It became abundantly clear to me this past year when working on Ohio’s biennial budget that there is still a great deal of stigma and ignorance related to addiction and mental illness, and that for the most part, state and local leaders and legislators still do not understand that mental illness and addiction are diseases, and that the treatment of these diseases should in fact be considered a part of mainstream healthcare. One good example of this would be that through three budget cuts in State Fiscal Year 2009, Governor Strickland stated that he held healthcare harmless, yet each and every time both the Ohio Departments of Mental Health, and Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services were cut. In fact in all cases the percentages of cuts were some of the highest in the state. Additionally, related to addiction, on more than one occasion we heard comments from legislators, to the effect that addiction is a self imposed condition and not a “real” disease, therefore we should not continue to press the issue of funding for this condition.

Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bi-polar disease, panic disorder and compulsive obsessive disorder are biologically based brain disorders that can profoundly disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate with others and the capacity for coping with the demands of life.

Substance abuse/addiction is a complex brain disease. It is a chronic disease characterized by craving, seeking, and use that can persist even in the face of extremely negative consequences. Alcohol and other drug seeking behavior may become compulsive in large part as a result of the effects of prolonged use on brain functioning and on behavior.

Please stay tuned over the next several weeks as we begin an educational series on DISEASES OF THE MIND!

Have a great week!