Mental Illness | Co-Occurring Disorders
Dual Diagnosis Treatment – A System Broken | Guest Author Athena Kay
In a previous post, Addiction is Not a Choice | a Mom and Dad Share Their Daughter’s Story, we learned a great deal of what happened to Athena Kay, a pseudonym Cindy and Nick K’s daughter adopted following her rape at age 15 and subsequent PTSD, rape trauma syndrome, dissociative behaviors, depression, flashbacks, panic attacks…
Read MoreTeen Depression Rehab – How To Restore Your Life
Today’s guest post is by Robert Hunt who shares his views on teen depression rehab. Robert Hunt has devoted his life to helping others suffering from chemical addictions as well as mental health challenges and writes for Paradigm Malibu, a treatment facility for teens. He is a sober coach and wellness advocate and a prominent…
Read MoreOur Shameful Treatment of the Incarcerated Mentally Ill
I was compelled to write about our shameful treatment of the incarcerated mentally ill after listening to KQED’s The California Report program, titled: “Lawmakers Push for More Mental Health Spending,” by April Dembosky. In her story, Ms. Dembosky reported Darrell Steinberg, California’s Senate president pro Tem and his allies “…want to spend $132 million on efforts…
Read MoreCo-occurring Disorders Require Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment
What happens when co-occurring disorders treatment doesn’t happen? Consider the following exchange I had with one of my clients, a 45-year old male who had been ticketed for a DUI. His wife was threatening legal separation. He was worried about losing his license, which would cost him his job. The DUI had prompted him to complete…
Read MoreReducing Recidivism Through Rehabilitation
We have important tools to help reduce recidivism through rehabilitation, namely the Affordable Care Act and post-release support, such as that offered by San Francisco’s Transitions Clinic. I am highlighting this combination having listened to a news segment, titled: “Obamacare in Jail: How San Francisco Policy Helps Inmates,” filed by April Dembosky’s for KQED’s The California…
Read MoreIntensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and Recovery
The Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and its role in the model of today’s addiction treatment and recovery plans is explained in the following guest post by Erika Cormier. Erika is a writer outside of Boston, right over the border in Southern New Hampshire, and author of the book, As the Smoke Clears, a Memoir, telling…
Read MoreFrom Depression and Addiction to Survival & Revival – Erika Cormier
Depression and addiction often go hand-in-hand. Today’s guest post by Erika Cormier, author of As the Smoke Clears, a Memoir, is a powerful introduction to the spiral and devastation this combination wrecks in a person’s life and the equally crippling road-block to recovery, “low self-esteem when we enter recovery and an immense burden of shame and…
Read MoreBehavioral Health in the United States
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) has issued a new report on the behavioral health of citizens in the United States. It is the first edition of SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Barometer: United States, which will be one of a series of State and national reports that provide a snapshot of the state of behavioral…
Read More