At SAMHAJ, we are so grateful to have you all amazing volunteers, members, supporters, mental health providers, and collaborators to encourage us to work towards fulfilling our mission to provide support, educational programs, resources, and advocacy to those in need. We are so thankful for your support in spreading mental health awareness in the South Asian community and beyond.

Appreciate each and every one of you for your generosity in giving your time and talents for SAMHAJ. Thank You and Season's Greetings from ours to yours.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that recurs regularly at certain times of the year, usually beginning in late fall or winter and lasting into spring. While the reported incidence of SAD in the general population is four to 10 percent, some studies suggest that up to 20 percent of people in the United States may be affected by a mild form of the disorder....to read more click here.

NAMI Tri-cities December blog highlights Seasonal affective disorder, please click here to learn more.

SAMHAJ Family Support Group

For Family Members, Caregivers, and Friends of People with Mental Health Conditions. 

Date: Thursday, December 7th, 2023

Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM ET

Venue: Online - Zoom

SAMHAJ Recovery Support Group

For Individuals with Lived Experience of Mental Health Conditions. 

Date: Thursday, December 7th, 2023

Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM ET

Venue: Online - Zoom

In-person Social Group Gathering for SAMHAJ members

This in-person informal gathering is for SAMHAJ members (individuals and families with mental health conditions) to come together for socializing and networking. As we have limited seats, please register as soon as possible. Once we reach the limit we will stop taking registrations for the social group gathering. Light refreshments will be served.

Date: Saturday, December 9th, 2023

Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET

Venue: NAMI NJ Office Conference Room

Address: 1562 US-130, North Brunswick Township, NJ 08902

Disclaimer: As an attendee of a NAMI NJ event or program, as well as anyone entitled to act on my behalf, herby forever waive, release, and hold NAMI NJ, and its employees and agents harmless from any and all claims, suits, liability, actions, judgements, attorney’s fees, costs, and any expenses of any kind resulting from injuries or damages, grounded in tort or otherwise, that I and/or my representatives, sustain during or related to my participation or involvement in this program; other than claims based upon intentional or reckless misconduct of NAMI-NJ. NAMI NJ can use names, photos, video/audio recordings of participants and can be published.

The Power of No - Setting Boundaries for Self-Care and Success

Sujaag invites you to an in-person discussion on THE POWER OF NO - Setting Boundaries for Self-Care and Success. Join us to learn effective strategies for understanding boundaries, communicating them effectively, and maintaining healthy relationships. Explore practical strategies for asserting boundaries in various aspects of life. Please click here to register for an informative and interactive session.

Date: Sunday, December 3rd, 2023

Time: 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM EST

Location: Livingston United Methodist Church, 290 W Hobart Gap Rd, Livingston, NJ 07039

IFSS-NAMI Jingle Mingle IFSS & NAMI of Middlesex County invite you to attend 13th Annual IFSS-NAMI Jingle Mingle - A Winter Holiday Celebration for Families. There will be games, prizes, and lots of great food, So come with your smile and a jolly good mood. Go ahead -- put on your ugliest holiday sweater, And join us for this oh-so-special get-together. Come one, come all, gather your loved ones near, As we celebrate the season with those we hold dear! Space is limited, please register by calling IFSS by 12/4/23 at 732-235-5000

Date: Thursday, December 14th, 2023

Time: 5:00 PM -7:30 PM EST

Location: 151 Centennial Ave, Piscataway

IFSS of Middlesex County in Collaboration with NAMI of Middlesex County Presents: Gentle Yoga & Meditation Please join for gentle yoga stretches, breathing, and meditation to help you relax and de-stress at this busy time of year! Dr. Susan Gould Fogerite, certified yoga teacher and long-time practitioner, will share strategies and practices to help you Relax, Release, and Recharge. Don’t miss this opportunity for self-care! please click here to register.

Date: December 19th, 2023

Time: 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM EST

Location: Virtual

Registration: Click here

NAMI is proud to introduce the Teen & Young Adult (T&YA) HelpLine: A free nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals, and support to teens and young adults. Our T&YA Specialists are young people who understand what you're going through because they have been through stuff, too. They are experienced and well-trained. They care and want to help you find a way forward. Reach out by phone, text, or chat.

Text "Friend" to 62640

Chat at nami.org/talktous

Call 1-800-950-6264

Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

Support Groups: Our recovery connection and family/caregiver support groups are on the first Thursday of the month, December 7th, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET. The zoom room will be open 10 min before the group starts so feel free to join early if you have any questions.

Social Group: This in-person informal gathering is for SAMHAJ members (individuals and families with mental health conditions) is to come together for socializing and networking. It is on Saturday, December 9th, 2023 at 2:00PM ET at NAMI NJ conference room located at 1562 US-130, North Brunswick Township, NJ 08902. Light refreshments will be served.

Young Adult Club by NAMI Middlesex County:

YAC is on a mission to make friends. It is a recreational group for anyone over 18 with emotional or behavioral challenges. YAC meets on Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of most months unless there is a special outing planned! For more info or the Zoom link, please email YAC.

Jingle Mingle Holiday Celebration is on December 14th, 2023 at 5 PM ET located at 151 Centennial Ave. Piscataway 5 - 7:30 PM

Support Groups: Our recovery connection and family/caregiver support groups ran on November 2nd @ 7:00 pm ET. Special thanks to our wonderful volunteers for facilitating. Several SAMHAJ members joined the support groups and found it helpful.

Caregiver Wellness Program: On Nov 1st and Nov 8th, SAMHAJ collaborated with students at Rowan Medical School to host a Caregiver Wellness Program. Special thanks to Keertana Jonnalagadda and several other SOM volunteers who hosted the program. Several caregivers found the program relaxing and we received positive feedback. Here are some comments from participants who attended:

"Thank you for offering this wellness workshop  :)"

"Can I share this with others in my network, I think they will find it helpful."

Thanks to Leena Kasa, Maftuna Kurbonnazarova, Evelyn DeVoesick, Izzy El Hady, Salma Maher, Prit Vakil, Aneela Rampersad, Yasemin Galiboglu, Keertana Jonnalagadda who gave their time to support the Caregiver Wellness Program.

SAMHAJ Celebration: We hosted the SAMHAJ celebration on Sunday, November 5th, 2023. We had a great turnout and got to recognize our amazing volunteers, supporters, and community change-makers. We are really grateful to everyone who showed up to make it a special celebration. Please click here to see the pictures.

Decolonizing Mental Health for AAPI Youth & Families: Our SAMHAJ members participated in this symposium on November 2nd. We hope to gain new SAMHAJ members from this outreach.

Young Adult Club by NAMI Middlesex County:

Thanks to NAMI Middlesex County YAC some of our SAMHAJ members and their families participated in events in the month of November.

Lunchtime Conversation: On Nov 29th, 2023, NAMI NJ hosted an informative presentation and conversation on Tardive Dyskinesia – New Hope. SAMHAJ members attended this event and found it helpful. The recording will eventually be posted here. Please click here to watch the previous recordings of multicultural conversations.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2023 NAMI NJ SAMHAJ AWARDEES

Outstanding Recovery Support Group Facilitator - Milan Borde

Thank you for your generous commitment of time, support, and inspiration

Outstanding Family Support Group Facilitator - Mona Hameed

Thank you for your generous commitment of time, support, and inspiration

Outstanding SAMHAJ Volunteer - Zulekha Halim

In appreciation for your dedication and devotion to SAMHAJ

Outstanding Service Award - Keertana Jonnalagadda

For your determination and vision to help caregivers and spreading mental health awareness in SA community

Outstanding Provider - Parantap Pandya

Thank you for your generous commitment of time, support, inspiration and advocacy. And thank you for your dedication in improving the mental health system.

Outstanding Community Leader - Aruna Ganti

For being a change maker and your commitment in spreading mental health awareness in South Asian community

NAMI NJ is committed to serving New Jersey’s diverse communities and is hosting a webinar series this year – NAMI NJ Multicultural Conversations. Our four multicultural programs (serving African American, Hispanic/Latinx, South Asian & Chinese American communities) will help facilitate meaningful, culturally-sensitive dialogues on various mental wellness topics. Let’s come together and talk about mental health and culture!

With the holiday season coming up, there is often additional stress. The lack of sunlight can also lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder. Please click here for a previous recording on how to manage this time of year, if it is difficult for you. Just wanted to bring this video back to the community. For information on future webinars please visit this site.

Ending the Silence for Teens

NAMI CCNS is proud to introduce “Ending The Silence”, a 50-minute presentation for middle and high school students to help them understand mental illness. The program teaches them common warning signs and when, where and how to get help for themselves or for their friends. During the presentation, they hear the reality of what living with a mental health condition is like directly from a young adult with lived experience. To read more click here on this article.

For Those Who Find the Holidays Triggering

My patient, Han, used to dread going home to his parent’s house for the holidays. He found it hard to relax and be himself, and his wife and children also dreaded it. His parents made hurtful remarks, criticizing everything from their outfits to their opinions. The minute Han walked through the front door of his childhood home, his stomach would knot as he felt himself shift from the man he is to the boy he was. 

Please click here to read the full article.

NJ Human Services Overdose Awareness Day Message

For #OverdoseAwarenessDay, NJ Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman visited Mast Pharmacy in Bordentown to show how easy it is to get free #naloxone at participating NJ pharmacies as part of Governor Murphy's work to save lives amid NJ's fight against the opioid epidemic. To watch the full video click here.

Health Insurance for undocumented kids in NJ:

New Jersey has a program that allows undocumented families to enroll their children in NJ Family care (Medicaid). Great news to all the immigrant families whose children may benefit from this program. Please click here to learn more about health insurance for undocumented kids in NJ..

Family Leave Act in NJ:

For caregivers of people with mental health conditions or other disabilities check out the new Family Leave Act for the most updated benefits and policies for families in NJ.

Law Against Discrimination in NJ:

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) is one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in the country. The LAD prohibits discrimination and bias-based harassment based on many protected classes in employment (including labor unions and employment agencies), housing (include housing providers and realtors), and places of public accommodation (generally, places open to the public, including businesses, restaurants, schools, summer camps, medical providers, government offices and agencies, etc.). Great news for people of color who may benefit from this Law. To learn more information click here.

Research Study on Indian American Women and Perfectionism, Cultural Stress, and Disordered Eating.

The purpose of this research study is to begin to understand the relationship between acculturation strategy and experience of acculturative stress in white culture, maladaptive perfectionism, and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among Indian American women. To participate in this study, one must identify as an Indian American cis or trans woman, living in the US, above the age of 18. All responses are kept anonymous, and five random participants will be given a $20 Visa gift card as a thank you. 

Please click here for the direct survey link.

What Motivates South Asian Female Emerging Adults to Seek Mental Health Treatment?

The purpose of this study is to learn about the experiences and motivations of South Asian female emerging adults that seek mental health treatment.

Download NAMI NJ’s Research Flyer | Download Flyer

Seeking Feedback from People with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and their Caregivers:

NAMI is working with a clinical research partner seeking to understand more about people’s experiences with treatments for serious mental illness. We are looking for 60 adults with an SMI diagnosis and 30 caregivers of individuals with an SMI diagnosis to participate. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact the study investigator Dr. Melissa Maravic at melissa.maravic@precisionvh.com.

Download NAMI NJ’s Research flyer

It’s finally here! NAMI’s first-ever book, “You Are Not Alone" by Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI’s Chief Medical Officer: NAMI’s Guide to Navigating Mental Health” is now available.

This comprehensive guide includes stories from more than 130 people who have been there — people with mental illness and their caregivers — and understand how challenging it can be to find the help you need, when you need it. Their stories are what makes this book different from your typical mental health guide.

Download PDF of this email to share!