COSIG CONFERENCE BROCHURE.pdf - Drexel University College ...

COSIG Co-Occurring Disorders Conference, Hershey PA, May 15-17, 2006
Addiction Facts
• Addiction has most successful
treatment.
• Cocaine addiction does not have a
lower rate of recovery.
• People can find recovery even if they
are not seeking it.
• Coerced treatment does work.
• The rate of drug abuse among
Caucasians is 8 times higher than
African Americans.
Myths about addiction
• Belief that people should be ready, willing,
and able to do whatever it takes to get
clean & sober.
• Addiction is NOT a brain disorder.
• An addict can never recover from active
use.
•Alladdicts are criminals-they steal to
support their habit.
• Addicts cannot maintain steady
employment.
Mental Illness
Mental Illness
•Mental Illnesses are biologically-based
disorders of the brain that profoundly disrupt a
person’s ability to think, feel and relate to
others.
• Mental Illnesses are not caused by
environment, bad parenting, nor are they
“character flaws” or related to intelligence.
•Cannot be overcome through “will power.”
The person with a mental disorder has
NO CHOICE about having it, just as a
person who has heart disease or cancer
has no choice in getting ill.
Mental Illness
Treatment
• In the U.S., people 18 and older--about 1 in 4
adults--suffer from a diagnosable mental
disorder in a given year.
• 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the
U.S. and other developed countries are mental
disorders, namely major depression, bipolar
disorder, schizophrenia and obsessivecompulsive
disorder.
• According to a poll conducted by
Psychology Today, an estimated 59
million people, or 1 in 4 U.S. adults, have
received some form of mental health
treatment in the past 2 years.
• The vast majority, 48 million, are being
treated with prescription medication.
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