Among 'unsung heroes' in mental health

Once suicidal, she empowers patients

Susan Rogers will receive Mental Health America's top award in June

Almost 40 years ago, Susan Rogers came to Philadelphia to kill herself.

She never dreamed that she would go on to spend 29 years here, improving opportunities for the mentally ill and showing what recovery can be.

She is now being recognized for her work by Mental Health America, which will give her its top honor, the Clifford W. Beers Award, at its annual meeting next month.

Rogers, 66, is director of the National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse, which helps peer-run programs get started and thrive. She also directs special projects for the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, which pushes for better care.

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Susan Rogers to receive Mental Health America's Highest Honor

Susan Rogers will receive the Clifford W. Beers Award at 2013 Annual Conference on June 7

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 7, 2013)—Mental Health America will present Susan Rogers of Philadelphia with its highest honor, the Clifford W. Beers Award, for her leadership and service at the Awards Banquet of its 2013 Annual Conference, Why Wellness Works: Breakthroughs and Pathways to Whole Health, on June 7 in National Harbor, MD.

Susan Rogers is Director of the National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse (the Clearinghouse), a consumer-run national technical assistance center funded in part by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and is Director of Special Projects of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP).

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MHASP grieves with the entire country over the Boston tragedy

The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP) grieves with the entire country over the Boston tragedy. We know that many are deeply affected and we are providing information that may be of service to individuals and their families. 

MHASP is an affiliate of Mental Health America, which posted the following release; we hope this information is helpful to you and others. 

• Mental Health America Mourns Victims of Boston Marathon Explosions; Offers Resources to Help in Responding to Impact of Event.  
• Click here to learn how to talk with your children about tragedies.

Bill Dinwiddie, MHASP President & CEO

RE: Boston Marathon Bombing, April 16, 2013

Doctors Urged to Help Destigmatize Childhood Mental Illness

The ACA will require coverage of such conditions, but medical practices should incorporate mental health professionals in the office to normalize care, experts say.

By Christine S. Moyer amednews staff

(http://www.mhasp.org/in-the-media/2013/4/15/doctors-urged-to-help-destigmatize-childhood-mental-illness.html)

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Mentally Ill Aren't So Different

The article about Wanda Lindsay's recovery from a serious mental-health condition and her advocacy for others, highlights the fact that the vast majority of people can and do recover from even the most serious mental-health conditions. These individuals go on to live meaningful and productive lives ("Sellersville woman speaks out about her mental illness," March 19).

Unfortunately, there are still discrimination and stigma. Even though between 20 percent and 25 percent of Americans will receive a mental-health diagnosis at some point - and despite the fact that individuals with such conditions are our neighbors, friends, and family - surveys indicate many people wrongly fear those with mental illness. In reality, individuals with psychiatric conditions are more than 11 times more likely to be victims of violence than the general population, and studies have found only a small risk of violence among the mentally ill. Wanda's story helps to educate the general public, and that's much-appreciated.

William S. Dinwiddie, president and chief executive officer, Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Re: http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20130402_Letters_to_the_Editor.html, 4/2/2013

Sellersville woman speaks out about her mental illness

Wanda Lindsay says: "One day I asked God, is this all there is? Am I going to just be eating TV dinners, rocking in a rocking chair, and watching TV?" RON TARVER / Staff Photographer.

Kristin E. Holmes, Inquirer Staff Writer, POSTED: Monday, March 18, 2013, 3:01 AM

The voices inside Wanda Lindsay's head sound like muffled party chatter.  They are layers of whispers that can drown out the voice of someone standing next to her.  When they come, Lindsay tells herself they're not real, the first step in a plan to cope.

It's a routine honed after years of living with schizoaffective disorder. Lindsay has found a way to keep from drowning in the depression and paranoia that come with it: She has found her voice in the midst of it.

Lindsay, 52, of Sellersville, has taken her illness public. She talks about it at churches, community meetings, and conferences to increase understanding and combat what she calls a perception - buoyed by recent news events - that people with mental illness are to be feared.

"Yes, there are some terrible incidents that happen," Lindsay said. "But there needs to be [balance]. We need to tell our story so that people know that we can do good, and not just evil."

Abraham Lincoln battled depression. So did "the guy from World War II" (Winston Churchill), Lindsay said recently to students in a clinical pastoral-care class at the Penn Foundation, a Bucks County behavioral health services organization where Lindsay serves on the board.

She was speaking to students taking the course as part of their requirement to earn seminary degrees or be eligible for ordination or chaplaincy.  In her presentations, "Wanda's personality comes through, [not just] her illness," said the Rev. Carl Yusavitz, director of pastoral services at the Penn Foundation.

Lindsay's illness surfaced more than 35 years ago after her grandmother and mother died in the same year. Lindsay moved in with an aunt and worked with her at a factory in Lansdale.

"I started to go out drinking," Lindsay said. "I think it was because of the depression I felt from my mother passing away. And then I heard voices."

She was hospitalized first at Norristown State Hospital - "hell" as Lindsay calls it.

"I remember nurses laying across my body to hold me still so that they could give me shots," she said. "I was locked in a room by myself, and all I could see was people's feet when they walked by."

She was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a condition in which neurotransmitters are dysfunctional, said Vernon Kratz, Lindsay's psychiatrist. Symptoms include depression, paranoia, hallucinations, and hearing voices, Kratz said. Treatment includes medication and therapy.

After a week at Norristown State Hospital, Lindsay was transferred to the former Eugenia Hospital in Lafayette Hill, where she stayed for a month until her insurance ran out. Later, she entered Grand View Hospital in Sellersville, where she was referred to the Penn Foundation.

Through the organization, Lindsay secured an apartment and had access to a staff of therapists, doctors, and training to help her with life skills. She has been able to work intermittently and has received Social Security disability benefits.

"In the early days, Wanda was very quiet. I thought she would learn to do the things she would need to manage her illness and live her life quietly," said Chris Shannon, residential director at the Penn Foundation. "I never thought she would become the advocate she has become."

A turning point came when Lindsay got plain sick and tired.

"One day I asked God, is this all there is?" Lindsay told the pastoral care class. "Am I going to just be eating TV dinners, rocking in a rocking chair, and watching TV?"

She decided to do more. She began speaking out.

Lindsay lives in a small Sellersville apartment decorated with pictures and items that reflect her religious faith (she attends Perkasie Mennonite Church) and "the Indian music" made with Native American flutes that calms her during the dark times.

Lindsay experiences paranoia and delusional ideas and at times becomes deeply despondent, Kratz said. The episodes are often brought on by stress. Supporting herself while managing her illness is a constant concern.

When the voices come, "I say to myself, 'Wanda go home. call your [health-care] staff. Listen to your Indian music.' It centers me," Lindsay said.

She also writes poetry. One poem, "Try," focuses on mental illness. It begins, "Try to understand me for who I am. Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."

Re: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130318_Sellersville_woman_speaks_out_about_her_mental_illness.html, 3/18/2013