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The health system in Oregon, as in the rest of the United States is in crisis.
Costs are skyrocketing, millions of children and adults remain uninsured and even working people are going without health care. Presidential candidates are promising plans they say will take care of the problem.
Here at OPB, we’re focusing on one aspect of the health care system in Oregon: mental health.
Our series, "On Our Minds," examines who's getting and giving mental health care.
We talk to patients and their families, health care providers, lawmakers and citizens and exploring the state of mental health care in Oregon.
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On Our Minds - March 21
On Our Minds Companion
In this half-hour show, we highlight some of the voices we've heard in this series. Not just those who are struggling but also those who are making their way, coming up with solutions, committed to making a difference in our communities.
We don't claim to have all the answers, but we may have come up with a few of the right questions. See what you think.
MindFreedom Seeks To Insure Rights Of Those With Mental Illness
Oregon is home to a small non-profit called MindFreedom. It’s run out of Eugene and describes itself as coalition of grassroots groups dedicated to human rights and alternatives for people with mental illness.
Or, as they make the distinction, “people labeled with psychiatric disabilities.”
The mission may sound basic, but the stance MindFreedom takes on several different issues puts it at odds with many other mental health groups and the mainstream of mental health care professionals.
In this last story in the “On Our Minds” series on mental health, Scott Silver has this report on the history and influence of MindFreedom.
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On Our Minds - March 18
Policing the Mentally Ill
In September of 2006, a schizophrenic man named James Chasse died in police custody, sending shockwaves throughout Portland and the state. At the time, Mayor Tom Potter promised an overhaul of the system that failed Chasse.
A year and a half later, the Mental Health Association of Portland is working on a documentary to make sure we never forget James Chasse, and Portland police are well into a training program designed to help avoid any repeat incidents. The Crisis Intervention Training program, which used to be voluntary, is now required for all current officers, and a new law this year made this sort of training mandatory for all new police officers statewide.
Is this enough? What else needs to be done to ensure that the inevitable interactions between law enforcement and the mentally ill have positive outcomes.
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On Our Minds - March 14
Listen to both stories:
Rural Oregon's Hidden Epidemic - Mental Illness and Suicide
The 8 eastern counties of Oregon are home to 180,000 people. It's some of the most sparsely populated land in the entire country. And those empty high desert plateaus hold a dark secret about severe mental illness -- and its sometimes tragic results.
Out of every 100,000 people in Oregon, 16 commit suicide each year. That rate is not only higher in eastern Oregon - it is among the highest in the entire country. Ethan Lindsey reports on the individual stories behind those numbers.
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On Our Minds - March 14
Needs Of 'Dual Diagnoses' Sufferers Difficult To Meet
Two of the most difficult problems a person can face are mental illness and drug abuse. Now imagine suffering from both. It's known as a dual diagnoses.
Doctors estimate that about half of the people who struggle with mental illness also suffer some form of addiction. They may have had psychological problems first and then chose to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. Or their excessive use of drugs may have altered their brain chemistry or otherwise triggered a mental illness.
Doctors and therapists have been trying to address the special needs of those with a dual diagnoses for years. But as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports in this next installment of “On Our Minds,” getting government, treatment centers and colleges on board has been a slow process.
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On Our Minds - March 13
Recognizing Mental Illness
When we discuss mental illness we usually only talk about what experts call "tertiary prevention." That's the work done at hospitals and in prisons long after a person has been severely affected by a psychotic illness like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
Tertiary prevention aims to prevent patients from becoming completely overwrought, or even dying, of their mental illnesses.
But now the state is paying more attention to secondary -- and possibly even primary -- prevention.
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| Clackamas County Jail |
On Our Minds - March 7
Listen to both stories:
Police And Jails Providing Much Of State's Mental Health Care
If someone you care about gets sick enough, you take them to the doctor -- or maybe even the hospital.
But if an illness is mental, rather than physical in nature, the symptoms are more confusing -- and sometimes downright threatening.
For example, a person struggling with mental illness might start shouting aggressively in the street or tearing their clothes off. And that behavior is more likely to bring them in contact with a police officer than a doctor.
Indeed, as large mental institutions have closed, jails -- by default -- are becoming the biggest providers of mental health care in the state.
In this installment of OPB's "On our Minds" series, Kristian Foden-Vencil reports on the strain this places on the corrections system and the mental health system.
Pendleton Academies Provide Rural Mental Health Care
There's a shortage of child psychiatrists all across the United States. But that shortage is felt most acutely in rural America.
For example there are only about a half dozen psychiatrists in Eastern and Central Oregon. Parents have trouble finding care for their children; they have to wait for extended periods of time to get help, and they sometimes have to drive hours to visit a psychiatrist.
So a group of educators in Pendleton, Oregon, have come up with a solution. They're bringing education and specialized mental health care together in a small town.
For this next installment of "On Our Minds", Anna King visited a specialized boarding school called Pendleton Academies.
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| Ezra Farish |
On Our Minds - February 29
Listen to both stories:
Wraparound Program Aims To Care For Mentally Ill Children At Home
How the state of Oregon cares for mentally ill children is undergoing a revolutionary shift right now.
Oregon is charting a course aimed at keeping kids out of institutions and instead caring for them at home.
There they will be supported by a team of people in what’s being called the Wraparound approach.
In this installment of "On Our Minds," OPB's series on mental health care, Rob Manning reports on what Wraparound means for Oregon kids.
Diagnosis Critical To Treating Children With Mental Health Disorders
13 percent of Oregon’s children are estimated to have some sort of mental health disorder.
Some will be treated in a specialized setting — and many will not.
In this installment of “On Our Minds,” series producer Allison Frost spoke with Professor Eric Trupin, who teaches at the University of Washington medical school. He says parents may be upset when their child gets a diagnosis, but it’s often a critical component of treatment.
Extended interview with Professor Eric Trupin:
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On Our Minds - February 22
We started off our series with Ethan Lindsey's look at how many Oregonians are covered by mental health insurance and Chris Lehman's tour of the Oregon State Hospital in Salem.
Listen to both stories:
Oregon’s Mental Health Parity Lets Some Fall Through Cracks
It seems mental health care only enters the spotlight when some horror comes to light.
Shootings in schools or by police officers are often the subject of the attention paid to mental illness.
Our series begins by examining a much-ballyhooed law that went in effect just over a year ago, which told insurers to cover mental health care the same way they cover physical health care.
Extended interview with Governor Ted Kulongoski:
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| Oregon State Hospital in Salem |
State Needs Both A New Hospital And A New System Of Care
Some of Oregon’s most vulnerable residents are at risk. That’s the conclusion of a scathing federal report on the Oregon State Hospital for the mentally ill.
Some problems are being fixed. But officials say many issues won’t be resolved until the state’s two new mental hospitals open.
- Take an audio slideshow tour of the hospital grounds
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Mental Health Resources Online• Oregon County Crisis Lines and Mental Health Resources • Child & Adolescent Mental Health Internet Resource List • Mental Health America of Oregon • Mental Health Association of Portland • From the Inside Out (Affiliated with MHAP above -- Interactive theatre group focused on mental illness) |
"On Our Minds"
"On Our Minds," is an OPB series on mental health care in Oregon produced by Allison Frost.
It can be heard on Fridays at 6:50 a.m. during Morning Edition and during All Things Considered at 4:45 p.m. All stories are online at www.opbnews.org.
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Our series is informed and enriched by the people in our Public Insight Network.
If you'd like to contribute your knowledge, you can learn more about the Public Insight Network at opb.org/publicinsight.
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Our online news editor is Michael Clapp. Pete Springer is our photographer. Meet the rest of the radio staff here.
