NAMI Goes To Tomorrowland

Liz Spikol had an interesting post a couple of days ago, a reader letting her and others know that this year's NAMI National Convention will be held in Orlando, Fla. with all sort of opportunities to go to Disney World (the convention is usually held in Washington, D.C.). The convention is June 13 to June 16. Its theme is "Tomorrowland Today: Making Recovery Real."

Here's the program for the convention.

While I agree with NAMI's push on making recovery real and pressing for changes in how the mentally ill are treated in the criminal justice system, I really have to wonder how NAMI's general medication means recovery stance measures up against real world realities and studies that increasingly prove that Big Pharma--which funds NAMI National to the tune of about $6 million a year--has been lying every step of the way on how its drugs work and don't work for treating mental disorders. And, let's not forget about just how shattered and broken this nation's mental health system truly is, a subject I'll be taking up a bit more directly in the near future.

But, then, maybe there is some secret Tomorrowland NAMI hasn't let us in on yet.

One of Spikol's readers had his thoughts on NAMI's claims:

"Tomorrow has arrived!

"'Improved treatments; new social supports for employment, housing, and a host of other services needed to sustain recovery; significant progress in the realm of criminal justice; widespread education efforts and a strong and vital consumer movement - these and other innovations are making possible what just a few years ago seemed unattainable for many persons will mental illness - recovery!'

"I guess I should go down to our county psychiatric hospital and tell the 300+ inpatients that they are no longer being discharged to the shelters but are actually being housed. Then I'll go over to the county jail and tell those on the psychiatric pods that they are receiving treatment beyond medication alone. Then I'll go stop by but one of our community mental health centers where eighty percent of the 2500 consumers in its outpatient division receive no treatment other than medication and tell them that that they are receiving improved treatments. Then I'll go down to the sheltered workshop which receives three hundred referrals a year yet but could only relate one individual's post program outcome and tell them that they are receiving new social supports for employment. Then I'll go national and call those who comprised the 34% increase in the number of individuals on SSI by virtue mental illness in the five years ending 2006 and tell them they might well be on the path to recovery. I guess I could but my peers and I have to live in the real world of Today Land."

Joe, I couldn't agree more. Although I know he's not describing Seattle's situation, he very well could be.