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IT'S TRAGIC BUT MANY PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS SELF MEDICATE WITH ALCOHOL, ILLEGAL DRUGS, OR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.  DUAL DIAGNOSIS IS DEFINED AS A CHRONIC MENTAL ILLNESS COEXISTING WITH A SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER.  AS MANY AS 60% OF THOSE WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER STRUGGLE WITH ALCOHOL AND/OR DRUG ABUSE.  RESEARCHERS, AS WELL AS MANY OF THOSE CAUGHT IN THE CYCLE OF ADDICTION, BELIEVE THE USE OF THESE SUBSTANCES IS AN ATTEMPT TO ALLEVIATE SYMPTOMS OR TO "SELF MEDICATE."  FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO http://bipolar.about.com/od/alcoholsubstanceabuse

OUR THANKS GOES OUT TO WALDO DECUIR THE MODEL IN THIS PICTURE.  WALDO'S WIFE OF 41 YEARS DOES NOT HAVE A SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER BUT IS BI-POLAR AND HAS OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).  WALDO RETIRED AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE YMCA OF WAXAHACHIE AND SERVED FOUR YEARS AFTER RETIREMENT AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED WAY OF WEST ELLIS COUNTY. 

NEWS-MENTAL HEALTH

ELLIS COUNTY NEWS-IF YOU HAVE NEWS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH IN ELLIS COUNTY PLEASE E-MAIL THAT NEWS TO: decuir@iqcisp.com

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ELLIS COUNTY NEWS

              TWO MEMBERS OF NAMI ELLIS COUNTY MAKE A DIFFERENCE

              ELLIS COUNTY - Have you had the opportunity to walk or bike on the beautiful Hike and Bike Trail located along Waxahachie Creek?  If you haven't, get ready for a few changes next time you visit the Hike and Bike Trail.  The first thing that you will notice, if you start your walk at the old Rogers Street Bridge, and head East is that there is a lot of work going on where the old Interurban Train crossed Waxahachie Creek.  The underbrush has been cleared, truckloads of dirt have leveled out the ground, a sidewalk that goes all the way to the creek has been laid and soon some historical markers will mark this very historical site. If you walk a little further down the trail you will come to an old railroad spur line that you can now see thank to two members of NAMI Ellis County.  These two NAMI Ellis County members put in a lot of time clearing the brush to expose the old tracks so another historical will mark that important time in Ellis County.  Both of these NAMI Ellis County members have a brain disorder (mental illness) but wanted to do something for the community.   Why?  Because they want to give back to the community.

               Of course volunteer work is nothing new to these two community volunteers.  They have volunteered well over a thousand hours at the United Way of West Ellis.  They have been a very important   reason for the success of the United Way of West Ellis County.  I will never forget the day one of them called me at the United Way saying that he wanted to volunteer.  He said that I probably would not want him to volunteer because he first wanted to tell me that he had a mental illness.  His words were in a very soft voice when he told me.  You could tell that when he told me that he expected me to say that no I could not use him because he had a mental illness.  Little did he know that my wife was bi-polar and had OCD so mental illness was nothing new to me.  I said yes, I need you badly so he was there the next day and for my three years working at the United Way he so much to help me and the United Way.  If fact after he was there a short period of time his roommate called and wanted to also volunteer.  Without the help of these two men I could have never been able to accomplish my work at the United Way.

              FORMER EMPLOYEE OF WAXAHACHIE DAILY LIGHT WINS PRESTIGIOUS HOGG FOUNDATION AWARD  HOGG FOUNDATION AWARD   "Broken Dreams: Decuirs Hope Their Story Helps Change Attitudes."              

ELLIS COUNTY - Patrick Walker formerly of the Waxahachie Daily Light was recently announced winner in the inaugural James S. Hogg Journalism Award competition, about Diane DeCuir.  The story was the first-place winner.  The story, "Broken Dreams: DeCuirs hope their story helps change attitudes," was published in the Daily Light in September 2004.  The article relates the struggles and rewards of the DeCuirs, who, during the course of their 40-year marriage, have succeeded in the face of Diane's diagnosis of both bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Neal White, Daily Light publisher/editor, said, "We're extremely proud of Patrick, this is a great honor."  Walker was honored in the print category, which saw the second-place award go to Andrea Ball of the Austin American Statesman, for her January 2005 article, "Hospitals Seeing More Mentally Ill."  The story documented the startling rise of persons experiencing psychiatric crises in hospital emergency rooms following changes to Texas' public mental health system.  Marina Pisano of the San Antonio Express News took third place for her article "Mind-Body Connection" which explored the interrelationship of mental and physical health.

"We want to congratulate these award winners for their terrific work in stimulating discussion about mental health issues and helping to reduce stigma and discrimination." said Jeffery R. Patterson, director of communications for the Hogg Foundation.

"We certainly wish to applaud these writers for highlighting the complexities of mental health issues," said Lorraine Branham, director of the UT School of Journalism.  "We are pleased to recognize the best in this field and to encourage continued excellence in reporting on this topic."

TEXAS NEWS

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