For those who wish to use their insurance and are willing to be seen by psychiatric residents (physicians in training) working closely with Dr. Vinson, there is an exciting new treatment option for child and adolescent patients. In collaboration with Morehouse School of Medicine and Families First, Dr. Vinson will be providing psychiatric assessment and treatment services. For appointments, please call 404-853-2811.
This year the national conference for the American Psychiatric Association will be held right here in Atlanta. In addition to my involvement in the community outreach event which is open and free to the public (check out the earlier blog entry), I will be chairing two events during the conference - a media presentation based on the Nina Simone Netflix Documentary - What Happened Miss Simone and a Multidisciplinary Symposium with perspectives from psychiatry, psychology and law on Racial Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System.
While there is much we still do not know, and frankly can never know definitively about Prince’s death, in the two weeks since a variety of sources – a man claiming to be a former drug dealer, a former family members attorney, medical professionals and an addiction doctor’s attorney - have been quoted in numerous stories pointing to opioid addiction as a factor. The autopsy results have yet to be released.
If reports that Prince received naloxone (brand name Narcan) during an emergency medical landing just 6 days before his death are true, this in and of itself is telling. This is a medication used for one purpose: to reverse the effects of opioid overdose.
If opioid addiction contributed to Prince’s death, the tragedy of the loss is made even more acute by the fact that drug addiction is a treatable condition. Opiate addiction in particular, has highly effective FDA-approved medication options in addition to psychosocial interventions.
It is an undeniable truth that treatment is not always readily available. Approximately 13% of Americans do not have health insurance and insurance is no guarantee that a suitable treatment facility or program accepting one’s coverage is available. For most, the alternative of paying cash or out of pocket is prohibitively expensive. For Prince, though, who left behind a fortune in excess of 300 million dollars, money and the access to treatment that it affords most certainly were there.
As a mental health professional, I can’t help but to wonder if stigma killed Prince.
The stories of people with drug addiction do not have to end with death or imprisonment. Whether or not the autopsy results reveal that opioids contributed to Prince’s death, this is an area that merits our collective attention and effort. According to the CDC, Opioids killed more than 28,000 people in 2014, more than any year on record.
So, what now?
On Sat. May 14th, Morehouse School of Medicine will host a Community outreach event regarding mental health and juvenile justice. It is free to the public. The event has a number of collaborators including Morehouse, GCCAP, The Carter Center and the GA Black Women Attorneys. Dr. Vinson was instrumental in the planning process and will serve as the moderator for the panels.
The formal program is from 1-4 pm and it will be followed by a reception and resource fair. Panelists include lawyers, a judge, child mental health professionals and parents. The resource fair includes mental health, advocacy and legal organizations. Refreshments will be served during the fair. The target audience is community members, parents, advocates, policymakers and providers.
For more info. and to reserve a seat, go to APApsy.ch/CommunityEvent.
A – Accept your family for who they are. The old saying is true - you do not choose your family. If you are choosing to spend the holidays with them though, they must have some redeeming virtues. Human behavior is stubborn as are relationship patterns, so it is more likely than not that whatever grating quirks or habits family members had last year have not disappeared. Acceptance allows you to spend more of your mental energy and time enjoying your loved ones rather than frustrating yourself trying to change them.
B – Budget now. Money is a constant stressor for families, and with travel, big meals, and gifts, the holidays can intensify money-associated stress. Knowing what you have to work with and planning accordingly can help set realistic family expectations and take off some of the pressure. Planning ahead also can give you time to shop around for lodging options if you’re traveling and not staying with family.
C – Celebrate Conscientiously. Parties, vacation days and more people on the road combine to increase the risk of legal, or potentially worse, consequences from impaired driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during major holiday periods 40 percent of vehicle crash fatalities involve a drunk driver and in the Christmas/New Year’s Eve season, an average of 304 people die in drunk driving crashes. If a designated driver was not decided upon before the festivities, the use of car-sharing services provides a back-up for safe travels home. (Just be sure your phone is charged, so you can use the app.!)