Doug Stephens watches as his son, Zach, left, flies his remote control airplane July 2, 2010, at a park new their home in Lawrence. Zach, 18, has atypical autism asperberger’s syndrome. Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center has provided services, including case management, for Zach since he was in grade school. Doug Stephens has served on the board of directors since 2005. by Kevin Anderson

One in four American adults will suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder during the next year.

Yet there’s still a stigma about mental health.

Patricia Roach Smith, chief operating officer of Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, said she hears these words often: “It happens to other people. It’s a unique problem.”

But it’s not.

Bert Nash provided services for 5,915 Douglas County residents in 2009. On average, 12 new clients were admitted for services every business day.

Patricia Roach Smith is chief operating officer at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. She started working at Bert Nash in 1987 as a part-time therapist. She also has been director of Child and Family Services and community development director. by Mike Yoder

Another misconception is that mental health disorders are not treatable, but they are. It’s important to seek help.

“I think a lot of people really try to kind of pull themselves up by their bootstraps and tough it out, and it’s just so unnecessary. It’s very treatable,” Roach Smith said. “And we know the longer people go with untreated depression, the more depressed they get and it actually causes some brain damage. It really is a disorder that you don’t want to leave untreated.”

She said research shows that more than 65 percent of medications for mental health disorders are written by primary care physicians. That’s because the average person’s mental health disorder will manifest in physical ways such as being tired or unable to make decisions, and that’s when people feel comfortable getting help.

“There’s less stigma, and they have a relationship with their primary care physician,” Roach Smith said.

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center has two garden areas. by Kevin Anderson

An abundance of services

Bert Nash, which celebrates its 60th anniversary Sunday, is one of 26 community mental health centers in Kansas. It offers an array of outpatient mental health services for adults and children. They provide traditional services like couple’s therapy and medication management, and nontraditional services like case management and group therapy sessions.

“Teens are not all that interested in having some adults tell them what to do. So, we offer a group experience where kids can share with other kids the challenges that they have,” Roach Smith said. “A lot of times you can see a lot of validation in a situation like that.”

Bert Nash does a lot of community outreach. It provides education on topics such as holiday stress, job loss, managing depression and substance abuse. Two years ago, the center began offering Mental Health First Aid Training to help people know what to do in a crisis situation. It was one of the first Community Mental Health Organizations in the nation to do so.

Bert Nash also has mental health professionals available 24/7 to provide emergency care.

“We believe strongly that mental health is fundamental to health in general,” Roach Smith said.

Cindy Naff, left, and Thaddeus Warren are case managers at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. They visited with health reporter Karrey Britt, not pictured, about their jobs Friday, July 2, 2010, in their office. They said they enjoyed their jobs because every day is different and most of their work is done in the community. by Kevin Anderson

George Wanke, left, visits with Linda Davis on Friday, July 2, 2010, in the hallway at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, 200 Maine. Wanke is team leader for Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment, and Davis is a team leader for Community Support Services. by Kevin Anderson

Andy Conboy describes his job as a peer support specialist at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. by Kevin Anderson

The second floor of Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center is home to Child and Family Services. The walls are adorned with decorations made by their young clients. by Kevin Anderson

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, which is located in the Community Health Facility, 200 Maine, celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2010. The second-floor mural "Life Changes" by Van Go Mobile Arts Inc. was dedicated in 2002. Van Go is an arts-based social service agency that serves high-need and under-served youth. by Kevin Anderson

Making the first phone call to seek help is the biggest hurdle for most people.

“As Americans, we really are pretty self sufficient and we like to think of ourselves as being able to handle anything,” she said.

Longtime Lawrence residents Doug and LaDonna Stephens were among them. They adopted three sons when they were infants. The youngest, Zach, now 18, has developmental and physical disabilities that began about age 2.

Zach’s special needs escalated in grade school.

“We really were kind of at the end of our rope in terms of just the stress and the strain with all of the disabilities he had, and caring for him. It was taking a toll on my other two sons and our family,” Doug Stephens said.

His son’s primary diagnosis is atypical autism asperberger’s syndrome, but he also has epilepsy, Tourette syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

“We would get services here and there, but we were really looking for somebody to provide us with some comprehensive services,” Stephens said. “We needed a team. We needed someone, like Bert Nash, who could really look at the whole picture.”

Life-saving services

A referral to Bert Nash from a health professional outside the Lawrence community was the answer to the Stephenses’ prayers.

They participated in family counseling, and all of the boys received various services, especially Zach.

Bert Nash case manager Rhonda Stubbs has helped Zach with school, social skills, and life skills. He is finishing his education at a private school in Kansas City, and Stubbs is helping him apply for jobs. Zach’s condition has improved since grade school.

“They have been very helpful for us for many years,” he said.

Doug Stephens is one of 13 people who serves on the board of directors. He has become an advocate for mental health because he knows about the stigma.

“It’s a thing that families often are reluctant to want to admit, and if they do, there’s a tendency to keep that quiet,” he said. “That needs to change.”

Mariah Riling, 21, is a part-time psychosocial worker at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. She received services at Bert Nash as a teenager.

Lawrence resident Mariah Riling, 21, credits Bert Nash for giving her the coping skills to survive.

At age 17, Riling had tried to commit suicide three times and was hospitalized twice. She took an overdose of pills all three times, and tried to cut her wrist once.

She was referred to Bert Nash after her last suicide attempt, which left her in the hospital for one week.

“I was reluctant to go at first,” she said. “But, I had hit rock bottom to the point where I wanted to get better, and then Bert Nash was there to pick me up and help me with that process.”

She entered the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy program, and received one-one-one counseling along with group therapy over the course of a summer. She attended the group therapy with her mother, and Riley said it brought them closer.

“I wouldn’t have been able to get past it without help. I don’t even know if I would be here today,” Riling said. “I still use the skills that I learned to function daily.”

After graduating from high school, she joined AmeriCorps and went to California to work for the American Red Cross Relief Program. She worked with people who were displaced by wildfires.

While there, she decided to pursue a career in which she could help others.

She returned to Lawrence and Bert Nash, where she works part-time as a psychosocial worker while pursuing a psychology degree at Kansas University. She helps people with housing issues.

In January, she stopped taking medications. Riling said she is able to recognize the signs of depression and seek help.

In high school, Riling said she didn’t talk about her mental disorder. Now, her perspective has changed. She knows she is not alone.

“I don’t like the stigma that’s involved with people who have a mental health issue,” she said. “It can happen to anyone. I was a kid that people thought smiled all of the time, and I looked happy. I had good parental support and good siblings. People didn’t know that I was struggling with a mental illness, but I was.”

TOP DIAGNOSES

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, 200 Maine St., is a nonprofit community mental health organization that offers outpatient, research-based services for Douglas County residents.

To make an appointment or for more information, call 843-9192. It’s also the number for emergency services which are provided 24/7.

The center’s top diagnoses so far this year:

1. Major depressive disorder (recurrent, moderate), 87.

2. Depressive disorder (not otherwise specified or NOS), 85.

3. Anxiety disorder (NOS), 63.

4. Mood disorder (NOS), 62.

5. Dysthymic disorder, 50. It’s a chronic type of depression in which a person’s moods are low.

6. Adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, 50.

7. Post-traumatic stress disorder, 46.

8. Adjustment disorder with depressed mood, 45.

9. Generalized anxiety disorder, 43.

10. Major depressive disorder, recurrent, severe without psychotic features, 40.

Founded in 1950, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center was created in memory of Dr. Bert Nash, a KU educational psychologist and community leader dedicated to improving the health of Kansas children. He died in 1947 at age 48. by Kevin Anderson

DECADES OF GROWTH

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center will mark its 60th anniversary on July 5. Here’s a look at the changes and growth:

1950s

• On July 5, 1950, Bert Nash Clinic opened inside Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

• During the first six months of operation, its budget was $7,280. It served 131 clients with a full-time psychiatric social worker and a psychiatrist and psychologist who worked one half-day a week.

• In 1959, it moved to the Jennie Watt house at 342 Mo. because it needed more space.

1960s

• In 1960, it had a budget of $23,147. It served 298 client with a full-time psychiatrist, social worker and secretary, and a part-time psychologist.

• In 1961, its name was changed to Lawrence-Douglas County Mental Health Center to reflect that it was more than a clinic.

• In 1965, the name was changed to Bert Nash Mental Health Center.

1970s

• In 1970, it had a budget of $67,443 and six full-time employees. The center served 378 clients.

• In 1970, it was incorporated as a non-profit organization which made new funding available. The name was changed to Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center.

• In 1973, a 24-hour answering service was initiated.

1980s

• In 1980, the clinic’s administrative offices and child and family services were moved to 336 Mo.

• In 1980, The Endowment Trust Fund was established.

• In 1981, it had a budget of $608,150. A total of 20 employees that served 698 clients.

1990s

• In 1990, the clinic had 56 employees and 2,021 clients. Its budget was $1.8 million.

• In 1999, the clinic moved to its current location inside the Community Health Facility at 200 Maine.

2000s

• In 2000, the clinic had a budget of $5.7 million, 3,879 clients and 144 employees.

• In 2000, it marked its 50th anniversary with a two-day summit: Building a Better Community.

• In 2002, the second-floor mural “Life Changes” by Van Go Mobile Arts Inc. was dedicated. Van Go is an arts-based social service agency that serves high-need and under-served youth.

• In 2005, Nancy Shontz Educational Series was established to provide continuing education for the center and community.

• In 2009, the clinic served 5,915 people.

2010

• On July 1, the clinic had 180 employees and a budget of $10.1 million.

• Oct. 9, it will celebrate its 60th anniversary with the Bert Nash Dash and Bash, a race and downtown block party.

Cindy Hart is development director at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. She is helping organize the Bert Nash Dash & Bash in October to commemorate the center's 60th anniversary. by Kevin Anderson

Nash Dash & Bash logo

COMMUNITY CELEBRATON

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center is marking its 60th anniversary Oct. 9 with the “Bert Nash Dash and Bash” in downtown Lawrence.

The event begins at 4 p.m. with the Nash Dash, a 5k and 10K race, that starts and ends at Seventh and Massachusetts streets.

Besides the race, there will be live music, street entertainment and children’s activities in the 600 block of Massachusetts that will continue until about 11 p.m. Food and beverages will be provided by Lawrence establishments.

The event is free and open to the public. Proceeds from the food and vending at the event will benefit the Bert Nash Endowment.

If you are interested in sponsorship or volunteer opportunities for the event, contact Cindy Hart at chart@bertnash.org.

For more information, visit www.bertnashdashbash.org.