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…
February is teen dating violence awareness month. However, it’s nothing to celebrate. Unlike Valentine’s Day with its hearts and candies, this occasion spells trouble. Most importantly, it has far-reaching consequences. Understanding the Importance of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month If you’re an adolescent in a romantic relationship, you might not know what’s normal and what…
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…
What is Seeking Safety? Seeking Safety quickly and effectively addresses the root causes of substance use disorders, and helps people feel safe immediately. It is an evidence-based practice with proven results for treating substance use disorders and trauma that is both flexible and empowering. Group and individual treatment using Seeking Safety is present-focused, and does not require clients to…
Now more than ever, TV series and movies have been showing characters coping with mental illness while a growing list of celebrities have been speaking out about their own struggles with mental health disorders, helping to continue the national conversation and to change the stigma of mental health. Changing the Stigma of Mental Health Though mental…
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…
Many people perceive loneliness to be a problem that mostly affects older populations. However, a new Cigna study found that Americans, as a whole, are disconnecting from mental health, with adolescents and young adults reporting the highest rates of loneliness. So what’s behind this wave of isolation? While some people blame the younger generations’ fixation on social…