Jere Brands says support is available in Albany for mental illness

June 08--ALBANY -- Mental illness is a disease that touches virtually every family in the world. It's a massive problem that is kept in the dark by most families because of the accompanying stigma.

Jere Brands, president of the Albany National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County on Monday, and tried to put a face on mental illness in the area.

"Our mission is to assist those touched by mental illness and their families in coping with mental illness," Brands said. "Through education, support groups, public outreach to fight stigma, and political advocacy with state and national resources, NAMI Albany works to improve the quality of life for persons of all ages who are affect by mental illnesses."

She said that mental illness is "an illness like any other" with its roots in the biology of the brain.

To that end Brands said NAMI Albany offers two separate support groups:

-- Connection, for adults in recovery, facilitated by trained NAMI members who are also in recovery;

-- Family Support Groups, for family members, close friends and caregivers, facilitated by trained NAMI members who are also family members or caregivers.

"Locally we offer these support services twice a month on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings at 6:30," Brands said. "On the second Tuesday, support is after a short informational program, usually with a guest speaker and is open to the public. We call these programs NAMI Nights. The support groups on the fourth Tuesday are restricted. We meet at Phoebe northwest's campus on Dawson Road.

"We also offer NAMI's signature education programs locally and there is no charge to anyone participating in these courses."

One person familiar with NAMI and its programs is Dougherty County Jail Director Col. John Ostrander, who also spoke to the issue.

"Police are not trained to deal with mental health issues," Ostrander said. "I'd estimate that 10 percent of police calls are the result of people in mental health crisis. More than 38 percent of the 700 inmates in our jail right now suffer from mental illnesses and most of those people do not belong in jail. The jail staff gets crisis intervention training, but the average beat cop does not.

"Imagine you are a police officer and you respond to a call, encounter a room full of angry people yelling and acting very emotional and having to pick out the person who is mentally ill?"

For more information about NAMI Albany, contact Brands at 641-220-5610 or 888-6702.

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