David
Wright interviewed Dr. David Mee-Lee about dual diagnosis services.
This is treatment for people with co-occurring substance us and mental
health problems. Dr. Mee-Lee consults with Santa Clara County
departments of Alcohol and Drugs as well as Mental Health. As such I
have had the opportunity to attend his trainings as well as sit in
consultation of cases with him. He is a pioneer of motivation
interviewing, and he works with the call center on being able to figure
out what people would like to get from mental health. “You start at the
door they open and where they let you in rather than telling them they
have to work on a problem they don’t think they have. Work on what
they’re there for and from that point move to how their substance use
and their mental health problems have been shooting themselves in the
foot, preventing them from getting what they really want.
This
article is best when it talks about rehabilitation of mental health and
substance abuse problems. “Recover doesn’t necessarily mean they’re
cured when you’re talking about a chronic illness—no more than if
somebody with diabetes or hypertension or asthma. … A person suffering
from a mental illness
as well as a substance problem won’t be able to be cured in the sense
that they will never have a mental health problem or substance problem
again. They can recover, meaning they can live beyond just the fact
that they have alcoholism or a mental illness. They can have goals and
aspirations and be empowered to have hope to change their life in terms
of their relationships, in terms of productivity in the community, and
reaching their dreams and aspirations. … Recover really means
stabilizing their mental health and substance problem, but then living
and growing to have an identity beyond just their illness.”
Dr.
Mee-Lee concludes with advice for family and community. The first is
to realize that mental illness is not unusual. There is “nothing
bizarre or weird about…having substance problems or mental health
issues. The second point he makes is that there is help for mental
illness. Getting treatment sooner rather than later leads to a better
result.
No comments:
Post a Comment