A Journey of Recovery from Mental Illness to Mental Wellness One Step and One Voice at a Time

SAN FRANCISCO - May 22, 2015 - PRLog -- On Saturday, May 30th,over 3,000 families, friends, community groups, medical staff, veterans and people living with mental illness will join the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) 5K NAMIWalk San Francisco Bay Area in Golden Gate Park’s Lindley Meadow.

The NAMIWalk strives to raise awareness about NAMI’s mental health recovery and support system for people with mental illnesses and their families, to remove the associated stigma and to raise funds to maintain NAMI’s programs provided at No-Cost by NAMI affiliates in counties throughout the Bay Area.

This year’s Opening Ceremony Speaker is Robert Villanueva, Director of “In Our Own Voice” (IOOV) for the NAMI Alameda County South affiliate and a NAMI IOOV national trainer and international mental wellness speaker.

By the age of 28, Villanueva was clinically depressed and felt like he was “wading through mud.” He often missed work, calling in with the “three-day flu.” At other times, he was manic and held down two or three jobs at once. At 32, he was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder. During the course of his illness, Villanueva walked away from his home, family, and job. He ended up sleeping on a mat on the floor of a friend’s backroom and felt that he “didn’t belong in the world.” While on his way to throw himself off the Bay Bridge, he stopped at his psychiatrist’s office and demanded help. His darkest day was sitting in a phone booth telling his wife and stepdaughter that he was sent to a mental hospital.

In 2004, Villanueva was referred to NAMI and helped by advocates who empowered him to take his first steps back to humanity by attending NAMI’s “In Our Own Voice” public education program that combats the stigma of mental illness. He heard personal and compelling stories of success from people living with mental illness who were working toward recovery. For the first time, he was told that people with mental illness had value in this world.

According to Villanueva, “NAMI's In Our Own Voice program gave me direction to take my first step out of darkness. It felt like all the NAMI members were helping me get to the light at the end of the deep, dark tunnel of loneliness. It was the late Rev. Chet Watson (Co-founder of NAMI’s FaithNet and the Bay Area NAMIWalk) that convinced me to open my eyes and walk towards that light. Coming out of the tunnel of darkness was the beginning of a new life, a new chapter, a new passion.”

Today, Robert Villanueva, who is now 46, is both a presenter and a national trainer of NAMI’s “In Our Own Voice” (IOOV) program. He speaks about his struggles with bipolar disorder and how he has managed to control his own illness. As an IOOV trainer, he empowers others to share their own stories.

“In Our Own Voice allowed me to grow my self-esteem, reduce my own self-stigma, and share my story of recovery from a severe mental illness that has now been seen or heard by over 300,000 people across the nation and overseas. The NAMIWalk San Francisco Bay Area is an annual gathering celebrating the continued path of recovery for those of us affected by mental illness,” he continued.

The 11^th Annual 5K NAMIWalk San Francisco Bay Area is Saturday, May 30^th in Golden Gate Park’s Lindley Meadow (30^th Avenue and John F. Kennedy Drive, San Francisco, CA). Registration is FREE for NAMIWalkers thanks to sponsor donations. Check-in and on-site registration:  8:30 AM, Opening Events: 10:00 AM, Walk Start: 11:00 AM, Post-Walk to 2:00 PM (live music and info booths). Children under 18 are welcome with a guardian. Dogs on leashes are okay.

To pre-register or for more information about the NAMIWalk SF Bay Area, call 800-556-2401, or go to http://www.NAMIWalks.org. Click "Find A Walk," then "C" for California, and select the link for "2015 NAMIWalks Bay Area."

NAMI programs and services include: Family-to-Family is NAMI’s multi-week peer-led education and support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness. In Our Own Voice (IOOV) is NAMI’s anti-stigma speaker’s bureau that helps others understand mental health issues through discussion of first-hand experiences of people living with a mental illness themselves. Ending the Silence is an in-school presentation about mental health designed for high school students to learn about mental illness directly from family members and individuals living with mental illness. Parents and Teachers as Allies is an in-service program helping school professionals better understand the early warning signs of mental illnesses in children.  Peer-to-Peer is a peer-led, multi-session course.  It provides a confidential place to learn from shared experiences in an environment of sincere, uncritical acceptance. Multi-cultural agency partnerships provide classes and education materials in Spanish and Chinese. Advocacy – NAMI advocates politically locally and nationally for improved public policies addressing the needs of people with mental illness and their families. Veteran’s Resource Center provides resources onlinefor veterans and active duty personnel and their families including information on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

ABOUT ROBERT VILLANUEVA: Robert Villanueva is an international mental wellness advocate, researcher, and a dedicated voice for those living with severe mental illness. Robert is focused on shattering the walls of stigma that keep many people from seeking help or staying in recovery. He got his start in advocacy work with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in 2004, went on to represent the state affiliate, and ultimately became a voice for the national organization. He has been on NPR, Featured in Bipolar Magazine, One In Four Magazine in the U.K., and multiple media outlets. Currently, Mr. Villanueva is a member at the University of California at Berkeley in --The Stephen Hinshaw Research Lab -- working on reduction of stigma in youth LETSBC2M. He is a board member of NAMI Alameda County South (NAMIACS) and the Director of the IOOV program. He is also a District 1 appointee to the Alameda County Board of Mental Health. For fun, he is a Founding Board member of Adversity 2 Advocacy.

ABOUT NAMI: Founded in 1979 in Wisconsin and headquartered in Arlington, VA, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness and their families. Over 1,000 affiliates nationwide provide educational programs, support services and advocacy at No-Cost. NAMI’s origins were in San Mateo County as Parents of Adult Schizophrenics in 1974 when mothers were blamed for causing mental illness. For more information, or to find a local affiliate, go to www.nami.org.

MEDIA NOTE:  Interviews are available by arrangement in days prior to the walk and on-site between 9:30-11:00 a.m. May 30th.