIMH-funded research has identified five

major mental disorders—autism, attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder, bipolar disease, schizophrenia, and major depres-

sion—that can share common genetic components. Studies

have also found that specific gene variants are associated with

a higher risk of certain disorders, such as autism spectrum dis-

order or schizophrenia.

Although recent studies have begun to identify the genetic

markers associated with certain mental disorders and may

eventually lead to better screening and more personalized

treatment, it is still too early to use genetic tests or genome

scans to accurately diagnose or treat mental illness.

Genetic Testing Versus Genome Scans

Traditional Genetic Testing

Doctors order traditional genetic testing for people they think

are at high risk of one of the rare diseases for which specific

genes are known to be the cause. The results enable patients

and their doctors to make informed health care decisions to-

gether. There are many different types of genetic tests. Genetic

tests can help to:

- Identify gene changes that may increase the risk of develop-ing a disease

- Diagnose disease - Identify gene changes that are implicated in an already diag-

nosed disease

- Determine the severity of a disease

- Guide doctors in deciding on the best medicine or treatment

to use for certain individuals

- Screen newborn babies for certain treatable conditions

Currently, genetic testing cannot accurately predict your risk

of developing a mental health disorder. If a disease runs in

your family, your health care professional can tell you if it’s the

kind of illness that can be detected through genetic testing.

Your health care professional can help you make decisions

about whether to be tested and can help you understand test

results and their implications.

Genome Scans

Genome scans are different from traditional genetic testing.

For a fee, anyone can mail a saliva sample to companies that

sell the scan—without a prescription or a health care provider’s

advice. Advertisements say that the company then can provide

information about a person’s risks of developing specific dis-

eases, based on gene variations.

But here’s one thing genome scans have in common with ge-

netic testing: It’s too early for genome scans to give people a

complete picture of their risk of mental illnesses or to be used

to diagnose a disorder. Although research is underway, scien-

tists don’t yet know all of the gene variations that contribute to

mental illnesses, and those that are known, so far, raise the risk

by very small amounts.

You can learn about the various types of genetics tests and

genetic counseling by visiting the National Human Genome

Research Institute website (www.genome.gov).

Excerpts from: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/

publications/looking-at-my-genes/index.shtml

Looking at My Genes: What Can They Tell Me About My Mental Health?

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THINGS TO KNOW

NAMI PRINCE WILLIAM FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS

The challenges of mental illness do not only affect an individual's family members but also friends, teachers, neighbors, coworkers and others in the community. “Family member” and “caregiver” refer to anyone giving emotional, financial or practical support to a person with a mental health condition. Whether you're providing a lot of assistance or very little, the information and support you receive from a NAMI Family Support Group can help you better understand the issues that you might face. (Excerpt from: http://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Family-Members-and-Caregivers.)

The most important thing to know is YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Below are the three NAMI Family Support Groups currently being held in Prince William County:

WOODBRIDGE

Second Tuesday of the Month, 7:00 pm to 9:00pm Sentara Potomac Hospital Room "C" in the Hylton Education Center 2300 Opitz Boulevard, Woodbridge, VA Contact: Donna Fortunato, 571-437-4579

Third Sunday of the Month, 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Sentara Potomac Hospital Room "D" in the Hylton Education Center 2300 Opitz Boulevard, Woodbridge, VA Contact: Liz Downey, 561-578-1370

MANASSAS:

Last Monday of the Month, 7:30 pm to 9 pm Public Works Facility 8500 Public Works Drive, Manassas, VA Contacts: Lois Sirgany, 703-361-6707 and Christine Mendez HAYMARKET:

Third Tuesday of the Month, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm Haymarket Gainesville Community Library Community Room 14870 Lightner Road, Haymarket, VA Contacts: Liz Downey 561-578-1370 and Bonnie Cuppett

Most family members attend the groups when their loved one is in crisis. When the crisis is over, they stop coming. Get in the habit of attending every month, whether things are going well or not. That way, if a crisis does hit, you know where you need to be. And remember, there are others who are new to this journey, and they need the support you can offer.

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NAMI Membership exists at 3 levels: Affiliate, State & National. NAMI Prince William (NAMI-PW) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization—contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Together, we can continue to fight for all those affected by mental illness. PLEASE NOTE: If making a donation, in order for NAMI-PW to receive your full donation, please send your donation to the NAMI-PW office. Thank you!

CONTRIBUTIONS BENEFIT NAMI-PW, A NOT-FOR-PROFIT TAX EXEMPT ORGANIZATION, TAX ID 64-0958983. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF NAMI-PW MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE VIRGINIA STATE OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL AND CONSUMER SERVICES, P.O.BOX 1163, RICHMOND, VA 23218. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. NAMI-PW RECEIVES 100% OF EACH DONATION.

Members are NAMI-PW’s lifeblood; your membership

helps us continue to provide free outreach,

support & education. In bringing mental health

issues to wider attention, we advocate for better

treatment. As our membership base grows,

our voice becomes stronger.

Respect, Compassion & Hope … NAMI Works!

I’d like to support NAMI- PW with a donation of: __ $25 __ $50 __ $100

other: $____

P.O. Box 1423 Woodbridge, VA 22195-1423

T 703-659-9983 Email: info@nami-pw.org

Website: nami-pw.org

I’d like to volunteer for NAMI-PW’s 2018 Go Green

for Mental Health Walk/Run.

I wish to receive NAMI Na-tional’s solicitations.

Check here for renewal: Date:______________

Name:_____________________________________

Address:___________________________________

City/St:____________________________________

Zip:___________....Phone:____________________

Email:_____________________________________

MEMBERSHIPS: Household $60 Regular $40 Open Door $5

SPONSORSHIPS: Family $55 Professional $65 Corporate $250

THINGS TO KNOW

VOLUNTEER POSITIONS AVAILABLE

NAMI Prince William is looking for:

BOOKKEEPER - Must be able to provide bookkeeping/accounting services for a min. of 6 hrs. per month. Experience required.

DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR - Must have passion for planning and coordinating community outreach and fundraising events. Experience required.