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Categories BHARC, Insights Tags CEO Insights, Health, Infectious Disease, Mental Health, Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Why Overdose Awareness Matters More Than Ever

Why Overdose Awareness Matters More Than Ever

International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31st, began in Australia 20 years ago to raise awareness of overdoses, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, and remind us of the grief felt by the families and friends of those who have died due to substance use disorders (SUD). Today, International Overdose Awareness Day is recognized in more than 40 countries.

Isolation individuals have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health and SUD challenges, and reduced access to supportive communities and behavioral health care. Substance use and overdose deaths have increased during the pandemic.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and others have developed approaches, tips, and guidance for managing your mental health during this time, as well as links for locating treatment for substance use disorders. Anton C. Bizzell, MD, President/CEO of The Bizzell Group, has dedicated his career to improving access to quality substance abuse, mental health, and medical treatment and prevention services, and writes about timely behavioral health solutions in his monthly Psychology Today column, Mind Your Health. You can make a difference too, by accessing these resources and promoting behavioral health in your community.

Read more: Why Overdose Awareness Matters More Than Ever

Categories BHARC Tags Behavioral Health, CEO Insights, Health, Mental Health, Special Populations

Protecting Minority Mental Health in the U.S.

Protecting Minority Mental Health in the U.S.

Mental illness is stigmatized in the U.S. and even more among minority communities and communities of color both nationally and internationally.  To help combat the mental illness stigma, the U.S. House of Representatives designated July as “Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month,” to “enhance public awareness of mental illness and mental illness among minorities.”  According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than 50 percent of all Americans will be part of a minority group by 2044.  The total incidence of mental illness, mental health outcomes of racial/ethnic, gender and sexual minorities will be much worse, writes Dr. Anton C. Bizzell in “Protecting Minority Mental Health in the U.S.,” published online in Psychology Today.

Racial and ethnic minorities have more to contend with when it comes to accepting and addressing mental health issues. “What’s done in this house, stays in this house” is a mantra heard by many minorities. Stress, substance abuse, unemployment or underemployment, incarceration, education, or lack thereof, shame and denial are all reasons that minorities and communities of color find themselves dealing with mental health related issues.  Everyone, especially communities of color, need to debunk the myths and stigmas associated with mental illness.  Seek help today.

READ MORE: Protecting Minority Mental Health in the U.S.

Categories BHARC Tags Behavioral Health, CEO Insights, Health, Mental Health, PTSD

What You Need to Know About PTSD

What You Need to Know About PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) first entered the lexicon when the American Psychiatric Association added it to its third edition of the association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1980. But PTSD has been around much longer and is growing worse, writes Dr. Anton C. Bizzell in “What You Need to Know About PTSD,” published online in Psychology Today. In a given year, 7 to 8 million U.S. adults have PTSD. Traumatic events, including combat, child abuse, sexual assault, and global pandemics, cause the human brain to go into “fight or flight” response. One-fifth of trauma survivors develop PTSD symptoms—which include intrusive thoughts, avoidance of triggers, alterations in mood, and hyperarousal—because their brain never leaves the reactive mode. Treatment is possible. They include talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and certain medications. A new treatment using MDMA (ecstasy)-assisted therapy is showing great promise. PTSD doesn’t have to be a life sentence. Seek help today.

READ MORE: What You Need to Know About PTSD

Categories BHARC Tags Behavioral Health, CEO Insights, Health, Mental Health

Raise Your Mental Health Awareness

Raise Your Mental Health Awareness

Mental Health Awareness Month each May is a good reminder to learn more about the range of mental illnesses that people experience, and how we can promote and enable well-being for all individuals. This includes becoming familiar with more commonly discussed mental illnesses like anxiety and depression, as well as other mental health conditions such as eating disorders, and postpartum depression. It is also important to be sensitive to the words you use when you talk about and with people who are living with a mental illness. As Dr. Anton C. Bizzell, CEO of the Bizzell US, writes in this Psychology Today article, “We must also consider how we unwittingly use terminology that adds pain to those already working hard to overcome the societal stigma of living with a mental illness.”

With the uptick in mental illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever, we need to increase awareness, encourage professional diagnosis and treatment, and bring dignity and sensitivity to our discussions about mental illnesses.

READ MORE: Raise Your Mental Health Awareness

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