nami mid-valley

May—June 2014

Board of Directors

Marilyn Marker

President 541-745-2064

Monica Drost

Secretary & Mailings

alpacabling@gmail.com

Barbie Gee

Treasurer

Sara Williams

Membership Chair

Maury & Lawanda Embry,

Drew Pape—Support Group

Howard Marchbanks

NAMI Connectiions (Peer

Support Group) 541-753-0419

Dianne Farrell

Newsletter 541-745-5070

dianne.farrell@gmail.com

Hilary Harrison

Education Coordinator

Lisa Pattieshaw

Tony Siegienski

Michelle Schatz

NAMI Northwest Walk Coming Up Sun., May 18, in Portland

We are the Mid-Valley Movers and Shakers and Sterling Cronin is our captain! The Walk is the biggest mental health event in Oregon. Help us raise funds to keep NAMI programs free for those who need them. Ninety percent of the money comes back to us at the local level! It is our biggest funding source. Sign up/donate at http://namiwalks.nami.org/

MidValleyMoversandShakers2014 now. Call Dianne to carpool to Portland (541-745-5070)

See our website: www.nami.org/sites/ NAMI Mid-Valley’s phone: 541-745-2064

NAMI MID-VALLEY—P.O. BOX 1172—CORVALLIS, OR 97339-1172

Captain Sterling Cronin

May is Mental Health Awareness Month:

Program at Linn County Expo Center

Several Linn and Benton County organizations, in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month are sponsoring an all-day program on Wednesday, May 14 at the Linn County Expo Center. Dr. Dennis Embry, CEO of PAXIS Institute, will conduct it, and his topic is “Taming the Epidemic of Youthanasia”, refer-ring to an epidemic of mental, emotional, behavioral and related physical dis-orders. Children, teens and young adults are exhibiting an array of illnesses, …. Continued on next page

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May 6 & 20 (1st & 3rd Tues.) May 10 & 24 (2d & 4th Sat.) May 19 (3rd Mon)

June 3 & 17 “ June 14 & 28 “ June 16

Contact: Howard Marchbanks, lefty333@peak.org

TIME: 7:00 PM 10:00 AM 5:00 PM

PLACE: Good Sam Hospital Good Sam Hospital Grace Lutheran Church

NAMI MID-VALLEY MEETINGS

Marijuana and Mental Illness

Dr. James Phelps, a national expert on bipolar disorder, spoke to a NAMI Education Meeting on April 1 about marijuana and mental illness. Dr. Phelps cheerfully admitted that this is not a field he is well-versed in, but welcomed the opportunity to dig into the research on it, and called up-on those present to contribute at any point. This made for a highly interactive session. Above all Dr. Phelps enjoined us to view all health information critically, always asking “How is this known? Where is the research?” Dr. Phelps invited us to use his website www.psycheducation.org where he posts helpful information, mainly about bipolar disorder. Research on marijuana is scant in the U.S. on account of the legal restrictions. On the other hand, considerable research has been done in other countries—Israel in particular. The canna-

binoids, as opposed to the primarily hallucinogenic THC contained in marijuana, have documented healing properties, and have a long history of use in controlling seizures. One well-supported research finding with respect to marijuana’s effect on mental illness is that marijuana use in a teenag-

er/young adult can precipitate psychosis earlier than it otherwise would have appeared. (It is not thought that it precipi-

tates psychosis in those who do not have the genetic risk. There has been no increase in the incidence of schizophrenia in

the years since marijuana use has become more prevalent.)

One research study—unrelated to marijuana--that seems particularly important compared two groups of forty persons, 13-to-25-year olds whose families have a history of serious mental illness. One group took 1.2 grams of fish oil dailyand the other did not. Of those who took fish oil, two of the forty developed psychosis, while among the forty who did not take fish oil, eleven of the forty became ill. So, if your family has a history of serious mental illness, taking fish oil is definitely worthwhile. And your 13-25-year old children should avoid marijuana. As with other substances that affect the mind—alcohol, other mind-altering drugs—marijuana just confuses the treatment

of mental illness. It’s one of those self-medication substances that doesn’t help one to find the effective treatment.

To a general question about nutrition in the treatment of mental illness, Dr. Phelps responded by recommending “The GAPS Diet “ or Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., De-pression,... by Natasha Campbell-McBride. There is also a cookbook: Internal Bliss, the GAPS Cookbook.

FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP PEER SUPPORT GROUP (NAMI CONNECTIONS) NAMI BOARD

May 24: Board Development Meeting: An exceptional Board meeting will be held 10 —12 n at Grace Lutheran Church.

July 11: NAMI Mid-Valley Community Picnic: Avery Park, Lion’s Shelter.

Dr. James Phelps

Program at Linn County Expo Center ….continued problems and symptoms that have been rare in the past: ADHD, depression, autism, asthma, obesity, bipolar disorder, anxiety, addictions, learning disabilities and suicide. The good news is that this epi-demic is preventable. Dr. Embry is famous for his work in health, public safety and prevention of sub-stance abuse, violence and mental illness among children. The program is free of charge, but you must register in advance. There is a half-day option, 9 – 11:30 am or do the full day, including 1 – 3:30 pm. Call 541-967-3819 or visit www.linntogether.org to register.

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New Membership Chair Needed!

Sara Williams needs to hand off this job. You would do an online training on

the NAMI website, and Sara would mentor you. That done, the job takes 2—

3 hours per month. It’s a very necessary job, but could be done without

attending Board meetings, if you prefer. Call Marilyn Marker (541-745-2064).

Mental Health in Tri-County Area Gets a Boost from Federal Funds!

Benton County Health Dept. has received three federal grants recently to augment mental health services. Jeanne Nel-

son, Program Manager, Mental Health Division, reported this success to the Willamette Criminal Justice Council on April

16 at its regular monthly meeting. The money is for three counties--Lincoln, Benton and Linn--joined in the InterCommu-

nity Health Network - Coordinated Care Organization (IHN-CCO) service area under that reorganization of financing and

delivery of services. One is a Rental Assistance Grant, which will fund housing for persons who are homeless or at risk of

homelessness and not otherwise covered by housing benefits (HUD). The $590,000 grant will fund housing at scattered

sites for twelve persons in Linn County, nine in Lincoln and nine in Benton Counties through 2015. (The state has said that,

if successfully managed, this program will be continued by the state after 2015.) Clients will pay 30% of their income for

rent, and will receive $1000 in move-in expenses. Included in the grant are two po-

sitions: a Peer Specialist and a Skills Trainer. Benton County will be working with

the Corvallis Homeless Shelter Movement and with Community Outreach, Inc. The

placements will be according to the successful “Housing First” model, which does

not demand sobriety, drug-free status or that the client be in mental health treat-

ment as a precondition for housing, but works with clients to solve problems.

Another grant will fund a Mobile Crisis Response Team in Benton and Linn Counties.

This service will support two mental health professionals in each county who, with

an officer of the law, will be on call 24/7. The target population is persons 18 or

older with severe mental illness. Not everyone will necessarily be hospitalized, but

all will be followed up on. The third grant will expand the Active Community Treat-

ment (ACT) program, which provides wrap-around services for children.

The Department of Justice intervened in Oregon’s mental health treatment crisis

three years ago, forcing Oregon to build a new State Hospital and upgrade services. Providing greater state as well as fed-

eral funding for community services was anticipated. In 2013, the Oregon Legislature added money to community mental

health programs for the first time in many years-- $40 million. During a September special session, another $20 million

was added. For a January 2014 update on where Oregon stands with the Department of Justice and providing adequate

community mental health services, press Ctrl & click on http://twitter.com/maxoregonian

At the May 21st meeting of the Willamette Criminal Justice Council, Judge Matthew Donahue will report on the proposal

to establish a mental health court. That meeting, 3 – 5 pm at the Law Enforcement Building, is open to the public.

UPCOMING NAMI TRAININGS For general information & to download the application forms and schedules, check the Upcoming Trainings page of the NAMI Oregon

website. For questions, contact Education Programs Manager Peter Link at 503-230-8009 or pete@namior.org.

Jeanne Nelson, Program Manager,

Mental Health Division, Benton Co.

Family Support Group Facilitator Training April 5 & 6, 2014 Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center 19300 SW 65th Ave., Tualatin, OR, 97062 Family-to-Family Teacher Training June 20-22, 2014 Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center 19300 SW 65th Ave., Tualatin, OR, 97062

Connection Support Group Facilitator Training July 26-27, 2014 Days Inn Portland South 9717 SE Sunnyside Rd., Clackamas, OR 97015 Family-to-Family Teacher Training October 10-12, 2014 Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center

19300 SW 65th Ave., Tualatin, OR, 97062

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Register by April 30 and receive the special Super Saver rate of $210! Program Highlights: Turning Frustration into Action: Fighting for Crisis Services in Your Community It is important for individuals and fami-lies to learn how to advocate with legis-lators and community leaders for crisis intervention teams (CIT), crisis assess-ment centers, peer support and other services that are vital in a crisis. Experts from Texas and Virginia will help you develop those skills at a spe-cial presentation scheduled for Friday, September 5 at the NAMI National Con-vention. Read more to find out what Texas and Virginia did in their states.

Register by April 30and

Save!

Members who register now will receive the special Super Saver rate of $210. Click here for more infor-mation about rates includ-ing member rates and other discounts.

Program Offerings The program is almost final! We have a lineup of great speakers covering a vast array of topics including: new re-search on services and treat-ments, best practices in sup-ported employment, DBT and conflict resolution, resources for the military and their fami-lies, the benefits of cognitive enhancement therapy, new technologies to advance re-covery, shared decision mak-ing and much more.

Convention Travel NAMI has arranged with Unit-ed for a special discount on airfare. Learn more.

Mental Illness, Homelessness, High

Medical Costs—All Are Linked! The frequent connection between mental

illness and homelessness is all too well known

to NAMI members. We witness the tragedy

that so frequently befalls the mentally ill, who

often do not realize they are mentally ill,

when they find themselves in the streets with

nowhere to sleep. The problems of homeless-

ness, mental illness and exorbitant ER costs

with this population are linked. The expense

of relatively fruitless medical interventions

among the homeless is borne by us all.

In 2005 Utah figured out that the annual

cost of E.R. visits and jail stays for homeless

people was about $16,670 per person, com-

pared to $11,000 to provide each homeless

person with an apartment and a social worker.

In eight years, Utah has quietly reduced

homelessness by 78 percent, and is on track to

end homelessness by 2015. Utah solved homelessness by giving people homes. The

state gave away apartments, no strings at-

tached. Each participant in Utah’s Housing

First program also gets a caseworker to help

them become self-sufficient, but they keep

the apartment even if they fail. And this hap-pened in a Republican state! Utah’s results show that even conservative states can solve problems like homelessness with decidedly progressive solutions. Let’s promote this in Oregon: Lobby your state rep & senator to get the math done!

New State Judicial Ruling

The Oregon Supreme Court recently decided that a federal ruling (Sell v. United States) applies in Oregon. It means that

the state has the right to force a mentally ill person to take medication in order to stand trial. That is, if a judge thinks a

criminal defendant is unable to understand the court process for any reason, the defendant is to be evaluated. If found to

be incapacitated, s/he can be sent to the state hospital for “restorative treatment.” In this situation, a defendant can be

medicated without consent if s/he is dangerous or gravely disabled. A person can be treated for the sole purpose of facing

charges only if certain other standards are met that are set out in Sell. The ruling clarifies the matter, but does not basical-

ly alter previous practice.

I asked Bob Joondeph of Disability Rights Oregon if he thinks it appropriate to jail people who are subject to psychosis, developmentally disabled or suffer from a brain injury or dementia. His response:

“Well, people with all of those disabilities can be found in our jails and prisons. Having a disability does not create a get-out-of-

jail-free card. Jails and prisons have an obligation to keep people safe and provide them with needed medical (including mental health) treatment but they often don’t do a great job on that score. Ideally, people would get the community mental health ser-vices they need to avoid criminal behavior and be diverted out of the criminal courts into services if it’s safe to do so. “

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This memoir is by a young-ish man who several years ago spoke to the NAMI Mid-Valley Board about undertaking a great North American motorcycle trip for the sake of combating the stigma attached to mental illness. He was not able to do that, but he has instead writ-ten a book about his experience with mental illness and has self-published on Amazon.com. The most remarkable thing is his near-total recall of what happened to him and how it felt. Having visited with him at the Beanery recently, I am aware of his authentic voice and how it comes through in his writing. It’s a good voice. It is a very responsible book. He often addresses other persons who are suffering with men-tal illness, and he gives sound advice. He has paid a price for reliving the worst days of his life. Writing it brought on a relapse, as he feared it might. But he did it anyway; he has a powerful urge to make something good come of this experience of his. He wants to “give back” to a world that has, by and large, hung in there with him and seen him through to a recovery that he is grateful for. Two chapters in mid-book try to convey his spiritual apprehensions and his view of social problems and how to cure them. They are not successful, and even when he returns to his

story, he is not in top form. Chris wants to revise the book someday, but doesn’t feel up to it at present. (One good thing about self-publishing is you can go back and revise at any time.) The Trouble With Diesel Fuel refers to Chris’s background as a diesel mechanic. It needs a subtitle, such as My Trip Through Mental Illness. The cover art, by “Joe T.”, a friend, is excellent--highly appropriate to his theme and his genera-tion. I hope he is able to do a revision someday but, even so, The Trouble With Diesel Fuel is worth reading and very suc-cessfully combats stigma by conveying Chris’s warm, generous and earnest personality. Dianne Farrell

Chris Reed, The Trouble With Diesel Fuel (2013)

Ron Smith Died on January 17, 2014

Ron Smith died tragically, by his own hand, at age 58. Some of you will have known him. Ron was my

photographer for several years for this newsletter. He took many wonderful pictures at our NAMI

Holiday Dinners. Sometimes I ran a full-page collage of them, as they captured the spirit of that

gathering better than any words.

Like his father, Bob, of whom he was very proud, Ron was a wildlife photographer. He spent many a

day at Finley Wildlife Refuge. Ron, self-taught, enjoyed working on computers and finding great

deals on electronics at garage sales—things he fixed up and resold. For two years Ron was primary

caregiver for his invalid mother, Betty. He was a friendly, good-hearted person who died too young.

The irony of this story is that, for all the photos he made for me, I have not a single one of him and so

run this somber photo from his Gazette-Times obituary. He deserved better.

Ron is survived by three brothers, Gary and Allan of Creswell and Jim, of Salem.

Ronald Burr Smith

1956—2014

THANK YOUs

Scott & Patricia Nierman Lisa Pattieshaw Gerard Perrone

Spencer & Shirley Peterson Polaris Psychiatric Associates Esther Scheidel

NEW: “Director’s Custody Hold”

It is now possible to get a “Director’s Custody Hold” on a mentally ill person who presents a significant danger to them-

selves or others. The director in question is Jeanne Nelson, Program Manager, Addictions & Mental Health, Benton Coun-

ty Health Department. The police are alerted to find this person; they know that the person will be admitted to the hospi-

tal and get treatment. It does not specify any length of time—it’s not that kind of “hold”.

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NAMI MID-VALLEY

P.O. BOX 1172

CORVALLIS, OR

97339-1172

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

May—June 2014

HELPFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

ABHA (Accountable Behavior Health Alliance) 541-753-8997 Linn-Benton Housing Authority 541-926-4497

Benton County Mental Health, Alcohol Linn County Mental Health 541-967-3688

& Drug Treatment 541-766-6835 NAMI Mid-Valley (new!) 541-745-2064

Crisis Lines: Benton County 1-888-232-7192 NAMI Oregon, Portland 1-800-343-6264

Linn County 541-967-3866 NAMI Helpline-National 1-800-950-6264

Pastoral Counseling Center 541-753-9217 SS Admin. Office (Albany) 1-800-772-1213

Community Outreach Crisis Line 541-758-3000 DBSA 1-800-826-3632

Disability Services Corvallis Office 541-758-1914 (Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance)

Oregon Family Support Network 541-740-6306

David Romprey Oregon Warmline: 1-800-698-2392 M 3-8, T 5-10, W 9-2, Th 1-6, F 12-5, Sa 5-10, Su 5-10

National Crisis Lines: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433); 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) Online: www.CrisisChat.org

————————————————————————————————————————————————————

NAMI Mid-Valley is a local, volunteer, non-profit organization of families, friends and people with mental illness. Mem-

bership includes membership in NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), in NAMI Oregon, NAMI Mid-Valley and the

newsletter. Send to NAMI Mid-Valley, P.O. Box 1172, Corvallis, OR 97339-1172

□ Family --$35/yr. □ “Open Door”--$3 □ Donation__________

Name:__________________________________ Phone:_________ E-mail____________________________

Address:_____________________________________________ Apt. no. _________ City:____________________ State:___ Zip:__________

If you still get a paper copy of this newsletter, would you be willing to receive it electronically?

If so, please e-mail Monica Drost at: alpacabling@gmail.com