Sidney Daily News Reports: "The Shelby County Drug Task Force had its third Community Conversation, Tuesday, Jan. 23, at St. Paul’s Church, in Botkins, in an effort to continue its fight against opioid addiction through education, prevention and support.
This is the first time the event has been outside Sidney, and it drew a crowd of about 50 people.
Panelists in attendance were Tom Bey, of Shelby County Job and Family Services; Julie Clay, of Shelby County Counseling Center; Chief Wayne Glass, of Botkins Police Department; Robert Guillozet, Shelby County commissioner; Shelby County Sheriff John Lenhart; Dr. Stephen Roberts, of Wilson Health Emergency Department; and Timothy Sell, Shelby County prosecutor."
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MAT program graduate 4 individuals @ SCCC!
"Shelby County Counseling Center celebrated its second graduation from the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program, Nov. 8,2017."
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SCCC, Strengenthing Parnterships in Shelby County
Sidney Police Department received a grant in the fall of 2017 from the Ohio Attorney General Office. This grant allows a stronger partnership to be forged with Shelby County Counseling Center. The Sidney Addcit Assistance Team (SAAT) was a team of one, with Officer Mike McRill. Chief Balling of the Sidney Police department reports that SCCC is now able to send a counselor to ride along with Officer Mike McRill each week as he visits overdose victims. This grant allows the SAAT to provide immediate information about available treatment options, with the goal of motivating addicts to seek effective treatment. In 2017, the SAAT reached out to over 100 people with substance abuse issues.
Depression Linked To Higher Rates of Heart Disease in Young Adults
According to a study published in the November issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, depression and previous suicide attempts may be significant predictors of heart disease related deaths in young adults. This study examined data from more than 7000 participants ages 17 to 39 (mean age, 28.1 years; 54.5% female) from the 1988-1994 Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) that was to the National Death Index. The study found that those with a history of depression or attempted suicide were at a significantly increased risk for ischemic heart disease (IHD) death compared with those without. Although both sexes with these factors also had a higher risk for death due to cardiovascular disease, the risk for IHD death was 14 times higher in the women with than in those without the factors. According to the report, many previous studies have shown major depressive disorder is associated with increased risk for heart disease; however almost all of those studies have focused on older populations, but IHD actually begins in youth. Researchers acknowledged that the actual number of IHD or deaths due to cardiovascular disease resulted in a small sample size, the results demonstrate that the identification of depression and suicide attempts as risk factors in cardiovascular disease in younger persons is critical for better prevention.
On October 10, National Public Radio profiled Mental Health First Aid, the powerful public education program that has reached more than 30,000 Americans. Listen to the story or read it here.
Mental First Aid: How To Help In An Emotional Crisis
by Kelley Weiss
October 10, 2011
When Nikki Perez was in her 20s, she had a job as a lab tech at a hospital in Sacramento, Calif. She said everything was going well until one day, when something changed.
"I worked in a very sterile environment, and so part of the procedure was to wash your hands," she said. "I found myself washing my hands more and more, to the point where they were raw, and sometimes they would bleed."
Perez went to the doctor and was diagnosed with something she had never even heard of — obsessive-compulsive disorder. At the time she was living with her parents. She quit her job and went on short-term disability.
Researchers say 1 in 4 adults has a mental disorder. But while many Americans are trained in first aid and CPR to respond to medical emergencies, few are prepared to help others experiencing a mental health crisis.
Perez said her illness turned her life upside down. She would sit in her parents' room watching TV on the floor, afraid to move. She didn't want to get caught up in the obsessive routines around the house.
"You check locks, check the washer, check the doors, check the window — I did a lot of checking," she said.
Overall, it was profoundly isolating. Her family, like many people, didn't know how to handle mental illness.
Finally, she got treatment, but her experience made her want to learn more about mental health issues so she could help others in crisis.
Emotional Crises More Common Than Heart Attacks
She found just the right class, called Mental Health First Aid. Bryan Gibb is the director of public education for the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, which runs the course.
"We often train to know CPR or the Heimlich maneuver or first aid. But the reality is, it's much more likely that we're going to come in contact with someone suffering from an emotional crisis than someone suffering a heart attack or choking in a restaurant," he said.
In a 12-hour course, Gibb teaches people how to identify different types of mental illness: depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis, eating disorders and substance abuse.
Part of the learning process involves group exercises. Nikki Perez participated in one that simulated what it's like for people who hear voices. She tried to have a conversation while someone whispered in her ear "don't trust him," "you're a failure," and "is he looking at you?"
After the class, members who get this firsthand perspective of the different symptoms of mental illness then learn how to approach someone who's having a psychotic episode. They're told to speak calmly and clearly, and not to dismiss or challenge the person about their hallucinations.
Direct Questions For The Suicidal
As with any first-aid course, there's an Action Plan for what to do if someone's in crisis: assess the person for risk of harm or suicide, listen non-judgmentally, give reassurance, and encourage the person to seek professional help.
Gibb says that for this to work, people need to force themselves to ask direct questions: Are you thinking of killing yourself? Do you have a plan? Do you have the things you need to complete that plan?
Gibb told the class to never leave an actively suicidal person alone and to call the police if the person has a weapon or is acting aggressively.
Longtime mental health advocates with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, say courses like this raise awareness about mental illness. Jessica Cruz, executive director of NAMI California, said this reduces the stigma around getting help.
"If people know that others are trained in how to deal with a crisis situation, they may even reach out for help before they even get to that crisis point," she said.
Cruz is so impressed with the course, her own staff is going to be trained next month.
"It seems like it could be just universally applied, just like CPR," Cruz said.
That's already under way at schools, the workplace and churches. Since it started three years ago, more than 30,000 people have been trained around the country; another 20,000 are expected to get training by the end of the year.
Perez says she would recommend this course to anyone.
"I think it's one of the best things that I've ever done for myself so far," she said.
The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare said thousands of people like Perez now have the skills to help those experiencing a mental health crisis. But the group emphasized that this is first-aid training and should be used to keep someone safe and stabilized until the professional help arrives, just like if you're responding to someone having a heart attack.