NAMI launches new health education program to promote sound "mind and body" health

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched a new health education program to promote sound "mind and body" health practices among individuals who live with serious mental illness.

The "Hearts and Minds" initiative takes aim at risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and obesity for major illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

"Hearts and Minds" is funded by OptumHealth and the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the University of California-San Francisco.

The self-help program's focus on wellness will inspire health and fitness practices familiar to many Americans—such as diet, exercise and smoking cessation. The main difference is the size of the challenge.

"Wellness is everyone's concern," said NAMI Executive Director Mike Fitzpatrick. "But it is especially urgent for people living with serious mental illness."

People living with serious mental illness such as major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia live on average 25 years less than other Americans.

• One in four Americans experiences mental health problems in any given year.
• One in 17 lives with the most serious mental illnesses, such as major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
• One in ten children and adolescents struggles with serious, disabling conditions, including depression.

The program consists of five key components:

• A special interactive "Hearts & Minds" Web site including discussion groups
• A facilitator's guide and tool kit for local community discussions
• A DVD that can be downloaded or purchased through NAMI's online store
• A booklet on health strategies and risks that also can be downloaded or purchased
• Printed fact sheets on a broad range of topics

"Many kinds of risk factors contribute to health challenges for people with mental illnesses," said NAMI Medical Director Ken Duckworth, M.D. "Many are preventable or reversible."

"They include isolation, relatively low incomes, sedentary lifestyles, smoking as a form of self-medication and the side-effects of some medications for mental illness."

"There has been significant progress in treatment options for mental illness to support recovery, but for every individual, each option requires careful assessment of benefits and risks."

"Hearts and Minds will empower people to minimize and manage health risks to support wellness and recovery," Duckworth said.

"Strong partnerships can create new resources and opportunities to help people with mental illness live full and productive lives," said Andy Sekel, executive vice president, OptumHealth. "We are proud to sponsor NAMI's 'Hearts and Minds' education program because it bridges mental and physical health to address the needs of the whole person."

"Persons with mental illnesses deserve to live a full and healthy life," said Steven A. Schroeder, M.D., director of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center. "At present, far too many compromise that opportunity because they smoke cigarettes, are overweight and don't get sufficient exercise."

"'Hearts and Minds' includes a timely video that provides helpful suggestions for how to attain wellness. It should be watched by all persons affected by mental illness, including family members and other loved ones."