A mind for health

WASILLA -- With Valley Hospital planning to increase its presence in the Valley and hire more employees to staff its new location, the Valley should have its medical needs well met for the coming years.

But what of the area's mental health needs? According to Mark Ames, a registered nurse practitioner, the two walk hand-in-hand. It's a subject that's been on his mind for some time.

"There's a tremendous overlap between medical and psychiatric illness," said Ames in his new private practice office across from the North Fork building on Bogard Road. Pairing medical doctors with psychiatrists "adds to both the variety and quality of care."

Ames, however, emphasizes the need to treat physical symptoms before resorting to psychiatric care. "I saw a teen-ager once who was brought to me by some staff who claimed he was faking an anxiety attack," he recalls. "I interviewed him -- briefly -- and found out that he had a very serious medical problem. I sent him to the emergency room, where he was diagnosed with acute pneumonia and put in intensive care."

Poor academic performance, depression and constant aggression are common early warning signs of mental illness, according to Ames. He believes that, in times of mental trauma, so much of the affected person's energy is spent combating their psychological problems that none is left to deal with the tasks of day-to-day life. This is a general rule of thumb for all varieties of mental distress.

"Regardless of the affliction, the biggest indicator that it's time to seek help is when the illness begins to impair the way you function in your life," he said.

In the same manner, mental illness degrades the familial unit. "There's an old saying that 'If Momma isn't happy, nobody's happy.' This really fits for just about anyone in the family," Ames said. An unhealthy family is often a symptom of mental illness among the family's members.

Ames also stresses the necessity of seeking psychiatric help before the situation becomes too dire. "Some people have a stigma associated with mental health care. They think that they don't need to seek help until their life falls apart and they've hit bottom. But it's important to seek help before that happens," he said. However, Ames continued, "by the same token, if things do fall apart, it's not too late to seek help."

In addition to his private practice, Ames has performed a number of public information sessions with continuing education programs, preceptorships for professionals, and presentations for civic groups such as the PTA. These meetings have revealed to him the true dearth of psychiatric care available for children and adolescents in the area. "It's amazing how many people at these meetings expressed a need for children's psychiatric services out here in the Valley."

This problem is not, however, confined to the Valley. "I think that this is an undeserved area as far as mental heath needs go, and it's an area of need nationwide that is quite accurately reflected here in the Valley," said Ames, who is one of only two practitioners in the area who specialize in child psychiatry.

Valley Hospital is currently attempting to help satisfy the growing need for psychiatric services at its new location. Elizabeth Ripley, Media and Public Relations Officer for Valley Hospital, noted that the association is recruiting both a psychiatrist and a chemical dependency specialist for their new location.

Even so, Rita McNeil, recruiting agent for Valley Hospital, lamented the lack of psychiatric services in the area. "We are short of psychiatrists for our population size." Although there are several organizations and private practitioners in the Valley, McNeil stated that "we require 7.3 psychiatrists for an area of this size, and we're considerably lower than that right now."

MaryAlice Larson, CEO of Behavioral Health Sciences of Mat-Su Inc, agreed with this sentiment.

"There's definitely a need for more psychiatrists," she said. Larson's organization primarily handles patients who cannot afford private care or who depend on Medicaid. "We are actively recruiting psychiatrists in the Valley … we really have a shortage, especially for full-time positions," she said.

The center has thus far used stopgap solutions such as recruiting psychiatrists for three to six months from outside the state to deal with pressing cases, but these tactics take their toll both on the center and its benefactors. "The people we serve oftentimes don't have proper coping skills. For them to have to see different doctors is very disturbing for them," Larson said.

"We're all friends here trying to serve the same community," Larson said, "and there are whole groups of people out there who aren't getting served."