Comments on Patience Mason's PTSD Blog: "Can't you just be normal for one day?" More Thoug...

FAMILIES NEED HELP TOO! NAMI Massachusetts FAMILY...

2009-09-14T12:24:25.293-05:00

FAMILIES NEED HELP TOO!

NAMI Massachusetts FAMILY-TO-FAMILY
EDUCATION PROGRAM

Free for family members, partners and friends
of individuals with:

Major Depression
Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Panic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Co-occurring Brain Disorders and Addictive Disorders

This class is especially friendly to but not exclusive to veterans (as family members) and the family members of military veterans.

A series of 12 weekly (skipping the day before Thanksgiving) classes structured to help caregivers understand and support individuals with serious mental illness while maintaining their own wellbeing. The course is taught by a team of trained NAMI family member volunteers who know what it’s like to have a loved one struggling with one of these brain disorders. There is no cost to participate in the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program. More than 120,000 people in the U.S., Canada and Mexico have completed this course. We think you will be pleased by how much assistance the program offers. We invite you to call for more information.

Classes Start: Wednesday, September 16, 2009

At the West Roxbury VA Hospital (Bldg 3, room 2B100)
1400 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury, MA 02132
(617) 323-7700
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Registration required: call 617-522-7439 for information and to register, or call NAMI at 781-938-4048, or email MZanger@comcast.net

Check out http://www.namimass.org/family/family.htm for other MA locations.

This NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is sponsored by NAMI Mass. and the Mass. Department of Mental Health, with assistance from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Feeling sullied by what you saw and did in Vietnam...

2009-05-11T20:08:00.000-05:00

Feeling sullied by what you saw and did in Vietnam must be very painful. You were doing your best is what I believe, and if it was shitty, it is not like you bought the gun and a plane ticket to Vietnam. Nor were you in charge of how that war was carried out. You were what? Eighteen, nineteen, twenty...Would you want your 18 year old to feel responsible and damned for a choice he made when all choices were bad? I think the fact that you feel sullied is proof that you are a good person. If you weren't, you wouldn't feel sullied.
If you feel guilt for what you did or saw, find a way to make amends. Send school supplies to Vietnam, or medical supplies. Or help the homeless here. Work with other vets who are having a hard time. There are a million ways to make the world a better place.
And your family loves you whether or not you were always a good guy. People are not loved because they are good, but just because they are.

Holidays are for people to be near those they love...

2009-05-11T16:30:00.000-05:00

Holidays are for people to be near those they love. I feel different, sullied in a way, since I returned from Vietnam. Why would anyone want to be close to me, given the things I seen and done. I can never get clean and I don't want to contaminate my family. These are several reasons why I don't like holidays. I feel like I'm always on the outside looking in.

Thanks SO much for your informative and interestin...

2009-04-28T09:37:00.000-05:00

Thanks SO much for your informative and interesting information! I'm a social worker and I have an undeniable passion for working with veterans. I eventually want to practice treating anxiety disorders and PTSD. Your website is an amazing resource for anyone looking to learn more! Thanks again!

First, thank you for all the hope you have given t...

2009-04-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

First, thank you for all the hope you have given to so many people.

Until recently, I didn't know that I was the one with PTSD, but I did know that there was something wrong with the way I felt about the holidays. I was actually, as you say, having a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.

With help, I have found a successful way of managing the effects of my past and because of this have had many spontaneous, happy moments.

However, my family of origin is in disarray, and consequently, we didn't celebrate Christmas this year. Instead, my husband and I had a quiet day of reflection, and took a walk in the afternoon. It was beautiful. You are right. We each find meaning in the holidays by first respecting ourselves and others, and then doing what fits our circumstances and meets our needs. - Grateful in NH

I am a retired police officer and developed PTSD i...

2009-02-21T19:08:00.000-05:00

I am a retired police officer and developed PTSD in 1993 and have been living with it since that year. I use a service dog to help mitigate this disability as well as mobility issues, The first thing I had to deal with when I left the police force was no one phoned or came to visit me from the upper echelon or my peers. The stigma of having a mental disorder was hard to deal with at first, but became easier as time went on. Now when I am out with my service dog (had the dog for 4 years) people come up to me asking why I have a service dog. I tell them I am disabled and quite often what is said to me is "You don't look disabled". It hurts.

Thanks for your blog.

P.