Former Mexican President Visits Santa Barbara

Former Mexican President, Vincente Fox told a Westmont audience on 2/20/10 that "It's time to debate legalizing drugs".

Vincente Fox:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWr93mYKfIk

Fish Oil May Reduce Risk of Psychotic Disorder

G. Paul Amminger, M.D., of the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, and Orygen Youth Health Research Center in Melbourne, Australia, headed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to test whether omega-3s could influence the risk of progression to psychosis in 81 individuals considered to be at extremely high risk for the disorder. The research subjects had displayed a decrease in their ability to function and they also had already developed mild psychotic symptoms, transient psychotic episodes and/or they had a family history of psychotic disorders. Those criteria, the researchers stated in their study, are used to identify individuals whose risk of becoming psychotic may be as high as 40 percent over the course of a year.

For about three months, 41 of the research subjects were given daily fish oil capsules containing 1.2 grams of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The other 40 participants were given a placebo. When the study ended, about 94 percent of the subjects were still in the study and two taking the omega-3s, or only 4.9 percent, had developed a psychotic disorder. On the other hand, 11 in the placebo group (27.5 percent) had become psychotic. The difference between the two groups was extraordinary -- 22.6 percent.

What's more, supplementation with the fatty acids significantly reduced mental illness symptoms and improved overall functioning, too. Not surprisingly, there were virtually no side effects associated with the fish oil pills.

"The finding that treatment with a natural substance may prevent or at least delay the onset of psychotic disorder gives hope that there may be alternatives to antipsychotics for the prodromal (early symptomatic) phase. Stigmatization and adverse effects -- which include metabolic changes, sexual dysfunction and weight gain -- associated with the use of antipsychotics are often not acceptable for young people," the scientists wrote in their study. "Long-chain omega-3 fatty polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce the risk of progression to psychotic disorder and may offer a safe and efficacious strategy for indicated prevention in young people with subthreshold psychotic states."

For more information:
http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/co...
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/...

Crazy Art

Great news...Crazy Art...placed in the top 5 in the Audience Choice
category out of the 200 films in the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

So...it now is going to be shown - for free! - with other award-winning
films this coming weekend at the Riviera Theatre.

Entrance to these films is FREE! Showtime for Crazy Art is 9pm, Friday, Feb. 19th.
Theater seats available on a first come, first served basis!

http://sbiff.org/main/2010/3rd-weekend-schedule-2/

The film's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Crazy-Art/344271156205?ref=ts

Many Children Self-Medicate

“There’s ample evidence that many children use drugs to self-medicate for depression, not to mention a host of mental-health disorders. The drugs they take may become the focal point for both kids and their parents, but they may be masking deeper problems. How can a parent know? Many symptoms of these disorders appear to be identical to some of the symptoms of drug abuse. Also, by the time experts finally figure out there’s a problem, drug addiction may have exacerbated the underlying ailment and fused with it. It becomes impossible to know where one leaves off and the other begins.” --David Sheff, Beautiful Boy

Overdose Statistics

In 2006, more than 26,000 American lives were lost to the preventable tragedy of accidental drug overdose. This is the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded, more than doubling in just the past five years. This crisis now claims more lives each year than firearms, homicides or AIDS. Accidental drug overdose is now the number one cause of injury related death in the United States for people between the ages of 35-54, as well as a leading cause of death for people of all ages. Prescription opioid painkillers like Vicodin, Oxycontin and methadone are driving the growing numbers of deaths every year. DPA is leading the national effort to help save lives by promoting sensible solutions and better policy at the state and federal level.

One Mother's Testimony: 2/2/10

I am here at the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors representing scores of Santa Barbara families dealing with mental health and substance use disorders who are or will loose their loved ones to suicide, overdose and homelessness. Shame, grief and despair has hidden the extent of the many of these tragedies from our community. Now that the homeless are dying in plain sight we can no longer ignore them.

How many deaths is it going to take before we provide a welcoming shelter to people without homes in our community AND address the roots causes of homelessness, including untreated trauma, mental illness and substance use?

We are beginning to work with the Coroner's department to document the unprecedented number of suicides, overdose and homeless deaths in our community over the last year. These problems overlap.

There are big gaping holes in our so called "system of care" at every step of the way from the first break to the 15th break. The few slots provided by the alcohol drug and mental health department are filled.

We must prevent people from falling into homeless and falling into despair by coming together as a community and providing more than band-aid solutions.

The truth is that someone with a mental illness or a substance use problem needs more than a jail sentence, and more than a meaningless check in at an outpatient center, and more than a couple of weeks in a detox bed, and more than a bunk in a crowded room filled with other untreated people. These are band-aid solutions at best.

We need hospital beds and residential treatment facilities with professionally trained staff: A context where there’s enough safety that healthy relationships can thrive and recovery can happen.

Our Task Force on Co-Occurring Disorders is a beginning. It was started by moms and dads who have watched their children spiral downwards into hopelessness. It has brought together treatment providers, criminal justice, and family members to attempt to come up with a solution. Craig Park from Cottage Hospital has recently joined our ranks and hopeful that Cottage Hospital will play a leading role in addressing this complex crisis.

It's time that the private sector and the public sector, the faith community and individual citizens come together to think out-of-the-box.

Supes to Address Homeless Death, Shelters

By COLBY FRAZIER — Feb. 2, 2010

In the wake of frigid temperatures and heavy rain that likely contributed to the deaths of three homeless people, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors today will weigh whether to fund, and possibly staff, temporary warming centers during extreme weather events.

Read more at: http://www.thedailysound.com/020210Homeless

Tribute to John Van Aken

VAN AKEN, John T. was a tireless advocate for the mentally ill in Santa Barbara, and particularly for those going through the criminal justice system. John was a panelist at the FACT Town Hall Meeting held at the Faulkner Gallery in spring of 2007. Thank you, John for all that you did to help Santa Barbara County residents dealing with mental illness and co-occuring disorders!

John died peacefully on January 9th, 2010. He was born on April 9th, 1922 in Elkhart , Indiana and grew up in Coldwater, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan for both undergraduate studies and a law degree. His studies were interrupted when he enlisted as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the navy during World War II, assigned to a light cruiser in the Pacific. After acquiring his law degree, he practiced in Chicago as a partner at Seyfarth Shaw. His specialty was labor relations for management. In 1978 he transferred to New York to open a Seyfarth Shaw office in Manhattan. Upon retiring he moved to Santa Barbara and devoted his energies to advocacy for the mentally ill, serving as president of the Mental Health Association of Santa Barbara for two years, and as chairman of the Public Policy Committee. John is survived by his wife, Doris, their sons; James and John R. with his wife Kathryn, and his twin brother, Mark with his wife Dolores. A memorial service will be held at the Valle Verde Retirement Community on January 23rd from 2:00 to 4:00pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the University of Michigan or the Mental Health Association of Santa Barbara. Arrangements by Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapels.