Addiction and Mental Health

I’ve not posted in several weeks because I needed a break. An important one.

I’ve been in a very detailed, well-run orientation and training, to enable me to be of direct service to people and families suffering from problems related to mental health and/or substance abuse.?

What’s new about this? For me, a much stronger focus on mental health.

For the past 50+ years, I have worked with people addicted to alcohol and/or other mind-altering substances (“addicts’). Helping them to create the first transformation–stop drinking or using–is critical to helping addicts clear up enough to get honest about the issues underlying their need to self-medicate. In that part of the journey, issues such as stress, anxiety and depression emerge as important and likely significant. As an observer and participant in the recovery of many addicts, it is clear to me that, in most cases, all addicts suffer from some amount of issues related to mental health.

While none of that changes, in my new role there is greater focus on mental health diagnosis and treatment: on safety for the individual and his/her family; on treatment for families; and on recovery, from the initial intervention through longer-term therapy.

I’m fortunate to work with a team of bright, capable and highly trained professionals with different skills and training, including clinicians, triage experts, therapists, peers and coaches. Every “client” is managed by a team, which I find educational, exciting and rewarding.?

As I approached this organization, three things were important to me :

• Quality of care
• Continuity of care
• Treatment for the family co-occurring with treatment of the client

In this work, I’ll encounter many young people who are suffering from mental health issues. Many have substance-abuse issues as well. As a father and grandfather, I am concerned by what I see but gratified to know that I’ve joined an organization that is staffed and experienced in dealing with this population–and that I’ve become welcomed as part of the solution.

I’ll get back to a better writing schedule. I’m quite certain that mental health topics will show up in my writing more often.