Greater Des Moines
[email protected] Box 12174, Des Moines, Iowa 50312 (515) 277-0672 (voice mail) AFFILIATE AND SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER
“Support, Education, and Advocacy”
Serving Polk, Dallas, Warren, and Madison counties July 2010 National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month www.nami.org/JOIN - Join NAMI with a single click of your mouse, become a member at the local, state, and national level.
The 2010 NAMI National Convention will be held June 30-July 3 at the completely renovated Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. It's scheduled to end the day before Independence Day so you can join your NAMI family and tens of thousands of Americans in the incredible Fourth of July celebration in our Nation's Capitol, or get home in time to enjoy the celebration in your own home town.
For more information, a convention schedule, hotel reservation information and a convention registration form, go to the http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=convention Our free Educational Meeting Our Business meeting is:
Sunday, We will have a viewing of “When Medicine Got it Thursday, Business meeting at July 11 @ July 8, Broadlawn‘s Medical Center Wrong” – a documentary about NAMI's origins as a 3:30 PM Iowa Lutheran for a tour of the new Mental grassroots movement and founding as a national Health Emergency Dept – Hospital organization. Please see the article inside the newsletter. Board meeting will be held On Cafeteria th level Our meetings are open to the public. We would like to in the 4 floor Hunsaker Rooms A&B extend a special invitation to graduates of NAMI‖s ―Family to Room after the tour. Family program‖ to attend this event – a reunion to reconnect with friends.
Sunday, The topic will be “Mental Illness – Your Civil Thursday, Business meeting at August 1 August 12 Eyerly-Ball Mental Health Rights, the ADA, and Discrimination 3:30 PM Center, 1301 Center St. Complaints”.
Our guest speaker will be Tom Good from the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
Sunday, The meeting will be an “Ask the Doctor” session. Thursday, Business meeting at Sept. 12 Sept. 9 Eyerly-Ball Mental Health Our guest speaker will be Dr. Truce Ordona – psychiatrist at 3:30 PM Center, 1301 Center St. Eyerly Ball Community Mental Health Center. Thursday, Business meeting at Saturday, NAMI Walks at Des Moines Waterworks Park Oct. 14 Eyerly-Ball Mental Health Oct. 2 A 3 mile walk – anti-stigma and fundraising event 3:30 PM Center, 1301 Center St. Registration begins at 8:30 AM The walk begins at 10 AM – For more information to participate and/or donate, go to: http://www.nami.org/walkTemplate.cfm?Section=NAMIWAL KS&template=/customsource/NAMIWalks/WalksiteDetail.cf m&walksiteID=184
MENTAL ILLNESS: THE FACTS A heart attack is a symptom of serious heart disease, just as From NAMI: In Our Own Voice hearing voices, mood swings, withdrawal from social activities, or Mental illnesses are brain disorders. They are not defects in feeling out of control are common symptoms of a mental illness. someone‘s personality or a sign of poor moral character or lack Mental illnesses can affect people of any age, race, religion, of faith. They certainly do not mean that the ill person is a failure. education or income level. As you read this, five million people Chemical imbalances in the brain, from unknown or incompletely here in the United States are dealing with serious, chronic brain known causes, are much of the reason for symptoms of mental disorder. Major brain disorders include schizophrenia, bipolar illnesses. disorder (manic-depression), major depression, anxiety Mental illnesses are like other organ diseases in which body disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. chemistry changes. The abnormal chemistry of mental illnesses There are many points on the continuum of wellness, and affects brain function the same way that too little or too much of different degrees of recovery that can be reached with other body chemicals damage the heart, kidneys or liver. medication, therapy, and a strong support system.
Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 1 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
The Mindfulness Group Please send a big THANK YOU to Cindy Gross and What is M.B.S.R.? M.B.S.R. is the acronym for Mindfulness Based Stress Plaza Printers for their assistance in printing our Reduction. It is a clinically proven preventive way to diminish newsletter - 6762 Douglas Avenue, Urbandale, Iowa 50322 stress in our daily lives. It is training in mindfulness meditation so 278-4695 www.plazaprinters.net persons can develop a self-regulatory approach to stress reduction and emotional management. Please send a big THANK YOU to Marilyn Fitzgerald Reasons why people start the Mindfulness Group and the group on Cummins Parkway for their assistance in Stress — job, family or financial assembling our monthly newsletter
Chronic pain and illness
Anxiety and panic Please help to support our organization by becoming a
GI distress member of NAMI Greater Des Moines.
Sleep disturbances Dues are: Send to: Jim Vandeberg
Fatigue $35 – Individual/Family Treasurer, GDM High blood pressure $ 3 – Limited Income 4114 Allison Ave Headaches $50 – Professional Des Moines, Iowa
Social anxiety 50310
Avoid depression relapse Please make the check payable to NAMI GDM. Benefits of the Mindfulness Group
Dues cover local, state, and national membership. Release negative thought patterns
Develop your own inner stress management Donations are also welcome.
Be emotionally calmer
Experience inner happiness Looking for Community Resources? Learn pain management and anxiety reduction skills Phone 211 www.211Iowa.org Cultivate kindness and compassion Contact Polk County Health Services The Mindfulness Group Sessions Involve th 218 6 Ave – 243-4545 Weekly - Brief discussions and lectures http://polk.ia.networkofcare.org/mh/home/index.cfm Group practice of stress reduction exercises Homework - Daily Stress Reduction Practices Go to the visiting nurses website www.vnsdm.org Minimum of 20 minutes per day click on ―links‖ – then click on Community Resource Directory
Optional readings for weekly discussion Polk County Community Mental Health Centers It is important to develop the habit of daily practice. Daily Child Guidance Center – 808 5th Ave – 244-2267 practice is more effective than length of practice. Eyerly Ball Community MH Center 1301 Center St. – 243-5181 Mindfullness Training Broadlawns Medical Center- 1801 Hickman Road – 282-6770 Where: Eyerly Ball Clinic Behavioral Health Resources – 945 19th St – 241-0982 When: Tuesday evenings from 7-8 pm Dallas County Mental Health Center Who: Open to all members of the local community not just West Central Community Mental Health Center clients of the clinic 2111 Green, Adel – 515-993-4535 Facilitator: Glenn Hobin, MA Madison County Mental Health Center How to Enroll: Please call the clinic and ask to register for the Bridge Counseling Center Mindfulness class, 515-243-5181 300 West Hutchings St. – 515-462-3105 Session Cost: Free Primary Health Care & Behavioral Health Material Cost: $30.00 for CD‘s th Engebretsen Clinic, 2353 SE 14 St. – 248-1400
The Outreach Project, 1200 University, Suite 105 – 248-1500 NAMI Greater Des Moines Board of Directors th East Side Center, 3509 East 29 St. – 248-1600 Effective January 1, 2010 Primary Health Care Pharmacy, 1200 University, Suite 103 –
President and Editor of Newsletter 262-0854 Teresa Bomhoff 274-6876
E-mail: [email protected] Letters to the Editor
Vice-President Jim Goodrich 288-1149 You are welcome to send letters to the editor by mail or E-mail.
E-mail: [email protected] If you receive our newsletter by e-mail and would rather receive it Treasurer – Jim Vandeberg 360-1529 by snail mail – or if you receive our newsletter by snail mail and
E-mail: [email protected] would rather receive it by e-mail – communicate your preference
to: Teresa Bomhoff, Box 12174, Des Moines, Iowa 50312 or E- Secretary – Cece Arnold 276-7871
E-mail: [email protected] mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Board members NAMI Greater Des Moines 515-277-0672 – the local affiliate Grace Sivadge [email protected] 961-6671 www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines Kathy Hoegh 255-7907 NAMI Iowa Office 254-0417 or toll free 1-800-417-0417 M-F 9-4
Kay Kopatich [email protected] 240-4904 www.namiiowa.org – the state affiliate Christopher Oswalt [email protected] NAMI National www.nami.org Erin McNamara [email protected] Help Line 1-800-950-6264 Mon-Fri 10 AM-6 PM EST Glenn Hobin [email protected] 965-9799 Each level of the organization is a separate 501(c) (3). Sharon Johnson [email protected] 277-7811 Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 2 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
New dads hit by depression as often as moms Please join us at our Sunday, July 11 meeting- to see:
By Liz Szabo, USA Today When Medicine Got It Wrong Just as many new fathers as mothers develop In the 1960s and ‗70s, many psychiatrists and postpartum depression, and about one in 10 medical school textbooks perpetuated the myth of parents have the condition, a new study says. the ―schizophrenogenic mother,‖ in which a Both women and their doctors have become more aware of the mother‘s personality was viewed as the source of risks of postpartum depression, as well as the benefits of early ―bad parenting‖ and the cause of mental illness, specifically diagnosis and treatment. There has been much less research on schizophrenia. how men cope with the stress of fatherhood, even though the mental health of both parents is crucial to the well being of their Never mind that one son or daughter in the same family might children, says study author James Paulson, a child psychologist develop the illness, while brothers and sisters would grow up to be fine. at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk.
Children of depressed fathers have more emotional and ―When Medicine Got It Wrong shows how ordinary people were behavioral problems than other kids at age 3 and more able to challenge the medical establishment. In doing so, they psychiatric disorders by age 7, Paulson says. helped revolutionize treatment and hopes for recovery,‖ said NAMI Executive Director Mike Fitzpatrick. Overall, 14% of American men develop depression, either during their partner‘s pregnancies or in the first year after delivery, ―Myths and stereotypes have always surrounded mental illness.‖ according to the study, published in The Journal of the American ―It‘s important to remember that not only have individuals living Medical Association. About 8% of fathers in other countries with mental illness been unfairly and cruelly stigmatized, but also develop the problem, the analysis shows. their mothers and other family members.‖ The problem seems to peak when babies are 3 to 6 months old. In a speech before the World Congress on Psychiatry in 1977, ―It‘s quite shocking,‖ says neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine, a Eve Oliphant, one of NAMI‘s founders, proclaimed: ―We failed to professor at the University of California-San Francisco and understand why parents of a child with leukemia were treated author of The Male Brain, who wasn‘t involved in the study. with sympathy and understanding, while parents of a child with ―What doctors need to be alerted to-is that they‘re treating a schizophrenia were treated with scorn and condemnation.‖ family unit.‖ The documentary traces NAMI‘s dramatic origins as a grassroots Mothers and fathers share many of the same stresses. movement and its founding as a national organization in 1979. Research shows that any healthy adult who goes without good sleep for a month is liable to become depressed, says Twenty years later, the landmark U.S. Surgeon General's Report psychotherapist Will Courtenay of Berkeley Calif., who on Mental Health declared: ―Mental disorders are health specializes in men‘s health. conditions characterized by alterations in thinking, mood or behavior (or some combination)…associated with distress and/or The hormonal changes that follow childbirth can trigger impaired functioning.‖ The brain is now seen as ―the central depression in men and women alike Brizendine says. After focus‖ for understanding mental illness,‖ involving genetics and delivery, estrogen and progesterone levels fall sharply in women, biology, including neurochemical activity. and testosterone levels plummet in men. Both changes are associated with depression, she says. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, ―mental health‖ and ―mental illness‖ should be seen as points on a continuum. But men face unique pressures, Courtenay says. Although fathers today are more involved in rearing children than ever, A Pastor that “Rocks” they often lack the broad social networks enjoyed by mothers, One of our NAMI GDM members sent us this who are more likely to find consolation by sharing stories and column from the Westminster Express with the strategies with friends. comment “This pastor rocks”. We agree.
Men typically turn to their wives for support, Courtenay says. But A Month to Remember women who are wrung out by the demands of their babies may Depending on which sources you consult, the have little left to give their husbands. month of May has a variety of designations. It‘s National Doctors need to do a better job of reaching out to both parents, Barbecue Month, Better Sleep Month, Good Car Care Month, Paulson says. Depression in one spouse should be seen as a and National Hamburger Month! This month is also filled with red flag, alerting doctors that the other parent is at high risk. special days, including Candied Orange Peel Day (May 4), International Tuba Day (May 7), and my personal favorite: Dance Men’s symptoms Like a Chicken Day (May 14). Amidst all the frivolity, there‘s a Depression may cause different symptoms in men than in serious side worth remembering: May is Mental Health women, experts say. Because postpartum depression often Awareness Month. goes unrecognized in men, loved ones should watch for: Increased anger and conflict with others. In the PublicSpotlight… Increased isolation and withdrawal from others. Hardly a day goes by without at least one item in the Register or Increased alcohol or drug use. on the evening news about the tragedy of mental illness. Tragedy Violence or aggression is an appropriate term for every aspect of mental illness — from those who suffer from its devastation to those who try to help Complaints about physical problems, such as stomachache, them, its impact on government services, the inadequacy of with no medical cause. response from our justice system, and on and on. Mental illness Loss of interest in favorite things or hobbies. takes a drastic toll on our society at virtually every level. Any changes that are out of the ordinary.
Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 3 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
For us in Central Iowa, any hopes of avoiding this challenge or The bill will also provide numerous other improvements for dismissing it as ―someone else‘s problem‖ have been dashed by veterans, by: the trial and conviction of Mark Becker for the killing of popular Expanding health care services for women veterans football coach Ed Thomas. While even the prosecutors Reaching out to veterans living in rural areas acknowledged that Becker suffered from schizophrenia, the law Improving VA‘s mental health care programs afforded few choices for the jury or the correctional system. Removing barriers to care for catastrophically disabled Public discourse surrounding this case has heightened our veterans awareness of dilemmas provoked by mental illness; and Enhancing a variety of VA medical services regardless of our views on Becker‘s conviction, we can no longer Strengthening VA‘s ability to recruit and retain a first- believe that our lives are unaffected. class health-care workforce In Our Daily Lives… Improving and increasing services to homeless veterans I‘ve been aware of and indirectly affected by mental health issues Vets can lead fight on mental health stigma nearly as long as I can remember. Over the years, friends and By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer-5-6-10 family members have dealt with depression, dementia, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder… and if you add Alzheimer‘s As Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., introduced former first lady disease and alcoholism, the list gets even longer. But we were Rosalynn Carter and her new book about mental health care, he raised to believe that ―we don‘t talk about such things,‖ so I had predicted the people who will do the most to improve mental no idea how widespread the effects of mental illness really were. health care and reduce the stigma of getting that care across the It wasn‘t until I became a pastoral care giver that I discovered nation: veterans. how rare it was for a family NOT to be affected in some way by At the Library of Congress Wednesday, Kennedy spoke of the mental health issues. ―signature injuries‖ of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — post- In the Church… traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury — and how The theme of this year‘s Mental Health Month "Get Connected," veterans talking about and combating stigma for those injuries is because social relationships play such an important role in could normalize mental health issues throughout the country. building resiliency and preserving or restoring mental health. As combat veterans grow increasingly comfortable with seeking Based on the findings of the Noah Team, relationships— care, civilians may, too, he said. ―connections‖ — are one of the core values of our congregation. So it makes sense that the church should be a safe place to ―It‘s not about an issue,‖ he said. ―It‘s about personally wanting to address mental health concerns. help the people we love.‖
If you‘d like to know more about the church‘s role in dealing with Carter was in Washington, D.C., to promote her book, ―Within mental illness, our last General Assembly issued an excellent Our Reach,‖ about the basics of mental health care and how policy document called ―Comfort My People.‖ Check it out on the communities could better serve the 25 percent of U.S. adults who web at www.pcusa.org/oga/publications/serious-mental- deal with anxiety, depression, substance abuse disorders and illness2008.pdf, and share your ideas about how we can become other such issues every year. more involved. Kennedy cited the work Carter has done to get new mental Praying for your mental and spiritual health, health treatment legislation enacted in 2008, as well as his late Stu Ritter father‘s work on the national health care reform legislation that Westminster Presbyterian Church passed this year.
Federal Legislative Issues Both changes, he said, will bring about an end to caps on how www.nami.org/advocacy much insurance companies will pay for mental health care. In the Contact information for members of Congress past, a cap might mean a person could see a therapist only 10 Capitol Switchboard 1-202-224-3121 times, while someone with cancer, for example, can continue Contact via E-mail can be made directly through their web sites. treatment until the cancer is cured. http://grassley.senate.gov/ http://harkin.senate.gov/ The two changes also mean insurance companies may not http://www.house.gov/boswell/ http://www.tomlatham.house.gov/ discriminate based on pre-existing conditions, such as PTSD or http://www.braley.house.gov/ http://www.house.gov/steveking/ depression, to deny insurance or increase rates. http://www.loebsack.house.gov The models for those programs will be what has worked in the
Caregivers and Veterans Bill Now Law past for veterans, Kennedy said. That includes research, particularly in the area of neuroscience, because the military has S. 1963, the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services mandated funding for those programs. Act was signed into law 5-5-10. It is a bill to support caregivers ―More neuroscience can be done‖ through the Defense and of seriously injured veterans, veterans in rural areas, and women Veterans Affairs departments than can be done at the National veterans Institutes of Health, he said. ―The more you do for veterans, the The bill‘s caregiver support provisions will: more you do for the community at large.‖
Fulfill VA‘s obligation to care for the nation‘s wounded During the past year, Carter has brought in community journalists veterans by providing their caregivers with training, for a training session about PTSD and TBI at the Carter Center in counseling, supportive services, and a living stipend Atlanta so they are better able to report accurately on those Provide health care to the family caregivers of injured issues, particularly in terms of how treatment can help and what veterans under CHAMPVA communities can do to make their veterans stronger. This year‘s Require independent oversight of the caregiver program
Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 4 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy also is involved high doses of medication, long stays in secure tentatively scheduled to focus on military mental health issues. institutions and years in day treatment programs with ―low stress‖ activities. This is the ―old system‖. The beliefs and methods of Her advocacy for mental health issues began in 1971 as her care have been hard to let go of and can still be found in many husband ran for governor of Georgia. She stood in line with the agencies and organizations today. rest of his potential voters, shook his hand, and then, ―I said, Around 1980 – People Can and Do Recover ‗What are you going to do for people with mental illness when Around 1980, this began to change. Dr. William Anthony, you become the governor of Georgia?‘ ‖ she said. director of the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston He said he would put her in charge of his program, she recalled. University, states that three things played a role in enabling this
At the time, she said she knew too little to be put in charge of change: anything. But in 1975, she helped with a report about health care 1. The writings of consumers like Judi Chamberlain and Patricia issues in the U.S. A 2002 president‘s report on the same issue Deegan, who were moving on with their lives. showed ―the mental health care system was in a shambles,‖ she 2. The longitudinal research of people like Dr. Courtney Harding said, with much the same problems noted in her report 27 years 3. The emergence of the philosophy of psychosocial earlier. rehabilitation. By 1990, the concept of recovery had gained a foothold in many ―I am frustrated and I am angry,‖ she said. ―I‘m frustrated programs across the country. Individual consumers and staff because we know what to do. I wrote this book because I want were beginning to believe in the possibility of recovery. As they everyone to know what I know and to get rid of the stigma‖ began to creatively bring the concept of recovery into a variety of surrounding mental health issues and treatment. environments and programs settings, they continued to run up Even as Carter came close to tears when thinking of all that still against the constraints of the system. needs to be done, she said there has been great progress and 2003 – System can support recovery there will be more. In 2003, the President‘s New Freedom Commission Report on
―I think it‘s going to be too strong now to stop,‖ she said. Mental Health was issued. Their vision statement was ―We envision a time when everyone diagnosed with a mental illness Treating the Invisible Wounds of War will recover.‖ It goes on to state that the major focus of the
Army OneSource has launched a formal campaign current mental health system is not recovery. The system is to encourage civilian health and Behavioral Health currently oriented to meet the needs of the bureaucracy and NOT providers to complete a FREE online course in the series titled, the consumer. It focuses mainly on increasing the consumer‘s ―Treating the Invisible Wounds of War.‖ This series of courses ability to ―manage symptoms‖ and NOT on managing life‘s was designed to help primary care physicians, case workers, challenges. The system needed to become more supportive. mental health providers, and other professionals -who may see a 2006 – Recovery involves the whole person veteran or family member on an unrelated issue -develop a better In 2006, the National Association of State Mental Health Program understanding of the culture in which Service Members and Directors (NASMHPD) issued a report entitled ―Morbidity and Veterans, as well as their Families, live and work. The course Mortality in People with Serious Mental Illness that states, also provides best practices for identifying, assessing, and ―People with serious mental illness served by public mental treating Behavioral Health problems that result from the trauma health system die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general of war. In addition to better supporting Service Members, those population.‖ This report causes a major shift in the field of mental health. who complete the course will: INSTRUCTIONS: Since then, the NASMHPD Medical Director‘s Council has From your browser, go to www.aheconnect.com/citizensoldier recommended that states implement a standard set of health Step 1: Click on New Users tab at the top of the screen indicators to be recorded and used for the clinical care of each Step 2: Create a personal user account following the person served. instructions on the screen For more information on the Peer Support Whole Health training *NOTE: Be sure to enter your Army OneSource referral code in course, contact Diane Johnson at 273-5054 or the space provided. [email protected] Step 3: Login to the system using your new ID and password Step 4: Click on Courses tab at the top of the screen Recovery is a Wellness Process Step 5: Select a course you wish to complete. Glenn Hobin Step 6: Click on Register Referral Code: AOSwks22 The challenge with mental illness is that initially the symptoms Once you complete the course, your CEU will be recorded, and are presented and that is what people report - sad, depressed, you will have access to download and print a Certificate of hearing things others do not etc. Most therapy and medical Completion. treatment is focused toward symptoms removal or reduction.
The Shift from Stabilization and Maintenance As we learn more about illnesses we know they have a course to Recovery Based Services and there are things that can be done to recover to former levels Peer Support Whole Health –Appalachian Consulting Group of functioning or even surpass where they were. That is the
Up to 1980 -People Cannot Recover process of recovery, to hope that tomorrow can be better in some way and work toward that. Up to 1980 the belief that dominated the mental health system was that people diagnosed with a mental illness would not For psychosis (schizophrenia, major depression, bi-polar recover. It was thought that the illness would get progressively disorder) there is a manual - a workbook and resource guide - to worse, and the best you could do was to get people stabilized help someone through their recovery process. I suggest you look and maintain them in supervised environments. This usually at the workbook as it offers a very good general idea of Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 5 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
managing the symptoms (illness management) and moving rather than hospitalized are 3.2 to 1, state data shows. The report ahead in one‘s life (recovery). compares statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Bureau of Justice Statistics collected The Illness Management & Recovery Workbook can be found at during 2004 and 2005, respectively. http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/communitysupport/toolkits/i llness/workbook/default.asp - take a look at the educational Ratios of imprisonment versus hospitalization vary from state to handouts. state, as the report indicates. On the low end, North Dakota has Table of Contents an equal number of mentally ill individuals in hospitals as in jails Basics of Illness Management and Recovery or prisons. By contrast, Arizona and Nevada have 10 times as many mentally ill individuals in prisons and jails than in hospitals. Practitioner Guidelines for the Educational Handouts o Handout #1 Recovery Strategies Recent studies suggest that at least 16 percent of inmates in jails o Handout #2 Practical Facts about Mental Illness and prisons have a serious mental illness. According to author o Handout #3 Stress-Vulnerability Model and Treatment and National Sheriffs' Association Executive Director Aaron Strategies Kennard, "Jails and prisons are not designed for treating patients, o Handout #4 Building Social Support and law enforcement officials are not trained to be mental health o Handout #5 Using Medication Effectively professionals." o Handout #6 Reducing Relapses o Handout #7 Coping with Stress Once a part of America's dark past, criminalizing severely o Handout #8 Coping with Problems and Symptoms mentally ill people has returned. Five decades of closing o Handout #9 Getting Your Needs Met in the Mental psychiatric hospitals has forced large numbers of Health System deinstitutionalized patients into the criminal justice system. "America's jails and prisons have once again become our mental Educational Handouts hospitals," Pavle said. o Handout #1 Recovery Strategies o Handout #2a Practical Facts About Schizophrenia In 1955, there was one psychiatric bed for every 300 Americans. o Handout #2b Practical Facts About Bipolar Disorder By 2005 there was just one psychiatric bed for every 3,000 o Handout #2c Practical Facts About Depression Americans. Compared to statistics from 1850, when there was o Handout #3 Stress–Vulnerability Model and Treatment only one public psychiatric bed available for every 5,000 Strategies Americans, America is heading in the wrong direction when it o Handout #4 Building Social Support comes to caring for the severely mentally ill.
o Handout #5 Using Medication Effectively "Jails and prisons are not places to treat someone with a brain o Handout #6 Reducing Relapses disease - people with mental illnesses who are incarcerated have o Handout #7 Coping with Stress high rates of victimization, assault, and suicide," said report o Handout #8 Coping with Problems and Symptoms author and Seminole County (FL) Sheriff Donald F. Eslinger. "Not o Handout #9 Getting Your Needs Met in the Mental to mention that the cost of this widespread incarceration of Health System people with severe mental illnesses is enormous."
Treatment Advocacy Center Study Reveals Severely Among the study's recommended solutions are for states to Mentally Ill Persons More Likely to be in Jails than Hospitals adopt effective assisted outpatient treatment laws to keep individuals with untreated brain disorders out of the criminal May 2010 justice system and in treatment. Assisted outpatient treatment is As the nation observes the 49th annual Mental Health Month, the a less restrictive alternative to inpatient hospitalization because it Treatment Advocacy Center is bringing awareness to America's allows courts to order certain individuals with brain disorders to shameful 50-year trend of exiling severely mentally ill persons out comply with treatment while living in the community. Studies of hospitals and into the oblivion of the criminal justice system. show assisted outpatient treatment drastically reduces "Over the past five decades the needs of Americans suffering hospitalization, homelessness, arrest, and incarceration among from severe mental illnesses have been forgotten," said James people with severe psychiatric disorders, while increasing Pavle, executive director. "With little exception, incarceration has adherence to treatment and overall quality of life. replaced hospitalization for thousands of individuals with severe mental illness in every single state." Sheriff seeks other options for mentally ill By Rick Armon, 5-7-10, Beacon Journal – Ohio "More Mentally Ill Persons Are in Jails and Prisons than Hospitals: A Survey of the States," a new report released today Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander is threatening not to by the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Sheriffs' accept violent mentally ill people at the county jail anymore, saying he's tired of the facility being used as a dumping ground. Association, reveals that Americans with severe mental illnesses are three times more likely to be in jail or prison than in a ''I hear every day, 'We'll just take them to jail,' '' the sheriff said. psychiatric hospital. ''We don't want to be a dumping ground. Everybody knows we
"If societies are judged by how they treat their most disabled need someplace other than a jail for these people.'' members, our society will be judged harshly indeed," said study Local law enforcement often take people to the jail after they've author E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., a research psychiatrist and been arrested for crimes. Sometimes, they are violent and Treatment Advocacy Center founder. "The present situation, mentally ill, and get into fights with staff and other inmates. whereby individuals with serious mental illnesses are being put into jails and prisons rather than into hospitals, is a disgrace to The sheriff said he wants those people treated at a local hospital American medicine and to common decency and fairness." first. Or, perhaps, some of them don't belong at the jail at all, he said. The odds of a seriously mentally ill individual being imprisoned Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 6 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
Alexander said he has the authority to turn them away, just like State Legislation the county now insists that people with physical wounds be Here are 3 places on the web to access E-mail to figure out who treated before being booked into the facility. The arresting your legislators are, to contact your legislators, get mailing agency would be responsible for them. addresses, and phone numbers.
''This has always been the sheriff's problem,'' he said. ''I want the http://www.infonetiowa.com/ - Has the latest on legislation. mayors and trustees in the county and chiefs of police to know Check out their great newsletters online. it's not just my problem and my staff's problem.'' http://www.legis.state.ia.us/ www.nami.org/advocacy
He said he was unaware of any other sheriff in the nation who Iowa does not have a statewide continuum of mental health has taken such a stand, adding that other sheriffs have services. encouraged him to do it as a pilot effort. The system we have is by default, not by design. The system is fragmented. Alexander, along with other law-enforcement officials and mental- There are pockets of service, largely in urban areas. health advocates around the country, has complained for years The system is complicated to navigate. about how correctional facilities aren't the appropriate place to house people with serious mental illness. The funding source in Iowa for most recovery based programs is Medicaid handled through Magellan Behavioral Health Services. There have been at least two high-profile incidents in the last few You must be eligible and receiving Medicaid to access the years involving Summit County inmates with mental-health following programs. issues. 1. Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation (IPR) Mark D. McCullaugh Jr. died after a violent struggle with deputies 2. Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) – 5 in 2006. And Gregory Dillard was shot last year with a Taser and teams in the state had to be revived. 3. International Association for Compeer Programs (Johnson Nearly two-thirds of jail inmates have some form of mental County only) illness, although not all the conditions are considered serious, There are many people with serious mental illness who are not according to a 2006 study by the U.S. Department of Justice's eligible for Medicaid who could benefit from the recovery Bureau of Justice Statistics. Nearly one in four reported having a programs listed above. There is no requirement for wellness psychotic disorder. programming coverage in Iowa insurance policies for mental ''It's not unique to Summit County,'' said Dr. James Orlando, health. If insurance companies became our partners in funding president of Summit Psychological Associates in Akron, which recovery based programming – it might be possible to have provides care at the jail. ''This is a problem across the country.'' PACT teams through the state and IPR offered at more locations.
The county last year revived a panel of judges, mental-health Other possibilities – advocates and law-enforcement officials to study how to deal Fairweather Lodges: Michigan State University...permanent with the issue. family homes with an employment component. There are none in Iowa. The problem isn't only people who are brought to the jail after being arrested. Alexander said the jail also struggles to deal with Fountainhouse Clubhouses: New York State… inmates because, for example, some refuse to take their We have just ONE credentialed in Iowa - Passageways in Des medications that control violent outbursts. Moines.
The county has a pod with 24 cells devoted to mentally ill More on Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation (IPR) inmates. That section is always full. (In Des Moines, call Behavioral Health Services 235-8800)
The best option would be a new mental-health wing at the jail IPR allows participants to improve their ability to function at with 100 beds and 24-hour, seven-day-a-week medical care, the home, work, school, and in social environments. We assist sheriff said. But that won't happen because of the cost, he said. participants over a 2 year period to help themselves by teaching them to focus on overcoming the disabling consequences of their Instead, the sheriff is working with judges and local mental-health illness and regain a valued role in the community. advocates on other possibilities, such as expanding hours that medical staff are at the jail and converting a section of the jail into Readiness Assessment Identifies the participant‘s level of a mental-health area. motivation and readiness to work with the IPR staff to set an overall rehabilitation goal that will make a significant change in If the effort doesn't turn up a solution, Alexander said, he would their life. stop accepting violent mentally ill people. He did not set a specific time frame. Readiness Development During this phase, participants will increase their level of interest and motivation and eliminate Alexander told the story of a mentally retarded woman at the jail hesitation of entering into the role recovery process. Self- who would eat her feces every day. understanding, recovery awareness, environmental awareness ''Those people need to be in a [mental] hospital,'' he said. ''They and support are the focus during this phase. don't need to be in a jail . . . I think it's barbaric what we're doing Goal Choosing to these people.'' Orlando agreed. Assists participants in developing goals that will result in ''For the vast majority of people, they are able to function fine in enhanced residential, educational, occupational or social arenas. that environment, but there are some who are so ill that it's not in Individuals define personal criteria that need to be met to ensure the interest of public safety nor the individual to be there,'' he a successful outcome. Values clarification is an essential said. component during this phase.
Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 7 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
Goal Achievement Through a functional assessment, The mission of Passageways is to provide a safe, supportive environment where individuals with mental illness can find participants identify and then develop the skills, support, and support and have the opportunity to gain or improve work and other resources needed to successfully meet the social, social skills to enrich their lives. emotional and intellectual requirements of their chosen role in society. Passageway is an innovative psycho-social rehabilitation
Goal Keeping Provides participants with the support needed to program for adults with mental illness, based on the clubhouse model philosophy. The clubhouse philosophy as an approach to maintain their goals and continue to function independently in mental health is the belief that productivity and community come their environment. from fostering mutual reciprocal relationships between staff and More on Program for Assertive Community members. Here at Passageway we seek out the strengths and Treatment (PACT) abilities of our members in order to improve their mental health. In Des Moines, call Golden Circle Behavioral Health 241-0982 The club is divided into various work areas. Each area works PACT recipients receive the multidisciplinary, round-the-clock consistently to complete the daily work of the Center. The staffing of a psychiatric unit, but within the comfort of their own program also provides members and staff with a social home and community. To have the competencies and skills to community and the opportunity to participate in the Transitional meet a client's multiple treatment, rehabilitation, and support Employment program. needs, PACT team members are trained in the areas of psychiatry, social work, nursing, substance abuse, and vocational Did you know? rehabilitation. The PACT team provides these necessary services Iowa‘s population is 3,007,856. Approximately 6% have serious 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. mental illness or 180,471 persons.
PACT strives to lessen or eliminate the debilitating symptoms of There are 667 acute care hospital beds in Iowa. mental illness each individual client experiences and to minimize 6% of Des Moines‘ population is 24,000 people with severe or prevent recurrent acute episodes of the illness, to meet basic mental illness. Des Moines has 118 staffed hospital beds. needs and enhance quality of life, to improve functioning in adult WRAP Training social and employment roles, to enhance an individual's ability to (Wellness Recovery Action Planning) live independently in his or her own community, and to lessen the http://www.mentalhealthrecovery.com/aboutwrap.php family's burden of providing care. WRAP was developed by Mary Ellen Copeland with The PACT model is indicated for individuals in their late teens to the assistance of a group of people who experience their elderly years and have a severe and persistent mental mental health challenges. These people learned that they can illness causing symptoms and impairments that produce distress identify what makes them well and then use their own wellness and major disability in adult functioning (e.g., employment, self- tools to relieve difficult feelings and maintain wellness. The result care, and social and interpersonal relationships). has been recovery and long-term stability. Your WRAP program
PACT participants usually are people with schizophrenia, other is designed by you in practical, day-to-day terms and holds the psychotic disorders (e.g., schizoaffective disorder), and bipolar key to getting and staying well. It does not necessarily replace disorder (manic-depressive illness); those who experience traditional treatments and can be used as a compliment to any other treatment options you have chosen. significant disability from other mental illnesses and are not helped by traditional outpatient models; those who have difficulty In developing your own WRAP, you‘ll identify the wellness tools getting to appointments on their own as in the traditional model of that will most benefit you and will learn how to use these tools case management; those who have had bad experiences in the when needed, every day or when you have particular feelings or traditional system; or those who have limited understanding of experiences. WRAP will help you monitor and relieve their need for help. uncomfortable and distressing feelings and behaviors and
More on Fairweather Lodges identify your best course of action. WRAP planning also includes The Community Lodge Program helps people reintegrate Crisis Planning (an Advance Directive) that lets others know how themselves into the community. Its goal is to provide emotional you want them to respond when you cannot make decisions, take support, a place to live, and employment for its members. The care of yourself, or keep yourself safe, and a Post Crisis plan to program was developed by Dr. George Fairweather in California guide you through the often difficult time when you are healing from a crisis. in 1963 as a result of extensive experimental research. In his studies, Dr. Fairweather found that people with serious mental There are 5 key recovery concepts: illness are less likely to return to the hospital when they live and 1. Hope work together as a group, rather than live and work individually. 2. Personal responsibility His research also showed that the Lodge Program helps people 3. Education stay in the community longer, provides more employment 4. Self Advocacy opportunities, and costs less than conventional treatment 5. Support programs. Because of the success of the original groups, the WRAP is developed by you. You choose who assists and Community Lodge Program has expanded considerably during supports you whether they are family, friends, or health care the past 25 years, and there are now Lodges across the nation providers as you work on your own plan.
(none in Iowa). WRAP has a broad applicability. It has been found to work
More on Fountainhouse Clubhouses (In Iowa – well for people who have other medical conditions and life issues Passageways - 305 15th Street, Des Moines) – The original and as a framework to guide interpersonal relationships, peer Fountain House Clubhouse is located in New York City. support, groups, agencies, and organizations.
Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 8 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
Key elements of WRAP: A special interactive "Hearts & Minds" Web site including Wellness Toolbox discussion groups Daily Maintenance Plan A facilitator's guide and tool kit for local community Identifying Triggers and an Action Plan discussions Identifying Early Warning Signs and an Action Plan A DVD that can be downloaded or purchased through Identifying When Things Are Breaking Down and an Action NAMI's online store Plan A booklet on health strategies and risks that also can be Crisis Planning downloaded or purchased Printed fact sheets on a broad range of topics Post Crisis Planning.
WRAP is designed and managed by you and is designed to: "Many kinds of risk factors contribute to health challenges for people with mental illnesses," said NAMI Medical Director Ken decrease and prevent intrusive or troubling feelings and Duckworth, M.D. "Many are preventable or reversible." behaviors increase personal empowerment "They include isolation, relatively low incomes, sedentary improve quality of life lifestyles, smoking as a form of self-medication and the side- effects of some medications for mental illness." assist you in achieving your own life goals and dreams. People who are using WRAP say: "There has been significant progress in treatment options for With WRAP I feel prepared mental illness to support recovery, but for every individual, each option requires careful assessment of benefits and risks." I feel better more often and I‘ve improved the overall quality of my life "Hearts and Minds will empower people to minimize and manage WRAP has fast-forwarded my recovery health risks to support wellness and recovery," Duckworth said. WRAP gets me in touch with my inner manager http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?template=/ContentManageme To find out more– contact Diane Johnson at 273-5054 or nt/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=94630&lstid=275 [email protected] ------Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias Mental Health First Aid shame us all – President Bill Clinton Mental Health First Aid is a 12 hour training course for people to provide initial support for someone with a Disaster Behavioral Health Response Team Training th th mental health problem. August 16 and 17 GROUP CRISIS STABILIZATION AND
INTERVENTION Des Moines, Ramada Inn North on Merle This 12-hour course is designed to give members of the public Hay Road 9:00 to 4:30, lunch included, 14.0 CEU some skills to help someone developing a mental health problem th August 18 DISASTER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESPONSE or in a mental health crisis situation. The philosophy behind the TEAM TRAINING (DBHRT) Des Moines, Ramada Inn course is that mental health crises, such as suicidal and self- North on Merle Hay Road, 9:00 to 4:30, lunch included - harming actions, may be avoided through early intervention with 6.0 CEU people developing mental disorders. If crises do arise, then th August 19 PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID Des Moines. members of the public can take action to reduce the harms that Ramada Inn North on Merle Hay Road 9:00 to 4:00, could result. lunch included 6.0 CEU Course participants have been very varied, including teachers, To register, please email Karen Hyatt at [email protected] police, nurses, case managers, support workers, social welfare or fax to 515-242-6036. Name, email, date and name of training. staff, employment agency staff, personnel staff, members of the general public and staff of state and local government Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk Training departments. ‖Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR) ―train the trainer‖ To find out more about scheduling Mental Health First Aid training will be held on Aug, 25-27. The Iowa Department of training – contact Diane Johnson at 273-5054 or Public Health along with 4 other states is co-sponsoring this [email protected] training to be held in Omaha, Nebraska. We are looking for
mental health clinicians in Iowa who have backgrounds in suicide assessment and good training skills.
See link for more information about AMSR: http://www.sprc.org/traininginstitute/amsr/clincomp.asp The ―Hearts and Minds‖ initiative focuses on combating risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and For more information, contact: Dale Chell, M.S. obesity for major illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator diabetes. Iowa Department of Public Health
One recent study has now confirmed the existence of a 321 E. 12th St., Des Moines, Iowa 50319 "reciprocal link" between depression and obesity. People living Phone: 515-242-5122 FAX: 515-281-4535 [email protected] with serious mental illness such as major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia live on average 25 years less than Provider Education - a 10 week course for organizations, other Americans who die from other chronic illnesses. agencies and individuals working with persons with mental
The Hearts & Minds program consists of five key components: illness. A contract is negotiated with NAMI Iowa for this class. Call 254-0417 or 1-800-427-0417
Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 9 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
Peer to Peer – a free 9 Contact the NAMI Iowa office to be placed on the class list for week course for persons NAMI Connections training. Their phone numbers are 254-0417 in recovery. or 1-800-417-0417 or send an e-mail [email protected]
Topics addressed are relapse prevention, stigma, symptoms of Local Assistance with Prescription Cost different psychiatric diagnoses, sleep, addictions, spirituality, Polk County residents without full health insurance medication, coping strategies, mindfulness, decision making, advance directive for mental health care decisions, coverage can save on prescription drugs under a empowerment and advocacy county sponsored drug discount program. Savings Contact: Dawn Olson 515-254-0417 or 800-417-0417 or 641- can be for up to 20%. For a complete list of card locations or a list of participating pharmacies, call 286-3895. 842-3859 [email protected] Possibilities for Prescription Assistance Visions for Tomorrow http://www.needymeds.org/ This is a free 8 week class for parents and http://www.rxassist.org/ caregivers of children and adolescents with http://www.pparx.org/ or call 1-888-477-2669 severe emotional disorder. Contact: Diane at MEDICINE RESEARCH CENTERS 1-662-513-5231 273-5054 [email protected] or WE CARE MEDICAL MALL (888) 380-MEDS (6337) Steph Estes at 967-6997 [email protected] to sign up. or http://www.wecaremedicalmall.org/383.htm There is a class each quarter of the year. RXHOPE (For Healthcare Professionals) www.RxHope.com
Other NAMI Education Possibilities PPA bus returns to Iowa July 13-16
Parents and Teachers as Allies – a 2 ½ hour The Partnership for Prescription Assistance helps in-service for teachers and parents Contact: qualifying patients without prescription drug coverage Susan Gill [email protected] get the medicines they need through the program that is or call 243-1713. right for them. Many will get their medications free or nearly free.
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance will help you find the If you are interested in becoming a family support group facilitator program that's right for you, free of charge. Remember, you will for NAMI Greater Des Moines, please contact Grace Sivadge never be asked for money by a PPA Call Center representative 205-9765 or e-mail [email protected]. at 1-888-477-2669.
Family to Family – a free We are human beings and we can speak for ourselves. We have 12 week class for family a voice and can learn to use it. We have the right to be heard and members of adults with mental illness. To sign up for fall listened to. We can become self determining. We can take a classes, contact Teresa at 274-6876 or e-mail to stand toward what is distressing to us and need not be passive [email protected]. victims of an illness. We can become experts in our own journey of recovery. Patricia Deegan (1996). Recovery as a journey of the Curriculum: Brain biology, schizophrenia, major heart. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 19(3), 92. depression, mania and schizoaffective disorder, mood disorders, borderline personality disorder, anxiety disorders, dual Steps to Reduce the Effects of Stigma diagnosis, basics about the brain, problem solving skills, Surrounding Mental Illness medication review, empathy and understanding, communication Don't Equate Yourself with the Illness: You skills, self-care, recovery, and advocacy are not the illness. Instead of thinking "I'm Nationally, the Family to Family program has had 200,000 bipolar," try "I have bipolar disorder." Accept graduates. There are over 3500 volunteer teachers. Course that you are worthwhile with much potential. material has been translated into Spanish, Italian, Vietnamese, Come to Terms with the Illness: Don't let and Arabic. others' ignorance or judgments make you feel
ashamed, embarrassed, or create self-doubt. Counseling can Volunteer opportunities help with that. Would you like to be a teacher for any Get Support: Deciding who to tell and how much to share can of the NAMI signature programs listed? be difficult. However, sharing with someone you trust can bring Family to Family, Visions for Tomorrow, compassion, acceptance and support. Peer to Peer, or Provider education? Become Educated About the Illness: And then educate and Contact [email protected] or call tell others in settings you are most comfortable.
254-0417.
Warning: Regular or heavy alcohol use can worsen Would you like to receive training to become part of a Parents most psychological states, such as anxiety, and Teachers as Allies panel presentation? If you are interested depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, or eating and are a parent of a child or adolescent with severe emotional problems. Alcohol can change the way a person feels disorder, or an educator, or a student with a severe emotional in the short run; however, the overall effect only worsens a disorder, please contact Susan Gill at [email protected] or disorder. Marijuana and other drugs can have similar or more call 243-1713 or 1-800-450-8667. serious effects on the brain.
Would you like to become a support group facilitator for a NAMI Connections support group (for persons in recovery)? Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 10 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
SUPPORT GROUPS for Persons in Recovery determine if it is a mental health related issue and maintain Every Monday safety at the scene. Officers make a request through dispatch if evening 7-8:30 P.M. the Mobile Crisis Unit is needed. Mobile Crisis only takes referrals from law enforcement. – a support group for persons with mental When DM Mobile Mental Health Crisis Unit staff arrive, a mental illness – facilitated by persons with mental illness – at the NAMI health assessment will be done, on-site counseling and problem Iowa office – 254-0417 – or 1-800-417-0417 - 5911 Meredith solving, crisis plan development, coordination with hospitals if Drive, Suite E, Des Moines. Contact Dawn Olson at transport to a medical facility is necessary, and medication can [email protected] or 641-842-3859 if you have ?‘s. be administered if necessary. A psychiatrist is always on call to help make those determinations and authorizations. DM suburbs First Monday of each month – 7-9 P.M. –GDM CHADD also use the mobile crisis team services – their officers make the Support Group – support for those families struggling with ADHD decision whether or not the mobile crisis team is called. The – Attention Deficit Disorder - West Des Moines Public Library, Mobile Crisis Unit is available 6:30 AM to 2:30 AM – 7 days a 4000 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines – call Julie for more week. It is staffed by licensed mental health professionals and information – 515-223-6730. registered nurses. nd th 2 & 4 Mondays of each month – 7 P.M. – For depression Polk County Jail Contacts on Mental Health Concerns and anxiety disorders only – WestView Church, 1155 SE Boone, Medications – Sharon Chambers 323-5479 in Waukee. Call Julie at 710-1487 or E-mail at Court appearance/Jail Diversion – Tim Larson 875-5779 [email protected] Illness & Management Recovery Groups – Glenn Hobin
2nd & 4th Mondays of each month – 7 P.M. – depression and [email protected] or 243-5181 bipolar support group., St. Boniface Catholic Church, 1200 Warrior Lane, Waukee. [email protected] 313-6184 SUPPORT GROUPS for Family Members Third Sunday of the month - Family members, if you are Every Tuesday evening – 8-10 P.M. - Recovery Inc., a self-help interested in participating in a NAMI family support group, please group for people who have nervous and mental troubles – at St. th contact Glenn Hobin [email protected] or call 965-9799 - or Mark‘s Episcopal Church, 3120 E. 24 St., Des Moines – Call contact Grace Sivadge [email protected] 961-6671. 266-2346 – Marty Hulsebus. Meetings are at Eyerly-Ball Community Mental Health Center,
nd th 1301 Center St., Des Moines – 2:30 – 4:00 P.M. 2 & 4 Tuesdays of the month – New Light Support Group – 6:30 to 7:30 P.M. -for persons experiencing depression or anxiety First Monday of each month -6:30 – 8 PM - a support group for disorders– at Westkirk Presbyterian Church, 2700 Colby Woods parents and caregivers of children and adolescents with severe Drive, Urbandale, Iowa – 515-253-0330 – Pastor Michael Mudlaff emotional disturbance (SED) or mental illness – meets at the
Every Thursday at 2:00 P.M. - Recovery, Inc. - a self-help group 5665 Greendale Road, Johnston. For more information – call Diane at 273-5054. for people who have nervous and mental troubles – at Central Iowa Center for Independent Living, 665 Walnut St., Des Moines 4th Monday of each month – 5:30 – 7 PM – a support group for – Call 237-0232 – Mark Grunzweig. Polk County parents and caregivers of children and adolescents
Every Thursday evening – 7:45 – 9:45 P.M. – Recovery, Inc. - with severe emotional disturbance (SED) or mental illness – a a self-help group for people who have nervous and mental sibling support group meets separately - at Capitol Hill Lutheran troubles – at St. Timothy‘s Episcopal Church, 1020 24th St., in Church, 511 Des Moines St., in the basement – child care West Des Moines. Call – 277-6071-Deb Rogers. provided, can also provide free transportation and interpretation services – pre-register, if possible – call Robin at 558-6247.
Every Saturday afternoon – 2:00 – 3:30 P.M. – the Depression st and Bipolar Support Alliance meets at Iowa Lutheran Hospital – 1 Thursday of each month - 6:30 P.M. – a support group for University at Penn Avenue – Level B – private dining room. Family members – First United Methodist Church – 307 W. Ashland, Indianola. We'll be in the first room on the right when 6 nights a week - DBSA (Depression and Bipolar Support you go in the Northwest door on Ashland Ave. The room is Alliance) has on-line support groups. Go to their site; called Gabel Chapel. The facilitators will be Erika Bachof 961- www.DBSAlliance.org click on "find support‖, you get a drop 4001 and Rose Weeks 480-8286. down menu that lists the online groups. You must pre- register. nd 2 Tuesday of each month – 7-8:30 P.M. - a support group If you have a mental health crisis in your family for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents with and are in need of emergency assistance – call severe emotional disturbance (SED) or mental illness - at 911. Be clear with the dispatcher what the situation Adventure Life Reformed Church, 1700 8th St. SW, Altoona – Call is, that it is a mental health crisis, and you need the Robin at 558-6247 for more information. Child care and DM Mobile Mental Health Crisis Unit to assist. The goal is to transportation available if notified 48 hours prior to the meeting. keep everyone safe and to seek the appropriate level of rd assistance for the ill family member or friend. If you live in a 3 Thursday of each month – 6-7:30 PM – a support group for surrounding city (not Des Moines), call your dispatch center. The parents/caregivers of children and adolescents with severe non-emergency phone number for the mobile crisis team is 283- emotional disturbance (SED) or mental illness – at Lincoln 4811. The police liaison to the Mobile Crisis Unit is Officer Kelly Heights Evangelical Church, 1217 SE Watrous Avenue, Des Drane. Her hours are 8 to 4 Mon-Fri phone number is 205-2270. Moines – contact person is Robin 558-6247. Child care and transportation available if notified 48 hours prior to the meeting. In response to your phone call, the first people to arrive to the situation will be Des Moines police officers. Officers will Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 11 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month –Des Moines borrow on October 2, please call or email: Catherine Parrish CURE/Voices to be Heard Support group – Union Park United [email protected] or 515-382-3003. Thank you! th Methodist Church –East 12 & Guthrie - Light meal at 5:30 P.M. July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month Support group for adults and program for children from 6 PM to 7PM. –If you have a loved one in prison or parole system you In 2008 the US House of Representatives are concerned about or if you are concerned about those in proclaimed July as Bebe Moore Campbell prison, please feel free to join us. If you have questions, please National Minority Mental Health Awareness call Jean Basinger at 277-6296 or Melissa Nelson at 280-9027. Month.
Last Friday of each month – Noon to 2 PM – Lunch provided – a Bebe Moore Campbell was an accomplished support group for parents and caregivers of children and author, advocate, co-founder of NAMI Urban Los Angeles adolescents with severe emotional disturbance (SED) or mental and national spokesperson, who passed away in November illness meets at Orchard Place – 925 SE Porter – call 285-6781 if 2006.
questions or if you need additional information. She received NAMI's 2003 Outstanding Media Award for
First Saturday of each month –Family Support Group – 10 AM Literature for the book Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1120 North 8th Avenue, Winterset. written especially for children, about a young girl who learns how Call Grace at 961-6671 or Pat at 515-462-3479 for information. to cope with her mother's bipolar illness. In 2005, her novel 72- Hour Hold focused on an adult daughter and a family's Coping After a Suicide Support Group – Polk Co. Crisis and experience with the onset of mental illness. It helped educate Advocacy Services – Contact: Kate 286-2029 - Meeting day – Americans that the struggle often is not just with the illness, but 2nd Thursday of each month 6-7:30 P.M. and last Saturday of with the healthcare system as well. each month 9-10:30 A.M. Meeting place is 2309 Euclid Avenue - Campbell advocated for mental health education and support park at the west end of the building near the flags and come in among individuals with mental illness and their families of diverse the glass doors. Victim Services Phone: 515-286-3600 communities. Do you know of other support groups we should be listing in our newsletter? Please e-mail the information to [email protected] Two issues of importance to minority communities are focusing ethnopsychopharmacology or cultural competence in treatment.
In 1999, the Surgeon General released Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. This report acknowledged that not all
Americans, especially minorities, receive equal mental health
The NAMI Walks will be held at Des Moines Water Works treatment, a finding that prompted the Surgeon General to Park on Saturday, October 2, 2010. Registration begins at 8:30 release a supplemental report on disparities in mental health care AM and the 3 mile walk begins at 10:00 A.M. for people of color. The supplement, which was published in 2001, sends one clear message: culture counts. There are many ways you can participate: Form a walk team Culture—a person‘s beliefs, norms, values, and language—plays Join an existing team a key role in how people perceive and experience mental illness, whether or not they seek help, what type of help they seek, what Walk as an individual coping styles and supports they have, what treatments might Be a sponsor for the event work, and more. To effectively serve America‘s diverse Donate to the walk populations, mental health systems need to understand and If you designate NAMI Greater Des Moines on your financial respect cultural differences.
contribution, we will receive 40% of your donation. The balance Cultural competence is the ability to work effectively and of 60% will go to NAMI Iowa. sensitively within various cultural contexts. The U.S. Department If NAMI Greater Des Moines is not designated, we receive no of Health and Human Services (DHHS) defines it as "a set of part of your contribution. values, behaviors, attitudes, and practices within a system that enables people to work effectively across cultures" and says the To find out more about the NAMI Walks, go to the following term "refers to the ability to honor and respect the beliefs, website: language, interpersonal styles, and behaviors of individuals and http://www.nami.org/walkTemplate.cfm?Section=NAMIWALK families receiving services, as well as staff who are providing S&template=/customsource/NAMIWalks/walksitedetail.cfm& such services." walksiteID=184 For consumers of color, access to mental health services and the Golf Carts Needed quality of the services they receive are negatively affected by the NAMIWalks for the Mind of America, NAMI's walkathon will again lack of cultural competence in service delivery. Many research be in Des Moines, IA at Water Works Park on October 2, 2010 studies have shown that because of the lack of cultural this year. We are looking for the loan of three golf carts to use competence, people of color may not seek services in the formal during the event. Experienced drivers are available to drive the system, cannot access treatment, drop out of care, are carts. The carts are used by the Director of the Walk and two misdiagnosed, or seek care only when their illness is at an carts are used to help Walkers who may sag along the way. Or advanced stage.
as happened last year, guide emergency vehicles to a Walker The final report issued in 2003 by the President‘s New Freedom who developed medical problems. If you have or know of Commission on Mental Health (NFC) stated that "culturally someone willing to deliver carts to Water Works Park for us to competent services are essential to improve the mental health
Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 12 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
system" and recommended improving access to quality care that and no one could figure out how he did this. He eventually got put is culturally competent in Goal 3. on a ―no-fly‖ list.
Recommended Reforms: Back in Brookline, he lived in a group home and visited rabbis all Fully fund and implement Goal 3 of the NFC report and its over town. He walked around Coolidge Corner, like it was his recommendations. beat, and years ago he walked into the Brookline police station to Put increased education, mandates, and enforcement explain this to the cops. The cop on the front desk, Billy Simmons, measures in place so that all agencies that receive federal recognized him from high school. One of the detectives, Tom O‘Leary, recognized him, too. assistance fully understand and comply with their obligations to provide quality and equal treatment. Greenberg started dropping by the police station every day. He Ensure that systems of care integrate the consumer‘s culture would stand at the front desk for hours, shooting the breeze. He told crazy, funny stories. in the treatment process. Ensure that mental health systems adapt to meet the needs He was not a nuisance. He was not a menace. He was a fixture. of people of color. He was Paul, the guy who went to high school with Billy Simmons Make cultural competence education mandatory in clinical and Tom O‘Leary. The cops didn‘t patronize him. They liked him. training programs and in continuing professional education in ―Paul was never a chore,‖ Tom O‘Leary said. ―He was a smart guy medicine, social work, and clinical psychology. who had a tough life.‖ O‘Leary‘s brother Dan is the police chief Increase the number of states that have operational mental and Greenberg made Dan O‘Leary‘s secretary, Kathy Flanagan, health plans that address cultural competence. promise to be the maid of honor at his wedding.
Ensure that government and private providers of mental ―Paul,‖ she said, ―that means I‘ve got to find you a girlfriend.‖ health services perform a cultural self-assessment, adopt Greenberg had some bad years. He could be difficult with some cultural competence standards, embrace diversity, and people. But the last few years were his most stable and lucid. adapt their services to address the needs of diverse Then last November tumors began appearing on his skin. At 51, populations. he was dying of leukemia. Enhance and adequately fund culture-specific research needs. He went into the hospital and the doctors said he had weeks to live. Tom O‘Leary found out he was in Beth Israel and sent out an Create readily accessible financial assistance programs, e-mail to the other cops. scholarship programs, and loan-forgiveness programs for graduate mental health education for people of color to ―The police started visiting him at the hospital,‖ Rachel Greenberg pursue a mental health profession at the graduate level. said. ―Every day.‖
Minority mental health related books to your local library making Billy Simmons. Tom O‘Leary. Tommy Maguire. John O‘Leary. Amy sure you include community specific books such as: Jeanne Hingston. Chief O‘Leary. Many others. Greenberg was in the hospital for four months, and when he got moved to a nursing 72-Hour Hold by Bebe Moore Campbell home in Needham two months ago, the cops started showing up Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry by Bebe Moore there. Every day.
Campbell ―When I asked them why they were doing this, they said that Paul The Seven Beliefs: A Step-by Step Guide to Help Latinas visited them every day, and now it was their turn,‖ Rachel Recognize and Overcome Depression by Belisa Lozano- Greenberg said. Vranich and Jorge R. Petit (in English and Spanish) Paul Greenberg lived months longer than he was supposed to. Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting by Terrie Williams ―He was having too much fun to die,‖ said Rabbi Andy Vogel, one of his eight rabbis. ―His friends kept visiting. He didn‘t want to go.‖ I Am Not Sick. I do Not Need Help by Xavier Amador (in English and Spanish) Last week, Vogel was sitting with Paul Greenberg, and they were saying the Shema, a prayer. Standing in the Shadows: Understanding and Overcoming Depression in Black Men by John Head ―I told Paul he was going home, to Israel. So he let go,‖ Rabbi Vogel said. ―It is an ideal in Judaism, to die this way, saying the Paul’s circle of friends loved his mind Shema. Rachel said to me that Paul died the death of sages and By Kevin Cullen, Boston Globe, May 13, 2010 rabbis.‖ Paul Greenberg had eight rabbis. One is usually enough for most people. But Paul Greenberg was not Rabbi Vogel stood in Temple Sinai, looking out over Paul most people. Greenberg‘s casket. There were police officers up front and the rabbi saw that some were crying. As a kid, he wore glasses, ran track, played in the high school band, and got straight A‘s. And then, 32 years ago, he went to ―They looked past the mental illness and saw their friend,‖ the college in Israel and the happy, smart kid who grew up in rabbi said. ―He was there for them. And then they were there for Brookline disappeared into a deep, dark hole. him. Such a lesson.‖
―He had a psychotic breakdown in Israel,‖ said his sister, Rachel. Before they closed the casket, Rachel Greenberg tucked an ―There was no manifestation of his mental illness before that.‖ Israeli police banner inside. The Brookline cops formed an honor
He returned to Brookline and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. guard, and then they led the hearse to the cemetery, to bury their Life became a series of hospitalizations and medications. His friend. father died and things got worse. He kept running away to Israel,
Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 13 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness
National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Des Moines NONPROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID Box 12174 DES MOINES IA Des Moines, Iowa 50312 PERMIT NO. 34
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The Crisis Continues Polk County Waiting List Update As of the end of May there are now - There are Medicaid waiver programs Iowa offers eligible residents 599 on the waiting list for disability to allow persons to receive necessary services to remain in their services home and community rather than an institutional setting. • 361 of the 599 are receiving only non-wait Waiver Programs # slots there are # on Waiting List list services $‘s for June-10 • 419 have mental illness Ill & Handicap, 3163 2096 • 125 have intellectual disabilities AIDS/HIV 56 18 • 55 have developmental disabilities Elderly 12052 0 • 188 of the 599 are at risk of hospitalization and/or Intellectual Disabilities (Child) 2851 63 homelessness Intellectual Disabilities (Adult) 572 90 .Longest on List: 762 days Brain Injury 1168 855 .Average Time on List: 351 days Physical Disability 1292 1757 .Average Time for those admitted to Polk County Mental Children's Mental Health 1117 676 Health services - No one admitted in May 22271 5555 • 130 kids on referral list (can be placed on referral list at age16). Total persons on all waiver waiting lists across the state The situation 4918- Jan 10 3644 – Jan 09 Polk County is barred by state law (as are all other 98 counties) Go to: www.ime.state.ia.us to raise additional funds for mental health services. County Click on "Members & Consumers" Click on "Additional Services" dollars are frozen at 1996 dollar levels. This inability to raise Then choose "Home & Community Based Services." additional funds results in a lengthy waiting list for services. If you scroll further down on the page you will see a section called "HCBS Funding Slots." Click on the link for "Slot and Waiting List The 2010 State Legislature’s Response to the Information." Mental Health Community Inadequate funding for disability services to We must protect and strengthen our state's mental health eliminate waiting lists and provide for a continuum care system. The costs of untreated mental illness only gets of care. Budgets slashed, staff lost, beds closed, inadequate shifted elsewhere to higher taxpayer costs-- to emergency services. departments, schools, police, courts and overcrowded Workforce shortages - Mental health parity is not a part of prisons. every insurance policy issued in Iowa. Open access to mental health medications revoked in the Medicaid program. The costs of cutting the state's mental health budget are The costs of cutting the state's mental health care system high. Without treatment, more people will end up are devastating individuals, families and our communities. hospitalized, in shelters, on the street, in jail or dead.
Our website is: www.nami.org/sites/NAMIGreaterDesMoines 14 See Yourself as a Person, Not an Illness