In an effort to promote the idea of complete health and wellness for both body and mind, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recently launched Hearts & Minds, an online self-help health education program centering around three main principles: stop smoking, eat healthy, and exercise.

This simple, yet powerful message is echoed throughout the initiative by a handful of professionals and advocates, including NAMI Medical Director Ken Duckworth, M.D., and through testimonials from people who have seen personal improvement in their lives through this integration of physical and mental health.

Duckworth also penned one of the most helpful resources available on the website, “Roadmap to Wellness for Individuals Living with Mental Illness.”

Providing an introduction to the Hearts & Minds philosophy, the Roadmap details topics such as Medical Self Advocacy, provides a guide to smoking cessation and for dealing with substance abuse and alcoholism, and it promotes a physically health lifestyle centering around exercise and healthy eating.

“Food doesn’t just feed our bodies,” states the website, “it also nourishes our minds.”

The Hearts & Minds campaign presents evidence of the link between physical health and mental health in a clear, easy to understand format with real life applications. One example they present is the increased risk of diabetes for those living with mental illness and the affects of Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes on people living with mental illness.

In addition to the Roadmap, some of the downloadable resources include a goal-setting worksheet, complete with tips and ideas for creating and maintaining realistic goals, starter food and exercise journal sheets and a document designed to help individuals keep track of their current medications and other health information.

Cenpatico is pleased to be a long time supporter of NAMI, an organization whose initiatives and programs promote recovery through self-directed care, mental health education and advocacy.  Hearts & Minds promotes and celebrates a philosophy of overall health through self-advocacy, and emphasizes the importance of maintaining knowledge of your family’s medical history, particularly with respect to heart health, and open communication with your doctor.

“If you’re doctor doesn’t ask you if your parents have high blood pressure or high cholesterol or diabetes, you need to tell them,” states Duckworth in the video. “And then you need to demand [the doctors] put resources in your hands to help yourself.”

And thanks to NAMI, Hearts & Minds has made helpful resources available on demand.

Jimmy Donovan

Research Specialist

This entry is filed under Blog.