New Book Encourages Community Action to Rescue the Mentally Ill

Fort Wayne, IN (PRWEB) December 8, 2008 -- Communities can help people overcome mental illness by spreading awareness and assistance as modeled by award-winning author and mental illness advocate, Larry Hayes in "Mental Illness and Your Town" (ISBN 9781932690767, Loving Healing Press, 2008).

"Mental Illness and Your Town" is a roadmap for individuals to advocate within their community to help those who suffer to find relief, joy and a return to normalcy. Written with authority and compassion, author Larry Hayes retells the stories of people who have triumphed over mental illness and how local communities can transform themselves so the mentally ill are cared for in a manner that benefits everyone.

Anyone concerned about the mentally ill will find "Mental Illness and Your Town" a revealing study of how individuals and communities can fight for a treatment revolution to enrich and save lives. Hayes discusses not only the history of mental illness and how the closing of institutions have relegated mental illness to doctor's offices, but why more funding is needed and more community education is imperative to improve the current situation.

Hayes writes with first-hand knowledge about mental illness, having been hospitalized himself with depression, and having watched family members struggle with mental illness. Hayes calls people to lobby locally for the mentally ill by writing to newspaper editors, becoming involved in local chapters of NAMI (National Association for the Mentally Ill), and inviting experts on mental illness to speak to local organizations and churches. Mental illness affects everyone in a community directly or indirectly. The time has come for this illness to be understood and for action to be taken to resolve the situation at the community level.

Experts applaud "Mental Illness and Your Town." Stephen C. McCaffrey, President of Mental Health America of Indiana declares, "Larry Hayes provides families with a real self-help manual that is personal and compassionate, yet practical and hands-on." Pete Early, author of "CRAZY: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness" says, "Larry Hayes uses his family's story to offer practical suggestions about how communities can help persons with mental illnesses recover and thrive. This is a wonderful blueprint…." James Howell, Ph.D. and Juvenile child researcher, states, "Larry Hayes demonstrates…the ability to reduce complex social problems to simple terms. In addition, he fills the book with practical solutions and ways to reduce the sometimes debilitating effects of mental illness."

About the Author

Larry Hayes has won over fifty state and national awards for editorials and columns in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. In 1986, he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in recognition of his editorials challenging his city to desegregate its schools. Hayes was instrumental in Indiana's victorious fight to win parity of health insurance for persons with a mental illness. He introduced the Crisis Intervention Team to help city police better respond to mental health crises, and he won support for the creation of the Suicide Prevention Council and a county-wide Mental Health Coordinating Council. Hayes played a key role in building public support for the Carriage House, a highly acclaimed rehabilitation center, and he successfully lobbied Indiana University Purdue University, Fort Wayne to create the Institute for Behavior Studies. Hayes is also the author of the memoir "Monday I'll Save the World."

"Mental Illness and Your Town" (ISBN 9781932690767, Loving Healing Press, 2008) can be purchased through local and online bookstores. For more information including podcasts, visit www.communitymentalhealth.us. Publicity contact: www.ReaderViews.com. Review copies available upon request.

# # #

This press release has been reprinted from PRWEB per the terms and conditions of the copyright notice.

Related News:

Being Bipolar disorder will disqualify you to become a surrogate mother because you are deemed as physiologically unhealthy.

The Online Bipolar Test - What's It All About?
An online bipolar test should not be used as your sole means of diagnosis! You will be doing yourself or your loved ones a great disservice if you try to self-diagnose. Only a trained and qualified medical professional has the ability to evaluate you for any type of mental illness.

Bipolar Type 2 And Type 1 - What Is The Difference?
Both bipolar disorder categories share the same characteristics in mood swing levels. However, the drawing line between the bipolar type 1 and the bipolar type 2 is on the varied episode levels of each mood swing.

Related Articles:

Identify Bipolar Disorder Triggers
is of huge advantage for disorder patient to identify the triggers of your mood swing in order to control your bipolar symptoms. You can do this by having your very own personal mood chart. all you need to do is record all your emotions and the corresponding events that took place. After sometime, you will be able to notice that there are certain patterns of your mood swings.

Ways To Cope With Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, has a very serious effect on the sufferer's life. It also effects those closest to the patients in a detrimental way and getting treatment as soon as possible is paramount. Sufferers need the attention of physicians, psychiatrists…

A Startling Fact About How To Support A Spouse with Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar never goes away, and it's never cured, only treated. There is no happy ending. If you can't live by the old saying, "It's the journey, not the destination," then I advise you not to take this trip with someone you care about who's been diagnosed with a bipolar mood disorder.

Your Spouse Is Bipolar - Now What?
Your spouse has just been diagnosed as having bipolar disorder, so what's next for both of you? Here's a short check list of do's and don'ts to put things into perspective, to let you see that you do not have to face this alone and that there is hope.

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that effects over 2 millions American adults every single year. Because it is a recurrent illness it can be very difficult to treat; patients may think they are feeling better and stop the treatment but this will only see the problems recurring. It…

From Outcast To Insider: Overcoming The Stigma of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a complicated mental illness that often brings with it much social stigma and discomfort. Patients with bipolar disorder face many challenges when addressing society at large. Fortunately for patients with manic depression, there are many steps you can take to overcome social stigma. Roughly one in five people suffers from a mental illness. That means you are part of a large family of patients and friends.

Parenting A Bipolar Child - Help Your Child Lead A Rewarding Life
Parenting a child with bipolar disorder presents its own unique challenges. Family and friends may have attributed your child's difficult behavior to stubbornness or other personality flaws. They may disagree with your parenting skills, however it is important to recognize and accept bipolar disorder for what it is – just another medical condition.

Information for Spouses of Husbands and Wives with Bipolar Disorder
There is no blueprint for success when you're looking for information about how to support a husband or wife with bipolar disorder. I wish I could give you a checklist of things to do to guarantee whatever success you're seeking. I wish I could promise you a happy ending. But bipolar disorder manic depression doesn't work that way.

Bipolar Disorder Advancements
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness requiring prolonged treatment. People with this disorder experience extreme emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression.) Numerous advancements in bipolar disorder treatments have been made over the past few decades.

Bipolar Affective Disorder - You Are Not Alone
A number of instances may set off the mood swings which include - inadequate sleep, drug abuse, not taking medications, illnesses, fall outs with family and friends, bereavements etc. It's also common to trigger mood swings when placed in a new environment such as starting a new job or going to university.

Trouble In Mood City - the Bipolar Brain
This article actually is an appeal to a Medicare Part D provider who thought I should have to pay double the co-payment on a medication I had been taking for years because of it's high expense. (It's somewhere around $555.00 for a month's supply.) But I knew trying other medications would be at best an exercise in futility.

Why Do You Stay in Your Bipolar Relationship?
Bipolar disorder runs roughshod over relationships. The divorce rate is three times higher in these marriages than in the general population. The pressure on us from friends, family and professionals is unrelenting. Those who ask, "Why do you stay in your relationship?" are not supportive.

Sufferers of Bipolar Disorder - Good Parent, Bad Parent
Although no child should have to experience some of the problems that come with having a bipolar disorder parent, no upbringing is perfect, and like most bad experiences in life, good lessons can be learnt from them. Most children of parents with bipolar disorder learn a great deal about mental illness during their parents depressive and manic episodes, and grow into extremely understanding adults. The unique positive traits that come with bipolar disorder can create a very open and loving relationship between the child and the parent with bipolar disorder that is full of deep emotion and understanding. Its up to you to decide whether the pros make up for the cons for children of parents with bipolar disorder.

Bipolar Disorders in Children
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, was once believed to affect adults only. But researchers have found that children as young as seven years old can have this disorder. Bipolar disorder is a treatable neurobiological brain illness, characterized by severe fluctuations in mood and activity levels.