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Community Resources: increased services, new name for TFAP
The Community Resources Division is responsible for
providing services that promote family unity with an over
all goal of attaining individual and family self-sufficiency.
Individual and family counseling, crisis intervention, finan
cial assistance, and alternate resource development are ser
vices offered within the Division.
INDIAN CHILD WELFARE: The ICW Investigator is
responsible for investigating child abuse, neglect, abandon
ment, and domestic violence involving tribal member fami
lies. The Family and Children Services Caseworkers then
work with the parents, children, foster parents, Tribal Court,
and other community service agencies with the goal of fam
ily reunification.
FOSTER CARE: The Foster Care Program Coordinator
recruits and orients foster home parents, helps prepare physi
cal and psychological reports for the children, provides Par
ent Skills Training, and provides child placement counsel
ing services to aid in family reunification.
GENERAL ASSISTANCE: The General Assistance
Counselor determines initial and ongoing eligibility for a
minimal living stipend for single adults while assisting them
with a Service Plan geared toward training and employment
to become self-sufficient. Maximum length of assistance is
12 months.
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE: The Resource Special
ist conducts intakes to examine eligibility for emergency
financial assistance for families after all other local com
munity resources have been exhausted. After a twice weekly
team staffing to determine approval of expenditures, the
family is followed-up for referrals to other tribal assistance
programs and outreach services. Financial assistance may
be granted for the following services: rent and deposit (once
in two years), utilities (once a year), employment related
one-time assistance for work clothing, work tools, car re
pairs and insurance, license and fees.
BENEVOLENCE FUND: This is a new resource similar
to Emergency Assistance which is available to tribal mem
bers residing outside our Six-County Service Area for ur
gent situations (except for clothing and travel related expen
ditures). This resource is provided no more than once in a 1 2
month period and it is not paid directly to individuals.
USDA: Assistance with eligibility is provided at intake
for monthly USDA commodities distribution. A local food
bank distribution site in the Grand Ronde area is being es
tablished. TO INQUIRE ABOUT ANY OF THE ABOVE TRIBAL
SERVICES PLEASE CALL (503) 879-2034 or 1-800-242-8196.
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DEPRESSION: What You Need to Know
WHAT IS A DEPRESSIVE ILLNESS?
A depressive illness is a "whole-body" illness, involving
your body, mood, thoughts, and behavior. It affects the
way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and
the way you think about things. A depression illness is not
a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness
or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People
with a depressive illness cannot merely "pull themselves
together" and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can
last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment,
however, can help over 80 percent of those who suffer from
depression.
TYPES OF DEPRESSION:
Depression illnesses come in different forms, just as do
other illnesses, such as heart disease. This article briefly
describes three of the most variations in the number of symp
toms, their severity, and persistence. Check with your doc
tor if you need more information about your type of de
pressive illness.
MAJOR DEPRESSION is manifested by a combination
of symptoms (see symptom list) that interfere with the abil
ity to work, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activi
ties. These disabling episodes of depression can occur once,
twice, or several times in a lifetime.
A less severe type of depression.DFSTTl'MA, involves
long-term, chronic symptoms that do not disable, but keep
you from functioning at "full steam" or from feeling good.
Sometimes people with dysthymia also experience major
depressive episodes.
Another type of depressive illness is MANIC-DEPRESSIVE
ILLNESS, also called bipolar depression. Not nearly
as prevalent as other forms of depressive illnesses, manic
depressive illness involves cycles of depression and elation
or mania. Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and
rapid, but most often they are gradual. When in the manic
cycle, any or all symptoms listed under mania may be ex
perienced. Mania often affects thinking, judgement, and
social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and
embarrassment. For example, unwise business or financial
decisions may be made when in a manic phase.
CAUSES OF DEPRESSION:
There is a risk for developing depression when there is a
family history, indicating that a biological vulnerability can
be inherited. The risk may be somewhat higher for those
with bipolar depression. However, not everybody with a
genetic vulnerability develops the illness. Apparently ad
ditional factors, possibly a stressful environment and other
psychosocial factors, are involved in the onset of depression.
Through major depression seems to occur, generation
after generation, in some families, it can also occur in people
who have no family history of depression. Whether the
disease is inherited or not, it is evident that individuals with
major depressive illness often have too little or too much of
certain neurochemical.
Psychological makeup also plays a role in vulnerability
to depression. People who have low self-esteem, who con
sistently view themselves and the. world with pessimism,
or who are readily overwhelmed by stress are prone to de
pression. A serious loss, chronic illness, difficult relationship, fi
nancial problem, or any unwelcome change in life patterns
can also trigger a depressive episode. Very often, a combi
nation of genetic, psychological, and environment factors
is involved in the onset of a depressive illness.
TREATMENTS:
A variety of antidepressant medications and psychothera
pies can be used to treat depressive illness. Some people
do well with psychotherapy, some with antidepressants.
Some do best with combined treatment: medication to gain
relatively quick symptom relief and psychotherapy to learn
more effective ways to deal with life's problems. Depend
ing on your diagnosis and severity of symptoms, you may
be prescribed medication andor treated with one of the sev
eral forms of psychotherapy that have proven effective for
depression. It is important to note that most people can be
successfully treated for depression on an out patient basis.
On rare occasions, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is use
ful, particularly for individuals whose depression is severe
or life-threatening or who cannot take antidepressant medi
cation. ECT often is effective in cases where antidepressant
medication do not provide sufficient relief of symptoms.
Not everyone who is depressed or manic experiences
every symptom. Some people experience a few symp
toms, some many. Also, severity of symptoms varies
with individuals.
DEPRESSION
0 Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
0 Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
0 Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
0 Loss of interest of pleasure in hobbies and activities
that you once enjoyed, including sex
0 Insomnia, early-morning awakening, oversleeping
0 Weight loss, or overeating and weight gain
0 Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
0 Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts
0 Restlessness, irritability
0 Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
0 Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to
treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and
chronic pain
- MANIA
0 Inappropriate elation
0 Inappropriate irritability
0 Severe insomnia
0 Grandiose notions
0 Increased talking
0 Disconnected and racing thoughts
0 Increased sexual desire
0 Markedly increased energy
0 Poor judgment
0 Inappropriate social behavior
Reprinted from "Depression: Wluit you need to know. '
National Institute of Mental Health.
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