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March 17, 1999
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Page A 7
Depression Not a Normal
P art o f Aging
HOUSTON - (M arch 8, 1999) -
Depression is not a natural part ot
growing old but rather a m edical
condition that should be treated
aggressively.
"D epression in the elderly, o r in
anyone, should not be thought o f as
norm al,” said Dr. V ictor M olinari, a
B a y lo r C o lle g e o f M e d ic in e
p s y c h o lo g is t a n d d ir e c to r o f
g ero p sy c h o lo g y at the H ouston
V eterans A ffairs M edical C enter
(VAMC). "Som e groups are at higher
risk, but the average older person is
not d ep ressed any m ore than a
young person."
In general, only about three percent
o f the elderly living independently in
the co m m u n ity w ill e x p e rie n c e
depression. That figure increases to
around 20 to 30 percent o f persons in
n u rsin g h om es o r w ith ch ro n ic
illn esses like em physem a, h eart
disease or diabetes.
“Two personality types are also at
higher risk - obsessive/compulsive
persons bothered by their lack o f control
over changes related to aging and
dependent persons who lose the loved
ones they rely on,” Molinari said.
“ D e p r e s s io n is o f te n n o t
diagnosed because o f stereotypes
that fam ily, c a re g iv e rs o r ev en
physicians have that the elderly are
depressed in general," said Dr. M ark
K unik, a Baylor psychiatrist and
director o f geropsychiatry at the
H ouston VAM C.
T h e eld erly o fte n m ask th e ir
depression by packaging the problem
in a physical com plaint, so diagnosis
can take longer.
Typical signs o f depression include:
Sleep problems - too little, too much
or early rising.
Decreased pleasure in previously
enjoyed activities.
D ecreased energy concentration
Appetite increases or decreases.
F e e lin g o f h o p e le s s n e s s o r
helplessness.
Thoughts o f death or suicide.
“ In d ia g n o sin g , w e lo o k for
p e rs o n s e x p e r ie n c in g s e v e ra l
symptoms for weeks at a time,” Kunik
said. "M edication, psychotherapy
or a com bination o f both can be
effective. The newer anti-depressant
medications have favorable benefits
and fewer side effects such as dry
m o u th ,
c o n s tip a tio n ,
lig h t
headedness and heart problems.
B oth ex p erts en co u rag e o ld er
p e rso n s to p ra c tic e d e p re ssio n
prevention by staying active and
being connected to other people
through family, community activities,
senior groups or church.
“ If you notice signs o f depression
in yourself, a friend or family member,
don’t w ait until it becom es severe,”
M olinari said. “Talk to the person
with depression and their physician,
and seek treatm ent from a mental
health professional.”
Foundation Seeks Nominations
For Community Service Award
Xgiäm
W H O : Dr Kathryn N. Healey,
Associate ProtessorofGraduateClinical
Psychology, W idener U niversity,
Chester, PA; Principal, Prosocial
A ltern ativ es, a p riv ate train in g
consulting group Swarthmore, PA.
W H AT: Training Event entitled:
Pathways to Peace
ICPS PROSOCIAI. PROBLEM
SOLVING
W H ERE: Bethel A M E. Church
5828 N E 8 'h Avenue
Portland, OR 97211
WHEN: Saturday, 13 M arch 1999
8:00am Registration at the door
WE BEGIN ON TIME!
8 :3 0 am - 10:amMorning Mini-
W orkshop
Suggested Donations: $5-$ 10.00
8:30am -4:OOpmTrainmg Intensive
$40.00 the entire day
WHY: Sponsoredby PEACE PLACE
as part of our mission to teach children
prodociaL peace till alternatives to violence
by developing their skills in generating
alternatives and evaluating consequences
(Enclosed information sheet expands
dll Tee At 224-2155
< B askets ltAclu.de; Toys,
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Let IX.S kuvow If y otz have
special requests,
lease Indicate If the basket
for a boy or girl.
A b a s k e t s also
the why.)
New Party Victory in MESD Race
PCC candidate suffers defeat
G eri W a sh in g to n , N ew P arty
c a n d id a te fo r th e M u ltn o m a h
Education Service D istrictboard, was
elected Tuesday to a four year term
by the North and Northeast Portland
voters. “The 12-year incum bent may
have had support o f the old guard,
but we had the pow er o f organized
p eo p le,” said N ew P arty leader
M acceo Pettis.
A nother New Party m em ber, Ed
Dennis was defeated in his challenge
to the three-term incum bent in the
Portland Com m unity C ollege zone 7
race (W ashington County)
Geri W ashington overcam e the
d is a d v a n ta g e s o f b e in g th e
challenger, with a cadreofalm ost 200
volunteers, who had distributed over
10,000 p ie ce s o f lite ra tu re and
contacted thousands o f voters by
phone, while sporting hom em ade car
s ig n s a n d c r u is in g N o rth e a s t
neighborhoods with a sound-truck.
The incumbent, w hile securing the
e n d o rs e m e n t o f th e M E S D
superintendent, the M ESD employees
union, the teachers union and major
newspapers, did not directly contact
v o te rs ac co rd in g to N ew P arty
sources. “Voters were only hearing
fromGeri Washington," saidcampaign
manager. Jamie Partridge.
D efeated board m em ber, Judy
Cham bers told the O regonian that
W ashignton should "K nuckle under ’
and learns all aspects o f the board
w ithout undue influence from her
backers, the N ew P arty and the
R ainbow C oalition. W ashington
resp o n d ed , in an elec tio n n ig h t
speech to her supporters, that her
victory for a new m ovem ent to bring
all the left out parents and students to
the decision m aking table.
An African A m erican com m unity
activist, Washington has pledges to
provide a fresh perspective to the ESD
board. “I will give a voice to parents
and students who are left behind by
our schools,” says W ashington. “As
a single mother o f three children, I
know the stru g g le s o f w o rk in g
p a r e n ts ,” G e ri W a s h in g to n ’s
cam p aig n fo cu ssed on sto p p in g
n e ig h b o rh o o d sc h o o l c lo s u re s ,
k eep in g ch ild ren in sc h o o l and
ensuring that all students succeed.
Ed
D e n n is ,
N P - s u p p o r te d
candidate for PCC Board, was unable
to o v e rc o m e th e o d d s a g a in s t
c h a lle n g in g
an
e n tre n c h e d
c o n s e r v a tiv e in a R e p u b lic a n
The Oregon Com m unity F oundation
is seeking nom inees from the greater
P o rtlan d area w ho d em o n strate
leadership, vision and initiative as
well as service. Candidates for public
office and holders o f public office are
not eligible, nor are aw ards made
posthum ously.
Nomination forms for the George A
Russill aw ard are available through The
OregonCommumty Foundation at 621
S W Momson Street, Suite 725, Portland,
O regon, 97205. The deadline for
nominations is5:00p.m., April 16,1999.
The O regon Com m unity Foundation
is requesting nom inations for the
George A Russill Community Serv ice
Award This $2,000 award is given to
an individual w ho has perform ed
exceptionally useful and effective
service on a voluntary basis.
The A w ard was established in 1978
by the friends o f G eorge Russill, a
Portland attorney who, as a volunteer,
was active in civic affairs and city and
state politics. Russill w aschairm anof
Citizens for G ood Governm ent and
the Citizens Solid W aste Committee.
dom inated district. Dennis, director
o f the Oregon Student A ssociation,
gained 40% o f the vote to 49° o for the
incumbent in a three-way race. He
relied on a base am ong college
students, with over 100 volunteers
phoning over 5.000 voters. Promoting
accessable
and affordable college education,
Dennis gained the support o f the
PCC faculty Federation and Governor
Kitzhaber. In defeat, Dennis pledged
to continue to build progressive
organization and political pow er in
w estern W ashington County.
The N ew Party is a grassroots
organization, running candidate and
is s u e
c a m p a ig n s
to
b u ild
independent, progressive political
pow er for labor, com m unity and
enviom m ental groups.
s’
Large $30.00
Sm all $20.00
Place orders by 4-2-99
V
Gene Therapy Studied as
Complement to Prostate-
Cancer Surgery
H O U STO N - (M arch 8, 1999) -
G ene therapy is being tested as a way
to im prove the success o f prostate-
cancer surgery in high-risk patients.
“Fifty percent o f prostate-cancer
patients who have only surgery to
rem ove large or aggressive tum ors
will develop cancer again w ithin five
years,” said Dr. Dov K adm on, an
u ro lo g ist at B a y lo r C o lle g e o f
M e d ic in e a n d T h e M e th o d is t
Hospital in Houston
Cancer cells that might have spread
to other parts o f the body escape the
surgical knife, allowing the possibility
o f the cancer to recur. K adm on is
investigating w hether gene therapy
can help the im m une system find and
kill these “escapes.”
A m o n th b e fo re su rg e ry , 25
patients w ith untreated aggressive
prostate cancer will receive a viral
gene injected directly into the prostate
through the rectal wall. This gene
forces the cancer cells to produce
thym idine kinase (TX), an enzyme
not present in healthy human cells.
Patients will then receive the drug
gancyclovir for two w eeks. The drug
is harmless to normal humane cells.
But in prostate-cancer cells that have
produced TK, gancyclovir is converted
to a toxic substance that kills them.
“ In effect, the prostate-cancer cells
com m it su ic id e ," said K adm on,
principal investigator for the study.
After the gancyclovir treatm ent,
two w eeks in allotted for the body to
develop an imm unologic response to
the prostate-cancer cells before the
prostate is removed.
"Cancer cells have very clever ways
o f evading the im m une system ,”
K adm on said. “ By killing the cancer
cells in the prostate with gene therapy
before the gland is removed, we hope
the imm une system will begin to
recognize these cancer cells as foreign
bodies and build its own, any cancer
cells left behind should be attacked
by the imm une system.
"W e h ope th is ap p ro ach w ill
increase the num ber o f cures by 30
percent,” K admon said. He and co
investigator Dr. Brian M iles will
continue to m onitor patients for more
than five years after the surgery for
signs o f cancer.
T his g e n e -th e ra p y te c h n iq u e ,
d e v e lo p e d b y B a y lo r u ro lo g y
researcher Dr. Tim othy Thom pson,
proved to be safe in a previous study
at Baylor.
K adm on’s research is funded by
the national Institutes o f H ealth
through a Specialized Program o f
Research Excellence (SPORE) grant
for prostate cancer and a grant for the
general Clinical Research Center.
F u n d s fro m B a y lo r ’s S c o tt
D epartm ent o f U rology support out-
o f-to w n
s tu d y
p a r ti c ip a n ts ’
tem porary housing.
Volunteers for the study should
call(713)798-7893.
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