Portland observer., May 18, 1994, Page 4, Image 4

P age A4
M ay 18, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
Mental Health Considerations
M ental disorders in pregnant,
substance-using w om en often go un­
detected by health care providers and
alcohol and otherdrug treatm ent staff.
It is essential that a dual diagnosis be
m ade, w hen ap p ro p riate, and a d ­
dressed in subsequent treatm ent p lan­
ning. The com plex com bination o f
pregnancy, addiction, and m ental ill­
ness requires a carefully coordinated
ap proach. T he fo llo w in g general
guidelines can be useful in assessing
the m ental health o f pregnant, sub­
stance-using w om en.
M en tal H ealth A ssessm ent:
•
D istinguish b etw een d ru g -in ­
duced psychiatric sym ptom s and a
m ajor m ental disorder. Symptoms
such as anx icty, ag nation, anti para­
noia can be m anifestations o f a
state o f drug intoxication or o f the
w ithdraw al syndrom e itself, and at
lim es require no m edications. On
going psychosocial support may
help m inim ize m any o f these sym p­
toms.
On the other hand, confirm ed
m ental illness may necessitate the
continuation o f m edications, such
as antidepressants or antipsycho tics,
which have been previously effec­
tive in treating the underlying d is­
order. It is m andatory that a diag-
nosis o f m ental illness be ruled out
before such medication is stopped.
It must be rem em bered that evi­
dence is inconclusive regarding the
safe use o f any psychotropic medi­
cation in pregnant women. A thor­
ough assessm ent o f the risks versus
the benefits must be made prior to
adm inistering these medications.
Establish any previous history of
psychiatric illness before develop­
ing the m edical w ithdraw al treat­
ment plan. Efforts should be made
to contactprevious therapists, treat­
ing agencies, and m ental health
facilities for this crucial inform a­
tion.
Establish com m unication early
in treatm ent with m ental health
personnel involved in the patient’s
care. These individuals often can
provide im portant history, help
build an alliance with the patient,
support discharge planning, and
provide assistance in the event of
an acute m anagem ent crisis.
In d iv id u a liz e m e d ic a l w ith ­
drawal plans for each patient. C are­
fully review standard guidelines and
amend them ifthere are significant
psychiatric problem s to be treated.
Set up arrangem ents to involve
mental health personnel w here ap-
propriatc, in establishing diagnoses
and in developing the treatm ent
plan.
Continue prescribed medications
and provide appropriate followup
for patients who enter alcohol and
otherdrug treatment program s with
well-documented, diagnosed psy­
chiatric illnesses that require psy-
chopharm acologic medications.
Continue any prescribed m edi­
cations, such as m ethadone and
chlordiazepox ide .except as advised
by the patient’s health and mental
health care providers. P atients
should be supported in this deci­
sion by treatm ent programs. Some
support groups may inappropriately
encourage women to abandon all
medications.
Do not avoid seeking therapy for
the patient because of the complex
com bination o f pregnancy, addic­
tion, and psychiatric problem s.
Careful planning and stall coordina­
tion arc usually effective in treatment.
Use well-validated psychiatric as­
sessm ent scales in the diagnosis
and followup o f individual patients.
Consider issues of co-dependency,
adult children of alcoholics/other ad­
dictions, and deep trauma from child­
hood in the evaluation of patients.
Allergies Galore Await
Mmveomers To Western Oregon
W h e n it c o m e s to a lle r g ie s ,
y ou c a n r u n b u t y o u c a n ’t h id e .
T h a t ’s e s p e c ia lly t r u e f o r th e
te n s o f th o u s a n d s o f p e o p le w ho
e a c h y e a r m o v e to p o lle n - r ic h
W e s te r n O r e g o n .
K en E t t i n g e r , M l) , is an
a lle rg is t
at
K a is e r
P e r m a n e n t e ’s E a s t I n t e r s t a t e
M e d ic a l O ffic e in N o r th P o r t ­
la n d . “ P e o p le w h o m o v e to
P o r tla n d fo rm o t h e r re g io n s
u s u a lly h a v e a h o n e y - m o o n
fro m t h e i r a lle r g ie s f o r a b o u t
a y e a r . C a lif o r n ia n s le a v e b e ­
h in d th e a lle r g y - a g g r a v a tin g
m u lb e r r y a n d o liv e tr e e s , a n d
fo lk s fro m th e M id w e s t a n d
e a s te r n s t a t e s fin d ra g w e e d is
m u c h less o f a p r o b le m h e r e ,”
sa y s D r. E t t i n g e r . “ B u t fro m
th e ir fir st b r e a th h e r e , th ese
n e w c o m e r s are e x p o sin g th e m ­
se lv e s to W estern O r e g o n 's ow n
a lle r g y c u lp r it s .”
By th e ir se c o n d o r th ird
y ea r in P o r tla n d , s u sc e p tib le in ­
d iv id u a ls w ill be fu lly se n sitiz e d
to lo ca l a lle r g e n s an d m ay face
fu ll-b lo w n a lle r g y a tta c k s.
“T he c h ie f v illa in s in th is
a rea a re g r a ss p o lle n s ,” sa y s D r.
E ttin g e r . “ T he W illa m e tte V a l­
ley has a la r g e g r a ss-se e d in d u s ­
tr y . P o lle n form th o se g r a s s
fa rm s, as w e ll as from m ead ow s
and r o a d sid e s, d r ifts in to P o r t­
lan d on th e w in d . T h e r e are
m a n y s p e c ie s a n d m o s t are
‘c r o s s - r e a c tiv e .’ If you are a l­
le r g ic to on e k in d , su ch as b lu e ­
g r a ss, you w ill u su a lly be a lle r ­
Best News Program
The O regon A ssociated Press
B ro ad casters A sso c ia tio n nam ed
K PTV -12’s The 10 O ’Clock News
the “Best New s Program ” in the Port­
land m etropolitan television m arket
for 1993. KPTV general m anager
M arty B rantley com m ented, “ I t’s
gratifying that the professionals in
news broadcasting recognize our out­
standing new s departm ent as the best
in their peer group. All o f us at C han­
nel 12 are very proud o f The 10
O ’Clock News and this honor.”
K PT V -12 swept the AP category,
“Best Treatm ent o f sS in g lc Subject,”
with the follow ing aw ards: fist place
to Lars Larson and G ordon Coffin for
“Sound D ecisions,” and honorable
.......
gic to a h o st o f o th e r s, su ch as
fescu e and r y e g r a ss. A n y o n e
o f an y ra c e can be a f f e c t e d .”
S u r p r isin g ly , sh o w y b lo s ­
so m s u su a lly in d ic a te a tr e e or
sh ru b is not a so u rce o f s n iffle s
and sn e e z in g . T h a t’s b e c a u se
su ch p la n ts ty p ic a lly a r e a t ­
tr a c tin g b ees to carry th eir p o l­
len r a th er th a n r e ly in g on the
w in d , sa y s D r. E ttin g e r . S o less
p o lle n g e ts c a r r ie d in to h u m an
n o s t r ils . P o r t la n d ’s a lle r g y
s e a s o n r u n s fr o m M a r c h
th r o u g h f a ll. H e r e ’s w h a t ’s
p ro v o k in g th ose ru n n y n oses
and itc h y e y e s d u r in g d if f e r ­
en t m o n th s: M a r c h -J u n e , tree
p o l l e n s ; M a y - J u ly , g r a s s
p o lle n s; J u ly -S e p te m b e r , w eed
p o lle n s.
Let Us
Help You
Build And
Design Your
Custom Ad
m entions to Dave T hom pson and
Larry Cm ich for “C haos in C roatia,”
as well as “ Romania: The Children
Forgotten.”
The AP “ Best News Program ”
honor for K PTV -12 follow s other re­
cent highly-acclaim ed new s recogni­
tion such as the Peabody Award;
National G abriel Award silver medal;
the National Headliner Award; the Sil­
ver Gavel Award from the American Bar
Association; and consecutive honors for
Mike O ’Brien as the Oregon Sports­
caster of the Year in 1991 and 1992.
The 10 O ’C lock News continues
its tradition o f aw ard-w inning jo u r­
nalism at a time that w orks for w ork­
ing people.
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C elebration
"The Unity Market"
&
Music
Millennium
32nd &
E. Burnside
231-8926
One in six A m ericans has a
speech, language or hearing disor­
der that affects the ability to com ­
municate. A com m unication dis­
order can happen to anyone at any
time, limiting the potential for aca­
dem ic, social and career achieve­
ment. But m any com m unication
disorders can be prevented, say
p ro fessio n als o b serving B etter
hearing and Speech Month this
May.
L o u d n o is e c a n p e r m a ­
n e n tly d a m a g e h e a rin g . Y o u r
la w n m o w e r, th e h e a d p h o n e s on
y o u r p e rso n a l ste re o , and the
a p p lia n c e s in y o u r hom e can
ta k e a to ll on y o u r h e a rin g . To
p ro te c t y o u r h e a rin g from no ise
d a m a g e , turn d o w n the v o lu m e,
w e a r e a rp lu g s w hen o p e ra tin g
loud e q u ip m e n t, and g iv e y o u r
c a rs a re st by a lte rn a tin g n o isy
a c tiv itie s w ith q u ie t o n es.
In ju rie s re s u ltin g from a c ­
c id e n ts can d a m a g e y o u r a b ili­
tie s to sp e a k and u n d e rsta n d .
F a ith fu lly b u c k le se a tb e lts. A l­
w ays use c h ild c a re safety scats
p ro p e rly . W e a r a p p ro v e d b i­
c y c le safety h e lm e ts to p ro te c t
y o u rs e lf and y o u r fam ily from
b ra in in ju ry .
Speech, language and hearing
disorders in children can result in
developm ental and academic dc-
lays. Help your child develop good
speech and language skills. Talk to
your child naturally. Talk to your
child naturally. Talk about what you
are doing, what you see, what your
child is doing, and w hat your child
secs. If you have concerns about your
child’s speech, language, or hearing,
d o n ’t w ait to get professional help.
Early identification and treatm ent are
critical to reducing developm ental
delays and to expanding com m unica­
tion skills.
If yo u h av e a n y q u e s tio n s
a b o u t h e a rin g o r s p e e c h , o b se rv e
B e lte r H earin g a n d S p e e c h M onth
by c a llin g on th e p ro fe s s io n a ls
w ho d ia g n o se an d tre a t c o m m u ­
n ic a tio n d iso rd e rs. A u d io lo g ists
s p e c ia liz e in p re v e n tin g , id e n ti­
fy in g , and a sse ssin g h e a rin g d i s ­
o rd e rs as w ell as p ro v id in g tr e a t­
m e n t in c lu d in g th e se le c tio n an d
fittin g o f h e a rin g a id s and o th e r
a s s is tiv e lis te n in g d e v ic e s .
S p e e c h - la n g u a g e p a th o l o g i s t s
id e n tify , a sse ss, and tre a t sp e e c h
and la n g u a g e p ro b le m s in c lu d in g
sw a llo w in g d iso rd e rs.
R e c e n t a d v a n c e s in te c h n o l­
ogy and tre a tm e n t h av e e n a b le d
sp e e c h -la n g u a g e p a th o lo g ists and
a u d io lo g ists the a b ility to o ffe r a
v a rie ty o f re h a b ilita tiv e o p tio n s ,
such as so p h istic a te d hearin g a id s,
c o m p u te r te c h n o lo g y fo r s tu tte r ­
ing tre a tm e n t, and a u g m e n ta ­
tive co m m u n ic a tio n sy stem s fo r
in d iv id u a ls w ho a re u n a b le to
sp eak v e rb a lly .
B e tte r h e a rin g and S p e e c h
M onth is o b se rv e d by sp eech -
la n g u a g e p a th o lo g is ts and a u ­
d io lo g is ts a c ro ss the c o u n try
w ith free sp e e c h , la n g u a g e and
hearin g sc re e n in g s, open houses
at c lin ic s and o th e r fa c ilitie s ,
and a v a rie ty o f o th e r e v e n ts to
in fo rm th e p u b lic a b o u t c o m ­
m u n ic a tio n d is o rd e rs and tr e a t­
m en ts.
T he A m e ric a n S p e e c h -L a n ­
g u a g e H e a r in g A s s o c ia tio n
(A S H A ) is the n a tio n a l p r o fe s ­
sio n a l, sc ie n tific and a c c r e d it­
ing o rg a n iz a tio n fo r m ore than
7 7 ,0 0 0 a u d io lo g is ts , sp e e c h -
la n g u a g e p a t h o l o g i s t s , a n d
s p e e c h -la n g u a g e an d h e a rin g
sc ie n tists. A S H A ’s In fo rm a tio n
R e so u rc e C e n te r p ro v id e s free
b ro c h u re s an d o th e r in fo rm a ­
tio n on s p e e c h ,la n g u a g e , and
h e a rin g d is o rd e rs to m ore than
2 0 ,0 0 0 c o n s u m e r a n n u a lly .
C o n su m e rs can c a ll 1 -8 0 0 -6 3 8 -
8255 fo r b ro c h u re s on to p ics
such a s n o ise and h e a rin g lo ss,
how to buy a h e a rin g a id , s tu t­
te r in g , v o ic e d is o r d e r s , la n ­
g u a g e d e la y in c h ild re n , and
e a r in fe c tio n s and h e a rin g loss.
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Practical Tips To Prevent Or Treat Speech, Language And Hearing Disorders
Good Health Plan. It's a simple choice that provides
at
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Speech Month
A good old fashion get together
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Inform ation about YOUR program s to share with the patrons
D ate: M ay 21, 1994 - Noon to Dusk
F o r M o re In fo rm a tio n C all:
281-0746 o r 727-2694
Call us today for more information. Because good
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