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Why Trauma Informed Care with Vulnerable Populations?
A vulnerable population can be described as a group of persons whose range of options is severely limited, who are frequently subjected to coercion in decision making, or who may be compromised in their ability to give informed consent (U.S. National Library of Medicine). There are many populations...
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Treating Vulnerable, Mentally Ill Patients Who Are Navigating the U.S. Criminal Justice System
It is an alarming statistic that more people with serious mental illness are housed in America’s jails than in the nation’s hospitals (Torrey, E. F., Kennard, A. D., Eslinger, D., et al. 2010. More mentally ill persons are in jails and prisons than hospitals: a survey of the states....
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The NYSPA Report: Taking Stock and Taking Leave
Advocacy must be unending, ongoing work because there is always more to accomplish and always the danger that hard-won gains may be undone. For the past 14 years I have either written or edited the work of guest columnists for the quarterly NYSPA Report in Behavioral Health News (BHN) or in Mental...
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LGBTQ: A Community in Need of Effective Care
As the current heroin epidemic holds the nation in its grips, due in part to the over-prescription of opioid pain medications, there is another drug that continues to take its toll on the LGBTQ community: crystal methamphetamine. Crystal methamphetamine is not new to this community. According to...
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Substance Use and Treatment Services for the LGBTQ Community
Research reveals that individuals who identify as being part of the LGBTQ community represent a higher percentage of substance users as compared to those who do not identify. In fact, there are estimates to maintain that about 20 to 30 percent of the LGBTQ population is using substances as compared...
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Substance Use Disorder and the LGBTQ Youth Community
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compared with the general population, gay and bisexual men, lesbian and transgender individuals have higher rates of substance abuse, are more likely to use alcohol and drugs and to continue heavy drinking into later life...
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BHN Fall 2016 Issue
"Behavioral Health and the LGBTQ Community” Articles in This...
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Maintaining Recovery as a Central Focus of Substance Use Disorder Services
For years, the health care system treated addiction as an acute condition: an individual battling addiction would be diagnosed, treated, guided to support and then left to their own devices on whether to succeed, or fail, in recovery. The good news is: for New York State, that is no longer the...
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Make a 2016 Resolution to Talk About Mental Illness: Your Story Could Change a Life
As we look to the new year and the resolutions we can make to improve our lives and the lives of others, Beacon Health Options (Beacon) urges you to resolve to break the silence and stamp out the stigma around mental illnesses. Talk about it; your story could change a life. Today, Beacon, the...
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Looking Ahead: The Future of Behavioral Health
Integrated care that aims to treat the whole person, including addiction, mental health and primary care needs, is changing the landscape of healthcare. These changes are ushering in a new era for addictions professionals. The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (NYS...
