English is a Funny Language

English is a funny language. There's a world of difference between "going to jail" and "going to the jail." You see, I "go to the jail" twice a week to offer parenting programs. Oddly enough, it's one of the things I enjoy most about my job. The men and women I meet at the jail come to my class voluntarily, so they tend to be interested, involved, and they are some of the most appreciative people I have ever met. Mind you, I wouldn't want to stay locked up, but so far, the sentries have always let me out, so it's all good.

Back to enjoying my job. "Enjoy" isn't the right word, is it? I should have said "rewarding." It's a painful time for most of them--sometimes it's the first time they've ever been away from their children. Often they feel horrible about the effect a bad decision has had on their families, especially when an addiction is involved. And I'd bet addiction to alcohol or other drugs is involved about 80% of the time, even though the charge may not involve substance abuse. (I asked a deputy and a jail social worker to guess, too, and all 3 of us came up with 80% on the nose.)

I ask parents at the jail to fill out a short survey at the end of the workshop. One of the questions is "Because of this workshop, I plan to __________________________________." Here are a few of the answers I've gotten in the last month:

• "Talk differently to my children."
• "Change how I handle issues that arise daily in our home."
• "Be a better parent."
• "Watch my words."
• "Use the tools I learned."
• "Keep my son as a priority."
• "Positive environment, specific encouragement."
• "Be there." (Especially meaningful for someone in jail.)

And my personal favorite: "Keep going. I love it."

You don't have to go to jail to attend parenting classes. All our programs are free, although they require a reservation. We normally schedule classes on Mondays, 6-8 PM; Tuesdays, 10 AM-noon; and by appointment at other times. For example, temporarily we have a class on Thursdays 4:30-6:30 PM to accommodate a dad's schedule.

As one dad in jail said: "Be there!" But remember to call me first at 788-0300 to make a reservation. (If there's not enough registration, we may not meet.) You can also call me if you'd like to volunteer to work with parents.

--Judith Allee

Parent Support Coordinator

Stop Smoking.... Stop It!

I was recently shocked to learn that a friend has taken up smoking, so that she can feel more confident in social situations. This is a very intelligent woman who is otherwise health conscious. She watches her weight, walks for her health and regularly visits her doctor. She had successfully quit smoking years ago, and has now taken it up again.

She is also a person who experiences mental illness, and it is my great fear that she will become another statistic-one of the thousands of individuals who experience mental illness and are addicted to nicotine.

As a non-smoker, I find it hard to conceive of why, in 2009, with all the facts we know about the dangers of smoking, anyone would start to smoke. The facts about individuals with mental illness who use nicotine are particularly ugly:

About 200,000 of the 435,000 annual deaths from smoking in the U.S. occur among patients with mental illnesses and/or substance use disorders.

About 20% of the U.S. population has mental disorders in a given year. Over 40% of these individuals use tobacco.

Americans with mental illnesses represent an estimated 44.3% of the U.S. tobacco market.

Americans with mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders are nicotine dependent at rates that are two to three times higher than the general population.

Because people with mental illnesses use tobacco at greater rates, they suffer greater smoking-related medical illnesses and mortality.

Why do individuals who experience mental illness smoke more?
Researchers believe that a combination of biological, psychological and social factors contributed to increased tobacco use among persons with mental illness.

Persons with mental illnesses have unique neurobiological features that may increase their tendency to use nicotine, make it more difficult to quit and complicate withdrawal symptoms.

In addition, providers often think that people with mental illness are unable to quit smoking, which is not true. Studies show that people with mental illnesses want to quit smoking and want information about cessation services and resources. Significant evidence shows that smoking cessation strategies work. People with mental illness can successful quit.

Symptom management often takes precedence over preventative health measures. There are clinicians who do not perceive nicotine cessation as a treatment priority, or consider it as too consuming of limited treatment resources.

Historically, patients in psychiatric units were even given cigarettes as a method of reward and control and patients were told that cigarettes could be helpful in their treatment. According to a report by the University of Colorado-Denver, Department of Psychiatry, in the late seventies and early eighties, tobacco companies distributed free cigarettes to homeless shelters, mental hospitals and homeless service organizations. Cigarettes were purchased for persons experiencing mental illness and homelessness, so that these individuals would smoke “clean” cigarettes, not used “butts.”

The tobacco industry also targeted psychiatric hospitals for sales promotions and giveaways.

We talk about the shackles that were used in mental hospitals in the past and the lasting effects of their usage on the national psyche. What of the effects of the knowledge that patients were given cigarettes and encouraged to smoke, when their doctors knew the dangers of tobacco and chose to overlook those dangers in favor of control and submission of patients?

I recently heard a counselor say that he was opposed to a ban on smoking in his consumer-care facility because that is how he builds trust with his consumers-by smoking with them! Imagine if he had said that he built trust through drinking together.

With funding cuts, it is becoming more difficult to find resources for smoking cessation programs. Thousands of individuals who experience mental illness are currently addicted to nicotine and are struggling to find an answer to ending their dependency.

Statistics for this blog was taken from “Smoking Cessation for Persons with Mental Illnesses: A Toolkit for Mental Health Providers”

--Kristen Frame
Compeer Coordinator