A NY Times philosophy blogger challenges the hijacked brain metaphor for addiction: It might be tempting to claim that in an addiction scenario, the drugs or behaviors are the hijackers. However, those drugs and behaviors need to be done by the person herself (barring cases in which someone is given drugs and may be made … Continue reading Disease and choice
Author: Jason Schwartz
I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I currently serve as the Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care for a healthcare system. I've also served as the Director of Behavioral Health at another hospital. I'm also a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work.
Views expressed here are my own.
Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.
Integrated care?
Pat Deegan bites her nails at the prospect of integrated care for mental health care (The same thing is happening with addiction treatment): Is recovery going the way of the dinosaur? Is recovery-transformation an old idea that should give way to more enlightened policies of integrated, co-located behavioral and physical healthcare services? These days, I … Continue reading Integrated care?
Residential?
From the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control: 11. Finding: Traditionally, U.S. Presidents – through ONDCP – have divided drug demand reduction into two main categories: prevention and treatment. However, the Obama Administration has added a third area: recovery. For the first time ever, in its 2010 National Drug Control Strategy, ONDCP focused on the need to invest in … Continue reading Residential?
An exciting time for pharma
Ugh! This Join Together article reads like a ad for pharma: Many people struggling with alcohol dependence who could benefit from medication are not receiving it, according to an expert who spoke at the recent American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. “Antidepressant prescribing is 100 to 200 times as great as prescriptions for medications approved to … Continue reading An exciting time for pharma
When the bubble bursts
A while back, a colleague introduced me to Shattered Assumptions. The book posits that we are able to engage in our day to day life because we assume: The world is benevolent The world is meaningful The self is worthy When a traumatic event destroys these assumptions, rebuilding them is a task that is central … Continue reading When the bubble bursts
Depression, exercise, research and the media
A recent study on treating depression with exercise encouragement and advice has caused quite a stir. Check out the headlines. But the paper itself says the following: The main implication of our results is that advice and encouragement to increase physical activity is not an effective strategy for reducing symptoms of depression. Although our intervention increased … Continue reading Depression, exercise, research and the media
Marijuana penalty reduction proposals in New York
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed big changes in marijuana policy in his state: "There's a blatant inconsistency. If you possess marijuana privately, it's a violation. If you show it in public, it's a crime," Cuomo said. "It's incongruous. It's inconsistent the way it's been enforced. There have been additional complications in relation to the stop-and-frisk … Continue reading Marijuana penalty reduction proposals in New York
What we spend on health
This infographic is from a report on obesity and it's set off a debate its accuracy. But it gets at a point I've made before. And, the more I learn, the clearer it becomes that this general principle applies to medical problems, mental health problems and addiction. To me, this doesn't make a case for … Continue reading What we spend on health
Vintage Soviet Poster
[via Brain Pickings]
Failure to rescue
Atul Gawande found that hospitals have high rates of variance in post surgical complications but the reason is not what he expected. But there continue to be huge differences between hospitals in the outcomes of their care. Some places still have far higher death rates than others. And an interesting line of research has opened … Continue reading Failure to rescue
Recovery Review 