NAMI Havre hosting 'In Our Own Voice'

National Alliance on Mental Illness Havre is hosting "In Our Own Voice" Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m. in its space in The 305 Building on Third Ave. in Suite 212, inviting the community to come out and hear about mental illness and what it is like living with it.

"The purpose behind the event is that we would like the public to understand what people are dealing with in their mental illnesses and how they do in everyday life," NAMI Havre President Crystal Laufer said.

Jason and Pamela Evans are providing a 60-to-90-minute presentation aimed at shattering the negative stereotypes against people with mental illness along with a DVD showing eight others and their stories. The event is free.

The personal experiences and stories include: depressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and other brain disorders will be discussed, a press release said.

Laufer said they want Havre to come out a little bit more and understand that there is mental illness here. "It is time to get out of the barn and realize it's here and it's here to stay," she said.

NAMI is a nonprofit organization that has been in Havre for 15 years. The organization "provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness, so that all individuals and family affected by mental illness can build better lives," said in a press release.

"We educate, support, advocate, lead and listen to people that are dealing with (mental illness) or family members or friends that have people going through mental illness," Laufer said.

Every Tuesday night from 6 to 7 p.m. NAMI has a Family Support Group Class and on the third Saturday of the month is the NAMI Havre Board meeting at 6:30 pm.

"We would like to invite anyone and everyone to come and check us out and we would like to help people to understand mental illnesses," Laufer said.