4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MAY 23, 2018
O PINION
Guest Viewpoint
Th e month of May is a good time to talk mental health
By Jim Harrison
South Lane Mental Health Board Chair
F
or centuries, mental illness — from
mild, temporary depression, to se-
vere, persistent schizophrenia — has
been stigmatized. In recent years, however,
mental health services increasingly are rec-
ognized as being just as important as physi-
cal health services. Th ese days, many people
are comfortable seeking counseling or other
help as they navigate the ups and downs of
life and seek mental wellbeing.
As a longtime physician who recognizes
the value of mental health services, this ac-
ceptance is welcome and long overdue. Th e
connection between mental and physical
wellbeing is strong and undeniable.
Mental illnesses are common. In any giv-
en year, one in four U.S. adults will experi-
ence a mental health problem, which can
range from mild to moderate to severe. Th at
means the chances are great that you, or
someone close to you, is struggling.
Mental wellness is something we all have
a stake in — whether we ourselves are facing
a behavioral health issue, or whether it is a
close family member, friend, or neighbor.
Promoting mental wellness strengthens our
entire community.
May is National Mental Health Awareness
Month, and a good time to talk about men-
tal health and wellness, to encourage people
in need to seek help, and to celebrate the
strides we all have taken in integrating sup-
port and services into our community.
In the Cottage Grove area, the great ma-
jority of residents who seek behavioral
health services fi nd their way to South Lane
Mental Health, the area’s principal provider.
South Lane Mental Health has worked hard
not only to expand the range of counseling
and other mental health services it provides,
but to be a good partner in the communi-
ty, linking arms with the South Lane School
District, PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Com-
munity Hospital and Clinics, and numer-
ous local nonprofi ts, government agencies
and private businesses. One of our biggest
goals: To increase empathy and tolerance
surrounding mental illness.
South Lane Mental Health plays an exten-
sive and crucial role in fostering the com-
munity’s mental health. Our staff has helped
thousands of Cottage Grove area commu-
nity members with everything from short-
term crisis counseling to long-term therapy,
medication management and substance use
disorder treatment. We’ve helped hundreds
of parents and children bond more closely.
We’ve provided intensive supportive care
to scores of individuals who have persistent
mental health issues. And we’ve provided
counseling to hundreds of school-age chil-
dren who are navigating troubles at home or
on the playground. Oft en our best results, as
with good primary care, are found in what
untoward events haven’t happened.
We are always adapting our programs
and services to meet emerging needs. One
example of this is a recent expansion into
serving residents of North Douglas County.
Another example is celebrating the one-year
anniversary of opening an innovative Sub-
stance Use Disorder Services program for
adolescents, and adults who are struggling
with both mental health issues and addic-
tions. We off er diff erent treatment styles for
diff erent clients because we recognize that
one size does not fi t all.
South Lane Mental Health’s extensive pro-
grams and strong client-centered approach
are important assets for the South Lane/
North Douglas county region. Th ey have
earned the agency kudos around the state,
and they demonstrate our community’s lev-
el of caring and compassion.
Th e great majority of our clients are com-
munity residents — people such as you and
me — who have simply come up against a
mental health issue and need expert help.
Our goal is to make the community stron-
ger, whether by helping to house individu-
als with a serious mental illness who cannot
be cared for by their families, by providing
therapy that brings families closer together,
or by helping individuals kick their destruc-
tive addictions.
Graduates: Your old bedroom will soon be a hot tub
F
or parents, graduation is a bittersweet
time fi lled with angst and second-guess-
es. Particularly if it appears their graduate
won’t be out of the house before
the contractor is scheduled to
begin turning that extra bed-
room into a new hot tub by July
4th.
Don’t get me wrong. Parents
will always have a place for their
children at home. It’s just that,
aft er the remodel, that place may
have to be in one of the utility
closets.
To help with this important
transition, a lot of parents put together a
“survival” package containing things like
pots and pans, utensils, toiletries, dishes,
tools—things from home that 1) you, as
graduates, will fi nd familiar and comforting
in your new life, and 2) they’ve been waiting
to unload on you for years so they can buy
all new stuff .
To protect yourself, take careful inventory
of this “survival” package before you accept
it. Any small appliance — such as a toaster,
blender or hot plate — that was made before
standard outlets were introduced should
be refused. Th e same goes for any “family
heirlooms” that you’ve never seen before,
but that your parents insist you loved as a
child. In many cases, these items were never
in your home to begin with, and are actual-
ly the result of an exchange program estab-
lished by other parents of graduating seniors
who are also trying to get rid of stuff they
don’t want.
Th e reason for this is simple: All parents
know that whatever you leave behind aft er
graduation will likely remain in the attic or
garage until the reading of their wills. Be-
cause of this, they will stop at nothing to
make sure you are accompanied on your
journey by that 70-pound ceramic ptero-
dactyl you made in fi ft h grade, as well as any
other belongings that won’t readily ignite
should the garage be consumed in a “freak”
inferno.
But let’s assume you manage to escape
from home in anything smaller than a 27-
foot moving van. Your next step as a gradu-
ate will be to settle into your new surround-
ings. Th is generally includes adjusting to
having a roommate your fi rst year in college.
It will probably be someone you’ve never
met before, but whom you can rest assured
has been carefully screened and, based on
compatibility, specifi cally chosen as the per-
fect roommate. You will never actually meet
this person of course, and will
instead share a room with some-
one you once saw in a David
Lynch movie. But that’s all part
of the college experience, which
is aimed at preparing you for life.
(Or a life sentence, depend-
ing on how the whole roommate
thing goes.)
Once you’re settled, it’s time
to focus in on what you came to
college for: An education.
Ha Ha! Just kidding! Let’s just be honest
and admit that you chose a college based
on which website had the best-looking stu-
dents playing volleyball in the fall leaves.
Every college website has one of these pho-
tos, along with pictures of young, chiseled
teachers lecturing before 300-seat-capacity
halls fi lled with super models.
Warning: Th is is not real life! You will
not fi nd a lecture hall fi lled with 300 super
models. In fact, your fi rst semester, you’ll be
lucky if you fi nd the lecture hall at all.
And even when you do fi nd it, chances are
you’ll be sitting next to your roommate.
Th at said, I wish all of this year’s gradu-
ates the best of luck as they embark into the
world with stars in their eyes and dreams
in their hearts — and, if they weren’t quick
enough, a 70-pound ceramic pterodactyl.
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Peter DeFazio (House of
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Rep.
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E-Mail : rep.cedrichayden@
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