EVERETT — Millie Quiroz was in Olympia on Monday trying to make things better for people like her brother, an Iraq war veteran whose mental illnesses consumed him.
Quiroz urged lawmakers to eliminate roadblocks that impede families seeking timely and adequate mental health care and substance abuse treatment for loved ones. Families need stronger tools to overcome those obstacles, which can be devastating for those living with mental illness, Quiroz said.
“We have to fix this,” she said.
It’s too late for her brother.
Christopher Eaves, 32, died six months ago at Western State Hospital. His body was found in a portable toilet on the hospital grounds some 12 hours after he was reported missing.
Eaves suffered a fatal heart attack after consuming synthetic marijuana, also known as “spice.” He had missed his curfew but no one went looking for him, Quiroz said. His mother had urged hospital staff to revoke her son’s off-ward privileges because she was worried that he was using drugs.
In his obituary, his family wrote that Eaves “finished his fight with mental illness on July 1, 2015.”
Eaves, who served in the Army National Guard, spent more than a year in Iraq. He returned with post traumatic stress disorder. He later was diagnosed with schizophrenia, his sister said.
“He suffered so much damage. He went untreated for so long. He was so broken,” Quiroz said. “We went through so much trying to get him help.”
Beginning next month, Quiroz will lead a new class in Snohomish County for families and caregivers of military personnel and veterans who are living with mental illness. She will be joined by Terry Cobb, a fitness specialist who works with the U.S. Navy.
Cobb’s husband committed suicide in 1992. He was 32. Tyrus Cobb served in the U.S. Navy for a decade. He suffered from depression and fell through the cracks, his wife said.
She and Quiroz will be teaching Homefront, a six-week course offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The program is designed to provide support and resources to people who are caring for military personnel and veterans.
The national nonprofit, which has a chapter in Snohomish County, launched the program in six states in 2014. It is now taught in 19 states, said Suzanne Robinson, the senior education program manager for NAMI. She and Dr. Teri Brister developed the national Homefront course to address the unique challenges faced by military families.
There are about 5.5 million people caring for military personnel and veterans. About 1.1 million are caring for someone who served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
A 2014 study found that about 40 percent of those caregivers are between the ages of 18 and 40. Many work full time and aren’t connected to support networks, Robinson said. They often are caring for someone with post traumatic stress disorder or a traumatic brain injury.
About 18.5 percent of service members returning from Iraq or Afghanistan have PTSD or depression and 19.5 percent have experienced a traumatic brain injury, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Only about half the returning servicemen and women living with behavioral health conditions seek treatment.
“We’re seeing people coming back with health issues and they’re not always able to be open about it with the military,” Cobb said.
The program is meant to teach caregivers, likely spouses or parents, to recognize the symptoms associated with PTSD or depression. The classes provide information about where to go for help, how to manage crisis situations and how to advocate for appropriate care. The sessions also include information about how to deal with the stress of caring for someone with a mental illness.
The confidential classes are taught by trained family members of military personnel or veterans.
“We cram a lot in those six weeks but that lived experience is key,” Robinson said.
The facilitators understand the military culture and are dedicated to service personnel, she said.
“People find strength in that connection,” she said.
Quiroz and Cobb both sought out NAMI because they were caring for relatives with mental illness. Quiroz and her mom took the group’s Family-to-Family class about seven years ago.
“It opened our eyes. It helped us to push to get a diagnosis for Brother,” she said. “It wasn’t easier for us to get care, but it really made it easier to navigate the maze.”
She believes her brother turned to synthetic marijuana after a psychotic break in 2010. He injured his infant son while suffering from delusions. Eaves was hospitalized and later convicted of child assault. He turned to drugs to numb his guilt.
Eaves was committed to Western State Hospital in late 2014 after his family pushed for treatment for his mental illnesses and his addiction to spice.
“We were relieved and everyone felt like finally he was safe. Finally, we know he’s safe,” Quiroz said. “That was not the case.”
She and Cobb are grateful for the support they received through NAMI programs. They also know there is more work to be done.
“We need to educate our society about mental illness and try to get rid of the stigma so people aren’t ashamed of seeking help for themselves or their family member,” Cobb said.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
Classes
The Snohomish County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is holding a free six-week course for caregivers, relatives and friends of military personnel and veterans who are living with mental illness. The classes will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays, beginning Feb. 1. They will be held in the 13th Street Conference Room at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, 1700 13th St. To register call 425-339-3620 or 361-446-5152.
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