In the field of addiction medicine there is a clear link between trauma and substance use. People who experience traumatic events are far more likely to turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with their feelings. A traumatic event can take shape in a number of different ways, such as experiencing the loss of a...Read More

Veterans Day Today is Veterans Day, a time for every American to acknowledge the brave men and women who have served in the armed forces. Across the country, people are gathering for parades and events to honor those who have made the greatest sacrifice for this country. However, Veterans Day is about more than parades,...Read More

Parents who expose their children to heavy alcohol or drug use put them at a number of risks. While there is no way of telling which children will experience problems later in life due to their parents’ behavior, it practically goes without saying that many children will develop unhealthy relationships with mind altering substances based...Read More

It has been some busy couple weeks in the U.S. House of Representatives with regard to addiction and mental illness. After years of hard work and difficult negotiations, the House adopted the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA). The bill is meant to address the American opioid epidemic, a crisis that now takes...Read More

Surviving trauma Over the past week or so, many of us have wondered aloud how will those traumatized by the latest mass shooting survive? How will their day to day lives change? Will they be able to move on from their personal trauma? With 24-hour news media coverage we are able to witness the grief...Read More

In the United States, we have a long history of leaving people with mental illness behind. Two of the major causalities for this is the fact that there is a huge stigma associated with mental illness and it is an extremely difficult to gain access to adequate care. The result is that millions of Americans...Read More

Overcoming Anxiety If you have anxiety, you aren’t alone. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorder in the United States, affecting more than 45 million people and are most likely to affect people under the age of 35 living in North America and Western Europe. Risk Factors Women are twice as likely to experience...Read More

Mental health is extremely complicated, and can be difficult to treat effectively. While behavioral health therapies have made leaps and bound over the last several decades, there is still a lot more that can be done, especially when you compare the aforementioned field with other areas of the healthcare sector. Fortunately, the millions of Americans...Read More

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) patients who were formerly uninsurable were given access to coverage for the first time. In conjunction with the Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA), which required insurers to cover mental health care and access to treatment, millions of Americans could finally get the care they desperately required. Mental health conditions...Read More

Time and time again, Americans are forced to confront what can happen when mental illness goes untreated. Every year, shocking stories about horrific events involving someone suffering from mental illness flash across our television screens. As a nation, we all sit aghast at the tragedies which unfold at the hands of the mentally ill, and...Read More