Less is more on Thanksgiving for St. Louis mental health caregivers

Nov. 26--ST. LOUIS -- It's not that she's heartless, it's that she sees the bigger picture.

So as the years pass and there are fewer and fewer people seated at the Thanksgiving table, Ingrid Murphy is happy.

Fewer people stopping by for a holiday meal is an indication that she's done good work in her three decades at Places for People, a mental health services provider in the Central West End.

Places for People has been serving a Thanksgiving meal for its members for 40 years. Murphy has been a part of it for 34.

"In the old days, most folks didn't have friends and family to spend the day with," she said. "As the years have gone, people have been integrated into the community. Some of them have their own apartments, and they'll cook for their friends so our Thanksgiving meal draws a smaller and smaller crowd."

In its heyday, the Thanksgiving meal drew more than 100 members. On Thursday, the event drew about three dozen.

Thursday was Murphy's last official Thanksgiving at Places for People. She's set to retire as coordinator of psychosocial rehabilitation on Monday.

"She's warm." That's how Places for People member Kenan Bell Sr. describes Murphy.

"I have a little bit of a chemical imbalance," he said. "This place took me off the streets, so I have to represent her on this joyous holiday occasion."

Roughly 80 percent of members are homeless when they first make contact with staffers at Places for People.

Some of them hear voices, others are paranoid to the point that they don't like having other people near them.

Members are referred by hospitals and family members. And now that there's a clinic, there are a good number of walk-ins.

After the physical and mental health screenings, staffers work with new members in a number of areas. They help members cope with their illness, teach them strategies to complete everyday tasks, help them find jobs and guide them toward independent living.

"When they come in, we ask them where they'd like to be in six months," psychosocial rehabilitation director Mark Brennan said. "Then we help them get there."

Staffers have a lot of experience caring for people with schizophrenia. The disorder makes it difficult to distinguish what is real from what is imaginary. It's considered one of the most devastating mental disorders. Experts say 10 percent will die by suicide, while only 15 percent of recover.

Recovery means being able to work, live and maintain friendships.

One of the hardest things to overcome during the path to recovery is the stigma people with mental illness face.

The difficulty in helping people get over that hump is one of the reasons Murphy doesn't anticipate a full-on retirement.

Her plan for now is to empty out the house she's been sharing with her husband over the past 40 years. Next, is to wait for their new house in western Texas to be finished.

"I expect that I'll still be doing community meals when I get to Texas," Murphy said. "And I'll probably be able to come here at regular intervals."

Koran Addo -- 314-340-8305

@KoranAddo on Twitter

kaddo@post-dispatch.com

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