• A Decade of Hardship and Addiction

    Posted on: Monday, September 12, 2011

    This past weekend marked the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York. It was a time of tribute, to remember all those who passed, and come together as a united nation. While we may never understand the full extent of the psychological trauma 9/11 bestowed on our country, researchers are starting to discover insights into our complex psychological response to terror by looking at addiction rates of alcohol and other drug abuse among those who were directly and indirectly affected by the terrorist attacks.

    In a study of 988 Manhattan residents, conducted in the weeks following 9/11, researchers discovered that 29% reported an increase in substance abuse; and a quarter reported drinking more.

    In a 2004 study of 1,570 city residents surveyed six to nine months after 9/11, researchers discovered more people reporting an increase in smoking, alcohol use, and marijuana use, compared to the ...

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    Tags:Drug rehab and alcohol treatment center alcohol abuse trauma addiction drug abuse 9/11 addiction rates dual diagnosis

  • A Precautionary Tale

    Posted on: Friday, August 05, 2011

    As the old saying goes “money can’t buy happiness” and that holds true for 27 year old Brandon Marshall of the Miami Dolphins who recently came forward for suffering from a condition known as borderline personality disorder.  Throughout his NFL career, Marshall saw physiatrists and after hitting rock bottom decided to become a patient at McLean Hospital in Boston, where he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD).


    People suffering from BPD, suffer from inner turmoil that causes them to lash out impulsively and have chaotic relationships. They are uncertain about their identity, and see things only as extremes-good or bad and these sudden shifts often lead to intense and unstable relationships. Symptoms include feelings of emptiness, fear and abandonment, inappropriate anger, and impulsivity. If left untreated, the disorder often leads to depression, problems with work and family, suicide, or drug and alcohol addiction.


    Marshall’s story is a great ...

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    Tags:Borderline personality disorder NFL Drug rehab and alcohol treatment center alcohol abuse drug abuse dual diagnosis depression

  • Horrific Events Shadowed by Mental Illness and Drug Abuse

    Posted on: Wednesday, July 27, 2011

    Much like the numerous warnings from doctors, righteous ad campaigns and the Surgeon General declaring nicotine as deadly, that cigarettes are highly addictive, and to be honest, pretty unattractive, you’d think we’d learn the same about drugs like heroin, ecstasy, cocaine and even marijuana. Sadly, the lesson seems to go unlearned on both accounts.

    Just recently, I read two stories highlighted in the news where drugs played a part in horrific actions. First was the massacre that took place in Norway, in which Anders Behring Breivik confessed to the bombing in Norway’s capital of Oslo as well as the rampage at a Labor Party retreat for young people that left 76 dead. Breivik’s lawyer, Geir Lippestad, told reporters Tuesday that Breivik partook in drug abuse in order to be “strong, efficient, and awake.” In addition to the drug abuse, Lippestad has suggested that the whole case ...

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    Tags:Tyler Hadley Norway dual diagnosis

  • Which Came First

    Posted on: Friday, July 01, 2011

    Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Two things that are inextricably linked, yet which one caused the other one to occur? Can it be both?


    These same questions ring true when it comes to the relationship between alcohol abuse or drug addiction and depression. In many cases, a person suffering from depression will also have an alcohol and drug abuse problem and vice versa. While studies are finding a strong link between serious alcohol use and depression, the question still remains, does regular alcohol consumption lead to depression or are people who are depressed more likely to drink excessively? Research is split on the issue. On the other hand, it is also thought possible that depression and alcohol abuse share common genetic and environmental risk factors that trigger both conditions.


    According to a study conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, nearly a third ...

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    Tags:alcohol abuse drug abuse dual diagnosis depression

  • Codependency

    Posted on: Tuesday, December 08, 2009

    If you have a loved one suffering from addition, it can be difficult to know what to do. Sometimes, families can let their love cloud their judgment. They end up reinforcing the addict's negative behaviors. Instead of helping their family member to a full recovery, they end up becoming codependent. Codependency is when someone inhibits an addict's ability to recover. Codependency usually occurs when family members refuse to let the addict hit rock bottom. Unless an addicted individual experiences the full effect of the negative consequences of drug addiction, they will never stop using drugs. Although you should not shelter a family member from the consequences of drug abuse, there are many other ways that you can help.

    Many individuals distance themselves from a family member suffering from addiction. They are so afraid of causing codependency that they emotionally withdraw from the addict. However, shunning an addict completely can be just as bad as fostering codependency. Family members are not the only enablers. Your ...

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    Category: Treatment

  • Dual Diagnosis - The Difficulty

    Posted on: Sunday, November 15, 2009

    People who suffer from mental illness as well as drug or alcohol abuse often fall under the 'dual diagnosis' category. The most frequently seen mental health problems include depression, bipolar disorder, personality disorder and schizophrenia. When a person is diagnosed with a mental health illness, it is often discovered that he or she also has a history of drug or alcohol abuse. In a study done by the Royal College of Psychiatry in 2002, it was revealed that people diagnosed with schizophrenia are six times more likely to abuse drugs as well as misuse alcohol. Reports published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) state that approximately 50 percent of those with severe mental illness are also struggling drug addiction, and 33 percent of alcoholics and 53 percent of drug users suffer from one or more severe mental disorder. In total, all individuals diagnosed as mentally dysfunctional, 29 percent are alcohol or drug (or both) users. In addition to these studies, there ...

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    Category: Article

  • Bringing War Home

    Posted on: Monday, October 12, 2009

    Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among soldiers used to be called “shell shocked” or combat fatigue. The usual onset is following a traumatic event. Symptoms of PTSD are flashbacks to the event, irritability, nightmares and insomnia.

    In its first study of returning troops who’d fought in Iraq in 2004, the Army found that one in eight soldiers exhibited symptoms of PTSD. Only half sought professional help with their problems, possibly due to concerns about being stigmatized.

    The study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved 6,201 service members. Split into four different groups, they were surveyed before serving in Iraq, six months after serving in Afghanistan and eight and six months after serving in Iraq.

    The servicemen were asked to fill out questionnaires concerning their mental health and war experience. Sixteen to seventeen percent of those who’d served in Iraq reported symptoms of major depression or anxiety. Eleven percent of those serving in Afghanistan reported similar symptoms. The ...

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    Category: Research

  • Mental Disorders & Drug/Alcohol Addiction

    Posted on: Sunday, September 27, 2009

    Today, research is indicating that when treatment for drug and alcohol addiction is given to a patient it must include the treatment of mental disorders. This is because of the co-occurrences of these two issues and means is not possible to treat the addictions without treating the mental illnesses. A co-occurring disorder is diagnosed when at least one disorder can be found independent of the other one and the symptoms are not all resulting from just one disorder.

    The term co-occurring when referring to disorders has replaced the recent terms dual diagnosis and dual disorder. The two latter terms are referring to the combination of mental disorders and substance abuse. This can sometimes be confusing in that it can also refer to other disorder combination's.

    A co-occurrence is a link or dependency between an addiction and a mental disorder. A dual diagnosis is confirmed when a patient has an addiction to drugs or alcohol, plus has one of the following ...

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    Category: Research

  • Advances in Mental Illness Treatments

    Posted on: Thursday, September 24, 2009

    There have been extraordinary advances made in the treatment of many mental illnesses. Being able to understand what is causing a mental health disorder helps a doctor to modify treatment for a disorder. Many disorders can now be treated almost as successfully as physical disorders are. A mental illness can be present in many forms and affects people worldwide. Some mild illnesses will pass without treatment, but more severe cases may need professional treatment.

    During the last few decades, research on mental health has improved our understanding of how we can improve the condition of the one suffering from the illness. Today we have many new treatments and we can now care for people in the community without the need of them being placed in a public institution. In addition to getting closer to understanding mental illness, prevention is starting to be understood as well.

    Most methods of treatment for mental health issues are categorized into two categories: somatic ...

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    Category: Research

  • Mental Disorders in America

    Posted on: Friday, September 18, 2009

    Check out this great article on National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) website:

    Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.1 When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people.2Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who suffer from a serious mental illness.

    Read the full article here: The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America

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    Category: Article

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 Common Disorders Co-occurring with Addiction