Local mental health organization offers support group for holiday season

For some, the holiday season can be stressful and difficult, not peaceful and jolly. A Springfield mental health organization sees more people in crisis during the holidays than any other time of the year, and is now starting a support group to help.

Addie Blankenship is the director of the Hope Center at the Southwest Missouri National Alliance on Mental Illness.

"The social stress, the cultural stress, all of those things play a really big role in hindering our mental health." Blankenship said.

Volunteer Roy Herzog answers the Hope Center's peer support phone line, also known as the Warm Line, and said more calls come in around Christmas.

"As soon as I realized I could help people get through their mental illnesses, it helped me get through a lot of mine," he said.

Blankenship said stress of the season can make mental illness even harder to handle.

"Holiday lights come up in November, all the way until after Christmas in January," she said. "People are still struggling, still going to family gatherings, still reeling from all the stress."

So she developed a weekly support group to help people who struggle through the most wonderful time of year, with loneliness, grief and high expectations.

It's called Hope for the Holidays. It runs every Monday from Nov. 25 to Dec. 30. It will cover topics such as "the holiday hurry," "unrealistic expectations," "loss and grief" and "joy in the little things."

Blankenship said she wants those who are hurting to know they are not alone.

"It's a time period that may be hard, it may be stressful. You may dread it, but it will pass," she said.

Herzog and Blankenship said it's okay to not feel merry and bright.

"Quite frankly that's unrealistic," Blankenship said.

She said finding a community of people who understands your struggle can bring more peace and joy than any holiday.

The group will be held at the NAMI Hope Center in the Cox Medical Tower at 5:00 p.m. Blankenship said there are no requirements, no registration and no costs.

For more information about the Hope for the Holidays group, call 417-864-7119 or click

. for the NAMI Hope Center Facebook page.

To contact the NAMI Warm Line, call 417-864-3676 or toll free at 1-877-535-4357.