Sovereign Health Launches Groundbreaking, Six-Part Series on the War on Behavioral Health Care

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., July 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sovereign Health, a leading national behavioral health treatment system, has launched a groundbreaking editorial series, "The War on Behavioral Health Care." This six-part series will explore the barriers that prevent people from receiving life-saving treatment for mental illness and addiction. The availability of cheap, synthetic drugs is not the only driver of the U.S. opioid epidemic. Confluences of social, financial, legal and systemic factors, in combination or alone are fueling an addiction and mental health crisis in America. Even as an average 140 people die daily from drug overdose, and countless become addicted every day, beds go empty or are unavailable, all at a time when Americans are dying in record numbers from suicide, drug overdose and alcohol-related illness and accidents.

The first installment, "The War on Behavioral Health Care: Part 1. Stigma Kills," launches today and discusses the stigma surrounding people with mental illnesses and addiction. Despite public awareness campaigns, stigma is alive and well and stops people in their tracks from seeking the care they need. According to a national survey of Americans' attitudes surrounding addiction, most people are:

• Unwilling to have someone with addiction marry into the family
• Unwilling to employ a person with a history of addiction
• Willing to accept discriminatory practices against those affected by addiction
• Skeptical of addiction treatment effectiveness
• In opposition to policies that were helpful to individuals recovering from addiction

Stigma not only marginalizes valuable, competent people from society — it prevents people from seeking life-saving treatment. Stigma drives behavioral health issues into the closet. Stigma multiplies the body counts.

Treatment providers face stigma also. Villainized by media outlets sensationalizing stories about bad actors within the industry, people seeking treatment for themselves or their loved ones may avoid care all together. In reality, the majority of practicing psychiatrists and addiction medicine specialists provide excellent services, often in the face of harassment and opposition. Reimbursement from insurance companies does not cover the cost of running quality treatment centers, and local residents and officials often try to drive behavioral health facilities into the ground. These and other financial considerations will be explored in the next article in this series on the war on behavioral health care.

Look for the next installment, "The War on Behavioral Health Care: Part 2. Financial Feuds,"on Thursday, July 20th.

About Sovereign Health

Sovereign Health's mission is to provide a broad spectrum of high-quality behavioral health treatment services for adults and adolescents, including support services for family members. One factor that differentiates Sovereign from other treatment providers has been the company's ability to offer separate mental health and addiction or dual diagnosis treatment programs at its facilities. For more information, visit www.sovhealth.com.

SOURCE Sovereign Health

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https://www.sovhealth.com