FIND HELP. FIND HOPE. VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3 MARCH 2016

National Alliance on Mental Illness BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2015-2016 Executive Committee: Jimmy Walsh - President Joan Elder - 1st Vice President Shannon Weston - 2nd Vice President Eleanor Rohling - Secretary Dr. Joel Willis - Treasurer Dr. Caroline Parrott - At Large David Young - At Large Sue Guffey - Ex-Officio Board Members: Linda Cates Dr. Army Daniel Loy Dimoff D.G. Ewing Patti Ford Dr. Nelson Handal Marian Harper Lyle Hedrick Daisy Hollingsworth Virginia Majors Jane Nichols Nick Snead Ruthie Warren Lifetime Members: Rogene Parris Annie Saylor Ann Denbo Sylvia Richey Staff: Wanda Laird Executive Director Ethel Green Assistant to Exec. Director Roxann Becker Financial/Office Assistant William Luckie - Bookkeeper NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH PARTNER FIND HELP. FIND HOPE. VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3 MARCH 2016 Coach Nick Saban Serves as State Honorary Chairperson of NAMIWalks Alabama! We are honored to have Coach Nick Saban as our Honorary Chairperson and look forward to achieving victory as we work toward raising $65,000 to help support our education, advocacy, and support programs, said Jane Nichols, NAMIWalks Alabama Board Chairperson. Nick Saban is a man of vision who has a proven record of championship success at the University of Alabama as Head Football Coach. He is a six-time National Coach of the Year and has achieved resounding success as a head coach as well as earning a reputation as an outstanding tactician, leader, organizer, and motivator. Those qualities have sparked impressive turnarounds at every stage of his career. Saban s consistent approach and discipline leadership are the reasons his teams are known for exhibiting grit, determination, and resilience, often overcoming adversity to achieve victory. Following his team s victory over Clemson in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Saban joined Paul Bear Bryant as the only two coaches to win five national titles in the modern era. During his nine seasons in Tuscaloosa, Saban s uncompromising dedication to excellence in every phase of the program has resulted in an extremely successful career. Uncompromising dedication has also driven NAMI Alabama to support, educate, and advocate for persons with mental illness, their families, and others whose lives are affected by these brain disorders. Every year, regardless of race, age, religion, or economic status, mental illness impacts the lives of at least one in five across the United States that is nearly 60 million Americans. Mental illness drains our economy of more than $80 billion every year. One-fourth of all social security disability payments are for individuals with mental illness. Coach Saban said, I am honored to serve as Honorary Chairperson for this year s NAMIWalks Alabama. Mental illness impacts so many families across our country and we appreciate all that NAMI does to help provide the support and education to those who suffer from mental health disorders. Hopefully, NAMIWalks Alabama will create more awareness and generate the necessary funds vital to the health and well-being of our state. The 5K NAMIWalks Alabama fundraiser will be held on September 24 at the Wynton Blount Cultural Park in Montgomery. Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. and the Walk will begin at 9:00 a.m. Please visit www.namialabama.org to serve as a sponsor and/or team participant or call Walk Manager, Tamara Crutchley, at 334-396-4797. It is a virtual Walk, therefore, you do not have to be present to participate. Inside This Issue... NAMIWalks Alabama Letter from President Jimmy Walsh Message from Executive Director Leadership Training Signature Program Trainings Schedule of Events NIMH Article: Symptoms Outdo Diagnoses in Predicting Biopolar Disorder in At-Risk Youth

Letter from the President Dear NAMI Members, Please continue to work on our three main focus areas: The Stepping Up Initiative, Membership, and NAMI on Campus Clubs. We are pleased to report that a team from the River Region (representing Montgomery, Autauga, Elmore, and Lowndes counties) has been selected to attend the national Stepping Up Summit in April in Washington, D.C. Only 50 counties from across the U.S. have been invited to attend the Summit. Linnea Conely, SummaSource at Auburn Montgomery Consultant, is the Lead Coordinator for the Healthy Minds Network and will serve as the Team Director of the River Regions Stepping Up Summit team. Joining Ms. Conely at the hands-on workshop and conference will be: Captain Gayle Atchison, Montgomery County Sheriff s Department, Division Commander for the Legal Services Division; Paul Brown, Executive Director, Montgomery County Community Corrections; Senator Clyde Chambliss, Alabama District 30; Pamela Esposito, Nursing Director, CrossBridge Behavioral Health; Sheriff Bill Franklin, Elmore County; Commissioner Dan Harris, Vice Chairman of the Montgomery County Commission; Commissioner Carnell McAlpine, Lowndes County Commission; Henry Parker, Executive Director, Montgomery Area Mental Health Authority; and, Commissioner Stephanie Daniels Smoke, Elmore County Commission. Please join us in congratulating this team for being selected to attend the Summit as well as in commending them for their commitment to the goal of the Stepping Up Initiative which is to reduce the numbers of individuals with mental illnesses in jails. We are proud that NAMI has had representation (among others) on the Steering Committee of this Initiative which is led by the National Association of Counties (NACo), The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, and the American Psychiatric Foundation (APF). Mobile, Etowah, and Blount counties have also signed a resolution to join this national movement to raise awareness of the factors contributing to the over-representation of people with mental illnesses in jails, and then using practices and strategies that work to reduce those numbers. We encourage you to work with your county commissioners to have a Stepping Up Imitative resolution signed in your area. For more information, please visit: www.stepuptogether.org/toolkit. Although we need you to continue to recruit members, the official Membership Campaign (to reach a goal of having 1,000 NAMI Alabama members) will run through May 2. We will then determine which affiliate is eligible to send one representative to the NAMI Convention in July. The criteria are as follows: The affiliate that recruits the most members (with a minimum of 25) by May 2, 2016, will be eligible to send one representative to the NAMI Convention in July (which includes registration, hotel, and airline ticket only). The selected representative must be 18 years of age or older with a valid ID. The new memberships must be at least 75% regular ($35) and 25% open door ($3). The affiliate/representative will be recognized at the NAMI Annual Meeting in August. We were pleased to have representatives from Troy University and Auburn University at the Leadership Training. These students are working diligently to develop a NAMI on Campus Club. We need your help to work with a college or university in your area to develop more Clubs. Students will not only assist us in increasing our membership, they are the future of NAMI. During the Annual Meeting, which will be held August 25-27, we will vote on candidates to run for a one, two, and three-year term. Below is a list of current Board members that will run for various terms. We are also providing you with the number of open seats on the Board: Seven candidates for a three-year term: Joan Elder, Jane Nichols, Jimmy Walsh, and Shannon Weston. Four candidates for a two-year term: Marian Harper, Eleanor Rohling, and Ruthie Warren. One candidate for a one-year term: An email will be sent in the near future with instructions regarding the nomination process. Keep up the good work! We appreciate each and every one of you! Regards, Board President

Valorie Lawson of WSFA TV interviews President Jimmy Walsh about mental health issues. Message from the Executive Director The second annual NAMIWalks Alabama will be held September 24, 2016! We are honored to have Coach Nick Saban as our State Honorary Chairperson! As you can see from the article on the front cover, he is an exceptional coach and individual who is highly respected across the United States. We need your support to join Coach Saban, Jane Nichols, NAMIWalks Board Chairperson, and NAMI Alabama affiliates to not only meet but surpass our goal of raising $65,000! Walk Manager, Dr. Tamara Crutchley has joined us to help raise funds for our education, advocacy, and support programs. She has maintained relationships with other non-profit organizations as a member of the planning committee for special events and functions. Tamara s other professional experiences include teaching college level science-based curriculum and working in the area of regulatory compliance and food safety. She earned her bachelor s degree in biology and chemistry and her doctorate degree in nutrition sciences from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. We are proud to have her serve in this capacity. Working with Tamara, Jane and the staff are committee members: Jimmy Walsh, Linda Cates, Shannon Weston, David Young, Doug and Maggie Collinsworth, and Meg Lewis. Please call 334-396-4797 if you would like to serve on the Walk Committee. A Walk Appreciation and Informational Meeting was held during the Leadership Training weekend to thank many individuals, teams, businesses, organizations, and affiliates for their hard work and dedication to the 2015 NAMIWalks Alabama. Several photos of those present to receive a certificate of appreciation are shown in this newsletter. As we have expressed, the 5K Walk will be held at the Wynton Blount Cultural Park, in Montgomery. Please help us in recruiting team captains and soliciting businesses. It is a virtual Walk, therefore, you do not have to be present to participate. Please visit www.namialabama.org to register for a team and/or make a donation. Join us in promoting the theme: #IAmStigmaFree. Evaluations from the Leadership Training were most positive. The attendees expressed that it was the best one yet. The speakers were exceptional and everyone appreciated the topics. Please join us in thanking the presenters (shown in this newsletter) and our sponsors, the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. We were pleased to have Chris and Dr. Karis Knight of Decatur to join us for the Leadership Training as they plan to assist us in developing an affiliate in Decatur. They also participated in our recent Family Support Group training to become future leaders. We were also pleased to have representatives from two NAMI on Campus Clubs: Auburn University and Troy University. They are working diligently to increase mental health awareness on their campus. Please continue to develop relationships at a university or college in your area and help us recruit more students in order to develop more NAMI on Campus Clubs. As Jimmy Walsh as stated many times, students are the future of NAMI. Mary Giliberti, NAMI s Executive Director, visited Alabama in December and assisted with NAMI Shelby County s Project Santa. Seventy-five Christmas stockings were prepared at the Shelby Baptist Medical Center, in Alabaster, for individuals living with mental illness. Shelby County has five group homes as well as several permanent supportive houses for individuals living with mental illness. Joining members of the Shelby County affiliate in stuffing stockings were, Jimmy Walsh, Ethel Green, and Wanda Laird. Please see photos NAMI Shelby County Board members and volunteers of the event in this newsletter. Mary Giliberti is doing a great job in supporting state organizations and affiliates! Please join Mary Giliberti and our Board as we strive to reach common goals in bringing about more awareness in mental health. There is much work to be accomplished in meeting the needs of our neighbors, friends, and loved ones. Find Help. Find Hope. Wanda Laird Executive Director 3

NAMIWalks Appreciation / Informational Meeting Jimmy Walsh and Jane Nichols presented appreciation certificates to 2015 NAMIWalks Alabama participants. Robert Prescott, VP of Montgomery Ballet, accepted for the Montgomery Ballet sponsorship and intern ballet performers. Kyle Miner accepted on behalf of BodyTrac Health & Fitness Montgomery for water provided during the Walk. NAMI Montgomery members accept appreciation certificate for providing volunteers. L to R: Lois Herndon, Jimmy Walsh, Mary Jo Logan, president, Brenda Church, David Young, Maggie and Doug Collinsworth, and Jane Nichols. Meg Lewis, President of the Montgomery Sunset Rotary Club accepted the certificate for Rotary volunteers. Montgomery Sunrise Rotary Club volunteers were presented a certificate of appreciation by Wanda Laird. L to R: Willie Durham, Wanda Laird, Skip Dotherow, President, Alrick Bloomfield, Kimber Khouri, and Daniel Taylor Montgomery Academy provided several student and teacher volunteers. L to R: Teresa Pittman (teacher), Kayla Green (teacher) and Ana Cate Lindsey (student) and Mary Braden Herdon (student). Dr. Deidra Parris accepted certificates for AKA Sorority - Mu Sigma Omega Chapter from Opelika and the AKA Sorority - Beta Xi Omega Chapter from Tuskegee for providing volunteers and breakfast for volunteers. Ida Lockette accepted the certificate for the AKA Sorority - Delta Theta Omega Chapter from Mobile for their sponsorship.

Corretta Pitters accepted the certificate for the AKA Sorority - Beta Nu Omega Chapter from Montgomery for providing volunteers. Luke Culpepper accepted a certificate for serving as Walk Coordinator. Lucille Nichols was recognized for her inspirational roll and walk theme on Walk Day. NAMIWalks Alabama 2015 Top Fundraisers Top Teams: First Place: ITS M&M s Steve Meany (was unable to be present.) Second Place: Team Steven - Sue Guffey was recognized for Team Steven. Top Affiliates: First Place: NAMI Huntsville - Nick Snead accepted the certificate. Second Place: NAMI Centre - Sue Guffey accepted the certificate. Third Place: NAMI Shelby Team - NAMI Shelby members accepting the certificate are: Joan Elder, Laurie Griffen, President, and Sheryl Tresslar.

Top Individuals: First Place: Second Place: Sue Guffey Shannon Weston - Joining Shannon in accepting the certificate is her son, Anderson Byrd. Mary Giliberti, NAMI Executive Director Visits Alabama NAMI Shelby County s Project Santa Jimmy Walsh, Mary Giliberti, Joan Elder and Wanda Laird met prior to Project Santa. Joan Elder s son and husband enjoyed working on Project Santa. L to R: Scott, Marty, and Joan L to R: Sheryl Tresslar, Joan Elder, and Laurie Griffen, President Ethel Green, Daphne Kendrick and Mary Giliberti enjoyed Project Santa.

Leadership Training Speakers Legislative Update Graham Champion, Chairman Public Strategies, LLC Hope Inspired Ministries Michael Coleman, Executive Director De-Stress for Success Donna Leslie, Clinical Director Montgomery Area Mental Health Authority Alabama s Criminal Commitment Law Honorable William Shashy, Circuit Judge Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Montgomery, AL Healthy Minds Network: Using Collective Impact to Improve Access to Quality Mental Healthcare for All Lynn Beshear, Executive Director, Envision 2020 Jeff Blancett, Senior Fellow, Summa Source at Auburn Montgomery Organizational Consulting Linnea Conely, Consultant, Summa Source at Auburn Montgomery Organizational Consulting NAMI on Campus Clubs Renata Ponichtera, NAMI Manager NAMI Field Capacity & Governance Auburn University NAMI on Campus Club representatives. Troy University NAMI on Campus Club representatives. L to R: Branch Acton, President, Nicole Davis, Jameka, Poole, and Victoria Hoehn L to R: Fiona Fonseca, Sellers Terrell, Carlaneisha Richardson, and Dr. Joel Willis, sponsor. 7

AKA Sorority Southeastern Regional Conference Ida Lockette, member of the AKA Sorority - Delta Theta Omega Chapter from Mobile and Ana Maria Ramirez Sawyer, NAMI Alabama Hispanic Coordinator promoted NAMI Alabama with a booth at the Regional Conference in Mobile. Ida Lockette, Pamela Bright, AKA Southeastern Representative International Program Committee, Cathy Dorgan, and Elaine Dorgan, NAMI Mobile volunteers. Tamara invites everyone to Walk to support NAMI Alabama and the following NAMI affiliates to join the movement, #IAMSTIGMAFREE: Tamara Crutchley NAMIWalks Alabama Walk Manager NAMI Baldwin County NAMI Centre NAMI Coffee County NAMI Cullman NAMI East Alabama NAMI Huntsville NAMI Jacksonville NAMI Montgomery NAMI Shelby County NAMI Shoals NAMI Tuscaloosa NAMI Tuskegee NAMI Wedowee NAMI West Alabama NAMI Wiregrass

Family Support Group Training First Row L to R: Joan Elder, State Trainer, Jackie Milton, Coordinator/State Trainer, Linda Cates (NAMI Montgomery), David Young (NAMI Montgomery), Brandon Newsome (NAMI Mobile), and Ginger Cobb (NAMI Shoals) Second Row L to R: Chris Knight (Decatur), Dr. Karis Knight (Decatur), Tina Reid (NAMI Mobile), Debra Jackson (NAMI Shelby) and Joe Cobb (NAMI Shoals) In Our Own Voice Training First Row L to R: Christi Collins, State Trainer, Beverly Parker, Coordinator/State Trainer, Calvin Williams (NAMI West Alabama), Sara Parfait, Resource Coordinator, Mike Patterson (NAMI Birmingham), Jennifer Moore (NAMI East Alabama), Morris Daniel (NAMI West Alabama), and Terri Cummings (NAMI East Alabama). Second Row L to R: Linda Moore (NAMI East Alabama), Corrina Shoulders (NAMI Birmingham), Rosa Winborn (NAMI Montgomery), Gregory Hughley (NAMI East Alabama), and Diana McSheffrey (NAMI Baldwin). 9

NAMI Alabama Connection Group Meetings NAMI Baldwin NAMI Baldwin James Hamilton, 251-504-9769, Adamanntt@gmail.com The Harbor Crisis Center, 308 Greeno Rd, Fairhope, AL 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Beverly Parker, 251-599-5562, Berry1502@aol.com Rhonda Wiggins, 251-459-9545, rswigg@hotmail.com Bartlett Place, 2112 Mcmillan Ave, Bay Minette, AL Tuesday, 1:30 p.m. NAMI Birmingham Helena Doering, 205-215-5770, Helenadoering@gmail.com, William Ruff, Charlene Scott UAB, Center for Psychiatry Medicine, Second Floor, 1713 6th Ave S, Birmingham, AL Thursday, 5:00 p.m. NAMI Birmingham NAMI Centre NAMI Huntsville NAMI Huntsville NAMI Huntsville David D. Thames, 205-470-3509, davidtham737@gmail.com, William Ruff S. Highland Presbyterian Church, 2035 Highland Ave. S, Birmingham, AL Tuesday, 2:00 p.m. Paul and Suzanne Theis, 256-779-5794, ptconstruction@tds.net, First Baptist Church Recreational Outreach Center, 300 East Chestnut Bypass, Centre, AL 3rd Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. Tonya Sisk, 256-975-8921, diggerblaster@juno.com Alix Morehouse, 256-682-2742, Alix.morehouse@gmail.com United Church of Huntsville, 7906 Whitesburg Dr Se, Huntsville, AL Monday, 5:30 p.m. Nick Snead, 256-417-3830, nicknamihsv@gmail.com United Way Building, 701 Andrew Jackson Way, Huntsville, AL Thursday, 5:30 p.m. Mark Prescott, 256-777-6774, markpres@yahoo.com 2220 Windscape Dr, Windscape Apt Community Room, Athens, AL 1st and 3rd Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. NAMI Mobile Dee Jordan, mobiledeelight@gmail.com, or SOMI Club, 251-342-0261 NAMI Shoals NAMI Wiregrass Susan Baker, 251-599-3858 SOMI Club, 4351 Midmost Dr, Mobile, AL 2nd and 4th Friday @ 9:00 am Vivian Bulls, 256-766-4740, vivianbulls76@gmail.com NAMI Shoals-Advocacy Education Support, 749 Thompson St, Ste A, Florence, AL 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Tyler Kramer, 334-369-9148, Ppaw95@yahoo.com St Columba Church, 2734 West Main St, Dothan, AL 1st Mondays, 6:30 p.m. 10 We are in the process of developing more groups. Please contact your local affiliate or the state office at 334-396-4797 for more information. NOTE: Please contact the facilitators as dates may be subject to change.

March 14-29 National Brain Awareness Week March 23 Alabama Department of Mental Health Legacy of Leadership RSA Plaza Terrace, Montgomery March 30 Healthy Minds Network Mental Health Conference - Hidden in Plain View: The Human and Economic Costs of Mental Illness Renaissance Hotel, Montgomery April Alcohol Awareness Month and Autism Awareness Month April 13-14 Alabama Council of Community Mental Health Boards Conference, Marriott Grandview, Birmingham April 18-20 Alabama Institute for Recovery - Shocco Springs, Talladega May 8 National Children s Mental Health Awareness Day May 15-21 Older Americans Mental Health Week May 16-22 Mental Health Awareness Week May 17-23 Schizophrenia Awareness Week June 14-17 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training, Birmingham Police Academy June 24-26 Family to Family Training, Drury Inn, Montgomery June 27 National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day May Mental Health Month National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week May 1-7 National Children s Mental Health Week Sponsors/Donors Gold Alkermes Bronze Alabama Printers Cedar Bluff Oil Company, Inc. (Centre) Sue Guffey Supporter BodyTrac Health & Fitness Montgomery Brian E. Barrett, DMD, PC (Wetumpka) DJB Entertainment Haynes Ambulance July National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month August 25-27 NAMI Alabama Annual Meeting, Drury Inn, Montgomery Kilometer World Gym Donors Alabama Dumpster Service Autocenter of Decatur Roxann Becker Tamara Crutchley Ethel Green Wanda Laird Jane Nichols Jimmy Walsh Shannon Weston 11

Symptoms Outdo Diagnoses in Predicting Bipolar Disorder in At-Risk Youth February 26, 2016 Science Update Three types of symptoms emerged as powerful predictors of whether a youth with one parent with bipolar disorder will go on to develop the disorder, according to a study of 391 at-risk youth. The findings offer a much more specific roadmap than previously available for assessing risk of bipolar disorder early in at-risk youth, and one that is based on symptoms, not traditional psychiatric diagnoses. The symptoms identified related to anxiety/depression, affective lability (unstable mood, including irritability), and low-level manic symptoms also provide insight into what may be a high-risk syndrome or prodrome preceding the onset of bipolar spectrum disorder. People with bipolar disorder experience marked, often extreme shifts in mood and energy. The disorder affects an estimated 2.6 percent of Americans. Someone with bipolar disorder experiences periods of depression alternating with periods of mania, a state marked by high energy, overconfidence, and frantic activity. The mood swings can severely disrupt a person s ability to function normally; as many as 15 percent of those affected die by suicide. Despite this, there are often years-long delays before an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Research has suggested that a bipolar prodrome might precede the emergence of bipolar disorder by several years; the hope is that identifying the features of the prodrome could help guide an understanding of how the disorder emerges, and enable earlier detection and more timely and effective treatment. Scientists participating in the NIMH-funded Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS) recruited children of parents with bipolar disorder and a similar group of 248 youth with no family history of the condition. The BIOS team, at the University of Pittsburgh, followed both groups for an average of eight years, collecting information on symptoms of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. While previous research had found that most people diagnosed with bipolar disorder recalled having symptoms of psychiatric disorders earlier, in order to determine accurately how preexisting symptoms affect risk for later development of a disorder, it s necessary to study populations prospectively, or over time, starting years before a disorder emerges. This study looked at a relatively large at-risk population; by the end of the study 44 of the participant youth were diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Previously, the study had reported on categorical predictors of bipolar disorder the presence or absence of a collection of symptoms on which a diagnosis is based such as depression and subthreshold manic episodes. Among their findings was that, taking into account only results based on following youth over time, and not recall of past symptoms, only a previous episode of subthreshold mania or hypomania defined on the basis of symptoms, functioning, and duration predicted later development of bipolar disorder. This more recently reported phase of the study, led by Danella M. Hafeman, M.D., Ph.D., and Boris Birmaher, M.D., took a different approach. This study looked at symptoms in different dimensions of function, without reference to umbrella diagnostic categories, and how these symptoms predicted bipolar spectrum disorder. Levels of several different dimensional symptoms were higher in the high-risk youth when they were first evaluated, including those related to anxiety/depression, inattention/disinhibition, externalizing (disruptive and impulsive behavior), affective lability (unstable mood, including irritability), and low-level manic symptoms (not necessarily part of an episode). Symptom levels in three areas emerged as the strongest predictors of later bipolar disorder: anxiety/depression at baseline (as participants entered the study); affective lability, both at baseline and shortly before a bipolar diagnosis; and low-level manic symptoms shortly before diagnosis. Earlier age at which at which a parent was diagnosed with a mood disorder also increased risk. Youth with all four of those risk factors had a 49 percent chance of developing bipolar, vs. a 2 percent chance for those without them. At the same time, it s important to note that over half of those with all four of the most powerful risk factors did not develop bipolar disorder by the end of the study. The risk factors identified in this study predicted the onset of bipolar disorder whether or not a young person also had a preexisting categorical diagnosis other than bipolar disorder. In fact, the report points out, once the dimensional risk factors were accounted for, disorders no longer predicted future bipolar disorder. These findings offer an approach to assessing risk on the basis of symptoms without respect to diagnoses. These insights can inform clinical diagnosis, but also provides clues for researchers on the facets of the prodrome. Research suggests that changes are occurring in the brain well before psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia emerge with obvious symptoms. Information on this prodromal period can not only make early treatment possible, but could help scientists understand the origin of the brain changes with the aim of eventually being able to interrupt the process and prevent disease. This study is the first large effort to document the relevant prodromal factors for bipolar disorder in the context of an unfolding process across time, said Shelli Avenevoli, Ph.D., acting NIMH deputy director. It demonstrates the potential of combining dimensional symptoms and family risk to enhance risk prediction and for investigating the nature of the prodrome. Lead author Danella Hafeman, M.D., Ph.D., said, The results of this study begin to define an ultra-high risk population, similar to the work that has been done in psychosis. The identification of such a population is important to clinical practice, identifying patients who might require increased surveillance, as well as future research to evaluate strategies for early intervention. Reference Hafeman DM, Merranko J, Axelson D, Goldstein BI, Goldstein T, Monk K, Hickey MB, Sakolsky D, Diler R, Ivengar S, Brent D, Kupfer D, Birmaher B. Toward the Definition of a Bipolar Prodrome: Dimensional Predictors of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in At-Risk Youths. Am J Psychiatry. 2016 Feb 19:appiajp201515040414. [Epub ahead of print] For information on NIMH clinical trials, please visit: www.nimh.nih.gov. Join NAMI and/or Renew Your Membership When you become a member of NAMI, you become part of America's largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals living with serious mental illness. Join online today! Dues Structure: $35.00 Regular Membership $3.00 Open Door Membership (for economic necessity only) For more information, please call 334-396-4797. National Alliance on Mental Illness 1401 I-85 Parkway, Suite A Montgomery, AL 36106 Phone: (334) 396-4797 Fax: (334) 396-4794 Email: wlaird@namialabama.org www.namialabama.org