NAMI Far North fills need in Bonner, Boundary counties

Mental illness. The words alone can stir up a variety of emotions. Unlike a broken bone or blocked artery, mental illness is not a cut-and-dried diagnosis. And while mental illnesses have been stigmatized for years, the hope among many is that the trend is changing. And for residents in Bonner and Boundary counties, it seems that is just the case. In February 2007, five residents came together and formed an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness providing the hope that many in this rural area have long hoped for.

“There has been a NAMI in Coeur d’Alene for many years,” said retired physician Ann Wimberly, president of NAMI Far North which serves Bonner and Boundary counties. Since it was established in Sandpoint last year, NAMI Far North has rapidly grown to approximately 33 members.

One of the many programs NAMI Far North offers is a monthly meeting, held the third Wednesday of the month at Bonner General Hospital. According to Wimberly, the meetings are educational and also have a support-group component for individuals who suffer from mental illness and also for their loved ones.

“Being in a room with 20 other people who have faced the same issues is really powerful,” said Wimberly.

NAMI Far North hosts speakers on everything from how to apply for SSI, to coping with post-traumatic stress disorder and planning an estate for special-needs individuals.

The group also offers a help line.

“We let people know they are not alone in the issues they are facing,” said Wimberly.

In addition to the monthly meeting, lending library, support groups, provider directory and newsletters, NAMI Far North offers support to family members of people diagnosed with mental illness.

“One of the better things we do is the Family to Family class,” said Wimberly.

The classes are free and run 11 weeks. Sessions are held once a week for 2 1/2 hours and are taught by family members who have already completed the course. While NAMI does not offer medical advice, the class does address what mental illnesses are, the signs and symptoms of mental illness, what medications are associated with different therapies and issues families face trying to help people who suffer from mental illness. By the end of the class the attendees have a reference book containing more than 300 pages.

Wimberly said that the goal of NAMI is to not only assist families of people with mental illness and the individuals themselves, but to also educate the general public about mental illness. As part of that effort, NAMI has joined with Bonner County Human Rights Task Force to host a lecture, reading and book signing of Pete Earley; the author of “Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness.” The event will take place at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30 at the Panida Theater in downtown Sandpoint.

“He (Earley) is a good spokesman for the types of changes we are trying to make and he has lived the experience through a family member,” said Wimberly.

She explains Earley’s book is two-pronged. Nominated for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize and a former Washington Post journalist, Earley includes in his book the story of his son who suffered a psychotic episode and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The second part of the book discusses Earley’s experience during a yearlong investigation in the Miami-Dade County Jail. He was granted unrestricted access and concludes that the nation’s jails and prisons have become the new mental asylums in the United States.

“There are more people with mental illness in (New York’s) Rikers Island Jail, Cook County Jail and Los Angeles County Jail than any other institution in the United States,” said Wimberly. “Mental illnesses have been criminalized.”

She said that studies have shown that when people follow their prescribed therapy and take their proper medication, 70 percent to 90 percent of those with mental illness improve.

“It is not a curable disease, but neither is diabetes,” said Wimberly. “But it is a very treatable disease.”

One of the projects NAMI Far North is working on is to bring Crisis Intervention Training to both Bonner and Boundary County’s law enforcement agencies. A 40-hour course, the training will educate law enforcement and first responders on mental illness and how to de-escalate a situation verbally rather than with force. Its goal is also to reduce officer injury rates.

“Police officers take a lot of time responding to mental disturbance calls,” said Wimberley. “More knowledge translates into being more efficient and ultimately saving money,”

NAMI Far North applied for a grant, which was supported by Judge John Mitchell of Coeur d’Alene, the Bonner and Boundary county sheriff’s departments and Bonners Ferry Police Department, and received $52,000 to provide the Crisis Intervention Training.

“We will train up to 24 officers in February and then 24 more later next year,” said Wimberley.

Although they have only been operating since February 2007, NAMI Far North has already done much to change the look of mental illness in Bonner and Boundary counties. But Wimberly says there is still much work to be done.

“This is not the final answer. It is the initial steps,” said Wimberly. “It is all a work in progress.”