December 16, 1987. Portland Observer, Page 9
Speak Out
Community
Mental Health
b O m U IU IIliy
l« B IH O l
by Danny Bell
Reprinted with permission from ' Update On Human Behavior'', Susan Sturdivant, Ph D
by A rn o ld P itre
Do you think our local African A m e
rican elected officials are doing a
credible job of representing their con
stituencies?
Randy Randle
Child Service Worker
Dianne Runnels
American State Bank
I think they are accomplishing
getting recognition for themselves
rather than the issues represented.
Hpwever, a leader is only as strong
as his/her following. There is not
a very high visibility of the Black
leadership. The leadership seems to
be far and few in between. The
people that want to become invol
ved and are our potential leaders,
have a difficult time doing so, due
to lack of knowledge of what is be
ing offered, and consequently not
much has changed. We still have
drug problems, high unemployment
and the like.
On a positive note, we have a
community paper, like The Obser
ver, to provide information to those
willing to use it. There is some posi
tive activity going on in the commu
nity, but it needs to be brought out
more. I have only been in Portland
for a short while, and I do see some
good opportunities in existence;
and with strong leadership and sup
port, we can take advantage of
some of these opportunities.
I would say 50% yes and 50%
no. There are some City officials
that seem to be doing a credible
job. There are some County o ffi
cials that are doing a poor job.
There have been attempts to reach
some of our County officials to ex
press certain concerns, and they re
fuse contact: the will not listen to
the Black groups voicing concerns.
If they do not respond or listen,
they cannot begin to understand
what is going on in the Black com
munity.
Though some of our officials are
doing somewhat of a credible job,
they still need to be aware of what
their white counterparts are think
ing. They are always seeking their
white counterparts' approval and
disallowing the input of those they
are elected to represent. They all
mean to do well when they first
enter the political arena, but once
there, it's often times a different
story. We do not have the means
to test them prior to entering into
politics, and sometimes the results
are not so good. There is hope,
though. The 50% that are doing a
credible job will assist the consti
tuency in forcing the other 50% to
do a better job, or be removed.
Raymond Barber
Finance Education Consultant
No . . • because of established
political practices and procedures,
elected officials are caught up in the
game of jostling for a position of
power. They must sacrifice per
sonal commitments and compro
mise promises made to their con
stituents in order to become a more
powerful member of the political
body. They lose sight of the needs
of their communities in their effort
to stay afloat as a member of the
elective political system. This, in
turn, causes a loss of rapport that
is vitally needed in our community.
Eugene Daniels
Manager, Parking Facility
Some of them. Our County offi
cials seem to be doing alright, but
our city officials are not, especially
City Commissioners. Our officials
seem to have to worry about their
positions instead of worrying about
the Black community problems.
We need more elected Black offi
cials to offset the officials that are
not meeting the needs of the Black
people in this community. We do
not need a bunch of "yes men".
Pretty
. . . and Poisonous
Holiday Hazards You Should Know A bout
D epression
Jack is a large man who moves and talks slowly, sighing frequently.
He has no complaints about his life other than occasional spats with his wife,
but neither does he have any enthusiasm for his work or home life. When
asked if he's happy, he shrugs and says, “ I guess so. I'm getting by.
Lauren cries easily and often, feels anxious and scared, and has d iffi
culty sleeping. She is confused and frustrated about her love relationship.
She hates her partner's criticism of her but feels intimidated and won t leave
him because she fears being alone.
Harry's wife left him suddenly asking for a divorce. He feels abandoned
and alternates between rage and hopeless depression. He continues to work
but withdraws from friends and family and at times thinks of "ending it all."
Jack, Lauren and Harry are among the 4 to 8 million Americans who are
treated for depression every year.
Their numbers are increasing especially among people born since 1940;
in a recent poll, 52% of the adults questioned admitted they felt "lonely and
depressed".
What is it? In practice, the condition of depression tends to be defined
by its symptoms which include: feelings of helplessness, worthlessness,
and anxiety; changes in thinking, such as poor concentration, confusion, for
getfulness, or indecisiveness; decreased ability to enjoy life; changes in usual
sleep patterns and appetite - either sleeplessness or extreme fatigue, loss
of appetite or overeating; and either unusually slow or rapid speech and phy
sical movements. Depressed people are pessimists. Expecting the worst
from life, they magnify their failures and minimize successes. They tend to
blame themselves for anything that goes wrong, even events over which
they have no control.
Many factors may contribute to depression, among them personality
characteristics, biochemical imbalances; genetic factors; learned patterns of
thinking and acting; stressful life events; social and economic class; age
and sex.
Reactive depressions occur in response to a loss of some kind. Separa
tion or divorce, job loss, retirement, children leaving home, or completion
of a major life goal can aJI trigger reactive depression. Depressions may recur
on the anniversary date of these events.
Learned helplessness, generated by a lack of control over life, creates
chronic, low-level depression. When we believe we can't control what hap
pens and our actions repeatedly fail to produce results, we feel helpless and
become depressed.
Repressed anger can become depression. Depressed people are depen
dent upon love, approval, and reassurance from others because they lack
self-esteem. Fearing that their anger will drive away those they love, they
often deny angry feelings resulting in depression.
Eighty percent of those suffering from depression can be helped. Psy
chotherapy plus anti-depressant medication when indicated relieve depres
sive symptoms, keep them from coming back, and help clients function nor
mally.
, .,
Therapy for depression includes recognition of the negative and self-
destructive thoughts and attitudes that both accompany and perpetuate
depression. Therapy also helps by replacing negative attitudes with more
positive and optimistic attitudes. A client can benefit with a positive relation
ship with a therapist who will not "give up" on a client no matter how de
pressed he or she becomes. This includes support from others and encour
agement for taking control of one's life.
Group therapy offers the added advantage of feedback and encourage
ment from other group members; a forum for learning and practicing inter
personal skills; and the nucleus of a support group that can be carried into
the clients' daily lives.
If someone close to you is depressed, you can help by listening, but not
judging; offering alternative ways to deal with practical problems; telling
them you care about them; and sharing activities such as meals, shopping
P ortland - With the holidays fast
approaching, the staff of the Ore
gon Poison Center recommends
taking extra precautions to prevent
accidental poisonings during this
special time of year.
• Visits to friends and relatives
whose home are not poison proofed
may lead to problems. Or, friends
and relatives who visit for the holi
days may bring medications and
other poisons into the child's envi
ronment. A child-proof area should
be provided for your visitor's per
sonal belongings instead of leaving
them in unlocked suitcases or night
stands.
• Gift items such as perfumes,
colognes and aftershaves are often
displayed low enough for children to
reach. These gifts contain high
concentrations of alcohol and can
cause serious symptoms if ingested
by little children.
• Christmas plants such as
mistletoe, holly and juniper are poi
sonous and ingestion can make a
child very sick. Mistletoe should
be wrapped in plastic or netting be
fore hanging to prevent berries and
small leaves from dropping to the
floor. Better yet, use the plastic
variety. Holly leaves or berries
should not be used to decorate food
items of any kind.
• Christmas greens such as fir,
pine and spruce are not harmful if a
child chews on the needles. How
ever, if swallowed, the needles can
lodge in the throat and possibly
interfere with breathing.
• Preservatives added to the
water in a tree holder may contain
concentrated sugar, bleach or fer
tilizer. Some of these substances
can be dangerous, so keep pets as
well as children away from them.
• Alcoholic beverages left out af
ter a holiday party and ingested by
an early rising child can also cause
devastating results.
Be sure to
empty all party glasses and the
punch bowl before going to bed.
Even small amounts of alcohol can
be dangerous.
• Ornaments made today do not
contain
poisonous
substances.
However, a broken ornament can
be dangerous. A broken piece may
be lodged in the throat or cause
cuts and abrasions in the mouth.
Keep ornaments out of your child s
reach. The paint on antique orna
ments may have a high concentra
tion of lead. Children could be poi
soned by eating these paint chips.
Display the heirlooms high on the
tree.
• Holiday candles are generally
safe. The waxes, scents and color
ings are considered non-toxic. If
you make your own candles, the
scenting agents should be kept
away from children as they are dan
gerous in larger amounts.
• The holiday turkey should be
thawed in the refrigerator and not
at room temperature. Allow one to
three days for complete thawing.
If you don't have that much time,
put the bird in a water-tight wrapper
and immerse in cold water for three
to seven hours, depending on the
size of the bird. Continue adding ice
to the water to prevent it from
warming to room temperature too
soon.
Wash your hands, work surfaces,
and utensils well before and after
dressing the turkey to lessen the
chance of contamination from bac
teria in the turkey. Stuff your tur
key just before baking.
Do not
allow food to stand at room temper
ature upon completion of the meal.
Debone and refrigerate the turkey
immediately after the meal to mini
mize the chance of bacterial
growth. Desserts can also be a
source of bacterial food poisoning
and should be refrigerated before
and after serving.
And, don't forget to post the Ore
gon Poison Center's phone number
where you can find it in an emer
gency. The numbers are 279-8968
in the Portland area and 1-800 452-
7165 to ll free statewide.
Bank. The funds raised will be divi
ded between four local non-profit
agencies: American Wilderness
Foundation (provides outdoor ex
periences for troubled and low-in
come youth in the area); Edgefield
Children's Center, Inc. (provides
mental health services for emo
tionally distrubed children and their
families); Portland Sickle Cell Ane
mia Foundation (serves stickle cell
anemia patients and their families
and educates the public ibout the
disease); and Hospice House (pro
vides care and counseling for per
sons close to death and their fami
lies).
Santa Claus will also be on hand
in the Bancorp Tower lobby during
those same hours to hear your spe
cial requests. In addition, a number
of local high school choirs will be
carolling during the noon hour. The
U.S. Bancorp Tower lobby areas
will be in full Christmas dress and
spirit beginning December 14, 1987.
U .S . B ank Sells
Poinsettias fo r
Little Groups W ith
Big Hearts
U.S. Bank today announced that
it will conduct a special Christmas
charity fundraising drive for the holi
or work tasks.
. „
day season.
Called the
Little
Advising a depressed person to "cheer up" or "snap out of it may be
Groups with Big Hearts fund drive",
misinterpreted as saying that you don't think their feelings are valid, or that
poinsettias will be sold from Decem
their blues are a burden to you.
ber 14 through the 24th. The pro
You can lend moral support by accompanying a depressed friend or
ceeds combined with matching
family member on their first visit to a therapist.
funds contributed by U.S. Bank will
Your presence may be the support needed to take that important first
be divided between four local non
step towards getting help.
profit agencies. The poinsettias will
Readers of Community Mental Health are invited to write us at 128 N.E Russell, Portland,
be sold in the U.S. Bancorp Tower
lobby from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
OR 97212: attention Danny Bell.
and 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday or until all of the
I
O B S E R V E ^ ÿ y ,000 poinsettias have been sold.
Food C o n d itio n
PORTLAND
w, The poinsettias will sell for $5.00
"The Eyes and Ears ot the Community”
and all proceeds from the sale will
D e s p e ra te
288-0033
be matched dollar for dollar by U.S.
The Salvation Army needs food
desperately, according to Catherine
Grassley, coordinator of the agen
cy's Christmas food warehouse.
"The food we have now will only
fill a hundred baskets," Grassley
says.
"W e must fill 1,000 bas
This certificate entitles each new patient with:
Ccn,ci
kets before December 21." The
.thing
pi»’ "'”. cm lot
EXAM, BITE-WING X-RAYS,
Salvation Army plans to feed 2,769
ROUTINE CLEANING
n
families by providing 1,000 food
N E W DENTURES
baskets and 1,769 food vouchers.
"Food donations are critical to
• Free Denture Cleaning
• Preventive Family Dentistry
those who count on our help."
• No Charge Consultation
• Special Attention to Children
Foods particularly needed are
• Reline & Repairs while you wait
and
Gum
Disease
canned tuna, peanut butter, chili,
and other non-perishables.
People can take food and toys
Convenient, affordable dental care for your family.
to the 1987 Salvation Army Christ
610 SW Alder, Suite 1008 • 228-3009
mas Headquarters at N.E. 7th &
HOURS: M-F 7AM-7PM SATURDAY &AM-5PM
Expire» Dec 31, ,987
K Dr. Edward E. Ward
Holladay Streets in Portland. For
information regarding donations,
call 238-GIVE.
NEW PATIENT SPECIAL
$40.00 OFF
F
$35.00
V?
Edward E. Ward, DMD
The Neighborhood
Toy & Gift Shoppe
r TO?
SINCE 1905
SPÒRTSWORID
ó25 S.W. 4th & Morrison
Downtown, Portland
(503) 226 6467
8 2 YEARS SPECIALIZED IN SPORTING G O O D S !
IO**''
& Gifts for Small & Big Kids
p t^
Portland, OR 97218
iiday Hours:
C. 1st thru 29th
>n-Frl Sat Sun
-6 p.m. 9-4 p.m.
5429 NE 42nd
284-8970
1-5 p.m.
Off Killingsworth
on 72 & 75 Bus Unes
Greeting Cards & Gift Certificates & More
Larges, selection m Northwest,
Lowest Prices m Town'
Girt Certificate Available1
• Free Parking with $15 Purchase1
TENNIS
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PRINCE
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PRO KENNEX
REEBOK
AVIA
CONVERSE
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NEW BALANCE
FOOT JOY
BASKETBALL
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BASE/SOFTBALL
COACHES
UNIFORMS
FITNESS
»
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