Resources:* National Alliance on Mental Illness, Chattanooga423-827-4049* AIM Center423-624-4800* Fortwood Center423-266-6751* Johnson Mental Health Center423-634-8884* Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute423-265-2271* Parkridge Valley Hospital423-499-2300* Crisis Resources in Tennessee and Georgia:TennesseeCall 911 and ask for the “Crisis Intervention Team” in the case of an emergency involving someone with mental illnessCall 1800-SUICIDE for adults contemplating suicide or 1800-621-4000 for adolescentsCall 211 for social service help from ChattanoogaCall 1800-467-3589 for the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline and resource referralCall 423-870-9033 or 877-567-6051 for walk-in crisis care at Johnson Mental Health and Substance Abuse ServicesGeorgiaCall 911 and ask for the “Crisis Intervention Team” in the case of an emergency involving someone with mental illnessCall 1800-SUICIDE for adults contemplating suicide or 1800-621-4000 for adolescentsCall the Georgia crisis and access line at 1800-715-4225Call the Lookout Mountain Community Services for crisis or assistance at 706-866-6885Call the peer support and wellness center in Decatur, Ga. at 404-371-1414Call the NAMI Georgia helpline at 1800-728-1052Source: NAMI
Before anyone came to the stage, a television flashed with names and diagnoses.
Leo Tolstoy. Mentally ill. Ludwig van Beethoven. Manic depression. John Keats. Mentally ill. Isaac Newton. Manic depression. Michelangelo. Mentally ill. Winston Churchill. Bipolar. Charles Dickens. Clinical depression.
Then a clip of news footage was shown in which news anchor Brian Williams said Ariel Castro, the man who abducted and held three women for more than a decade in Cleveland, was “the face of mental illness.”
A short, retired engineer came to the stage. Her words were punctuated with energy and frustration.