Blogs
Breaking the Cycle: Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in the Criminal Justice System
By: Jon Berg, M.Ed., Senior Public Health Advisor, SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment For persons with an opioid use disorder who are in the …
Identifying The 5 Stages of Addiction
Identifying the 5 Stages of Addiction Addiction to drugs or alcohol occurs for many reasons, but regardless of the motivation behind substance use disorders, chemical …
Can You Become Addicted to Heroin on the First Try?
Is It Possible to Get Addicted to Heroin on the First Try? Following a year of record-setting opioid-related deaths–where drugs killed more people than AIDS …
Breaking the Shame Cycle in Recovery
The Shame Cycle As I continue to walk the road of recovery with my clients, I am more and more convinced that we are as …
SPRAVATO, First New Depression Medication in 30 Years, Approved by FDA
The Benefits of Spravato In a historic vote, the FDA has approved Janssen Pharmaceutical’s new medication, Spravato™, for clinical depression. This is the first time …
SAMHSA Funding Opportunity: Increasing Engagement in Substance Use Treatment for Minorities Living with or At-risk for HIV
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) through its Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) to …
Study on Flakka Reveals Use by 1% of Teens
Almost 1% of U.S. Teenagers Reported Using Flakka A recent survey of high school students revealed that almost 1% of American teens knowingly used flakka …
Three African American Leaders Making an Impact on Mental Health in the Community
By: Larke N. Huang, Ph.D., Director, SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity and Roslyn Holliday-Moore, M.S., Public Health Analyst, SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity …
SAMHSA Urges Focus on Synergistic Epidemics of Substance Use Disorder, HIV, and Viral Hepatitis
Summary: SAMHSA chief urges grantees and partners to address infectious diseases as integral part of the response to the substance use disorders epidemic. In a …
Recovery In An Anxious Culture
How to Recover from Substance Abuse in an Anxious Culture In my last blog entry, I mentioned that we would be exploring the “legs” of …
Suicide—and a Reflection on Our Changing American Society
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data on the ten leading causes of death in the United States recently. Tragically, suicide—too often …
Struggling with Addiction? Tips on Finding Quality Treatment
It can be overwhelming and confusing to know where to start if you need to find treatment for an alcohol or drug addiction. Addiction touches …
SAMHSA Launches the 2019 Communities Talk: Town Hall Meetings to Prevent Underage Drinking
Alcohol continues to be the most widely used substance of abuse among America’s youth. Recognizing the power of community to raise awareness of the prevalence …
New Year’s Resolution 2019: Tobacco-Free Recovery
By: Doug Tipperman, MSW, Tobacco Policy Liaison, SAMHSA Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs Quitting smoking is a resolution many smokers set for themselves. It’s …
Successes, Challenges, Opportunities: World AIDS Day 2018
By: Tammy R. Beckham, DVM, PhD, Acting Director, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Cross post from …
Addressing Opioid Use Disorder with Mothers-to-Be
Treatment for opioid use disorder is a process that should be carefully managed by a patient and their health care team. This is especially true …
Honoring Culture: A Public Health Approach
By: Ramon Bonzon, M.P.H., Public Health Advisor, Targeted Populations Branch, SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment November is National Native American Heritage Month. During this …
Supporting Those Who Serve
By: Cicely K. Burrows-McElwain, LSCW-C, Military and Veteran Affairs Liasion, SAMHSA’s Office of Policy, Planning and Development In or out of uniform, many service members …
SAMHSA Joins with Entertainers Torrey and Liberty DeVitto to Emphasize the Dangers of Underage Drinking and Substance Use
By: Robert M. Vincent, Public Health Analyst, SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention During adolescence, young people have new life experiences and enjoy greater freedom …
Safely Dispose of Prescription Drugs – National Prescription Take Back Day 2018
By: Frances M. Harding, Director, SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that …
New Tool Offers Hope to People Experiencing Early Serious Mental Illness and their Families
One of the most important advances in treating serious mental illness in recent years is improving care for people experiencing a first onset of serious …
Using Data to Improve Effective Responses to Individuals in Crisis
In a previous blog post, I wrote about crisis intervention teams and their effectiveness in improving outcomes for people experiencing a crisis due to a mental …
From a Physician Assistant in Fairbanks to a Vending Machine in Interior Alaska: Witnessing Tribal Health Solutions Firsthand
By: Eric D. Hargan, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Cross posted from the HHS Blog Summary: After visiting tribal communities in …
Let’s Help our Youth Change the Way They Look at Mental Health
Mental health is central to everyone’s well-being, particularly adolescents, teens, and young adults. Our youth are active in their communities where they initiate growth, lead …