Making Mental Health Fashionable

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKVDh9CNCN0CHVkVOosZm7eKO_J-9JrAEkY2GS-CQO-D6AHyOdBOPKNlZh92gFXL4xm6eUSYNgSJMv3elHcrY_3TtZBYGcet2cHfHA29OfEBv2Vy4t-CJkPY_jgrjDyMmTiaVXFr-of8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-01-24+at+12.30.46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><img border="0" height="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKVDh9CNCN0CHVkVOosZm7eKO_J-9JrAEkY2GS-CQO-D6AHyOdBOPKNlZh92gFXL4xm6eUSYNgSJMv3elHcrY_3TtZBYGcet2cHfHA29OfEBv2Vy4t-CJkPY_jgrjDyMmTiaVXFr-of8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-01-24+at+12.30.46.png" width="400" /></span></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/Common/View%20Notice.aspx?site=1000&lang=en&NoticeId=1702192"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbL8QSVEXL4r3LsVq1GQEXorK2sIaX0RH-NmDpEHyzbNsDMDvkfjJog4Kp7ItVzwPmc4uKNlUhRdHaD9TYtF52H8AkZNhHKufVeOyZR4lA_9rhak71QZLTzaeCiucGKkNMPROT8dSnck/s1600/AH1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Each week through this blog, I try to bring you new opportunities for funding, events and some gentle social comment. This week’s sees a hideous car-crash of polemic and funding, as I caught sight of a new government fund for a pot of gold and a ridiculously short run-in time! Still, the monstrously titled: <i>New Character Education Grant Fund</i> has to have a mention, doesn’t it? I fear it may just be me, but it sounds like some bastard hybrid love child of the government’s </span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY3SC2Rq_V8" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: red;">Nudge Unit</span></a><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> and </span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfgsP8-l4VA" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: red;">Quack Psychiatry.</span></a><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> It seems only a moment ago that simple religious conversion/treatment or </span>behaviour<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> modification techniques and a cocktail of prescribed meds, could cure you of being gay! Then of course, there are people who </span></span><i style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">by their very nature</i><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">, question the status quo - we can’t have that. 'New </span>Character<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">' - good </span>grief! </span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div> <span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Still this agenda to change ‘character traits, attributes and behaviours’ is probably innocent stuff designed to give future generations more ‘perseverance, resilience and grit.’ Ahh - </span><i style="color: #f4cccc;">True Grit</i><span style="color: #f4cccc;"> - I guess it’s what our children need battering into them by the state. I whole new generation of </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfegGAcZwRE"><span style="color: red;">John Wayne’s,</span></a><span style="color: #f4cccc;"> or else - heaven knows - </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otx49Ko3fxw"><span style="color: red;">John Wayne Gacy, Jr’s?</span></a></span></span><br /> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So artists and free-thinkers - be the instrument of the state - you have the power to be the next generation of behaviour-eugenicists. And we’ll have absolutely no discussion of the social determinants of health and well-being, let’s just focus on all the idiosyncrasies of being human, being different, having opinions and hearty dissenting voices. Let’s not question authority and instead, just focus on creating children who are wholesome, fresh-faced and utterly, utterly, compliant - the 'stupid </span>athletes<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> of </span>capitalist<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> productivity'.</span></span><br /> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.prisonexp.org https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpDVFp3FM_4"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecK4K8JkQ09OPrE1au8YncNSZyDAX3XT15hkTZ-3L-NuR3X_CwlawC3YvRR15cETMOxZIrHz_K3G6C1RiMDOLxYxpsG3Cc2oy0q7X-a-_UBjU1M3IT1-s4yQ-ZjcsbDYl810Zpj8XP7g/s1600/AH2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Government Launches New Character Education Grant Fund</span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"> </span></b></span></div> <span style="color: #f4cccc; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Department for Education has announced that schools, colleges, universities, local authorities and voluntary organisations can apply to a new £3.5 million character education grant fund to support projects in character education. The Department want to ensure that more children develop a set of character traits, attributes and behaviours that underpin success in education and work, such as perseverance, resilience and grit; confidence and optimism; motivation, drive and ambition; etc. The funding is available to encourage the expansion of existing projects that demonstrate effective character education. The funding will also support new and innovative projects to develop promising approaches in this area. Up to £3.5 million is available to grant fund projects in the 2015 to 2016 academic year. There is no predetermined level of grant award, but as a guide grant awards are expected to be in the region of £50,000 to £750,000. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; letter-spacing: 0px;">The closing date for applications is 12 noon on the 6th February 2015. Read more by clicking on those </span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">athletic, javelin-throwing, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryan_race"><span style="color: red;">G.M.</span></a><span style="color: #f4cccc;"> </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; letter-spacing: 0px;"> women at the top of the page.</span></span><br /> <div> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://theconversation.com/outsider-art-can-refashion-how-we-think-about-mental-illness-36439"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4BfSqYXbsWYwIj0MEolK4qsBI3Ejd-FhZbgmsHBi0pFqRgxW-RrjytvTS8sKviYJwpY8idNgGXJvvDQ8DXneLDGjUaopt1Di28tr_241RjY2h8gquLFzGTwKgWch6AYnD6VvLKqs524/s1600/VT.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b>Making Mental Health Fashionable</b></span></span></h2> </div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Senior Lecturer in Psychology at University of the Arts London and friend of Arts for Health Dr Victoria Tischler writes, that outsider art can refashion how we think about mental illness. Read her article by clicking on the Adolf Wolfi drawing above. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">If you like what you read, why not check out an event that Victoria is planning called <i>Making Mental Health Fashionable</i> on 27 February. Find out more by clicking on the </span>crowd of<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> everyday people below.</span></span></span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://events.arts.ac.uk/event/2015/2/25/Making-Mental-Health-Fashionable/"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhoyGW7PoO877OgauK-oesfmNUf2-o3nf8etJ2jUFw7eZYN15e_tHPadmfBfNxn9oJv5S9zAGSIkL-mK-PRv5Z2erL_AvpnOusOcsH4BHXm3iCp70LdS_YtUxctPeCYhzYO6mw6MYX7c/s1600/crowd-of-people-public-opinion-poll.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></div> </div> <span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>BMA Patient Information Awards 2015</b></span></span><br /> <span style="color: #f4cccc; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The British Medical Association has run a Patient Information Awards for the last twenty years in order to recognise excellence in the provision of information to patients and to support the valuable work which is done by many charities and agencies,   It is free to enter and shortlisted agencies are invited to an awards ceremony at BMA House in London in September. </span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The closing date is the end of February 2015 but if you have resources you wish to enter then please do it as soon as possible.  You can find more information by clicking on this link.</span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://bma.org.uk/librarypia" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: red;">http://bma.org.uk/librarypia</span></a></span><br /> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2h-DAQ1BSFA?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0" width="420"></iframe><br /> <br /> <span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>ARTS MENTORING FOR ARTISTS IN MANCHESTER</b></span></span><br /> <span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Are you an artist in the Manchester area that has experienced mental health needs? If so, you may be eligible to take part in a limited number of mentoring sessions with Pool Arts. Our mentor, James Bloomfield offers one to one sessions where you can show your portfolio, discuss how to progress with your practice and explore opportunities that may be available to you. You will also find out more about Pool Arts and the benefits of becoming a member. </span></span><br /> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We are offering up to two mentor sessions per person for a small fee (to cover admin costs) on a first come first served basis. Just e.mail us a short paragraph about yourself and why you would like a mentoring session and we will get back to you as soon as we can. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Sessions take place in our central Manchester studio facility from February 2015. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cost £10 (for up to two sessions) Contact Alison Kershaw </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="mailto:poolarts@gmail.com">poolarts@gmail.com</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and put MENTORING in the subject bar. Alternatively call our office on 0161 273 1492 and leave a short message and we will ring you back as soon as we can. Find out more by following this link.</span></span></span><br /> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <a href="http://poolarts.org/blog/arts-mentoring-for-artists-in-manchester/" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">http://poolarts.org/blog/arts-mentoring-for-artists-in-manchester/</span></a></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.warringtonmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/event/de-profundis-from-the-depths/"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkKm7uAahvQ0BTlEhnXn1WkFV8CxJ1OPEQlbgMLkk28Fw7OJ_6ZTarE_1jiyojT_MstBfyGpT5B4AEYTn7ftL-4arnYLTPFXfuq8htnRZ9WKJCSfdsW05GOVx5RtFexI9h8YnvhLe_bs/s1600/Pete%20Regan%20-%20De%20Profundis-1-2.jpg" width="282" /></span></a></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">De Profundis – From the depths</span></b></span></div> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“I was diagnosed with Cyclothymia (considered to be a milder form of Bipolar Disorder) in my early twenties. It was a dark point in my life. I was struggling, spending months in bed without leaving the house, completely isolated from society. Thankfully from the depths of depression, I was given a camera. The camera has over the years transformed my life. In this project I explore how the arts can help people who are suffering, as I was. Beauty can be found in the smallest of things and I attribute the camera for seeing beauty and purpose in life again…” <a href="mailto:peteregan.photos@gmail.com">Pete Regan.</a> An exhibition </span>starting<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Saturday 7 Feb 2015 - Saturday 2 May 2015. More details by clicking on the flyer above.</span></span><br /> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.prnmagazine.com/"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcU90yiYkW4HJHijMAillJVE907gURXJlHT_0k9mzHvRdSTMi-UAgcGm7Ksi2lNf1fXppi8H_T0awErXakNZGXqKqXHjtVm6OyX6u4JIuuXpUolzs_8r2IMSovUQkrMqnia6xcUq6GY0/s1600/PRN.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>PRN</b></span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Artist, illustrator</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;"> and nurse Anna Magnowska is developing a new web resource and magazine making connections between art, medicine, culture, science, technology and history whilst also focusing on the practical elements of nursing. Anna says: “we aim to create something beautiful that explores what it is be human, and what it is to be a nurse in the 21st century.” We say - this looks superb. Click on the logo above for more.</span></span></div> <div> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ItGY5GB1YAQ?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0" width="420"></iframe></span></div> <div style="min-height: 14px;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></div> <span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>A brief footnote from history</b> </i></span></span><br /> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">The US-based <i>Arts and Health Alliance</i>, formally <i>The Global Alliance for Arts and Health</i>, formally <i>The Society for the Arts in Healthcare,</i> has currently ‘...has ceased functioning as a going entity due to management and financial issues.” More soon</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">…</span></span></div>

addiction Diversity Mental Health Month Making Mental Health Fashionable

Each week through this blog, I try to bring you new opportunities for funding, events and some gentle social comment. This week’s ...

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Marijuana: Legal Doesn’t Mean Safe

<div class="MsoNormal"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGHY3qnuk7a0EJTu4VsGkalXUYdjlYUSvsT9mrK0DnXQnvBsChea7I5w7vXQ2mvAGnwlstFIKfXN3LlYRp4H56onXPwq8_I2p3M5vayAaBR50D6tSLmLfbjo-C4jCoEXJbAJpx9Xr_Y8w/s1600/marijuana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGHY3qnuk7a0EJTu4VsGkalXUYdjlYUSvsT9mrK0DnXQnvBsChea7I5w7vXQ2mvAGnwlstFIKfXN3LlYRp4H56onXPwq8_I2p3M5vayAaBR50D6tSLmLfbjo-C4jCoEXJbAJpx9Xr_Y8w/s200/marijuana.jpg" width="200" /></a>Twenty-three<br />states and the District of Columbia have laws legalizing some form of marijuana<br />use, and recreational use of marijuana is legal in four states and D.C. <o:p></o:p></div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />Does<br />this growing trend to legalize marijuana mean we don’t need to worry about it?  About<br />one in 10 people who try marijuana will become addicted to it which means that<br />they most likely will use it in increasing quantities, develop tolerance (less<br />effect from it as time goes on), will have withdrawal symptoms if they try to<br />stop, and will find that the marijuana use is causing them to neglect other<br />important areas of their life like work, relationships and leisure<br />activities. </div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /><o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvHyowBcXCeFZxYSGOkvXfwYuFk22rAVN05JXkuCiIjt7p9e7seLI7JGHQ5ZNEJtvZq0eaLS5fB4585S2HR-Vk-Uv8IH94pbPaoNqi-6Cf5Z2Hpb2YVVuOeGxMbOMX-auSuiKb0rwFCV5/s1600/marijuana+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvHyowBcXCeFZxYSGOkvXfwYuFk22rAVN05JXkuCiIjt7p9e7seLI7JGHQ5ZNEJtvZq0eaLS5fB4585S2HR-Vk-Uv8IH94pbPaoNqi-6Cf5Z2Hpb2YVVuOeGxMbOMX-auSuiKb0rwFCV5/s200/marijuana+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />Even<br />occasional use of marijuana can have negative effects.  hen someone has marijuana in his/her system,<br />short term memory is impaired, reflexes are impaired and judgment is<br />impaired.  These impairments can last 24<br />hours or longer after the use of the marijuana so it is certainly not safe to<br />drive after using marijuana. Most people will not be able to perform other<br />demanding tasks (work-related activities, childcare) at the level they are<br />accustomed to after using marijuana.  <o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />All the<br />evidence that we now have indicates that marijuana is possibly permanently damaging<br />to the developing adolescent brain. All<br />children should be strongly discouraged from using it at all until they are at<br />least 21 years of age. If marijuana is<br />smoked there are also potential physical health risks, such as damage to the<br />lungs or cardiovascular system.<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><br /><br />For more information, see American Psychiatric Association’s  <a href="http://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Learn/Archives/rd2013_MarijuanaMedicine.pdf">Resource<br />Document on Marijuana as Medicine</a>. <o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /><br />By Andrew Saxon, MD<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />Professor and Director, Addiction<br />Psychiatry Residency Program<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />University of Washington<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />Director, Center of<br />Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />VA Puget Sound Health<br />Care System<o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />Seattle, WA <o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><br /></div><br />

addiction adolescents health marijuana substance abuse teens Marijuana: Legal Doesn’t Mean Safe

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws legalizing some form of marijuana use, and recreational use of marijuana is legal...

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Reducing the Stigma of Addiction

<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><br /><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfAzHlSzQfLdav-OwBive8XxvEg89NAtX7apMNaNi80-FP6uyvU97g1RtkAHFNOM-nv8TLKEvUtm6FtY64kPRzyH7Ekj2ImqVRKgI156bYbsIIh6c3dPARl2hvVoV90wsfHYMVJVaOazc/s1600/Nora+Volkow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfAzHlSzQfLdav-OwBive8XxvEg89NAtX7apMNaNi80-FP6uyvU97g1RtkAHFNOM-nv8TLKEvUtm6FtY64kPRzyH7Ekj2ImqVRKgI156bYbsIIh6c3dPARl2hvVoV90wsfHYMVJVaOazc/s1600/Nora+Volkow.jpg" /></a></td></tr><br /><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nora Volkow, MD, Director, NIDA</span></td></tr><br /></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Addiction is common – an estimated 1 in 11 people in the United States experiences a substance use disorder in a given year. Despite significant advances in understanding and treatment, stigma still prevents many people from seeking help.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, speaking recently at the APA’s Annual Meeting in Toronto, talked about some of the recent advances in the understanding of addiction and called on psychiatrists to help reduce the stigma of addiction and “help to eliminate the shame and suffering that accompany the addict who experiences relapse after relapse after relapse.”</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Volkow opened her speech with a moving and emotional story of how she learned of her grandfather’s alcoholism and suicide. He had died when she was a girl of 6 in Mexico, but Volkow’s mother did not reveal the truth of her grandfather’s addiction and death until many years later, when her mother was dying and after Volkow had already achieved distinction as an addiction expert.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a dramatic illustration of the despair experienced by people who have an addiction and continue to engage in a behavior that they may know is destroying them. She described how it was once believed that addiction was a disorder of hyperactive reward centers in the brain—that people with addiction s sought out drugs or alcohol because they were especially sensitive to the pleasure-inducing effects of dopamine.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Volkow explained that in recent years research has revealed just the opposite: that those with addiction are actually less sensitive to the effects of dopamine. They seek out drugs because of the very potency with which they can increase dopamine in the brain, often at the expense of other pleasurable natural stimulants that do not increase dopamine so dramatically</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moreover, she emphasized that addiction to drugs disrupts multiple systems in the brain that govern the ability to plan, anticipate, and change behavior in response to changing circumstances. Volkow said it is this phenomenon that accounts for the “craving” experienced by addicts and alcoholics in response to environmental triggers—often leading to what she characterized in the account of her grandfather’s death as that “one last moment of self-hatred.”</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adapted from <i>Psychiatric News</i></span></div><br />

addiction stigma substance abuse Reducing the Stigma of Addiction

Nora Volkow, MD, Director, NIDA Addiction is common – an estimated 1 in 11 people in the United States experiences a substance use disorder ...

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Effective Addiction Treatments are Available

<span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">B</span><span style="font-size: large;">y John Renner, MD and Frances Levin, MD<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">We are all saddened by the death of <span lang="EN">Philip Seymour Hoffman </span>and the many other<br />individuals who have died because of overdoses of heroin or pain<br />medications.  For all of those individuals who struggle with opioid use<br />problems, it is important to realize that help is available and that effective<br />treatment can restore them to productive lives.  Some 4.7 million people<br />in the U.S. have used heroin at least once in their lives.  It is estimated that nearly a quarter of<br />people that use heroin become dependent on it.<br /><br /><br /><br />Whether it be through mutual support programs such as NA, long-term residential<br />treatment, or addiction pharmacotherapy with buprenorphine, methadone or ER<br />naltrexone, no individual need fear that their condition cannot be<br />treated.  Friends and family members also need to be educated in the use<br />of intra-nasal naloxone for the reversal of opioid overdoses.   <br /><br /><br /><br />APA has long fostered the development of addiction focused training </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.psychiatry.org/practice/professional-interests/addiction-psychiatry"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">programs<br />for psychiatrists</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">.  Many psychiatrists have been specifically trained<br />to provide office-based addiction pharmacotherapy and to manage the<br />co-occurring psychiatric disorders that often complicate recovery from<br />substance use disorders.  <o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">More information:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: large;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">        <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Information on </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.psychiatry.org/addiction"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">addiction</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: large;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">         </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://store.samhsa.gov/product/Opioid-Overdose-Prevention-Toolkit/SMA13-4742" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> (SAMHSA)<o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: large;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">        <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/TreatmentLocator/faces/quickSearch.jspx"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Substance<br />use treatment locator</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> (SAMHSA)<o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: large;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">        <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://buprenorphine.samhsa.gov/bwns_locator/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Buprenorphine Physician<br />and Treatment locator</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> (SAMHSA)<o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: large;">·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">        <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">For psychiatrists:  </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://pcssmat.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Providers<br />Clinical Support System for Medication Assisted Treatment</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">Blog<br />contributors:</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ofo4edMWxtY/UvFcrabrxHI/AAAAAAAAAyc/eubxcdyVte4/s1600/renner2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ofo4edMWxtY/UvFcrabrxHI/AAAAAAAAAyc/eubxcdyVte4/s1600/renner2.jpg" width="135" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">John<br />Renner, MD<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Member, APA Council on Addicition Psychiatry (Past Chair)<br />Director of Addiction Fellowship Program,<o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Professor of Psychiatry,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Boston University School of Medicine<o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Associate Chief of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System<o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HVSelmRz3os/UvFchsGxd-I/AAAAAAAAAyU/Vp6bWczaW7Y/s1600/levin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HVSelmRz3os/UvFchsGxd-I/AAAAAAAAAyU/Vp6bWczaW7Y/s1600/levin.jpg" width="135" /></a><span class="factitle1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b></b></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span class="factitle1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b><br /><br />Frances Levin, MD</b></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chair, APA Council on Addiction Psychiatry<br />Kennedy-Leavy Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center<br /><br />Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship, <br /><br />New York Presbyterian Hospital<br /><br />New York State Psychiatric Institute</span><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><br /></div><br /><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div><br /><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="horizontal" data-related="APAPsychiatric" data-via="APAHealthyMinds" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><script src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"><br /></script>

addiction medication overdose Phillip Seymour Hoffman psychiatrist training substance abuse treatment Effective Addiction Treatments are Available

B y John Renner, MD and Frances Levin, MD We are all saddened by the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman and the many other individuals who have...

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