Mental illness speaker draws large crowd
By Lori L. Nimke
IV Leader Staff
More than 500 people from Illinois Valley Community College
and the surrounding communities attended a presentation on mental illness by Dr.
Fredrick Frese, a psychologist and diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic.
The IVCC Student Nursing Association and Psi Beta Psychology
Club hosted the speaker with the help of several area sponsors.
Assistant Director of Nursing Pam Mammano said the idea to
host Frese came from student Tanya Theisinger, "She heard him speak at a NAMI
(National Alliance for Mentally Ill) convention and was bound and determined to
get him here." This was Frese's first experience speaking to a community
college, he typically speaks in Washington DC and presents to Senators, Mammano
explained.
"Basically we felt it was a very important topic to get out,
to change the opinions that a lot of people have about individuals with mental
illness. We wanted to get out that there is hope and there is effective
treatment for chronic mental illness." Mammano said.
Frese, who served as director of psychology at Western Reserve Psychiatric
Hospital (one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in Ohio) spoke about the
effects of mental illness and the way in which new technology in the health
field is bring mental illness "out of the dark ages."
"The mental health field is now advancing," said Dr. Fredrick
J. Frese. He noted that the help of current technology, and also the political
force behind the current law making endeavor is bring mental illness more
attention.
One of the most current findings is that of a common gene
which exists in some types of mental illness. Today a person can be tested for
the presence of this gene. If the gene exists then there is only a 1 percent
chance that an individual will acquire mental illness.
Mental Illness is also on the front lines due to politicians
raising awareness after a mental illness touched their lives in some way.
Evelyn Londburg Stratten, a Supreme Court Justice from Ohio, lead a movement to
get legislature changed. The movement was driven by Statten's son being
diagnosed at 12 years old with a mental illness.
These people as well as others have opened doors for dialog,
not only in the private sector but also in the public arena. The open
discussions have lead to more honesty, less stigmatization and of course the
ongoing education and public awareness of mental illness.
According to Frese, someone with mental illness has, "degrees
of chemical disabilities in the brain."
Some of more recognizable mental illnesses are: depression,
bi-polar, psychosis and schizophrenia.
When measuring skills; a person with disabilities will score
greater than the average person. Someone with a bi-polar disorder will usually
have a higher IQ than the average person. However, people with mental illnesses
may developed hallucinations.
These delusions lead to another area of the disorders which
is that of a high rate of suicide. The suicide rate of the mentally ill is at 15
- 20 percent. The high rate of suicide, however, is related to the
hallucinations that accompany the disorders.
As for recovery, Frese emphasized the degree of the illness
matters in relationship to the recovery. Taking medications, getting adequate
sleep, diet and exercise can also play a role in recovery. Anyone with a
disorder needs an ongoing support system as well. "Those around you may simply
need to remind you when you are beginning to have hallucinations, and then maybe
you need to take some medication," said Frese.
Eleda Kaminky of Earlville, has been dealing with her son's
mental illness since 1991. She has been his support system: by taking him to his
numerous appointments and making sure he takes his medication on time as well as
all the other day to day needs. Kaminky, says, "One day at a time, makes a
master piece." As for joining a support group for herself, Kaminky said, "I
don't have time to join a support group, but the people in the doctors offices
are my support."
With this new technology, mental illness will no longer be in
the dark. An individual could be diagnosed very young, and at no matter what age
the appropriate treatment can now be expedited and the Mental Health
Practitioner can begin their treatment with a vast amount of knowledge. Frese
said, "The goal of the mentally ill is to move toward normality."
Mammano also noted that a video tape of the presentation will
be available for viewing in the library for the entire month of February.