Find Help. Find Hope. A Publ icat ion of NAMI Tri -County I l l inois

P.O. Box 10167 Peor ia , IL 61612 309 693-0541 www.namitr i -countyi l l inois .org

Helping to meet the needs of people with severe and persistent mental illness and their families in Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties in Central Illinois

June—August 2017

Concerns about the Health Care Bill

On May 4, the House voted to pass the amended American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) by a vote of 217-213. Rather than vote on the AHCA, the Senate is planning on writing its own bill over the next month or two. This gives NAMI members a window of opportunity to ask Senators to pre-serve Medicaid and insurance protections for mental health care.

What does the American Health Care Act do to mental health care? (May 10, 2017) The American Health Care Act, which passed the U.S. House on May 4, strips over $800 billion from Medicaid in the next 10 years, which will cause vital mental health services in states to be slashed.

The bill effectively ends Medicaid expansion—a lifeline for single adults with mental illness who fall through the cracks. One in three people covered by Medicaid expansion lives with a mental health or substance use condition.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 24 million will lose insurance for mental health care, pushing people with mental illness to emergency rooms, jails and the streets.

The House bill allows states to let health plans:

• Drop coverage of mental health and substance use (one of the essential health benefits).

• Charge people higher premiums if they have a pre-existing condition, like depression or anxiety.

• Create high-risk pools, which are another way of charging people with mental illness more money and providing less coverage.

The bill ensures that people with pre-existing conditions will not be refused coverage by health insurance plans. But, it lets plans charge people with pre-existing conditions much more for coverage—a practice that was out-lawed under the Affordable Care Act. Today, if you have a mental illness, you cannot be charged more for health insurance based on your condition. Under the AHCA, you could be charged several times more than other people

(AHCA Cont. on page 5)

Announcements

Effective immediately, the NAMI Tri-County Illinois Family Forum will be-come a quarterly rather than a bi-monthly publication. With common use of the Internet, members and friends can find meeting and activity information on our web site as well as on Facebook. We also send out regular email blasts regard-ing our activities. Contact information:

**Web: namitri-countyillinois.org (click on Contact us at this site to be add-ed to the email blast) **Facebook: Nami Tricounty Illinois

If you prefer to cancel your print publi-cation of this newsletter, please contact Lila at lgammon1@comcast.net.

The Mental Health Mile, annually held on the last Saturday of June has been can-celled for this year. Check back next sum-mer for details

The Hog Roast, generally held the first Saturday of August, will be September 23 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Detweiller Park. Live entertainment to be announced later.

Please...Save the Date

New NAMI Dues Structure: Household $60 (one vote) Individual $40 Open Door $ 5

Joining NAMI includes National, State, and Local organizations and all the publications and resources available from each.

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 2

Educational Opportunities

NAMI Family to Family Class Current class began March 27, 2017

Parents, spouses, friends, or adult children of people with mental illnesses are invited to participate in the next 12-week

There is no charge for this NAMI signature program. Participants will learn valuable information to help them un-derstand and support an ill relative while maintaining their own wellbeing. Please call 309 693-0541 for information or to register for the next class.

NAMI Peer to Peer Class Please call to register for the next class

The next class will be held when there are sufficient num-bers to offer it. Please call Dean at 840-0915 or Larry at 745-8359 to register. To take the 10-week class, you must be 18 or older, have a psychiatric diagnosis, and have someone with whom you can talk about any issues/problems the classes unearth. The classes teach information about the various men-tal illnesses, tell how different medications function, help you create a relapse prevention plan, and start you toward creating an advance medical directive. The class will be facilitated by Dean and Larry. There is no charge for this NAMI signature program.

NAMI Basics Education Program Please call to register for the next class

This course is for parents and caregivers of children and ado-lescents with mental illness. Basics is taught by parents who have lived similar experiences with their own kids and have received training to teach the course. The class covers the biol-ogy of mental illness, treatment, school interventions, and the latest research as well as the trauma of brain disorders for the child and the family. If you are interested in this class, please call Beth at 251-5830. There is no charge for this NAMI signature program but registration is required.

Also, check out www.NAMI.org "Basics" video on You Tube for further description of the course.

Inside this issue Concerns about the Health Care Bill ................... 1

Announcements .................................................... 1

...... 2

President’s Letter.................................................. 3

Education Meetings .............................................. 3

With Sympathy & Thank You! ............................ 4

NAMI Members Speak Out ................................. 4

13 Reasons Why ................................................... 5

Important Contact Information ............................ 5

Book Reviews ..................................................... 6

NAMI Board, Phone Numbers ............................ 6

Calendar ............................................................... 7

Dual Diagnosis ..................................................... 8 & 9

Co-occurring Disorders in Different Settings 11

Membership Form ................................................ 12

From Roger, our treasurer...

Hey, just a reminder that if you use Amazon, you can sign up for their AmazonSmile program; they donate a small percent-age to non-profits, so you can designate NAMI Tri-County Illinois, give them the deposit account info and they will auto-matically deposit the proceeds. We just received $11.63 from this. Yes, I know, not much money, but it is free money to us. So, how about a bigger check next time thanks to your participation!

Election of Officers for NAMI Tri-County Illinois

June 1, 2017, 7:00 p.m. ICC North, Poplar Hall, Room 132

Slate of Officers

President: Beth Lawrence

Vice-President: Craig Stanford

Treasurer: Roger Mohn

Secretary: Kim Modglin

Past Pres.: Dianne Geiss

Directors: Roger Geiss Karen Rose Deb Shaw

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."

-- Maya Angelou --

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 3

Letter from the President

To All our NAMI Friends:

May was Mental Health Month! In NAMI circles, so are June, July, August and all of the rest. Our activities go year round. We have board member elections this month, some changes from our former annual schedule, exam-ples of dedication, uncertainty over healthcare and encourage-ment in other areas.

In April, Dinesh Sabu was with us for a screening of his film Unbroken Glass. ICC allowed us

the use of their 90-seat Arbor Auditorium and we filled it to over-flowing. Dinesh interacted with the audience publicly as well as individually afterward and said that we were the biggest NAMI audience he’d addressed. Next time we’ll find a larger facility. I hope we’ll see some of our new-to-NAMI guests again.

Two of the NAMI Signature classes, Family to Family (for family members of individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses) and Ba-sics (specifically for parents of children and adolescents), started at the end of March. Basics is completed and Family to Family will run a few more weeks. In these classes, we meet once a week for a 2½-hour interval of education, communication skills, re-source building and interaction. It’s a powerful investment of time; with each group, I appreciate the dedication of every partici-pant, each of whom is seeking to improve the life of a loved one and his/her family.

Uncertainty hangs over us as members of congress are working on the replacement of the Affordable Care Act. Do you remember when people were fretting over the passage of the ACA? NAMI was quick to recognize the positive aspects of broad health care coverage and treatment of mental illness. Please let your voices be heard in the areas that concern you. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are our state’s U.S. senators.

For those of you who have been patients (or their family mem-bers) at Unity Point Health/Methodist or any other area psychiat-ric facilities and would like to know how much their staff cares about you, I want to let you know how much some of their nurses care. The Central Illinois Psychiatric Nurses Association (CIPNA) gave our affiliate an award of $1,000 for mental health education. That will be applied to our classes and

Education Meetings First Thursday of most months, 7:00—8:30 p.m.

Location: ICC North, Poplar Hall, Room 132

June 1, 2017

~~Election of Officers~~

Ask the Professionals Panel

Dual Diagnosis—this program will focus on the com-plications of substance abuse in conjunction with adverse

mental health conditions. Panelists:

• Dr. Jay Rawal, Resident Psychiatrist, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, UICOMP

• Dr. Mishu Mamin, Resident Psychiatrist, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, UICOMP

• Dean Harris, Certified Recovery Support Specialist, Tazwood Wellness Center

• Patricia Edwards, LCSW, ACSW, The Antioch Group in Peoria; parent.

• Logan Noble, BS, Criminal Justice, Eureka College, Morton Police Department; trained for Crisis Intervention Team

Craig Stanford will be the moderator; Angela McElroy will read questions..

July 6, 2017

No Education Meeting; Enjoy the July 4 Holiday

August 3, 2017

Topic: Addressing Elected Officials, Telling our Stories or Talking and Listening

Speakers: Guest Officials are being arranged

Sometimes I’m asked, “What does the NAMI national organi-zation do?” On page 2 of the Spring 2017 NAMI Advocate pub-lication, Steve Pittman, president of the NAMI Board of Direc-tors listed the strategic priorities that NAMI has chosen for now until 2019:

• Broaden public awareness and inclusion in every part of the alliance

• Expand use of technology to build capacity and connection

• Develop and implement strategies that engage youth, young adults and their families, expanding our reach across lifespans and

• Grow and develop the financing, infrastructure and capacity to support a vibrant and bold organization

In the Tri-County area we’ll continue, dedicated and encour-aged. No Mental Health Mile this year. No Education meeting in July due to the holiday but support groups as usual. In Au-gust we plan to have an audience with public officials. The Hog Roast date has been set back to September. Enjoy the summer!

Beth Lawrence Chelsea Parker, right with CIPNA check presentation to Beth Lawrence, left;

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 4

Notes of Appreciation Thanks to Mt. Olive Missionary Church, Pastor Mark Douras and the church board for allowing our NAMI Basics class to meet in their building. It’s a great help to the class instructors to be able to leave materials in one place and welcome partici-pants to a well-equipped facility. We appreciate your sensitivity to the need for mental health education. Thanks to Illinois Central College for giving meeting space for our 12-week Family to Family class on the East Peoria Cam-pus. Thanks, also, for allowing our organization to use rooms on the North Campus for both our education meetings on the first Thursday and support group meetings on the third Thurs-day of each month. We sincerely appreciate the use of these great facilities.

With Sympathy We extend sympathy to the family and friends of Ronald Naffziger of Washing-ton, who passed away April 15, 2017. Mr. Naffziger was a Board Director for NAMI Tri-County Illinois in 2007 and 2008. We always appreciated Ron’s thoughtful com-ments as well as his sense of humor as he attended education, support group, and board meetings. He and his family have been involved with our affiliate for many years and we sincerely sympathize with his wife Lou Ann, his daughter Lindsey who has taught Family to Family classes, his son David who has partic-ipated in our meetings, and the rest of his family. Thank you for choosing NAMI as an organization for memorials. We also extend sympathy to the family and friends of Scott M. Urbanc who passed away April 16, 2017, due to the fire at Glen Oak Tow-ers in Peoria. Thank you for choosing NAMI as an organization for memorials.

Thank You!

Monetary Donations Craig and Carol Berger Roger & Ila Bradle Central Illinois Psychiatric Nursing Association Anna Ingolia James & Beverly O’Connor Will & Plearn Staggs Sonia Sullivan

In Memory of Keith Lawrence’s Father Becky Dorman

In Memory of Ronald Naffziger Rich & Shirley Bertelsen Roy & Kristen Bienemann Bill & Carol Donecker Randy & Susan Fellerhoff Lila Gammon Roger Greenway Bob & JoAnn Hartman Dennis & Jill Hermann Robert & Betty Hoyt Glenn & Beverly Joos Dick & Dawn Kopecki Ed & Ruth Leman Vernel, Jane, Chuck, Matt, & Brenda Martin Ray & Joan Rumbold Kathleen Smith Michael & Cheryl Tanner Mary Venden Pete & LaRae Walter Dennis & Peggy Willhardt Gary & Jean Willhardt Scott Wilson Lewis & Laina Winkler David & Shelly Wright

In Memory of Scott Urbanc Catherine Bradley Katherine & Daniel Cape Central Illinois Agency on Aging, Inc. Clement & Catherine Dries Collette Hartman Ada Larson Madison Manor Home Association Nancy Mueller Gregory and Suzanne Rice Joyce & Larry Sheldon Kathleen Tate Brittany Tyrrell William & Mary Beth Zautke

NAMI Members Speak Out… 3/8/17—Owen Johnson and Beth Lawrence participated on the pan-el presentation at ICC, Reducing the Stigma 2 3/27/17—Beth Lawrence and Suzanne Spears addressed the Kewanee Mental Health Association to describe NAMI programs and how the MHA might use them 4/6/17—Suzanne Spears and Beth Lawrence spoke of NAMI pro-grams and family experiences for a police Crisis Intervention Team Training at ICC 4/27/17—For a full day at Pekin High School, students took turns spending a class period in the gym, where several community agen-cies were set up to display and interact in their own areas of “Wellness.” Our NAMI affiliate has been invited and participated both last year and this year. From the 8 a.m. class bell to the 3 p.m. class bell, Sonya Bolden and Beth Lawrence 1) gave presentations on the facts of mental illness; 2) talked about our and other people’s experience with mental illness; and 3) gave students an opportunity to play “Mental Health Jeopardy,” a game that Sonya devised. Groups of 3 to 10 came frequently enough for each of us to start a presenta-tion as the other finished. The students were interested, communica-tive and all-around great. 3/27-6/19—Kim Modglin and Gay Knapp have been teaching the 12-wk Family to Family class 3/28-5/2—Beth Lawrence and Joyce Rinkenberger taught the 6-wk Basics Class

Convention participants will have an opportunity to go to Capi-tal Hill to present concerns and to give actual stories of mem-bers dealing with mental health issues and the need for legisla-tive support. Go to nami.org to see more details and to register.

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 5

Important Contact Information

Local NAMI Information 309 693-0541

www.namitri-countyillinois.org

NAMI IL – State Headquarters 1-800 346-4572

http://namiillinois.org

National NAMI Helpline 1-800 950-6264 http://nami.org

Hult Center for Healthy Living 309 692-6650

www.hulthealthy.org Heartland Community Health Clinic

309 680-7600

UnityPoint Health—Methodist Community Behavioral Health

309.672.4103

Children’s Home 309 685-1047

National Suicide Hotline 24-Hour Hotline

1-800 273-TALK

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

212 363-3500

Survivors of Suicide 309 697-3342 309 208-3027

Police – all counties Emergency Response Service:

Peoria County Woodford & Tazewell County

911

309 671-8084 309 347-1148

Human Service Center Tazwood Center for Wellness

309 671-8000 309 347-5579

VA Suicide Hotline 1-800 273-8255

Crisis Intervention Resources Youth: CARES (Crisis and Referral Entry Services);

1-800 345-9049 CARES is Statewide and will assess eligibility for SASS (Screening and Assessment Referral Services)

24-hour crisis lines: Nat’l Suicide Lifeline: 1-800 273-8255 Peoria County ERS: 309 671-8084 Tazewell & Woodford Counties: 309 347-1148

Dial 2-1-1 for a non-emergency number that connects people with essen-tial community information and services: food, shelter, counseling, mental health, employment, elderly, children & families

If the individual is at risk: Contact the police department for an initial response. The police will contact ERS when the situation is secure.

If individual safety is not a concern: Contact ERS at 309 671-8084 ~ TTY Line: 309 671-3566. You will be asked for some brief information to assist our response.

Medical Detox: 309 689-3080

for the same coverage. This will make coverage unaffordable for many people with mental illness.

Health Care Reform Talking Points (May 10, 2017) (Use these talking points with your U.S. Senators )

• 1 in 5 Americans have a mental health condition. Tragically, 50% go without any treatment.

• Americans need more mental health coverage, not less.

• Congress should improve mental health coverage, not make it worse.

• The Senate should say:

NO to cuts to Medicaid, a critical source of mental health services

NO to ending Medicaid expansion—a lifeline for single adults with mental illness who fall through the cracks.

NO to allowing plans to drop coverage of mental health and substance use

NO to charging people higher premiums if they have a pre-existing condition, like depression or anxiety

NO to high-risk pools, which are another way of charging people with mental illness more money and providing less cov-erage

NO to yearly and lifetime limits on mental health coverage

• Cutting coverage will simply keep people from getting the treat-ment they need and push people with mental illness into emer-gency rooms, jails and the streets.

• Stand up for mental health care and protect Medicaid and insur-

ance safeguards for people with mental illness.

(AHCA Cont. from page 1)

Basics Class Completed Beth Lawrence and Joyce Rinkenberger were the facili-tators for the March 28 through May 2 Basics class. Thir-teen people participated with eleven receiving certificates of completion. These individuals learned coping skills, a greater understanding of the illnesses and treatments with which their children live, and how to better advocate for their children in school and medical systems. Thanks to Joyce and Beth for their commitment to this program and thanks to those who participated.

13 Reasons Why Source: www.nasponline.org/—Natl. Assn. of School Psychologists

Schools have an important role in preventing youth suicide; being aware of potential risk factors in students’ lives is vital to this respon-sibility. The trending Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, based on a young adult novel of the same name, is raising such concerns. The series revolves around 17-year-old Hannah Baker, who takes her own life and leaves behind audio recordings for 13 people who she says in some

Producers for the show say they hope the series can help those who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide. However, the series, which many teenagers are binge watching without adult guidance and support, is raising concerns from suicide prevention experts about the potential risks posed by the sensationalized treatment of youth suicide. The series graphically depicts a suicide death and addresses in wrenching detail a number of difficult topics such a bullying, rape, drunk driving, and slut shaming. The series also highlights the conse-quences of teenagers witnessing assaults and bullying (i.e., bystand-ers) and not taking action to address the situation (e.g., not speaking out against the incident, not telling an adult about the incident).

Cautions

We do not recommend that vulnerable youth, especially those who have any degree of suicidal ideation, watch this series. Its powerful storytelling may lead impressionable viewers to romanticize the choic-es made by the characters and/or develop revenge fantasies. They may easily identify with the experiences portrayed and recognize both the intentional and unintentional effects on the central character. Unfortu-nately, adult characters in the show, including the second school coun-selor who inadequately addresses Hannah’s pleas for help, do not in-spire a sense of trust or ability to help. Hannah’s parents are also una-ware of the events that lead to her suicide death.

(13 Reasons Cont. on page 6)

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 6

Book Review

Everything Changes: Help for Families of Newly Recovering Addicts

By Beverly Conyers

When a relative or friend reaches the point of receiving addiction treatment for abuse or dependence on alcohol or drugs, there is great relief for those who care about them. Yet those who want the best for their loved one or friend often do not yet realize there are many challenges for recovering addicts.

Everything Changes by Beverly Conyers gives the newly initiated in the recovery journey a reliable guide to what a relative or friend encounters during the early months of recovery. Drawing from her own experience of her loved one going through early recovery, Ms. Conyers describes the process of supporting another person through the re-covery process and offers practical tools to help readers gain perspective and pointers on the journey.

In a section of chapter four regarding “Special Challenges in Early Recovery,” Ms. Conyers describes the double challenge of co-occurring disorders. Co-occurring disorders means that a person has a substance use disorder and a mental illness at the same time, most frequently depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder or a personality disorder. About 33 percent of adults with a serious mental illness abuse alcohol or other drugs, while only 8 percent of adults without serious mental illness are chemically dependent. In addition, two in three adults who abuse or are dependent on both alcohol and other drugs at the same time have a co-occurring psychiatric disorder.

With co-occurring disorders there is more going on than the loved one or friend

abstaining from alcohol or drug use. Coping with mental illness is in itself a major

struggle that requires long-term treatment, consistent monitoring, and appropriate

support. Integrated treatment is important for the effectiveness of the person’s re-

covery from substance use disorders. During early recovery and onward through

the recovery process, supporting family members must be speaking of their con-

cerns to treatment providers and determined in their attempts to get the treatment

and support for their loved one’s dual challenges of recovering from addiction and

other mental illnesses. The book Everything Changes provides wise help that is

needed. This Close to Happy:

A Reckoning with Depression By Daphne Merkin, 2016

“Despair is always described as dull,” writes Daphne Mer-kin, “when the truth is that despair has a light all its own, a lunar glow, the color of mott-led silver.” This book—Merkin’s rare, vividly personal account of what it feels like to suffer from clinical depres-sion―captures this strange light.

In this dark yet vital memoir, Merkin describes not only the harrowing sorrow that she has known all her life, but also her early, redemptive love of reading and gradual emergence as a writer. This book is an utterly candid coming-to-

N A M I Tri-County Illinois (309) 693-0541

Officers President ............................. Beth Lawrence Vice President ............................................. Secretary ................................. Roger Geiss Treasurer ................................. Roger Mohn Past President .................... Suzanne Spears Editor .................................... Lila Gammon

Directors Becky Dorman Larry Fordham Dianne Geiss John Mayfield Kimberly Modglin Susan O’Neal Craig Stanford Clark Wade

Family Support Group Facilitators Lila Gammon Gay Knapp Marjorie Schwebel Suzanne Spears

Larry Fordham Dean Harris Lori Knapp Eymarde Lawler

John Mayfield

Family to Family Class Instructors Brenda Bleichner Dianne Geiss Roger Geiss Angie Lamb Bill Lamb Bruce Leman Lisa Marie McKeown Kim Modglin Roger Mohn Lindsey Naffziger Susan O’Neal Dennis Staggs Jean Wallace

Peer to Peer Class Instructors Dean Harris Larry Fordham

Becky Dorman Beth Lawrence Pat Lindberg Pat Sefried

For any subject matter of interest or suggestions, please call Beth 309 691-5830 or

Lila 309 648-5420

While many youth are resilient and capable of differentiating between a TV drama and real life, engaging in thoughtful conversations with them about the show is vital. Do-ing so presents an opportunity to help them process the issues addressed, consider the consequences of certain choices, and reinforce the message that suicide is not a solu-tion to problems and that help is available. This is particularly important for ado-lescents who are isolated, struggling, or vulnerable to suggestive images and storylines. Research shows that exposure to another person’s suicide, or to graphic or sensationalized accounts of death, can be one of the many risk factors that youth strug-gling with mental health conditions cite as a reason they contemplate or attempt sui-cide.

What the series does accurately convey is that there is no single cause of suicide. In-deed, there are likely as many different pathways to suicide as there are suicide deaths. However, the series does not emphasize that common among most suicide deaths is the presence of treatable mental illnesses. Suicide is not the simple consequence of stressors or coping challenges, but rather, it is most typically a combined result of treatable mental illnesses and overwhelming or intolerable stressors.

School psychologists and other school-employed mental health professionals can assist stakeholders (e.g., school administrators, parents, and teachers) to engage in support-ive conversations with students as well as provide resources and offer expertise in preventing harmful behaviors.

(13 Reasons Cont. from page 5)

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 7

NAMI TRI-COUNTY ILLINOIS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

June, July, & August 2017

~~Illinois Central College North, 5407 N. University, Peoria~~ Education Meetings, Poplar Hall, Room 132

Support Groups, Poplar Hall: Family—Room 132; Connections—Room 131

June Thursday, June 1, 7:00 8:30 p.m. Education Meeting, ICC North, Poplar Hall, Rm. 132, Speaker: Ask the Professionals Panel Top-ic: Dual Diagnosis (see p. 4 for details)

Tuesday, June 6, 7:00 p.m.

June 15, 7:00–8:30 p.m. Monthly Support Groups, ICC North, Poplar Hall Family and friends of people with brain disorders, Room 132. For further information call Sue, 309-360-1143. Connections—individuals participating in recovery, Room 131. For further information call John 309 472-5907.

Tuesday, June 20 , 7:30 p.m. COGS meeting, Metamora McDonald’s. For more information contact Kim, 309 645-1683 or kimbermodg-lin66@yahoo.com

Tuesday, June 20, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, June 22, June 28-July 1—NAMI 2017 National Convention in Washington, DC. Details at nami.org

July Tuesday, July 4, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 6, 7:00 8:30 p.m. No monthly Education Meeting,; enjoy the 4th of July holiday.

Thursday, July 13, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, July 18, 7:30 p.m. COGS meeting, Metamora McDonald’s. For more information contact Kim, 309 645-1683 or kimbermodg-lin66@yahoo.com

Tuesday, July 18, 7:00 p.m.

July 20 7:00–8:30 p.m. Monthly Support Groups, ICC North, Poplar Hall

Family and friends of people with brain disorders, Room 132. For further information call Sue, 309 360-1143. Connections—individuals participating in recovery, Room 131. For further information call John 309 472-5907.

Thursday, July 27,

August Tuesday, August 1, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 3, 7:00 8:30 p.m. Education Meeting, ICC North, Poplar Hall, Rm. 132, Speakers: Guest Officials Topic: Address-

ing Elected Officials, Telling our Stories or Talking and Listening

Thursday, August 10, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 15, 7:30 p.m. COGS meeting, Metamora McDonald’s. For more information contact Kim, 309 645-1683 or kimbermodg-lin66@yahoo.com

Tuesday, August 15, 7:00 p.m.

August 17 7:00–8:30 p.m. Monthly Support Groups, ICC North, Poplar Hall

Family and friends of people with brain disorders, Room 132. For further information call Sue, 309 360-1143. Connections—individuals participating in recovery, Room 131. For further information call John 309 472-5907.

Thursday, August 24,

Save the date: Hog roast/picnic, September 23, 4 7 p.m., Detweiller Park

Brighter Days Ahead 513 NE Madison Peoria, Illinois 309 222-2012

“Brighter Days Ahead” offers a positive and uplifting environment for people 18 years of age or older who have experienced a mental illness. Its purpose is for members to have a safe place where they can socialize, receive support, and be part of fun, recovery-oriented activities while envi-sioning the brighter days ahead.

Hours of Operation Monday - Saturday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday from 12 noon–5 p.m.

If you have any additional questions, we would be happy to talk either by phone 309 222-2012 or at recoverycenter@fayettecompanies.org

Survivors of Suicide - Peoria http://www.afsp.org/coping-with-suicide/find-support/find-a-support-group/illinois/survivors-of-suicide-peoria Contact: Rev. Eimo Hinrichs or Mrs. Pat Hinrichs, 309 697-3342 or Sylvia Murphy, 309 208-3027 Meeting Place: Chapel at Proctor Hospital, 5409 North Knoxville Ave., Peoria, IL 61614 Meeting Day(s)/Meeting Time: 1st and 3rd Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Facilitated by: Peer/Professional Charge: None

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 8

Editor’s note: Assisting in research of these articles was Cheryl Hill; her help is much appreciated.

Substance Abuse and Its Relationship to Mental Health Problems

When you have both a substance abuse problem and a mental health issue such as depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety, it is called a co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis. Dealing with substance abuse, alcoholism, or drug addiction is never easy, and it’s even more difficult when you’re also struggling with mental health problems, but there are things you can do and treatments that can help you get your life back on track. There is hope because with support, self-help and treatment, you can overcome a dual diagnosis and reclaim your life.

What is the link between substance abuse and mental health? In a dual diagnosis, both the mental health issue and the drug or alcohol addiction have their own unique symptoms that may get in the way of your ability to function, handle life’s difficulties, and relate to others. To make the situation more complicated, the co-occurring disorders also affect each other and interact. When a mental health problem goes untreated, the substance abuse problem usually gets worse as well. And when alcohol or drug abuse increases, mental health problems usually increase too.

What comes first: Substance abuse or the mental health problem? Addiction is common in people with mental health problems. But although substance abuse and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety are closely linked, one does not directly cause the other.

Alcohol or drugs are often used to self-medicate the symp-toms of depression or anxiety. Unfortunately, substance abuse causes side effects and in the long run worsens the very symp-toms they initially numbed or relieved.

Alcohol and drug abuse can increase underlying risk for mental disorders. Mental disorders are caused by a complex interplay of genetics, the environment, and other outside fac-tors. If you are at risk for a mental disorder, drug or alcohol abuse may push you over the edge.

Alcohol and drug abuse can make symptoms of a mental health problem worse. Substance abuse may sharply increase symptoms of mental illness or trigger new symptoms. Alcohol and drug abuse also interact with medications such as antide-pressants, anti-anxiety pills, and mood stabilizers, making them less effective.

Addiction is common in people with mental health problems According to reports published in the Journal of the American Medical Association using information from nami.org:

• Roughly 50 percent of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse.

• 37 percent of alcohol abusers and 53 percent of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness.

• Of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29 percent abuse either alcohol or drugs.

Recognizing co-occurring disorders or dual diagnosis It can be difficult to diagnose a substance abuse problem and a co-occurring mental health disorder such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. It takes time to tease out what might be a mental disorder and what might be a drug or alcohol problem. Complicating the issue is denial. Denial is common in sub-stance abuse. It’s hard to admit how dependent you are on alco-hol or drugs or how much they affect your life. Denial frequent-ly occurs in mental disorders as well. The symptoms of depres-sion or anxiety can be frightening, so you may ignore them and hope they go away. Or you may be ashamed or afraid of being viewed as weak if you admit the problem.

Admitting you have a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders Just remember: substance abuse problems and mental health issues don’t get better when they’re ignored. In fact, they are likely to get much worse. You don’t have to feel this way. Ad-mitting you have a problem is the first step towards conquering your demons and enjoying life again.

Consider family history. If people in your family have grap-pled with either a mental disorder such as depression or alcohol abuse or drug addiction, you have a higher risk of developing these problems yourself.

Consider your sensitivity to alcohol or drugs. Are you highly sensitive to the effects of alcohol or drugs? Have you noticed a relationship between your substance use and your mental health? For example, do you get depressed when you drink?

Look at symptoms when you’re sober. While some depres-sion or anxiety is normal after you’ve stopped drinking or doing drugs, if the symptoms persist after you’ve achieved sobriety, you may be dealing with a mental health problem.

Review your treatment history. Have you been treated before for either your addiction or your mental health problem? Did the substance abuse treatment fail because of complications from your mental health issue or vice versa?

Signs and symptoms of substance abuse If you’re wondering whether you have a substance abuse prob-lem, the following questions may help. The more “yes” an-swers, the more likely your drinking or drug use is a problem.

• Have you tried to cut back, but couldn’t?

• Have your friends or family members expressed concern about your alcohol or drug use?

• Do you ever feel bad, guilty, or ashamed about your drinking or drug use?

• On more than one occasion, have you done or said something while drunk or high that you later regretted?

• Have you ever blacked out from drinking or drug use?

• Has your alcohol or drug use gotten you into trouble at work or with the law?

Signs and symptoms of common co-occurring disor-ders The mental health problems that most commonly co-occur with substance abuse are depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders.

(Dual Diagnosis cont. on page 9)

Dual Diagnosis

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 9

chances of staying sober improve if you are participating in a social support group like Alcoholics Anonymous or Nar-cotics Anonymous or if you are getting therapy.

Follow doctor’s orders. Once you are sober and you feel better, you might think you no longer need medication or treatment. But arbitrarily stopping medication or treatment is a common reason for relapse in people with co-occurring disorders. Always talk with your doctor before making any changes to your medication or treatment routine.

Recovery tip 3: Make healthy lifestyle changes Exercise regularly. Exercise is a natural way to bust stress, relieve anxiety, and improve your mood and out-look. To achieve the maximum benefit, aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days.

Practice relaxation techniques. When practiced regularly, relaxation techniques such as mindfulness meditation, pro-gressive muscle relaxation, and deep breathing can reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, and increase feelings of relaxation and emotional well-being.

Adopt healthy eating habits. Start the day right with breakfast, and continue with frequent small meals through-out the day. Going too long without eating leads to low blood sugar, which can make you feel more stressed or anxious.

Get enough sleep. A lack of sleep can exacerbate stress, anxiety, and depression, so try to get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep a night.

Treatment for substance abuse and mental health problems The best treatment for co-occurring disorders is an integrated approach where both the substance abuse problem and the men-tal disorder are treated simultaneously.

Recovery depends on treating both the addiction and the mental health problem Whether your mental health or substance abuse problem came first, recovery depends on treating both disorders. So, keep in mind:

There is hope. Recovering from co-occurring disorders takes time, commitment, and courage. It may take months or even years but people with substance abuse and mental health prob-lems can and do get better.

Combined treatment is best. Your best chance of recovery is through integrated treatment for both the substance abuse problem and the mental health problem. This means getting combined mental health

and addiction treatment from the same treatment provider or team.

Relapses are part of the recovery process. Don’t get too discouraged if you relapse. Slips and setbacks happen, but, with hard work, most

people can recover from their relapses and move on with recovery.

Peer support can help. You may benefit from joining a self-help sup-port group like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. They give you a chance to lean on others who know what you’re going through and learn from their experiences.

How to find the right program for co-occurring disorders As with a substance abuse program, make sure that the program is appropriately licensed and accredited, the treatment methods are backed by research, and there is an aftercare program to prevent relapse. Additionally, you should make sure that the

(Dual Diagnosis Cont. on page 10)

Dual Diagnosis

Common signs and symptoms of depression

• Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness

• Loss of interest in daily activities

• Inability to experience pleasure

• Appetite or weight changes

• Sleep changes

• Loss of energy

• Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt

• Concentration problems

• Anger, physical pain, and reckless behavior (especially in men)

Common signs and symptoms of mania in bipolar disorder

• Feelings of euphoria or extreme irritability

• Unrealistic, grandiose beliefs

• Decreased need for sleep

• Increased energy

• Rapid speech and racing thoughts

• Impaired judgment and impulsivity

• Hyperactivity

• Anger or rage

Common signs and symptoms of anxiety

• Excessive tension and worry

• Feeling restless or jumpy

• Irritability or feeling “on edge”

• Racing heart or shortness of breath

• Nausea, trembling, or dizziness

• Muscle tension, headaches

• Trouble concentrating

• Insomnia

Getting sober is only the beginning. Your continued recovery depends on continuing mental health treatment, learning health-ier coping strategies, and making better decisions when dealing with life’s challenges.

Recovery tip 1: Recognize and manage overwhelming stress and emotions

Learn how to manage stress. Stress is inevitable, so it’s important to have healthy coping skills so you can deal with stress without turning to alcohol or drugs. Stress man-agement skills go a long way towards preventing relapse and keeping your symptoms at bay.

Know your triggers and have an action plan. If you’re coping with a mental disorder as well, it’s especially im-portant to know signs that your illness is flaring up. Com-mon causes include stressful events, big life changes, or unhealthy sleeping or eating. At these times, having a plan in place is essential to preventing drug relapse. Who will you talk to? What do you need to do?

Recovery tip 2: Stay connected Make face-to-face connection with friends and family a priority. Positive emotional connection to those around you is the quickest way to calm your nervous system. Posi-tive face-to-face connection with others helps you feel saf-er and better.

Get therapy or stay involved in a support group. Your

(Dual Diagnosis Cont. from page 8)

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 10

Dual Diagnosis

Some programs, for example, may have experience treat-ing depression or anxiety, but not schizophrenia or bipolar dis-order.

There are a variety of approaches that treatment programs may take, but there are some basics of effective treatment that you should look for:

• Treatment addresses both the substance abuse problem and your mental health problem.

• You share in the decision-making process and are actively involved in setting goals and developing strategies for change.

• Treatment includes basic education about your disorder and related problems.

• You are taught healthy coping skills and strategies to mini-mize substance abuse, cope with upset, and strengthen your relationships.

• Helping you think about the role that alcohol and other drugs play in your life. This should be done confidentially, without any negative consequences. People feel free to dis-cuss these issues when the discussion is confidential, non-judgmental, and not tied to legal consequences.

• Offering you a chance to learn more about alcohol and drugs, to learn about how they interact with mental illnesses and with medications, and to discuss your own use of alco-hol and drugs.

• Helping you become involved with supported employ-ment and other services that may help your process of re-covery.

• Helping you identify and develop your own recovery goals. If you decide that your use of alcohol or drugs may be a problem, a counselor trained in integrated dual diagno-sis treatment can help you identify and develop your own recovery goals. This process includes learning about steps toward recovery from both illnesses.

• Providing special counseling specifically designed for people with dual diagnosis. This can be done individually, with a group of peers, with your family, or with a combina-tion of these.

Group support for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders As with other addictions, groups are very helpful, not only in maintaining sobriety, but also as a safe place to get support and discuss challenges. Sometimes treatment programs for co-occurring disorders provide groups that continue to meet on an aftercare basis. Your doctor or treatment provider may also be able to refer you to an appropriate group.

While it’s often best to join a group that addresses both sub-stance abuse and your mental health disorder, twelve-step groups for substance abuse can also be helpful—plus they’re more common, so you’re likely to find one in your area. These free programs, facilitated by peers, use group support and a set of guided principles—the twelve steps—to obtain and maintain sobriety.

Just make sure your group is accepting of the idea of co-occurring disorders and psychiatric medication. Some people in

(Dual Diagnosis Cont. from page 9) these groups, although well meaning, may mistake taking psy-chiatric medication as another form of addiction. You want a place to feel safe, not pressured.

Helping a loved one with a substance abuse and men-tal health problem Helping a loved one with both a substance abuse and a mental health problem can be a roller coaster. Resistance to treatment is common and the road to recovery can be long.

The best way to help someone is to accept what you can and cannot do. You cannot force someone to remain sober, nor can you make someone take their medication or keep appointments. What you can do is make positive choices for yourself, encour-age your loved one to get help, and offer your support while making sure you don’t lose yourself in the process.

Seek support. Dealing with a loved one's dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse can be painful and isolating. Make sure you're getting the emotional support you need to cope. Talk to someone you trust about what you're going through. It can also help to get your own therapy or join a sup-port group.

Set boundaries. Be realistic about the amount of care you're able to provide without feeling overwhelmed and resentful. Set limits on disruptive behaviors, and stick to them. Letting the co-occurring disorders take over your life isn't healthy for you or your loved one.

Educate yourself. Learn all you can about your loved one’s mental health problem, as well as substance abuse treatment and recovery. The more you understand what your loved one is going through, the better able you’ll be to support recovery.

Be patient. Recovering from a dual diagnosis doesn’t happen overnight. Recovery is an ongoing process that can take months or years, and relapse is common. Ongoing support for both you and your loved one is crucial as you work toward recovery.

Addressing Co-occurring Disorders in Different Settings

Many people in the criminal justice system have co-occurring disor-ders. Providing integrated treatment to address mental and substance use disorders can lead to positive outcomes such as reduced substance use and arrests.

Failure to effectively screen and assess inmates with co-occurring

• Routine screening at entry points to criminal justice settings

• Trained staff to administer the screening instruments and refer people for assessment

• A response for incarcerated people experiencing a behavioral health crisis, such as intoxication or drug use that requires medical attention, or if an individual is experiencing suicidal thoughts

• Health care records being maintained by the agency conducting the screening

(Co-occurring Cont. on page 11)

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 11

Dual Diagnosis

Co-occurring Disorders and Homelessness Co-occurring disorders are common among people experiencing homelessness. This population often has a variety of issues that require services beyond behavioral health treatment, such as life skills devel-opment, employment assistance, and housing.

While treating people experiencing homelessness who are suffering from co-occurring disorders through integrated care is important to recovery, few have access to it. People experiencing homelessness may be isolated or have little to no access to health and behavioral health services, and therefore their health issues may go undiagnosed or untreated. This can lead to chronic homelessness and further deteri-oration in physical and behavioral health, as well as social and eco-nomic functioning.

One way to improve access to integrated care for people experiencing homelessness is to implement integrated screening and assessment throughout the homeless system of care. Integrated screening deter-mines the likelihood that people experiencing homelessness may or may not have co-occurring disorders or whether co-occurring disorders are influencing their presenting signs, symptoms, or behaviors. Assess-ment is an ongoing process of collecting and organizing clinical infor-mation, and interpreting the information on the basis of diagnostic criteria and professional judgment.

Co-occurring Disorders and Primary Care People who receive primary care often may have multiple health is-sues, including co-occurring disorders. Integrating behavioral and primary care is especially important to meeting their needs. People with co-occurring disorders may seek primary care services first before seeking behavioral health services. As a result, primary care practitioners have unique opportunities to identify people with co-occurring disorders through screening. Screening for co-occurring disorders in primary care settings can assist practitioners in recogniz-ing and addressing conditions early. Screening also can serve as a baseline to measure clinical progress.

A variety of screening and assessment tools are available for primary care practitioners. These screening and assessment tools can help de-termine if the need for further assessment is necessary, provide back-ground on a client’s substance use and mental health disorders and the severity, and estimate how effective they respond to interventions.

Co-occurring Disorders Among Veterans and the Mil-itary Community Co-occurring disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use, is prevalent among veterans and the mili-tary community. According to the Veterans Affairs Department (VA), approximately one-third of veterans seeking treatment for substance use disorders also met the criteria for PTSD.

Veterans and service members benefit from integrated care for mental and substance use disorders. However, some veterans may not seek medical treatment for one of many reasons, including a fear of being treated differently.

To promote wellness among veterans, service members, and their fam-ilies, practitioners are encouraged to collaborate with other organiza-tions to develop a training plan in effective integrated care techniques. The following organizations provide guidance on treating PTSD and substance use disorders:

• PTSD: National Center for PTSD offers a continuing education

course for practitioners on Managing PTSD and Co-occurring Substance Use Disorders.

• The VA provides VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of PTSD and Acute Stress Reaction, which offers guidance on screening, assessment, and treatment of PTSD and substance use disorders.

•

(Co-occurring Cont. from page 10) provides recommendations from the Institute of Medi-

cine (IOM) for implementing quality care for individuals with co-occurring disorders.

• The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) provides some guid-ance on how comorbid conditions should be treated.

Practitioner Competencies for Treating Co-occurring Disorders States working to improve treatment for people with co-occurring dis-orders have established practitioner competencies that define roles and create a common framework for working collaboratively across social service systems. These competencies have been developed as guide-lines or checklists for clinical supervisors to use when assessing practi-tioner performance in providing integrated services. The competencies can be incorporated into existing job descriptions, training plans, su-pervision meetings, personal evaluation, and credentialing and licen-sure.

www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Related-Conditions/Dual-Diagnosis#sthash.gZUV2fYn.dpuf

Review Screening and Assessment of Co-occurring Disorders in the Justice System at the CSG Justice Center – 2008 (PDF | 3 MB)(link is external).

Learn about SAMHSA’s efforts to address criminal and juvenile justice and trauma and violence.

Learn about SAMHSA’s efforts to address homelessness and housing for people with mental and/or substance use disorders.

Learn about SAMHSA’s efforts to promote health care and health systems integration.

Learn about SAMHSA’s efforts to address the behavioral health needs of veterans and military families.

www.nami.org/—National Alliance on Mental Illness nimh.nih.gov/—National Institute on Mental Health

mentalhealthtreatment.net—Mental Health Treatment articles www.tara4bpd.org—Treatment And Research Advancements

for Personality Disorder samhsa.gov—substance abuse & mental health services admin-

istration psychcentral.com—getting help for a variety of mental illnesses Choicesinrecovery.com—guides for recovery strategies

Self-Medication

By far the most common issue connecting mental illness and substance abuse is the intention of patients to medi-cate the mental health symptoms that they find disruptive or uncomfortable by using alcohol and drugs. Some exam-ples include:

• The depressed patient who uses marijuana to numb the pain

• The patient suffering from social anxiety who drinks to feel more comfortable in social situations

• The patient who struggles with panic attacks and takes benzodiazepines like Xanax or Valium in order to calm the symptoms or stop the attacks before they start

• The patient with low energy and lack of motivation who takes Adderall, cocaine or crystal meth to increase their drive to get things done

June—August 2017 Family Forum Page 12

We provide education, support groups, and advocacy for families, friends, and individuals with mental illness in Peo-ria, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties.

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NAMI Tri-County Illinois Membership Form

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Membership dues also include membership in NAMI and NAMI Illinois

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NAMI Tri-County Illinois P.O. Box 10167 Peoria, IL 61612 309 693-0541 www.namitr i -county i l l ino is .org

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