Economic pressures compounded problems for those already struggling, Bert Nash psychiatrist says

Bert Nash psychiatrist Joe Douglas gave a presentation recently for Ecumenical Christian  Ministries at the University of Kansas. He began his talk in a rather unorthodox manner.

He opened with a song he wrote.

“A lot of the songs I’ve written make a political point, but do it by way of satire,” said Douglas, who has been a member of a politically activist singing group called The New World Order Peace Choir.

The message of Douglas’ song was clear: The economic recession was hardest on the working man and woman. Especially those who were already struggling to get by on low-paying jobs.

With more than 40 years of experience as a psychiatrist, one might think Douglas has seen the worst of it. Not so.

The Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center psychiatrist blames the lingering effects of the economic recession for many clients’ worsening mental health conditions.

“In my whole career, I’ve never been confronted so regularly with people who are in such desperate financial situations, who don’t have rent money, who can’t pay the utilities, who can’t find a job, or if they find one, they can’t live on it,” said Douglas, who gave his presentation, “Psycho-economics: The recession and mental health at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center,” during a forum Nov. 6. “Studies have documented that low-income, insecure employment is associated with impaired psychological well-being and mental health.”

Economic pressures only exacerbate the situation. Jobs are hard to find. Transportation is a challenge. Childcare becomes unaffordable. Substance abuse is a common response. Life is considerably more stressful.

“Even people who previously had no significant mental health problems may well develop stress-related anxiety or depression,” said Douglas, who is one of three Bert Nash psychiatrists, along with medical director Ty Yoshida and Glenda Blomquist.

The financial stress in the home caused by the recession has long-term effects on everyone, including children.

“Children raised in poverty are highly likelyto have lifelong problems with self-esteem, psychiatric issues — especially depression — and impaired academic and vocational functioning,” Douglas said.

The loss of WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) mental health workers in the schools has contributed to more acute cases among children. There used to be a Bert Nash WRAP worker in every school in the county. But due to funding cuts, the program was scaled back. Now there is a WRAP clinician in both Lawrence high schools, two of the four Lawrence middle schools and all three Eudora schools.

“The longer the wait before intervention for psychiatric or emotional problems, the more difficult the treatment process,” Douglas said. “Childhood depression often is related to poverty and social disruption and tends to lead to other psychiatric disorders later in life.”

For adult clients, many had low-paying jobs to begin with. But during the recession, they were more likely to lose those jobs because of increased competition to find work, the Bert Nash psychiatrist said.

“People with chronic mental illness typically had great difficulty finding a job even in good times,” Douglas said. "With the advent of the recession this became much more difficult. They’re depressed, they’re anxious, they end up abusing drugs or whatever tendencies they might have are tremendously exaggerated under this intense stress.”

But Douglas has been amazed by clients’ resiliency and ability to make-do, despite difficult financial circumstances and overwhelming economic pressures.

“I see people all the time who are somehow getting by in situations that I don’t know that I could handle,” Douglas said. “They beg, they borrow, they do without, they do odd jobs to cover their rent. They share the little that they have. They work wherever they can, two or even three jobs. I am constantly impressed and inspired by the strength of will with which many of my clients deal with both their psychological issues and their financial problems.”

Douglas, 74, was the longtime medical director at the Shawnee Community Mental Health Center in Topeka, which is now Valeo Behavioral Health Care.

When Douglas was at Shawnee Community Mental Health Center, the executive director for part of that time was Eunice Ruttinger, who is the director of Adult Services at Bert Nash.

“I have had the pleasure of knowing Joe Douglas for more than 20 years and have worked with him in various capacities,” Ruttinger said. “Professionally, he is an excellent psychiatrist and personally is a very funny, generous, talented man who really cares about people, especially those with mental illness. It is an honor to work with him.”

Douglas joined the Bert Nash medical staff in 2001.

“I’ve enjoyed my time here a lot,” said Douglas, an avid cyclist and runner who can often be seen doing one or the other during lunchtime. “The quality of the staff and the management is outstanding. Working not only with the medical staff, but with CSS (Community Support Services) and the DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) program, there are just so many resources here that I can refer people to and collaborate with.”