Becoming Empowered as Consumers
"Consumers" in the mental health field refers to
people who have or are in recovery from a serious mental illness. Recovery
is about getting better from mental illness and reclaiming control of your life.
Consumer empowerment is a process of recovery, hope and
healing for people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness.
Consumers live personal struggles and journeys of recovery and empowerment.
Recovery and empowerment are not the privilege of a few
exceptional consumer leaders. Instead they are a possibility for each
person who has been diagnosed with a mental illness.
You have a place where they can turn.
That place is NAMI and the Consumer Council.
The
Recovery Corner
Art and Recovery
Submitted by Moe Mansur
People with mental illness and their families need some
recreational therapy to brighten their day. By focusing on something to do
that is classic and fun, you tend to focus on the positives instead of the
negatives. My hope is you will focus on being creative by coloring these
pictures and raising your self-esteem.
It helped me!
You can view and print Moe's
pictures in PDF format with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Click the Adobe graphic if you don't
happen to have it already installed.
Click the links below to access, print and color
these great pictures submitted by Moe. It may take several minutes for
each pictures to load.
Picture #1 Picture #2
Picture #3 Picture
#4 Picture #5
Picture #6
ART AND BIPOLAR DISORDER
MOTESEM MANSUR, THE ARTIST, IN HIS OWN WORDS:
“ART HAS HELPED ME TO CALM MY THOUGHTS DOWN AND MY MOOD
SWINGS. IT FEELS LIKE AN AIR CONDITIONER DURING A HEAT WAVE, IT PROVIDES SOME
SORT OF RELIEF TO ME. WHEN I'M DEPRESSED, I CAN'T NECESSARILY WRITE WORDS DOWN,
INSTEAD I DRAW UNTIL I FEEL A LOT MORE RELAXED AND NOT AS EXHAUSTED. WHEN MANIA
INCREASES AND FANTASIES CONTROL ME I DRAW EXACTLY WHAT I'M THINKING IN A
CARTOONISH FORMAT, USUALLY IT IS A FORM OF SHELTER THAT IS ECCENTRIC TO OTHERS.
IT HAS MADE ME A MORE SUCCESSFUL HUMAN BEING IN A WAY AND CREATED SOME SORT OF
POPULARITY. WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME TO DRAW A BUILDING, I SMILE ABOUT IT. YOU CAN SAY
THAT IT IMPROVED MY COMMUNICATION WITH SOCIETY, IN A BIG WAY.”
IN DECEMBER 2006, MOTESEM MANSUR WON SECOND PLACE IN A
CHRISTMAS CARD CONTEST HELD AT A REHAB CENTER. IN OCTOBER 2007, HE HELD AN ART
EXHIBIT. MOTESEM IS ALSO A SUCCESSFUL AUTHOR.
FOR DRAWINGS, POSTERS, REQUESTS, OR QUESTIONS, PLEASE
EMAIL MOTESEM AT moe8600@gmail.com.
By
The Roaring Fire
I
remember those always-cold winter nights
By
the big, roaring fire in our stone fireplace.
Even
the sprinkling of heaven’s stars was cold.
We
had only ourselves for warmth besides that fire.
A
family of six--two parents, four young kids,
We
would bundle up under multi-layered blankets
Of
a huge, king-sized mattress on the frosty floor,
Against
the dead cold of a dying central furnace.
Our
strong father was a big bear of a man,
Our
mother was pretty as a color photograph.
We
three sons bore his handsome facial features.
Our
little sister was as attractive as our Mom.
It
was maple sugar time in Mom’s old-time
Vermont
Which
we always celebrated at home in
Chicago
.
We
had collected purely-driven powdered snow for
Our
imported
New England
brown maple syrup.
The
taste of that melting snow on wooden plates
Was
as sweet as the love radiating from our parents.
It
just didn’t matter if our family couldn’t afford
To
pay the heating bill for our central heater.
That
day was warm enough in love for summer,
Bodies
huddled and cuddled together against
The
lasting cold of winter’s abiding day.
But
with each other close, we all felt it not.
That
big stone fireplace is long gone now, the
One-family
house replaced by new four-flat.
No
longer do we face the winter’s cold together.
But
the memories still linger, raising the spirits.
Allen
F. McNair
04/20/03
Allen
will recite this poem in the Thresholds Theater Arts production, "When I
Was Little, I Believed In...Once Upon a Time." The production, which
consists of personal stories by and about mental health consumers, will be
held at the Theater Building, 1225 W. Belmont (Belmont near Racine) in Chicago,
IL. "When I Was Little...." will be performed April 21, 23, 27,
28, 30, May 4, 5 and 7 at 7:00 pm as well as April 22, 29, and May 6 at 10:30 am
matinees.
My
Story - Expect Recovery
As
a consumer with schizoaffective disorder (for 27 years), Diana knew all too well
the needs of consumers and family members. Through her employment for eight
years at NAMI
Texas
(and much support and education), she reached a level of wellness that she is
very proud of. In October of 2007, she left
NAMI
Texas
to pursue her own business and reach her potential and dreams: EXPECT RECOVERY!
Read
the article about Diana Kern that appeared in summer 2007 issue of
Schizophrenia Digest and visit her website www.expectrecovery.com.
Illinois'
Voice on Mental Illness - NAMI Illinois