An Epidemic Rages On: “Treatment” Is Not Enough
Unprecedented rates of substance abuse and mental illness have afflicted nearly every segment of our population in recent years. This intractable public health crisis has led healthcare professionals, policymakers, and other stakeholders to reexamine longstanding assumptions concerning the underpinnings of behavioral health and to consider novel (and controversial) interventions. Individuals with comorbid mental illness and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) encounter additional obstacles to effective care and are at significantly greater risk of poor health outcomes and other adverse events. This can be attributed, at least in part, to the prevalence of physical health conditions among those dually diagnosed with mental illness and SUD (Dickey et al., 2002). There are a host of other factors, however, that must be addressed to improve the health and overall
A Meditation on Mental Health Awareness Month by Ashley Brody
The month of May is recognized as such, and members of the behavioral health community customarily use this opportunity to hold special events and to educate the public on mental health-related issues. These activities generally aim to reduce stigma associated with mental and behavioral health concerns and to secure additional resources in pursuit of our shared missions. This observance is especially timely, as we are witnessing an unprecedented surge in the incidence of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. It seems no populations are exempt from this, but it has been especially acute among children and adolescents. Much has been (and will continue to be) written on the subject as public health experts, elected officials, and countless others speculate on its causes and potential
Recovery In The Time Of COVID by Ashley Brody
Each May, we celebrate the progress of the recovery movement and acknowledge many obstacles yet to be overcome. The COVID pandemic presents a singular challenge to the mental health of so many this year, and not merely because it poses grave physical and economic hazards injurious to emotional stability. Interventions designed to mitigate the risk of infection (e.g., “social distancing”) cause individuals with mental health concerns to endure isolation and all its attendant ills. Measures critical to public safety threaten to deprive us of positive and affirming social connections integral to our health and wellbeing and to undermine the recovery of the most vulnerable among us. It is thus incumbent on the behavioral health community to facilitate “physical distancing” and “social connectedness.” To this end,
Marijuana and the Movement Toward Legalization
I was fully in favor of the legalization of marijuana for recreational use…until recently. This might come as a surprise to some. For the past 25 years, I’ve worked in the behavioral healthcare field and witnessed the adverse effects of various substances (both legal and illicit) on vulnerable individuals. Why would I support any policy shift that would make marijuana (or any other harmful substance) more readily available? I suppose the libertarian in me always drew a bright conceptual line between the roles of public health and law enforcement authorities. I believe it’s generally ill-advised to consume a gallon of ice cream in one sitting, but I would never support legislation to prohibit it. And so the logic goes. But marijuana isn’t mocha almond fudge
A Word About the Words We Use
The behavioral health field has become more sensitive to the impact our language has on vulnerable persons. This promising, but still relatively recent, development reveals our emerging awareness certain words, phrases and labels betray pejorative beliefs and perpetuate stigma. They also shape and reinforce the identities of those to whom they are applied. How many of us have referred to individuals entrusted to our care as “schizophrenic,” “bipolar” or “borderline?” Thankfully, we have dispensed with such appellations in favor of “person-first” language that no longer equates individuals with their diagnoses. A “person with schizophrenia” is not defined by his condition any more than a “person with blond hair” is defined by his. (That is not to suggest there is not something inherently insidious in the