Karen Fredricks is a woman with a singular vision. She wants to change the way we as a society think about and treat mental health issues.
“The stigma around mental health is still pretty vivid,” said Fredricks, president of Hillsborough County’s National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI.
An upcoming conference on mental health is part of trying to erase that stigma and create a “paradigm shift,” Fredricks said. “Today, what we want is to move from ‘mental health’ to just ‘health’ [because] that will help destigmatize it and make it just another part of the body.”
Just as the perception of those with developmental disabilities changed in the 1980s, with those who were once called “retarded” being recognized as human beings and welcomed into society, Fredricks wants to see society move to a similar “tipping point” in the treatment of those with mental health issues.
A step to that tipping point will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at the Sun City Center Chamber of Commerce, 1651 Sun City Center Plaza, when NAMI hosts a special conference on mental health issues.
Fredricks said that reaching that tipping point is not something that happens overnight. But the more of us that talk about mental health issues in our families, the more we sensitize people to what that experience is like and how difficult it is, the more we’re moving in the right direction. She said: “The stigma impacts us so negatively and stops people from getting the help they need. It stops us from even talking about it in our communities, which just makes us more and more isolated.”
NAMI is inviting legislators, social services, mental health workers, educators, police, rescue squads, hospital officials, doctors and lawyers to the conference and, says Fredricks, “anyone else from the community into our lives, the lives of those of us who have loved ones who suffer with the effects of mental health issues,” according to a press release.
Refreshments will be supplied by local businesses.
The event will focus on:
• Stamping out the stigma associated with mental health issues
• A paradigm shift from “mental health” issues to “health issues”
• Embracing recovery
• Suggested changes in the systems that would enhance the effectiveness of interventions
• NAMI’s free evidence-based programs and support groups
Mental health issues affect one in four families or nearly 60 million people every year, according to NAMI. But all too often people do not seek the help they need because of the stigma associated with the disease.
“If people don’t feel that stigma, they will go out and get that help that they need,” said Fredricks, a former therapist and a Sun City Center resident.
Without that stigma, she said, people would:
• Reach out for help … like any other health issue
• Work with doctors and therapists to get the right medication and dosing … no different from someone who, for example, undergoes chemotherapy
• Stand a better chance at recovery and living a successful productive life
• Possibly not end up cycling between courts, jails, prisons and hospitals
And, Fredricks added, families, friends and communities would have a knowledge base that would help them understand the struggle and, therefore, could be more supportive as well as setting limits.
Part of the program will include viewing the movie Call Me Crazy, a film produced by NAMI and Lifetime Television that offers insights into the lives of family members impacted by mental health issues.
A panel of family members and a consumer will also talk about “What Helps, What Harms,” offering ideas on service delivery.
There will also be questions on each table, and time for discussion and feedback to the whole group.
Hoping the conference helps generate a paradigm shift away from “illness” to just “health,” Fredricks explains: “It’s a health issue. Just like when you go to an orthopedic doctor and it’s your knees, [mental issues] are just another part of your body. It’s just about health,” she said.
“I think when we talk about mental health issues people take a step backwards,” said Fredricks, who grew up seeing her mom struggle with mental “health” issues. “So even if people want help, they are stopped in their tracks.”
Looking ahead, Fredricks is also planning to be part of a wider effort by a number of organizations to do a community-needs assessment for all of South Shore “with the idea of understanding what we have and what we need.” But even putting the best system of care in place, with the best resources, she said, “we would still have people who would not reach out because of the stigma.”
Fredricks is hoping that getting the community to open up and discuss the issue on an ongoing basis will go a large way to help break down those barriers. Given her drive and passion for the issue, Fredricks won’t be giving up before she and others have done just that.
To reserve a seat at the conference, call 813-634-6747 and leave your name /organization and phone number with Karen Fredricks or email pfsa1@aol.com.
For more information on the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 11806 U.S. 41 S. in Gibsonton, visit www.namihillsborough.org/ or call 914-469-2323 or 813-634-6747.
NAMI Hillsborough is affiliated with NAMI Florida and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The group’s goal is to enhance the lives of those suffering from mental illness and their families and loved ones, through support, education and advocacy.
