Mental Health Night At Epiphany:”Captivating and heart wrenching”
by Lindsay Ensor
With over 100 adults and teens in attendance, A.S.A.P. (Andrew’s Suicide Awareness and Prevention) hosted a Mental Illness seminar at Epiphany United Methodist Church on January 18, 2015. Keynote speaker Dr. Paul Keck, President and CEO of the Lindner Center of Hope, gave a compelling presentation highlighting and explaining mental illness in detail. He gave facts and figures about the prevalence of mental illness in America as well as the upcoming promising treatments that may become available. He also discussed the lack of available treatment to those in need, whether it is due to cost or the influx of patients and the lack of adequate staff and space to deal with the needs of the community.
Following his presentation, three volunteers shared their captivating and heart wrenching experiences with mental illness on a panel and the floor was opened for a time of questions and answers.
A.S.A.P. is an outreach ministry of Epiphany Methodist Church in Loveland, Ohio. This ministry was started at the request of Joe and Heather Lynch after they lost their son Andrew to suicide.
A.S.A.P.’s mission is to assist in facilitating suicide prevention training, promote activities focused on removing the stigma of suicide in an effort to open up conversation leading to understanding and education, promote events focused on “at risk” populations including youth through college age, and to provide an open invitation to individuals and families looking for a church family who find themselves, or their loved ones, struggling with mental health issues.
For more information on A.S.A.P., please contact Rev. Lisa Kerwin, [email protected] or Joe Lynch at 513-314-6719.
Another reference for materials, information, education and support is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. You can find our local chapter at www.NAMI.org – (Hamilton, Warren, and Clermont Counties). They offer support classes and so much more, for both the sufferer and families.
Lastly, locally, we are very lucky to have the Lindner Center of Hope in Mason, Ohio. This is a facility that offers Outpatient, Inpatient, Residential, Diagnostic Testing as well as several other treatments for many different mental illnesses. If you are in need please call them at 513-536-HOPE or visit their website at www.lindnercenterofhope.org.
Overall, it was a fantastic evening that helped many people and received and overwhelming response. The need for mental illness awareness was made evident. For those that missed it, we hope to have more events in the near future.
Author, speaker, advocate, Lindsay Ensor is a resident of Loveland, Ohio and has just released her first book, The Girl Inside: Silent No More. “I am a survivor. I want to help people better understand mental illnesses and lead them in the direction towards healing so that they, too, can be survivors. I want them to know that they are not alone.”
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