By A DREW tiE 10
c. ,,., Newe Service
By Jennifer L Summerfelt
and drug u e, 0 it's much
broader definition than what we
use, " Haveman said of th study
that was published in the Janu­
ary is ue of Archives of General
Psychiatry. A mple of 8,000
Americans was interviewed.
But what can be considered a
mental illness?
LANSING - Did you know
that almost 50 Percent of Ameri­
cans ages 15 to 54 have experi­
enced a mental health problem
at sometim in their lives?
Anyway, that's what a study
published by the University of
Michigan concludes.
If that percentage s ms a lit­
tle high to you, you a not alone,
said James Haveman Jr., the di­
rector of the Michigan Depart­
ment of Mental Health.
"Included are phobias, alcohol
CHRISTINA THOMP 0 ,
executive director of Jackson­
Hillsdale Community Mental
Health, said a seve mental ill­
ness is something that would
lead people to have major dis­
ruptions in th ir lives. Eating,
in," h id.
mploy to
David Whit, pre ident of th
American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employ Local 960,
. d t te has laid off too m ny
orkers to erv th gro ing number
of people ee ing ervice at the
orthville Regional P ychiatric Hospi-
sl ping, social skill , vocational
duties can be disrupted by men­
tal illn Th e severe ill­
ness may comprise 10 percent
of the cases U-M cited.
"Schizophrenia, major de­
p ion and these kinds of ill­
n es can really disrupt two or
three a of your life, " she said.
There are other problems'that
are not as s vere, she said..
Those people who have minor
problems can suffer from per­
sonality disorders, n urotic di -
orders or mild r depression.
Then, there are th ca
phobias th t Thompson aid
By MICHELE RUEHS
Caplt61 News ServIce
haps be damp ned by the reali­
zation that not only do' many
people go through p riod of
mental illru then Iv but
also that the mental illn is
not necessarily the fault of such
issue s upbringing, as was
widely believed in decades past.
"People who are mentally ill
- it wasn't their choice that
they're mentally ill," Haveman
said. "It's a 'chemical imbalance
of the body that can be tr ted;
some people we don' know how
to provide successful treatment
to."
Bill Kriss, director of'habilita­
tive activity service at the
Mount PI n Regional Cen­
t r for Developm ntal Di abili­
ties, s id hi facility offers
programs that pr par con um­
ers to goback in 0 the work for
by directing them to a group th t
pe ializ in mainstr aming.
"Th whole id i to mov folks
onward, make them mor inde­
pendent, let them hav mor
isfying liv s, m ke i so hat
th y hay mor of choice,"
Kn id." 0 hat' wha w 're
working toward."
Th n xt d in tion for th
. who hay n m n lly ill
Mid-Michi n Indu ri , an or­
ganization that pu p pl ck
in h work for in Mount
PI ant, Clare and Alma
LANSING - James Haveman
says that every time he watches
"A Current Affair" or the news,
he sees the mentally ill por­
trayed in a negative light, and
that can hurt his cau e.
Haveman said he finds the
inaccuracy especially potent
from his position: director of the
Michigan Department of Mental
Health.
Those who have been men­
tally ill may be the victims of
prejudice when on the job, and
the negative stigma is high­
lighted by the media, Haveman
said.
The hadow cast on the men­
tally ill is omething that should
be lifted, which i what th D­
partment of MentalH lth w.ill
attempt to do through advertis­
ing as well as through other pro­
grams, he said.
Entering the work force can
be esp tally difficult for th e
who hav a history of mental
illn cau they are carrying
the bagga of ociety' ter -
typ tach d to such ill n s.
"And I'll 11 you, it's r lly
tou h wh n opl who do want
to surface h ir mentally illn ,
it's almost lik bing gay;" Hav -
man aid "Do w do it? Wh t
will th n lty of'doing thi ?
So ther' r I choi th peo-
pl have to m k "
rrnun ion uld r-
assistance from ajob coach, who
first does a job analysis to deter­
mine what the position entails.
The job coach eventually fades
out of the picture, allowing the
employee to take over. Anytime
the person falters, the coach can
come in and assist once again, if
necessary.
Garland said some employers
have become job coaches them-.
elves and although she admit­
ted it is not always effective, it
may be part of a growing process
for organizations.
"I think that's part of a learn­
ing curve that's going on in our
nation as more and more people
with disabilities are moving into
the work force," she said. "And
so 1 think it will improve over
time."
Garland said that om tim
the employ re consulted on
the new employ , in p rt to dis­
pel any myths about th m n­
tally ill, but he emph iz that
anyone who goes into a new job
could fa th f ling that he or
she might not belong.
not usually evere enough to be
any sort of problem or be consid­
ered mental illn
"I have a phobia of snakes , but
it does not interfere with my
life," Thompson said. "And I
don't really want it cured."
But Jay Pozner, a psycholo­
gist at Psychological Medicin
C nter in Hillsdale, said prob­
lems such as phobias can be de­
bilitating.
"A patient who has a social
phobia may not be able to per­
form some basic activities such
as speaking in public," Pozner
said. "I once treated a patient
who could not serve her jury
beC&\Ul!erQ{ h "
1 1
,
for Peopi Living'
with AIDS and HIV
• rly Int -rv nti n of HV i
• M nit ring y ur rrnrnun h alth
trat gy
POZ ER SAIDZ phobias
and depression are types of ill-
n he treats often.
Haveman stressed that pe0-
ple with these illnesses can be
treated and look just like an av­
erage person.
"Most people at risk for men-
tal illness are like you and me,"
Haveman said. "Therefore,
what it is not what you see pro­
jected, the demented person"
He aid m ntal illnesses are
c us by a chemical imbalance
in th brain. Medication is avail-
abl nd can su ful.
Thompson aid she was
h ppy the U-M study was done
and she h used it as a refer­
en '
"Though I pe onally think it
overstates the problem, I am
glad th y did it," he said.
The tudy also states that
many people who experience
mental illness also experience
alcohol or drug dependence.
Thompson agreed that this is
o n the case. Sh said than
Jac on-Hillsdal Community
Mental Health h s developed
SOQle dual-diagnosis programs
to deal with this problem.
"Community services sees
this in maybe 40 percent of the
cases," she said. "People either
use drugs or alcohol to selfmedi-
cate, or a mo easily pres-
sur into r ups that use
drugs."
n titution
PROJECT INFORM
tt�Y ����t� Town M�ting
April 19, 1994
6:30 - 9:30 P.M.
Location:
Hartford Memorial
Baptist Church
18700J m 5 ouz n nv
tr 'it, MI 482 5
Reire hment Provid d
Admission FREE
Brought to y u by:
• Community Health • Project Inform
Awareness Group • REACH
• Us Helping Us
For Mar Information, Call:
Mi hig n AIDS Hotline 1 (800) 872-2437
R
Community Health
Awar n Group ( 1 ) 872-2424
CLIP
BONUS
