The stigma attached to mental illness is still prevalent in our community and society in general. Many people who are suffering great pain resist seeking help because of the old stereotypes regarding persons with a mental illness being weird, strange or just constitutionally weak.

It is time we work seriously to rid our society of these old images of the mentally ill and break down the stigma by educating ourselves about mental illness in general and what services are available in our communities.

In the Medford area, a weekly group meeting exists for Recovery Inc. Recovery Inc. teaches people tools and techniques with which to regain the balance in their lives and reduce the effect of their symptoms on their overall functioning.

Symptoms which members suffer from may include: palpitations, dizziness, tremors, depression, chest pressure, panicky feelings, extreme self-consciousness, or strong feelings of inadequacy and feelings of unreality. Some members have fears, the fear of being alone, of journeys, of open spaces, crowds, heights, closed spaces, of eating or choking and especially the fear of making a mistake in the trivialities of everyday life.

Some of the members suffer from obsessions, compulsions and fearful or bizarre thoughts. For information call Recovery, Inc., 541-552-0547.

Oftentimes when I speak of autism, the usual response "What is autism?" I'm a North Medford High School student, and I was first introduced to autism four years ago when I met an autistic child. A year later, I found out my nephew was autistic.

Autism is a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain. Areas affected are responsible for emotions, aggression, sensory input and learning. Symptoms include communication disabilities, no social interest, unusual physical sensations, lack of imagination and tantrums.

There is no cure for autism, but there are methods of treating it. An association call ARC provides help for needy families with autistic children. ARC runs a discount store in the Bear Creek Plaza called the Value Village. All profits go back to the community.

Another organization is the Developmental Disability Services. Both ARC and DDS give financial help and aid with the house and daycare. Also, another program provided through the public school system is the Steps Program. This can only be done in select schools, however. Steps teaches special children at their own level to help them understand better.

Autism is one of many disorders present in our society. I strongly believe that we need to start caring a little bit more and helping a little bit more. I strongly urge all to take the time to learn about those in need and to help in any way possible. We will receive so much back, if only we give a little.

The problem with mining at Rough and Ready Creek is there is too much wildlife you can destroy. There are plants there that live nowhere else in the world. Rough and Ready is one of the last wild places in the world where human activities have not affected the land. If you let them strip mine, it doesn't matter how big, you will affect the whole food web. They can find the metal that they're looking for in many other places besides digging up new land. They can find the metal that they're looking for in places like junkyards, landfills and on the street. We don't need new mines. All it's doing is ruining perfectly good land.

To those of you who want to write Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck to tell him how you feel about Rough and Ready Creek, here is his address: 201 14th & Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250. Phone: (202) 205-1661. Fax: (202) 205-1765.