Chemical dependency can creep up on you. For example, you may have had a great reason to start reaching for alcohol or benzos. However, it eventually turns on you. Case in point is the relationship between mental health and substance abuse. Because ultimately, the drugs hook you, there’s help in the form of dual diagnosis…
During the month of June, there’s concerted outreach to inform people about post-traumatic stress disorder. It culminates in PTSD Awareness Day on June 27. Although many of these efforts originate from veterans’ organizations, you don’t have to be a military member to experience it. In fact, there are many people who never saw combat who…
Are you asking yourself, “how to help my girlfriend with depression?” When you care about someone, you don’t want to see them down and depressed. However, you might not know what to do when your girlfriend is having more than the occasional bad day. These suggestions can help both you and her so that her…
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness and reducing stigma. To start our month-long conversation about mental health, we started asking some questions: Mental Health Awareness Month Millions of people in the United States deal with mental health disorders. Yet less than half receive help. Chances are you know someone with…
Dr. Roueen Rafeyan has worked as chief medical officer of Gateway Foundation since 2016 and has been a trailblazer in the field of Addiction Medicine for over 20 years, having served as a medical director for psychiatric and substance use programs at leading Illinois healthcare institutions including Rush, Michael Reese, Resurrection and Presence Behavioral Health.…
There’s a strong correlation between trauma and addiction. Learn why you or a loved one should immediately seek help for both issues to experience dual recovery. What is Trauma? Trauma can occur following any highly stressful or life-threatening event. Traumatic events can fall into several categories including, natural disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes, man-made catastrophes…
Low self-esteem, a perception that one is inadequate, unlovable, unworthy and/or incompetent. It often stems from exposure to dysfunctional behavior as a child. When children bear the brunt of anger, abandonment, abuse, neglect or continual negative criticism, it can lead to feelings of low self-worth. People with chronic self-esteem issues may take on behaviors that…
People who experience both mental health and substance use disorders don’t need treatment for one disorder and then the other. Instead, they need treatment for both disorders at the same time. For this reason, Gateway Foundation offers dual diagnosis treatment in a truly integrated manner. We use an interdisciplinary, team-based approach that includes doctors, psychologists, and licensed…
Gateway Foundation is proud to announce the ASPIRE program at Chicago Independence is the first in Illinois to be designated as a Dual Diagnosis Enhanced (DDE) site. Now that we’ve been recognized with a top dual diagnosis rating, this means ASPIRE is now officially able to treat co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. ASPIRE is the…
Stress and Alcohol Your boss wants the project on their desk first thing tomorrow morning. Your rent is due and you’re short, again. You forgot about your anniversary. It’s Monday. When you finally get home, you have a drink or two to wind down, which isn’t necessarily a problem, not yet. According to Gateway Aurora Executive Director…