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Data suggests drug treatment can lower US crime

Friday, May 18th, 2012

Reuters

U.S. crime statistics show illegal drugs play a central role in criminal acts, providing new evidence that tackling drugs as a public health issue could offer a powerful tool for lowering national crime rates, officials said on Thursday.

An annual drug monitoring report, released by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, also showed a decline in the use of cocaine since 2003, a sign that drug-interdiction efforts and public education campaigns may be curtailing the use of the drug’s powder and crack forms.

The rate of overall illegal drug use in the United States has declined by roughly 30 percent since 1979.

But Thursday’s report, based on thousands of arrestee interviews and drug tests, showed that on average 71 percent of men arrested in 10 U.S. metropolitan areas last year tested positive for an illegal substance at the time they were taken into custody.

The figures ranged from 64 percent of arrests in Atlanta to 81 percent in Sacramento, California, and were higher for nearly half of the collection sites since 2007.

U.S. officials held up the data as evidence to support President Barack Obama’s strategy aimed at breaking the cycle of drugs and crime by attacking substance abuse with treatment rather than jail for nonviolent offenders.

“Tackling the drug issue could go a long way in reducing our crime issues,” Gil Kerlikowske, head of the office that issued the report, told Reuters in an interview.

“These data confirm that we must address our drug problem as a public health issue, not just a criminal justice issue.”

The arrest figures included men taken into custody on more than one charge as well as those arrested in drug busts.

The data showed that on average about 23 percent of violent crimes and property crimes, including home burglaries, were committed by people who tested positive for at least one of 10 illegal drugs including marijuana, heroin and methamphetamines.

Charlotte, North Carolina, had the highest proportion of drug-related violent crime offenses at 29 percent, while New York City had the highest for drug-related property crimes at 32 percent.

DECLINE IN COCAINE USE

Cocaine was the second-most common drug found among arrestees after marijuana. But the report said cocaine use, with crack the most popular form, has declined significantly since a decade ago, dropping by half in major cities like New York and Chicago between 2000 and 2011.

The report said methamphetamine use was strongest in the West Coast cities of Sacramento and Portland, Oregon, with no evidence that its use has grown appreciably in areas east of the Mississippi River.

U.S. health officials says the link between drugs and crime is socially complex. But the effect drugs have on human behavior can seem more straightforward.

“Drugs impact things like inhibitory control. And our ability to weigh risks and consequences of certain behaviors is severely effected by drug abuse,” said Dr. Redonna Chandler of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Drug enforcement experts say the evidence strongly supports wider use of drug courts, which seek to impose treatment regimens instead of prison sentences on repeat criminals that are dependent on illegal drugs.

West Huddleston, of the Alexandria, Virginia-based National Association of Drug Court Professionals, said a convicted criminal who successfully completes a court-imposed treatment regimen is nearly 60 percent less likely to return to crime than those who go untreated.

There are more than 2,600 drug courts operating in the United States. But they reach only a fraction of drug-addicted offenders.

According to Chandler, 5 million of an estimated 7 million Americans who live under criminal justice supervision would benefit from drug treatment intervention. But only 7.6 percent actually receive treatment.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/05/17/data-suggests-drug-treatment-can-lower-us-crime/#ixzz1vEAxVqNU

Tags: addiction, crime, drug, Treatment
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Get it together-The future of intervention

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Are we as a field ever going to develop an industry wide set of standards?

The intervention industry needs a common voice and real partnering in order to flourish and evolve. As a former clinician in the treatment field and interventionist, I want to share some observations about the state and evolution of the Intervention industry.

Part of the intervention idea, it seems to me, is to be proactive in helping families, and to offer solutions to the ongoing behavioral health crises in this country.   The intervention field needs to incorporate this ideal into our own dealings.  Someone needs to stand up and fight for the intervention field with the support of professionals nationwide.

The intervention industry has been slow in moving toward a higher level of professionalism and accepted standards.  If Intervention services are ever to be more widely utilized and accepted by insurance companies and providers, a set of accepted standards needs to be practiced by professionals with a recognized licensure.

Where are we as an industry?  There is good news and bad news.  Intervention works and families and providers know that.  There are lots of smart and caring professionals in the field today working hard to help families.   At the same time, the intervention “industry” is loosely represented by a few competing marketing guilds each heralding themselves as the “true industry leader.”  For the family member searching for resources it is almost impossible to distinguish the responsible from the reprehensible in today’s glossy overly marketed playing field of professionals all vying for a share of the business. Real collaboration and partnering among professionals is rare, and competition is fierce.

Treatment providers hold yearly “Intervention Conventions” where the majority of attendees are treatment center marketers who see these as events as just another stop along their yearly “Coca Cola Marketing Tour.” Little is discussed in terms of developing a common licensure or standard to hold professionals accountable to.

As professionals in the intervention field, we all have a responsibility to hold each other to the highest standard possible.  We also have a responsibility to build the future of our field. I suggest a yearly national symposium open to all intervention practitioners. The goal would be to gather together on neutral unsponsored territory to discuss how to advance our field as a whole.  To discuss the real issues facing us as professionals in an important and emerging field.

I invite anyone in the intervention field with concerns about the future, to contact me with interest, support, ideas or concerns.

Dave Kelly
Director of Operations
Assistance in Recovery

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Binge eating may lead to addiction-like behaviors

Saturday, May 5th, 2012

HERSHEY, Pa. — A history of binge eating — consuming large amounts of food in a short period of time — may make an individual more likely to show other addiction-like behaviors, including substance abuse, according to Penn StateCollege of Medicine researchers. In the short term, this finding may shed light on the factors that promote substance abuse, addiction and relapse. In the long term, may help clinicians treat individuals suffering from this devastating binge eating disorder.

“Drug addiction persists as a major problem in the United States,” said Patricia Sue Grigson, professor in Penn State’s Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences. “Likewise, excessive food intake, like binge eating, has become problematic. Substance-abuse and binge eating are both characterized by a loss of control over consumption. Given the common characteristics of these two types of disorders, it is not surprising that the co-occurrence of eating disorders and substance abuse disorders is high. It is unknown, however, whether loss of control in one disorder predisposes an individual to loss of control in another.”

Grigson and her colleagues found a link between bingeing on fat and the development of cocaine-seeking and -taking behaviors in rats, suggesting that conditions promoting excessive behavior toward one substance can increase the probability of excessive behavior toward another. They report their results in Behavioral Neuroscience.

The researchers used rats to test whether a history of binge eating on fat would augment addiction-like behavior toward cocaine by giving four groups of rats four different diets: normal rat chow; continuous ad lib access to an optional source of dietary fat; one hour of access to optional dietary fat daily; and one hour of access to dietary fat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. All four groups also had unrestricted access to nutritionally complete chow and water. The researchers then assessed the cocaine-seeking and -taking behaviors.

“Fat bingeing behaviors developed in the rats with access to dietary fat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays — the group with the most restricted access to the optional fat,” Grigson said.

This group tended to take more cocaine late in training, continued to try to get cocaine when signaled it was not available, and worked harder for cocaine as work requirements increased.

“While the underlying mechanisms are not known, one point is clear from behavioral data: A history of bingeing on fat changed the brain, physiology, or both in a manner that made these rats more likely to seek and take a drug when tested more than a month later,” Grigson said. “We must identify these predisposing neurophysiological changes.”

While the consumption of fat in and of itself did not increase the likelihood of subsequent addiction-like behavior for cocaine, the irregular binge-type manner in which the fat was eaten proved critical. Rats that had continuous access to fat consumed more fat than any other group, but were three times less likely to exhibit addiction-like behavior for cocaine than the group with access only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“Indeed, while about 20 percent of those rats and humans exposed to cocaine will develop addiction-like behavior for the drug under normal circumstances, in our study, the probability of addiction to cocaine increased to approximately 50 (percent) for subjects with a history of having binged on fat,” Grigson said.

Future studies will look more closely at how bingeing can lead to addiction-like behaviors — whether bingeing on sugar or a mixture of sugar and fat also promotes cocaine or heroin addiction, for example, and whether bingeing on a drug, in turn, increases the likelihood of bingeing on fat.

Other participating researchers were Matthew D. Puhl and Angie M. Cason of the Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences in the Penn State College of Medicine; and Rebecca L. Corwin and Francis H.E. Wojnicki of the Penn State Department of Nutritional Sciences.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse funded this research.

Tags: addiction, binge eating, college, disorder, eating, penn, state, Treatment
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Number of painkiller-addicted newborns soars

Monday, April 30th, 2012

By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY

AP Aileen Dannelley holds her baby, Savannah. The one month old baby is being treated with methadone for withdrawal while she and her mother both fight addiction to powerful prescription painkillers.

The number of babies born addicted to the class of drugs that includes prescription painkillers has nearly tripled in the past decade, according to the first national study of its kind.

About 3.4 of every 1,000 infants born in a hospital in 2009 suffered from a type of drug withdrawal commonly seen in the babies of pregnant women who abuse narcotic pain medications, the study says. It’s published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
That’s about 13,539 infants a year, or one drug-addicted baby born every hour, says the study’s lead author, Stephen Patrick, a fellow in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the University of Michigan.

Treating drug-addicted newborns, most of whom are covered by the publicly financed Medicaid program, cost $720 million in 2009, the study says.

The country has an obligation to help these newborns, who “have made no choices around drug abuse and addiction” and are “the most vulnerable and the most blameless” members of society, says Marie Hayes, psychology professor at the University of Maine, who was not involved in the study.

Unlike in the 1980s and 1990s, when hospitals saw a surge in babies born addicted to crack cocaine, many newborns today arrive hooked on powerful prescription painkillers, such as Vicodin and Oxycontin, Patrick says. The type of withdrawal Patrick studied, called neonatal abstinence syndrome, produces different symptoms from those caused by cocaine. The syndrome also can be caused by illegal opiates, such as heroin, Patrick says, but this surge in addicted babies probably is explained by the national “epidemic” of prescription drug abuse.

The number of pregnant women who used or abused narcotic painkillers increased fivefold from 2000 to 2009, his study found. These mothers now account for 5.6 out of 1,000 hospital births a year, the study found. The findings also were presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Boston.

“The prevalence of drug use among pregnant women hasn’t changed since the early 2000s,” says Andreea Creanga, a researcher with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noting about 4.5% of pregnant women use illegal drugs. “But the types of drugs that women are using is changing.”

The CDC has flagged prescription painkiller abuse as a major health threat, noting that these drugs now cause more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. And the problem is getting worse. The death rate from overdoses in 2007 — 12 deaths per 100,000 people — was roughly three times higher than in 1991, a CDC report in November showed. Most of that increase came from prescription drugs.

Many of these mothers tell their doctors they didn’t realize prescription painkillers could harm their babies, perhaps because the drugs are technically legal, says Mark Hudak, a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics who wrote the group’s 2012 clinical report on newborn withdrawal. Other mothers are addicted when they become pregnant and simply unable to quit, he says.

Babies born in withdrawal are often born small and are at a higher risk of death than other infants, Patrick says. Doctors try to relieve the pain of surviving babies by treating them with methadone, a narcotic painkiller commonly used to treat heroin addicts. Doctors reduce the dose slowly over weeks to avoid causing sudden withdrawal symptoms, Patrick says.

Doctors and nurses sometimes can tell which babies are going through withdrawal from the hallway, without even seeing them, simply by hearing their cries, Patrick says. These babies are irritable and hard to console, with stiff, rigid muscles that won’t relax. They have tremors, seizures and breathing problems. They have trouble feeding and resist taking a bottle. They throw up frequently and produce watery diarrhea. “It’s like a colicky baby times 10,” Patrick says.

Sometimes, these babies are exposed to multiple drugs in the womb, from tobacco and alcohol to antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs, says Howard Heiman, associate chief of the neonatal intensive care unit at Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York. Researchers need to find better ways to treat drug-addicted mothers and to identify and treat addicted babies as early as possible.

Some states have been hit harder than others, Hayes says, particularly those with high rates of rural poverty, such as Maine and Kentucky. In Florida, the number of babies with withdrawal syndrome soared from 354 in 2006 to 1,374 in 2010, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. In response, Florida’s attorney general has convened a task force to address the problem of drug-addicted newborns.

Tags: addicted, addiction, babies, drug-addicted, meth, newborns, pain, pain killers
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Drug Could Be Potential Cure For Alcoholism

Monday, April 30th, 2012

OMAHA, Neb. — There may be good news for people battling alcoholism. A new drug designed to help those with the addiction has passed a major test hurdle.

“Baclofen carries a lot of hope for that condition,” said Dr. Aly Hassan, a clinical psychiatrist with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the VA Medical Center. “It’s a killer illness. It’s a very serious illness.”

Hassan said studies have shown Baclofen, which actually came out in the 1950s as a way to treat muscle spasms, is now showing promise in potentially curing the urge to drink alcohol.

“How it exactly works is not clear,” said Hassan. “We know that it works on a certain type of receptor.”

Hassan said the drug may actually work best on those who suffer from alcoholism the worst. In a recent study of 132 heavy drinkers, 80 percent either completely shrugged off alcohol or became moderate drinkers. Hassan said even if the drug only turns out to have a minimal effect, it will still save countless lives.

“Alcoholism is a killer disease,” he said. “About 30 percent of the American population has a history of drinking heavily.”

Baclofen continues to be tested, but Hassan said the drug could be approved to treat alcoholism within the next few years.

Read more: http://www.ketv.com/health/30849658/detail.html#ixzz1refKMIzd

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Former NBA Player Herren Visits ITHS to Discuss Drug Addiction

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Former NBA player Chris Herren visited Island Trees High School on Wednesday to share his story of drug addiction with students.

The former Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics player shared with students how his promising college and professional career was derailed by drug use.

In 1994, Herren was one of the top high school recruits in the country. He accepted a scholarship offer from Boston College.

It was at BC where he was first exposed to cocaine.

“I said, ‘Under the circumstances, I’m going to do this once,’” he said. “I had no idea it was going to take me 14 years to stop.”

Herren failed three drug tests at BC and was expelled. He later battled an oxycontin addiction while playing for the Boston Celtics. After moving to Europe, he turned to heroin.

His heroin addiction led to arrests in 2004 and 2008. After the latter arrest, he contemplated suicide before a friend of his mother’s convinced him to go into treatment.

After one more slip-up following the birth of his third child, he sobered up. He’s been sober since Aug. 1, 2008.

The students were receptive to Herren’s story and asked him numerous questions after his presentation.

“Some of the questions they asked at the end, and some of the statements they made, you could tell they felt they were in a comfort zone with Chris and with their peers,” said Island Trees principal Nick Grande.

One of the questions the students asked Herren was when his drug use started. He said he started drinking, smoking and using painkillers when he was 14 and 15. Starting at a young age led him to move to ecstasy and cocaine in college.

“The decisions I made in high school prepped me for the decisions I made down the line,” he said.

Grande said that the school wanted to get Herren to the school after seeing his story in an ESPN documentary. He credited parent Greg Vetrone for getting Herren to come to the school and credited the PTA for paying for Herren’s appearance.

“Unfortunately, the parents preaching it, and even us preaching it to them, sometimes it falls on deaf ears,” he said. “That’s why sometimes you need to bring in someone like Chris to make a connection to the kids.”

Herren understood this. At the assembly, he told a story about how his coach at BC told him to attend a seminar from an ex-football player on the dangers of drugs before his freshman year started.

He said he only went to avoid a suspension and didn’t take it seriously.

“I had the nerve to talk, I had the nerve to talk, I had the nerve to laugh,” he said.

He said he learned later how true the statements were after spending 10 years with “dope fiends.” He predicted that some of the students listening would have a similar epiphany later in life.

“There’s kids sitting in this assembly that are going to wake up 10 years from now and say ‘That dude who came into my school wearing a suit, who used to play basketball, that dude was spot on.”"

To read entire article: http://levittown-ny.patch.com/articles/former-nba-player-herren-visits-iths-to-discuss-drug-addiction

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Painkiller Sales Soar, Fuel Addiction

Monday, April 16th, 2012

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Carter County Anti-Drug Coalition

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

By Jason Mullins

The Carter County Anti-Drug Coalition is considering an in-school program designed to reduce the use of mood-altering substances in the local youth population.

On Monday evening, the CCADC gathered as part of their ongoing efforts to seek solutions and answers to the growing problem of drug abuse and addiction in Elizabethton, Carter County and Northeast Tennessee.

The coalition, which is comprised of elected officials, area business leaders, healthcare professionals, educators and law enforcement officers, heard about the idea for the school program from Carter County Sheriff Chris Mathes and Elizabethton Police Chief Matt Bailey. Mathes and Bailey briefly commented about the possibility of adopting community schools.

CCADC Steering Committee Chairman Steve Burwick said the concept was first broached during the March 5 meeting of the Carter County Law Enforcement Committee.

Burwick said if the program is implemented by the coalition, “Area churches will be approached with the idea of adopting community schools, and their staff and/or trained volunteers will visit the homes of students who have shown signs of trouble or failing grades. Alerted by the school officials or law enforcement, the churches will offer to meet the needs of the residents, including food, clothing, tutoring and counseling.”

On a national level, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has sponsored a similar initiative. In Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the FBI has worked in tandem with schools, local businesses and other local, state and federal law enforcement.

The Mountaineer State has seen some of the nation’s highest rates of prescription drug abuse and addiction over the last 20 years. Addiction specialists and law enforcement officials have argued that addiction to opioid pain medications in West Virginia, along with other states in the Central Appalachias, can be largely attributed to the number of physicians who have written prescriptions for drugs containing oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone and morphine.

In 1995, FDA approval of Purdue Pharma’s time-release oxycodone formulation, or OxyContin, led to a significant increase in prescriptions for the medication and other controlled substances.

Citing the need for early prevention and intervention, the FBI model includes programs designed to raise academic performance and a positive self-image for teens and young adults. The initiative also includes specific programs to encourage teenagers to make healthy lifestyle choices and to avoid activities which can lead to the use of alcohol and other drugs.

One of the main aspects of the proposal includes soliciting assistance from area residents. Burwick said individuals, especially neighbors and church members, would be called upon to provide tips to the adopt-a-school program concerning students and families who are showing possible signs of active drug abuse or addiction.

CCADC member Paul Tolley of Hampton also discussed the concept of sponsoring a health fair to spotlight drug abuse in the region. He added that a health fair would provide an excellent forum for local medical officials and other experts in the area of drug abuse through educating the public on the signs and symptoms of drug dependency and addiction.

Burwick mentioned the anti-drug coalition is still seeking assistance from individuals and other organizations who are interested in joining the cause. CCADC is considering the possibility of contacting active and retired ministers and the retired teachers organization to find volunteers.

Burwick said the coalition is also interested in developing and hosting a website. The online site would include information on the group’s meeting dates, times and locations, articles and links to other websites that focus on the problem of drug abuse and addiction.

The next Carter County Anti-Drug Coalition meeting has been tentatively scheduled. Burwick said the members are planning to meet on Tuesday, May 1, beginning at 5 p.m. CCADC will conduct the session in the second floor main conference room at the Carter County Courthouse. Room 205 is located across the hallway from the mayor’s office and conference room. The public is welcome to attend.

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Saint Jude Retreats Announces Tip Sheet To Raise Awareness About Teen Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

For over twenty years, Saint Jude Retreats has helped thousands of individuals all over the world overcome a drug and/or alcohol problem. Saint Jude’s is diligent about explaining to parents the severity of placing a young adult in an alcohol and drug treatment program where they will be labeled with a disease and recognizing the difference between hard use and experimentation during young adulthood.

Amsterdam, NY (PRWEB) April 10, 2012
Saint Jude Retreats announces a new tip sheet to help build awareness of teen alcohol and drug abuse. This tip sheet will help parents or guardians of a teenager indentify a drug or alcohol problem through warning signs and behavior observation. For first time parents of teens who are experimenting with drugs this confrontation can be difficult and embarrassing for both sides. Learn how to deal with these issues in this tip sheet created by The Saint Jude Program, the original educated-based alternative to alcohol and drug rehab. Information in this article is extracted from The Saint Jude Program’s website.

Teens Are Observers–Teenagers pick up on social habits almost naturally. Teen adolescents are observing family, reality stars on TV, reading facebook updates, and viewing photos of adults consuming alcohol or drugs. From watching adults use these substances, young adults begin to realize that these substances can provide satisfying results such as relaxation, stress relief and popularity. It is important for parents to distinguish between experimentation and problem usage. While it is true that any level of substance use can be dangerous, parents must keep in mind that so too is driving or riding in a car. Parents can use this time as an opportunity to have a frank discussion with their teen about substance use and build a more adult relationship with them. When talking with a teen it is recommended parents stay calm and really listen to their teen. If a parent feels the teen may have developed a substance use problem there are alternative alcohol and drug treatment programs available that will guide the teen into making more productive choices and overcoming this temporary behavior problem.

There Will Be Behavioral Changes–Mood swings in teens are very common but there are warning signs an adolescent may have a problem with alcohol or drugs. If a teenager becomes extremely withdrawn from normal everyday routines this is a warning sign. A teen may no longer want to talk or engage with parents and an otherwise close parent-child relationship will suddenly decline. Lastly, teens using drugs may no longer interact with family and friends and may not be interested in maintaining normal activities such as hanging out with friends, partaking in family events, sports, music, school work etc. Parents should also watch for excessive, long term sadness and signs of depression.

Look For Evidence–There are staple drug paraphernalia items that should arise suspicion from parents such as baggies, loose pills, or even an excess of cash. Parents should talk to their children regarding drug use due to the fact that abusing prescription pills, which is wildly popular among teens right now—can be extremely dangerous if not fatal. Parents need to remember a teen can access these pills from a home medicine cabinet and should take notice if bottles are moved around, or there are less pills. Also an extreme necessity for cash is a red flag. If a teen begins selling things, asking for money or even stealing these are all warning signs that a teen may be using drugs.

Secrecy–If an adolescent begins hiding things and becomes secretive this should be of concern to a parent. An example of this would be a teen quickly rushing a jacket, book bag, or purse and into a bedroom with a locked door whereas before the teen would casually lay these items around the house. Also a teen could begin hiding trash or clothes in fear of someone smelling drugs or alcohol or finding drug paraphernalia. Lastly, a teenager avoids sharing or engaging with family and friends–teenagers that are using may become suddenly unfriendly and introverted.

Interventions Are Not The Answer–Naturally, some parents are upset when a teen starts using drugs or drinking alcohol. After the initial shock the next step is for parents try to figure out the best way to approach the teen. Parents may begin looking for an alcohol or drug rehab and intervention techniques, but this is often premature, unnecessary and in some cases harmful. While pop television shows may glamorize traditional, confrontational type interventions and drug treatment programs, research has shown this methodology to be ineffective and oftentimes harmful. Teaching a teen that they have a progressive, incurable disease called addiction may cause that young adult a lifetime of needless struggle. Additionally, confronting a teen with a room full of people and a stranger whose sole purpose is to force that child into a rehab facility will reinforce an imaginary lifelong disease which will not produce any positive long term results.

Teens Are Using…Now What?– Ultimately as parents there is a desire to control teenagers, but unfortunately it is impossible to control another person’s thoughts, choices and behaviors. Parents should be a positive power of example for teens with respect to substance use along with developing a healthy, open relationship that will guide the child through adolescence. Parent should not panic if their teenager begins using and should reflect back to their own teen years and be open about the substance use choices made during those years. If a parent discovers their teen has a drug problem they should avoid becoming confrontational, critical or hysterical, which all are not helpful. Addiction is not a disease; it ultimately comes down to a choice to use or not to use. For more information about choice based alternative to alcohol or drug treatment visit: http://www.soberforever.org

About Saint Jude Retreats: Saint Jude Retreats (http://www.soberforever.net) is a drug and alcohol social education center headquartered in Amsterdam, New York. It is an effective alternative to alcohol rehab and drug treatment centers. Saint Jude Retreats has been helping people overcome alcohol and substance use problems through Cognitive Behavioral EducationSM (CBE) since opening its doors in 1992. CBE and the Saint Jude Retreats program are endorsed by alcohol and drug program internationally acclaimed professionals, such as Dr. Stanton Peele, PhD, Prof. Emeritus David Hanson, PhD; Prof. David Rudy, PhD; Dr. Joy Browne and the late Joseph Vacca, PhD, among others.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebTeenAlcoholDrug/TipSheet/prweb9378077.htm

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The overlooked victims of 9/11: Mental health workers

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

We’ve all heard about the stress experienced by victims of 9/11, but have we ever paused to think about the effect of those terrorist attacks on mental health clinicians who provided care to the victims? A new study by Mary Pulido, Ph.D., from the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the US, provides a sobering account of what it was like for these professionals and reports on the lack of support they received. Her exploratory study, published in Springer’s Clinical Social Work Journal, highlights the critical need to develop training and expand support systems for clinicians in order to combat secondary traumatic stress.

People may suffer symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder through secondary exposure to the trauma histories of others. Disaster mental health workers may be at particularly high risk of this co-called secondary traumatic stress. Not only are they exposed to the stressors and psychic pains experienced by their clients, they carry the professional burden of being expected to remain open and available to their clients on an emotional level. In the case of 9/11, these clinicians were also exposed to the same disaster as those they were helping.

To gain a better understanding of the effects of indirect exposure to terrorism, Pulido conducted in-depth, one-on-one interviews with 26 mental healthclinicians (a combination of therapists, social workers, and psychologists) who had carried out 9/11-related therapeutic work with clients. She asked them about the extent of their work with clients impacted by 9/11; how working with these clients and their issues had affected them; and what types of supports were available to them through their job for handling 9/11-related stress.

The clinicians’ experiences differed based on the type of client: some dealt directly with family members who had lost loved ones, others dealt with people who fled the burning towers, and some worked with individuals considered indirectly exposed, but who were still fearful and symptomatic. Thirty months after the attacks, secondary traumatic stress levels were high among clinicians who provided care to victims of 9/11. The clinicians being interviewed were themselves surprised at the intensity of these stress levels. In addition, they described availability of supervision and agency support as ‘weak’, but said peer support was helpful.

Dr. Pulido concludes: “For many professionals, these interviews, conducted several years after the attacks, served as the first time they had discussed their 9/11 work and the stresses they encountered. This factor alone speaks volumes for the lack of support that they received while providing such intense clinical support for their clients. These findings need to be integrated into training and practice.”

Provided by Springer. For more information: Pulido ML (2012). The ripple effect: lessons learned about secondary traumatic stress among clinicians responding to the September 11th terrorist attacks. Clinical Social Work Journal. DOI 10.1007/s10615-012-0384-3

Tags: clinicians, emotional level, high risk, mental health, mental health workers, post traumatic stress disorder, psychologists, social workers, stressors
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