EDITORIAL: Forums focus proper attention on needs of mental health services

Jan. 15--Heroin abuse is an epidemic in Rock County.

It makes sense that the lack of sufficient mental health services is nearly a crisis, as well.

Often, addictions and mental illness go hand in hand.

The Janesville League of Women Voters, then, deserves credit for planning public forums designed to educate the public about problems in getting treatment for mental illness. The first is Thursday, Jan. 28.

"Our society is almost at a crisis point," says Lori Stottler, a member of the league's subcommittee studying mental health and addiction issues. The subcommittee is working with the Rock County Behavior Health Redesign Committee to understand local services.

It's no surprise Stottler is helping lead the charge. She performed admirably as Rock County clerk for seven years before stepping down to become Beloit's city clerk last year. Her previous post gave her insight into county services and issues.

The league strives to influence public policy through education and advocacy. Stottler hopes the forums help the league form a policy statement and push for improved mental health services.

Kate Flanagan is Rock County's division manager of mental health and alcohol and other drug abuse services. In Monday's Gazette, she suggested that two big issues are lack of inpatient psychiatric beds and difficulty accessing psychiatric services.

Mercy operates the lone psychiatric facility in Rock County with just 12 beds.

Lindsay Stevens is president of the Rock County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She thinks the lack of psychiatrists is a biggest issue not only here but statewide and nationally. You can have all the inpatient beds you want, she noted, but those won't help patients without enough psychiatrists.

Her organization has discussed the forums with the league. She hopes they involve not only her group but others such as Rock County Youth Network, Janesville Mobilizing 4 Change (JM4C) and Youth Emotional Stability, or YES Rock County.

"There are some services in the county and in Janesville where there could be more collaboration of services," Stevens said. "There are some agencies and programs working on similar things, but we just aren't working together."

Stevens worked four years on mental health and addictions issues for Rock County. She recently took a job with Janesville Mobilizing 4 Change coordinating mental health first aid training.

She sees how often those with mental illnesses also suffer addictions.

"Heroin is absolutely a big issue," she says. "Mental health and mental illness and substance abuse are very much tied together."

Some people suffering from mental illnesses turn to drugs and alcohol to cope and self-medicate because they can't get treatment or aren't aware of treatment options. Alcohol and drugs numb their pain and symptoms but lead to addiction and even bigger problems.

In Monday's Gazette, Stottler suggested that reactive services cost more than being proactive.

She added: "Wouldn't it be awesome if we got to these people before they got to the system? We could fix our own budget problems if we could help people know where to go, and we could actually have these resources in our own community."

The forums shining a spotlight on mental health needs should be a good first step.

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