For too long individuals with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders (SUD) have struggled with pervasive issues of stigma and discrimination that has been fueled by decades of media driven false beliefs and misinformation about the causes and prevalence of these disorders. Examples of false beliefs include ideas like “People should just snap out of their depression and pull themselves up by their boot straps,” “Addiction is choice. People can stop anytime they want,” “People that have mental health issues are dangerous,” and “People that are addicted because they have low character; they are all liars and thieves.”
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The words that we use matter. Stigma has been identified as a barrier to treatment and recovery among individuals with addiction. Research shows that the commonly used term, "abuse", increases stigma.
Now is the time to tell Congress that national government agencies with words like "abuse" must undergo a NAME CHANGE (e.g., National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA], National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA]), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA]
Addiction is a disease. Using words such as "abuse" or "abuser" implies that addiction is a character flaw. It takes an act of congress to change a government agency name, so support is needed at all levels.
The Director Poll and Clinician Check-Ins are free, first-of-their-kind surveys. They’re already connecting program leaders and clinicians nationwide — helping them adapt to the new needs emerging weekly in our industry.
Richard Lane was a long-term heroin user who, upon release from prison in 1967, was
instrumental in establishing one of the Nation’s first opioid treatment programs. In 1974,
he became the Executive Director of Man Alive and later served as Vice President of the
American Methadone Treatment Association (now AATOD) and as Vice Chairman of
the Governor’s Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Maryland. Mr. Lane was a
passionate advocate for methadone treatment (the only medication available for opioid
use disorder at the time) and, by disclosing his own treatment experiences, provided
inspiration to patients and colleagues alike.
Over the course of these now 84 days of being inside the NBA’s bubble, Lakers center Dwight Howard admitted Thursday that there have been moments when he has been depressed.
Howard discussed that when he was asked about how players were openly talking about mental health issues and how so many of them have talked about the isolation when the league restarted the season on the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near here.
A study published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy suggests that the use of pornography by those in monogamous relationships is not necessarily associated with negative consequences. It seems that the negative consequences of pornography use depend on the consumer’s own moral beliefs about the practice.
Riverdale star Lili Reinhart wrote her first poetry book and it envelopes everything she's advocated for involving body positivity and mental health. She sat down with Good Morning America to talk about her inspiration for the book Swimming Lessons, including her personal journey in being honest with herself about her well-being.
Teens who have a larger number of friends may be less likely to suffer from depression later in life, especially women, a new MSU research study has found. For female adolescents, popularity can lead to increased depression during the teen years, but can provide lasting benefits of fewer depressive symptoms later in life.
The national youth suicide rate has been on the rise for years. But now, in the months since the pandemic pushed students into haphazard remote learning and sent the economy into a tailspin, students say the unprecedented disruption has taken a toll on their emotional well-being. Researchers worry that a surge in youth depression and anxiety could drive a spike in youth suicide rates.
