This is a research poster for my organization M.I.N.D. (Mental Illnesses and Neurological Disorders). I presented this at a regional conference at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) in April 2016.

1. M.I.N.D.
(Mental Illnesses and Neurological Disorders)
Melinda Dang, Lyn’Nazia Davis, Shyaiah Mitchell, Elijah Smith, Christopher Dandridge, Jason Roberts,
Vanezza Alvayero
Cleveland Early College High School, Cleveland, Ohio
Introduction This Year’s Project Conclusion
Objectives
References
● Reduce stigma towards those with a mental illness
or neurological disorder
● Help those with illness/disorder feel included in the
community
● Educate families and the general public about
lesser known illnesses/disorders
● Decrease the number of untreated people and
suicide rates of those diagnosed
● Promote awareness by distributing brochures,
wristbands, T-shirts, sweatshirts, and other
materials.
Any Mental Illness (AMI) Among Adults. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/any-mental-illness-ami-among-adults.shtml - See more at: https:
//www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers#sthash.ZDRRCcQ6.dpuf
Center for Diseases and Control. Attitudes Towards Mental Illness. CDC, Web. 4 Oct. 2014.
Schizophrenia. Psychological Disorders. Heather Barnett Veague Ph.D. Christine Collins, Ph.D. Series Editor. Chelsea
House Publishers. 2007.
Young, Patrick. Schizophrenia. Psychological Disorders and their Treatment. The Encyclopedia of Health. 1988. Chelsea
House Publishers. Print. Accessed 4 Nov 2014.
In 2015-2016, we focused on paranoid schizophrenia
and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
- Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. – 43.7 million –
experiences mental illness every year.
- Almost 1 in 25 people has a serious mental illness like
schizophrenia.
Statistics on Schizophrenia
- About 51 million people in the world have schizophrenia. It
affects 1% of Americans (2.2 million people).
- The illness costs about $63 million per year in medical
expenses.
- Paranoid schizophrenia entails people being extremely
suspicious of others. They have hallucinations and delusions.
Data on Dissociative Identity Disorder
- Previously known as multiple personality disorder and is
usually a reaction to trauma to help person avoid bad
memories
- There is at least two distinct different identities/personalities
present in the person; each personality can have contrasting
names, histories, emotions and body functions.
M.I.N.D. will continue to prosper as we gain new
members each year.
Our future plans:
● Organize kick-off event.
● Visit schools to speak to students through our
seminars and presentations, which can include
panels with mental health professionals or
specialists.
● Launch a website and social media accounts where
we regularly post facts and information about
mental health in order to reach a wider audience.
● Host events involving interaction between those
with illnesses and the public.
Please visit our new Facebook page: www.facebook.
com/mentalillnessesandneurologicaldisorders
Our organization raises awareness about mental
health illnesses and the stigma surrounding them.
We educate the public on how to recognize lesser
known psychological disorders and how to treat
others with these ailments.
We focus our project on one to two disorders each
year. We founded our group in 2014 and focused on
schizophrenia.
Our group was motivated to pursue mental health
because a woman in Cleveland, Tanisha Anderson,
was murdered after an altercation with police officers.
The police used excessive force with her because
she was not cooperating with them; they were
unaware she had schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and
heart disease.
Our overall goal is that the public will gain a
greater understanding as well as acceptance of
the individuals affected by the disorders. Acknowledgements
We would like to give thanks to:
• Anita Johnson, pipeline coordinator for Health Professions
Affinity Community (HPAC)
•Laila Almassri (Americorps)
•Ms. Sekaran, Cleveland Early College High School
•Darren and Graham (NEOMED students)
•Daniel Yin (Americorps)
•Johnathan Tyes (Cleveland State University)
In March 2015, we presented at our high school
health fair.
In October 2015, we presented our poster at
Family Medicine Education Consortium in Boston,
Massachusetts.
In February 2016, we were awarded a $1,400
grant from NEOMED to help fund our project.
We purchased T-shirts, wristbands, and sticker
paper.
Our Achievements