lane county …your local voice on mental illness Volume 33, No. 12 December 2010

Family-to-Family Class to Begin January 11

CONTENTS NAMI’s heralded Family To Family Family to Family was designed by 12-week education course is scheduled to an experienced family member and a Report from the run from Jan. 11 through March 22. The professional and is taught Executive Director, course is taught every Tuesday night and by NAMI-trained teachers. The course p. 2 is conducted at the Lane County Behavior balances basic education about the impact Health Services Building beginning at 6 of mental illness on consumers and their Book Review, p. 3 p.m. families with self-care, emotional support, LCBHS is located at 2411 Martin and empowerment. Luther King Jr. Boulevard across from “The course covers many aspects of Advocacy: Changes to Social security, Autzen Stadium. mental illness, from the diseases them- p. 4 “Family to Family is a life-changing selves, the causes of mental illness, medi- experience for many attendees of the cation review, problem solving and com- Coping with course,” said Sally Diehl, NAMI Lane munications skills,” continued Sally Diehl. Holiday Stress, p 5 County’s education chair. “The course is “Many of our graduates tell us that designed for the families of persons who Family to Family is truly a miracle course have been diagnosed with a mental ill- that has helped them to deal with their NAMI News, p. 6 ness as well as those family members that loved one’s disability.” exhibit behavior that strongly suggest such The course, like all NAMI Lane Coun- Calendar, p. 7 a diagnosis.” ty services, is free. Call the office at 541- 343-7688 to reserve your seat. CONTACT US WHAT IS NAMI’S FAMILY-TO-FAMILY PROGRAM? NAMI Lane County The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is a free, 12-week course for family caregivers of individuals 2411 Martin Luther with severe mental illnesses. King Jr. Blvd • The course is taught by trained family members Eugene, OR 97401 • All instruction and course materials are free to class participants • Over 115,000 family members have graduated from this national program Voice WHAT DOES THE COURSE INCLUDE? 541-343-7688 • Current information about schizophrenia, major depression, , panic disorder, obsessive- compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, and co-occurring brain disorders and addictive disorders Email • Up-to-date information about medications, side effects, and strategies for medication adherence ª Current research related to the biology of brain disorders and evidence-based, treatments to promote recovery [email protected] • Learning in special workshops for problem solving, listening, and communication techniques Internet • Focusing on care for the caregiver: coping with worry, stress, and emotional overload • Guidance on locating appropriate supports and services within the community www.namilane.org Source: http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Family-to-Family Executive rom the NAMI Lane County staff and volunteers, HAPPY FHOLIDAYS! We wish you a joyous season filled with love Director’s and devotion to mental health education and advocacy. Report As the year winds down, it will still be a busy month for NAMI. We have the Annual Holiday Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 7 and our Holiday Gift Wrapping party on Friday, Dec. 3. Plus, we have sent notices encouraging donations to members and friends to help NAMI continue to offer its education, sup- port, information and advocacy programs that help those with a mental illness and their families. I know that the economic times are difficult, but just imagine how difficult it is for families and consumers who need our help even more. Please open your wallets as well as your hearts. We can’t do what we do without your financial and voluntary support. For the staff and board of directors, it’s budget time again and our budget will be established for the new year by the end of this year. We added several programs this past year which appear to be growing. Our support group for families facilitated by Kathy Black and our Friendship Coffee Group led by Sue Sammis are going strong in Cottage Grove and we just completed our first Family To Fam- ily course there with expectations to conduct another one next year. We also have five trained facilitators now for a new program called NAMI Connection. NAMI Connection is a weekly recov- ery support group for people living with mental illness in which people learn from each others’ experiences, share coping strate- gies, and offer each other encouragement and understanding. We are in the process of establishing meeting locations, dates and times. We expect to have separate support groups for both THANK YOU adults and youth in their late teens and twenties. Our NAMI Connection facilitators are: Tom Wilson, Joyce NAMI LANE COUNTY Findley, Emilie Van Wormer, Brandon Chambers, and Chrissie DONORS Piersol. Mardi Abbott A quote that inspires Terry… Janet Adams Terry and Sandra Arnold “WE MUST DELIGHT IN EACH OTHER, Bonnie Olin and Mike Quigley MAKE OTHERS’ CONDITIONS OUR OWN, Sheila and Kurt Sundahl REJOICE TOGETHER, MOURN TOGETHER, JoAnn Zinniker LABOR AND SUFFER TOGETHER, ALWAYS This month’s newsletter is HAVE BEFORE OUR EYES OUR COMMUNITY AS sponsored graciously MEMBERS OF THE SAME BODY.” by Sue Archbald. …James Winthrop, First Governor of Massachusetts, 1588-1649

2 I certainly have heard about PTSD, post traumatic stress ook disorder, a lot more in the media over the last five years. Review… I do not recall hearing about this disorder much before, even B though it has been a condition throughout our existence. Lately, PTSD has gained a prominence in the media while referring to The Post-Traumatic some soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The initial medical definition for PTSD was made in 1980. Stress Disorder Sourcebook: A more complete diagnosis and description for PTSD was made A Guide to Healing, Recovery in the year 2000. Categories for traumas resulting in PTSD were and Growth designated as acts of nature, natural disasters, man-made, delib- erate and malicious actions by Glenn R. Schiraldi, Ph.D. As with some other books that I have reviewed, this is more of a reference or guidebook than a book one would read cover to cover. The author, Glenn R. Schiraldi, PhD., describes this as a source book which acts as a guide to healing, recovery and growth for those diagnosed with or suspected of having PTSD. Mental illness is typically a biological disorder that one is born with and continues throughout life. An exception might be Tourettes Syndrome. People with this disorder may actually outgrow much of this problem with time. PTSD is unique in that it is a mental illness which can de- velop anytime in life. In reading the chapter “Making Sense of the Bewildering Symptoms”, a different development for PTSD problems is explained. This disorder, most likely brought on by trauma and stress can develop over time. There are actual changes in the brain that may result from the traumas. The body’s response to stress can cause stress hormones and other chemicals in the brain to alter neurotransmitters, which carry information between nerves. I know that some mental illnesses can seem to remain dor- mant until a stressful event or trauma occurs. Severe symptoms and suffering may return. With PTSD some people are aware of the problems right away after severe stresses while others may be affected years later. The chapter called “Healing, Recovery and Growth” sets the theme for the book. There are many positive approaches to deal- ing with this long-term problem. “Treatment Strategies” covers more than half of this sourcebook. There are medications tradi- tionally used to treat depression which can be helpful in reducing the common symptoms. Support groups and counseling can help limit the severity of the illness. This can also allow people to not re-experience the initial trauma so often. A person who gets diagnosed and treated early on will have a better opportunity for recovery. The person who develops PTSD earlier after a trauma will usually have better recovery possibilities. Social Security Disability Decisions Could Change by Terry Arnold

A The Social Security Administration says they are looking to change the way deci- sions are made for awarding disability benefits based on a mental impairment. These d changes will threaten the ability of people with serious mental illnesses to obtain ben- efits. v Changes include “Medical Listings” – the standards that SSA uses to determine o eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. While the proposed new Listings include some very good features according to NAMI National, these are under- c mined by a provision that could limit the number of people with mental illnesses who can qualify to only one or two percent of the nation’s population. This is far below even a the most conservative estimate of the number whose mental health disability makes c them unable to work and who therefore need this monthly income. The key irritant in the proposed change is a reference to standardized test results y and the scores a person must have on those tests in order to meet the new standard. The definitions of the minimum scores are arbitrary and exclusionary. It is NAMI’s posi- tion that there are no suitable tests that validly measure ability to work, nor is there any research showing a link between the tests of mental functioning that do exist and the ability to work that needs to be measured for SSA processing. If a test is used, under the proposed rule an individuals’ score must be two standard deviations below the mean for the level of functioning to be considered “marked,” and it must be three standard deviations below the mean for the level of functioning to be considered “extreme.” So, in addition to encouraging the use of tests that cannot measure what needs to be measured, SSA has created a stringent - and flawed - standard in terms of the score required to qualify. This change would drastically reduce the number of children and adults with serious mental disorders who qualify for disability benefits. NAMI Lane County has reacted to these proposed changes with our Executive Di- rector sending a letter to SSA about our concerns. This letter stated: The proposed use of standardized tests to measure the functioning of people with serious mental illness is a flawed approach with no scientific basis. The SSA should drop all reference to standardized tests in the mental illness sections of the proposed mental impairment listings, especially the requirements for people to score so low on such tests in order to qualify for benefits. The definitions of the minimum scores are arbitrary and exclusionary. Under the proposed new rule, every year thousands of people who cannot work would be unable to qualify for federal disability benefits. The real problem is with the process that disability examiners would use in deciding how an individual meets the criteria. Although there are many good things in the proposed rule, the positive aspects of these are outweighed by the detrimental impact of the proposed testing. I trust you will take this input and use it in your final determination.

4 From the Web: Holiday Stress and How to Deal with it! by Julie A. Fast

Ok. I don’t have a TV at home. I do play funny DVDs, es- Board of Directors pecially when the depression is bad. If you have not seen Modern President: Nancy Nameth Family - you have not laughed! Co-Vice Presidents: Since I don’t have a TV at home, I go to my mom’s for our fa- vorite shows and for my sports fix. And there is one thing I notice Cece Rainier, Sue Sammis at this holiday time of the year. Secretary: Sheila Sundahl If you don’t get a CAR or a DIAMOND of some sort for the Finance Director: Scott Diehl holidays, you are missing out! Treasurer: Sara Wyant Yes, I am very careful around the holidays concerning my bipolar. It’s the pressure. I can’t always have a fun time with my Program Chair: Bev Hickey family on the holidays the way I would like. Certain family mem- Education Chair: Sally Diehl bers FIGHT. (Certain family members have bipolar and depres- Consumer Liaison: Sue Sammis sion!) And I can’t be around that for long. And this has affected Nominations: Susie Caldwell me for many years. But I’ve learned to deal with it and things are much better. At large: Why am I telling you this? Because there is plenty of time for Andy Dinger, Serena Slape you to decide what YOU want this year. This is whether you have the illness or care for someone who has the illness. Staff What do you want to feel? Where do you want to be? Who do Executive Director: Terry Arnold you want to be with? If you have bipolar it is within your power. If you care about Office Manager: Sherry Bierwirth someone with the illness who is not getting help, or someone who often causes stress during the holidays, you have choices as Volunteers well. If you celebrated Thanksgiving here in the States. Was it fun? Librarian: Marion Leslie Good? Bad? Stressful? Awful? Wonderful? The result of Thanks- Webmaster: Larry Cummings giving can be your guideline. I saw a dear friend of mine for Newsletter: Jeff and Diane Magoto Thanksgiving. Otherwise, I now know what I don’t want to do Foundation Chair: Dave Howard next year! …and many others It’s your choice. Holidays can cause and depression and a lot of family tension! “I am going to be more jolly soon! I have a new car and a 2011 Mental Health Day in Salem from NAMI Oregon diamond! Oh! Just what I have always wanted! (Actually, it would Join NAMI affiliates from around Oregon to be nice!) Oh no, you shouldn’t have!” let the state Legislature know that mental health It has taken years for me to make the holidays joyful. I work funding should be a top priority! at it! I want the same for you. —Julie NAMI will host a Mental Health Day break- fast and rally in Salem on Feb. 23, 2011. [Eds. Note] Julie A. Fast is author of numerous books and We will set up appointments with your state publications on Bipolar Disorder as well as being a popular legislators and give talking points on how to share speaker on the subject. Come see her speak at NAMI Lane your story in a way that will make an impact. County when she is in the area. You can follow her blog, Bipolar If you are interested in helping with or par- Happens at: http://bipolarhappens.com/bhblog. We thank her for ticipating in this event, please contact Michelle Madison at NAMI Oregon, (503) 230-8009. being able to reprint this posting. 5 NAMI LANE OFFICE MOVE NAMI LANE NEWSLETTER NAMI IS COMPLETE HAS NEW CO-EDITORS News Thanks to some hard work by staff and It’s official. NAMI Lane’s new co-edi- volunteers, NAMI Lane County’s new of- tors for its monthly newsletter are Jeff and fice space is open for business. Diane Magoto. This husband-wife com- Although the space is smaller than its bination stepped up to answer the call for former digs, the new space is open and editors and to move the newsletter to the airy while still maintaining space where next level of quality. confidential conversations can be held. “Jeff and Diane have experience be- “I think our new space will offer the tween them in writing, editing, and news- staff and volunteers, and especially the letter layout,” said Terry Arnold, executive family members and consumers we help, Director. “I see changes to the newsletter a great place to gather to support those in in the future that will make it more read- need. able and informative.” We still have the library, confidential areas for discussions and a welcoming …from Jeff and Diane: environment,” said Terry Arnold, execu- We met in Morocco while serving in tive director. “And,” he added, “we are just the Peace Corps. From there we studied across the mezzanine from our old office Linguistics at Ohio University and re- space so we are still convenient to those ceived Masters Degrees in 1985. In 1991, who need our services.” we moved to Oregon, and shortly after- Phone numbers and Internet addresses wards Diane came down with a serious remain the same. The phone is 541-343- mental illness, schizoaffective disorder or 7688 and our EMAIL address is nami- bipolar disorder, depending on the mental [email protected]. Our web site remains the health professional you’re talking to. same too, www.namilane.org. It was through NAMI, especially Fam- ily to Family, that Jeff got the support and Holiday information he needed to help Diane and take care of himself. Recipe: Diane has had a slow but steady re- Garlic covery over the years. We are very grateful to the people at NAMI for their support, Mashed insights, and example. Potatoes We hope we can give back adequately. Sass up your holiday cooking with this savory variation on a time-honored dish. Directions: NAMI HOLIDAY DINNER 1. Cut a head of garlic in two halves NAMI Lane County will hold a holi- width-wise. day dinner at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2. Wrap in foil. Preheat oven to 375 in the Lane Community College Center degrees. for Meeting and Learning. Cost is $20 per 3. Roast for 1 hour. person and reservations are required. Reg- 4. Meanwhile, prepare 2.5 lbs. russet ister-Guard columnist, Bob Welch, is the potatoes. featured speaker. To RSVP, call the NAMI 5. Boil potatoes until tender. 6. Place in bowl, squeeze out the garlic Lane County office at (541) 343-7688. clove halves. 7. Mash, add butter and milk. 6 Serve immediately. Great comfort food!

December 2010

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 Eugene Family-to-Family NAMI Office Closed Group Eugene Dual Diagnosis Grp Holiday Gift Wrap 6 p.m.

5 6 7 NAMI Holiday Dinner 8 9 10 11 Eugene Dual Diagnosis Eugene Dual Diagnosis Grp NAMI Office Closed Anonymous

Florence Dual Diagnosis Grp

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Eugene DBSA Eugene Dual Diagnosis Eugene Family & Friends NAMI Office Closed 7-8:30 pm Anonymous Support Grp—7:00pm First United Methodist Eugene Dual Diagnosis Grp Church Florence Dual Diagnosis Grp

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Eugene Dual Diagnosis NAMI Office Closed NAMI Office Closed Christmas Day Anonymous Eugene Dual Diagnosis Grp Florence Dual Diagnosis Grp

26 27 28 29 30 31 1 New Years Day 7-8:30 pm Eugene Dual Diagnosis NAMI Office Closed NAMI Office Closed First United Methodist Anonymous Church Florence Dual Diagnosis Grp

Support Group details

Eugene Groups Florence Groups Dual Diagnosis Anonymous: (Mental illness plus drug Dual Diagnosis Group (Mental illness plus drug addic- addiction). Every Tuesday and Thursday—2-3 p.m., Laurel tion). Every Tuesday, 6 p.m., Apostolic Pentecostal Church, Hill Center, 2145 Centennial Plaza. Call Stacey Paulsen at 1525 12th Street, Suite 28. Call David Holopoff at 541-485-6340 for details. 541-997-9289 for information. Friends and Family Support Group: 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Thursday, 7-8:30 p.m. at LCBHS Cottage Grove Groups Family To Family Support Group: (For graduates of Friends and Family Support Group: 4th Thursdays at 7 F2F). First Thursday of each month at LCBHS p.m. Our Lady of Perpetual Church at 19th & Harvey. DBSA (Depression/Bipolar Support Alliance Group): Consumer Only Friendship Group: Every Thursday, 2nd and 4th Mondays 7-8:30 p.m. First United Methodist 10:30 a.m. at Cosmos Restaurant in Downtown Cottage Church, 1376 Olive Street. Call Susie at 541-744-2800 for Grove on Main Street. Call Sue Sammis at 541-343-7688. details. (Not a NAMI program) LCBHS: Lane County Behavioral Health Services at 2411 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., across from Autzen Stadium. 7 NAMI Lane County Non-Profit Org. 2411 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. U.S. Postage Paid Eugene, OR 97401 Eugene, OR Permit NO 562

NAMI Membership/Donation Information IMPORTANT NAMI Annual membership benefits include: LANE COUNTY EVENTS • Local, informative monthly newsletter • State and national membership magazine • A voice on vital advocacy issues Dec. 3rd Holiday Gift Wrapping @ • Representation on state and local boards 6:00 @ Lane County BHS • Tax deductions

❏ Voting Membership, $35.00/year Dec. 7th Holiday Dinner at LCC ❏ Newsletter subscription only, $15/year (Available only for members of NAMI Affiliates outside of Lane County) ❏ Sponsor: $100/year, Company/Association st ❏ Low Income Membership, $3.00/year Dec. 31 Early Registration ❏ General Donation, $______Deadline for NAMI ❏ Donation in memory of ______National Convention ❏ Anonymous gift, $______

Name: ______Jan. 11th Family-to-Family Begins Address: ______City: ______State ______Zip ______

❏ Contact us about volunteering, donating money, products, or services.