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The Ripple Effect: Impact of Suicide on Family and Friends
The loss of a person to suicide touches friends, family, and other loved ones who must grapple with a host of emotions in the wake of tragic loss. The pain of suicide bereavement can ripple through personal relationships and affect the emotional health of the community of the individual who was...
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Suicide Prevention and Response: Fostering Trust and Safety in Vulnerable Communities
Suicide carries grief and mourning and encompasses assumptions, histories, and fantasies. It holds the dialectic of abbreviated narratives and hope-filled storylines for those who survive. 2022 U.S. data from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) indicates that 1.6 million adults...
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A Unique and Insidious Grief: Losing a Loved One to Suicide
Deaths by suicide are unquestionably tragic by any measure, but considerably more so when considered in the context of their impact on surviving family members. Most public health initiatives have logically targeted individuals at risk of suicide and promoted prevention efforts accordingly; fewer...
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Meth is Still Ravaging the LGBTQ+ Community, We Must Address the Crisis
As the opioid epidemic continues to dominate national news, another urgent crisis is wreaking havoc in communities throughout the United States. Methamphetamine addiction is on the rise, and it’s hitting communities hard, especially the LGBTQ+ community. November 30th is National...
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Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care: A Step Towards Holistic and Equitable Patient Care
Nearly 60 million U.S. adults live with a behavioral health condition that requires medical assistance, yet stigma, socioeconomic factors, and navigational challenges caused by a fragmented healthcare system are all barriers to care. However, there is a systemic change that could dynamically...
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Treatment Services for Older Adults with Substance Use Disorders
As the leader of Odyssey House, one of the largest non-profit residential and outpatient treatment providers in New York City, I have witnessed firsthand the growing need for specialized services tailored to those struggling with addiction, including older adults. While substance use disorders can...
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Expand Harm Reduction Services to Address Impact of Overdose Crisis on Older Adults
The devastating impact of the overdose crisis in the United States has been well-documented, affecting people from all backgrounds, demographics, and geographic regions. The data tells us that one age group in particular has been overlooked in the overdose crisis – older adults. The rate...
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Blockbuster Movies and Mental Health: Exploring New Narratives in Summer Films
Movie blockbusters have always been a staple of summer entertainment, providing thrilling escapism with larger-than-life characters and spectacular action sequences. However, recent movies like "Inside Out 2" and, even more surprisingly, "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" have added a new dimension to the...
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2024 Funding Available! New York State’s Mental Illness Anti-Stigma Fund Tax Check-off Program – Deadline May 31, 2024
The New York State Office of Mental Health is making funds available for projects that promote mental health stigma reduction across the state. These funds are from revenues received through the voluntary tax check-off program. This program, approved by the legislature in 2016, continues to allow...
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Addressing the Adolescent Behavioral Health Crisis
Over the last year I have been writing about the growing public health crisis of behavioral health challenges among adolescents and young adults, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth. The United Hospital Fund (UHF), in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), recently released The...
