Dealing with mental illness is no walk in the park. But the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is doing just that this weekend to raise awareness and funds to help fight this disease. Nathalie Taylor is the Child Outpatient Clinical Supervisor at the Lakeview Center in Pensacola. She will be one of the speakers at the event this Saturday put on by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The event starts at 10am with a 5K walk at Bayview Park on E Lloyd Street in Pensacola. That will be followed by a program of speakers talking about mental health and dealing with the stigma that still exists in society towards people with mental illness. Nathalie Taylor will be one of the speakers. She says if you don’t have a mental illness yourself, you probably know someone who does. "One in five Americans live with a mental disorder, (and) two thirds of those people with mental illness do not seek treatment."
Taylor says the reason for that is the stigma that is still attached to people with mental illness. "Unfortunately these is (a stigma), it's all around us. I think more people realize how that stigma impacts us day to day with all the horrible on the news that happens when people don't get the help they need."
The NAMI5K Walk In the Park for Mental Illness is Saturday at 10 a.m. It’s followed by a program of speaker including Nathalie Taylor. There’s a $25 fee to participate in the walk. The program at noon is free. For more information, call 208-1609 or email namipensacola@gmail.com.
