National Depression Screening Day is to be held this year on Thursday October 5, 2017. Created by the nonprofit, Screening for Mental Health, NDSD is dedicated to raising awareness and screenings for people with depression, and related mood or anxiety disorders. The purpose of the day is to screen as many people as possible and…
The National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the Centers for Disease Control, estimates that drug overdoses killed 64,070 people in the United States last year, a rise of 21% from 2015. To put this into perspective, the drug overdoses in 2016 killed at almost double the rate from both firearms and vehicles. Additionally,…
On July 13, 2013, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Health and Human Services announced the largest ever health care fraud enforcement action by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, involving 412 charged defendants (including doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professional) for alleged health care fraud schemes. Of the 412 defendants, over 120…
The entertainment industry was saddened by the unexpected death of “True Blood” actor Nelsan Ellis on July 8, 2017. On July 10, 2017, Ellis’s family revealed that he had died as a result of attempting to withdraw from alcohol on his own, without medical supervision. In a statement released through Ellis’s manager to the Hollywood…
Choosing the right drug and alcohol treatment center can be one of the most important decisions you will make in regards to you or your loved one’s health. While it is true, that not all doctors have the same level of expertise and competency, the same can be said for treatment facilities. Treatment centers can…
More and more people are discovering the benefits of yoga for those individuals who are seeking recovery from addiction. Roy King, PhD, MD from Stanford University has studied the biological impact of yoga on drug abuse. What he found is that by inhibiting the dopamine impulse, which addicts get from using, yoga helps to inhibit…
President Trump has declared May 2017 as National Mental Health Awareness Month. The proclamation recognizes the millions of American families affected by mental illness and calls to redouble our efforts to ensure that people who suffer can get the care and the treatment they need. The proclamation reports that nearly 10 million Americans suffer from…
Survivors of sexual violence process trauma in a variety of ways, ranging from rage and grief to apathy and disassociation; it is important to understand that there is not one pattern of response to a sexual assault. Subsequently, individuals who experience sexual assault are at much higher risk of developing substance abuse issues. Research shows…
April is Alcohol Awareness month. Established in 1987 by the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence (NCADD) to help reduce the stigma associated with alcoholism by sharing information and education on alcohol abuse and recovery every April. Alcoholism, can be evidenced by a loss of control such as not being able to stop drinking…
It is now well documented, and publicized, that the United States is in the midst of a terrible and fatal opioid drug epidemic. On March 29, 2017, it was announced that New Jersey governor Chris Christie will lead a new national opioid commission whose task will be to figure out ways to fight the opioid…