HOPE

Treatment is effective

Treatment is essential

People Recover

 How do we get the word out?

Similar to other medical illnesses, substance use and mental health disorders are fraught with myths.

Many people do not know where to begin to get help or what help actually is.  There is also a myth that there is no help.

Some of the MYTHS:

     MYTH:  Treatment Does Not Work.  I have heard this again and again from families, patients and medical professionals.  I ask them what level of care was used, was there medication, how long did the treatment last?  Just like other medical illnesses, if the correct treatment was not provided, the odds are slim it will work. 

     MYTH:  Families Must Send Their Loved Ones Far Away To Get Them Away From The Negative Influences In Their Home Area.    I have had families say they paid a lot of money for programs in Florida and California, only to have their person return and relapse. 

     MYTH:  Medication Should Not Be Used For Recovery From Addiction And/or Mental Illness..The Patient Must Be "Clean."  If someone were deficient in, say, Vitamin C, we would provide this supplement.  In certain cases of addiction or mental illness, the patient cannot recover without medicating that chemical deficiency in the brain.  In some cases, they may need it for life, in others for a shorter term. 

     MYTH:  All Treatment Programs and Treating Professionsals Are Created Equal.   Effective treatment of behavioral health diseases requires a full court press..just as if the diagnosis were diabetes.  Patients need coaching on:

              how to live within their environment maintaining their recovery;

              how to manage the medical aspects of their illness, and

              how to accomplish psychological behavior change. 

Not all practitioners embrace treating these illnesses so broadly.  Some do not use medication, some use medications that are contraindicated for those with the disorder, some address only one of the three key aspects of treatment outlined above. 

     MYTH:  Family And Others Significant To The Patient Should Be Separated From The Patient While They Are In Treatment.  Families and those others significant to the patient are an essential part of the treatment.  Ultimately, they will all be together again, armed with solid knowledge of how they will all be in recovery. 

     MYTH:  Treatment Has To Be Voluntary To Work.  Studies show this is not true.

Enough as to myths, back to HOPE and how do we get the word out for which approaches are effective for which illnesses. 

Our community is painfully aware of the problem of untreated addiction and mental illness.  It is time now to focus on educating families on what treatment is, where to go for help and which approaches are effective which illness.  Attend our forum on September 18th and learn about this.