David W. Newton

The world is a social place. Tiny babies are expected to connect with their parents, share their toys, and otherwise relate to the people who care for them. Young children are asked to form friendships, work with teachers, and respect their elders. Adults, in turn, might be asked to collaborate, connect and share with their … Read more

Mental illness isn’t a uniquely modern phenomenon. The genetic influences that stand behind some types of mental illnesses, along with the physical and chemical assaults that can spark illnesses in some people, have always been part of human life. But the ways in which impacted people are treated by their peers, as well as the … Read more

Post-rehab residence in a sober living community can be part of an effective recovery plan. The lack of a stable, drug-free, supportive environment after rehab can be a trigger for relapse. Sober living communities provide a safeguard against relapse and can offer a recovering substance abuser the personal space needed to build a new life … Read more

Perhaps nothing brings Americans together like alcohol. Sports game? Beer. Weddings and Christmas parties? Champagne. Romantic evening? Wine. Birthday party? Take your pick. For a country founded by Puritans and a country that once went so far as to ban anything to do with alcohol for more than 10 years, the American infatuation with – … Read more

Ensuring excellent treatment of PTSD and depression in the military Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are common and treatable mental health problems. Without proper treatment, these diagnoses can have a significant impact on soldiers and their families, but little is known about the quality of care provided by the military health system (MHS). To … Read more

The Health-Related Behavior Survey (HRBS) is the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) primary survey of the health, health behaviors and well-being of military personnel. The HRBS, which has been conducted regularly for more than 30 years, covers areas that may affect military readiness or the ability to meet the demands of military life. The Department … Read more

Drug detox is the first step in a comprehensive addiction treatment program for dependence upon alcohol or any addictive substance. Unfortunately, though it is an unavoidable, necessary step in overcoming addiction, many people postpone entering detox due to a perceived inability to pay the bill. What does detox cost? And is it worth the financial investment? Variables … Read more

Dilaudid is an opiate medication, also sold as hydromorphone, and like other opiate medications (e.g., morphine, codeine, etc.) it is a highly addictive substance. There are a number of emotional and physical side effects that can occur as a result of abusing this potent drug – ranging from intense physical symptoms to addiction to death. If … Read more

In any intervention for a drug addict, the disposition of the addict’s family is exceedingly important. Full recovery involves not only restoring the addict’s life, but also ensuring that the people around the addict are also capable of helping with the long-term goal of total abstinence from drugs. What Is Family Support? Family support is … Read more

The African-American community has a statistically higher percentage of substance abuse than the general population. The following are some of the reasons for the high rate of addiction in African Americans: The inferiority complex resulting from the poverty of the urban areas that many African Americans inhabit The high concentration of drug and alcohol sales … Read more

When it comes to alcohol, women lose the battle of the sexes on almost every front. More and more women are struggling with heavy drinking and alcoholism, a disorder that was once believed to be primarily a man’s issue – and they often experience the harmful effects of the disease more rapidly than do men. Due to … Read more

When patients take Vicodin exactly according to their doctor’s prescription – the right dose, at the right time, avoiding other substances that could negatively interact with the medication – there are usually few problems. Some people experience mild side effects, and if they don’t wear off then the doctor simply adjusts the dose or medication … Read more

If you struggle with drug or alcohol problems, there’s a strong chance that you may also be fighting depression, anxiety, mood swings or compulsive behavior. It’s not uncommon for people with mental health disorders to abuse street drugs, prescription medications or alcohol as a way to cope with their moods or control their fears. In fact, the National Survey on … Read more

A buildup of emotions like frustration, anger, self-loathing, depression and anxiety can cause someone to seek an outlet through self-mutilation. A common misconception is to lump suicidal behavior with this deliberate self-harm, sometimes referred to as DSH and other times as NSSI, non-suicidal self-injury. They are, however, not the same and should be considered separately. … Read more

The term “alcohol use disorders” refers to a spectrum of disorders, and it’s rare that two people’s drinking behaviors and the harms caused by their drinking will be defined in exactly the same way. “Heavy drinking” is an especially ambiguous term because it can refer to binge drinking, or it can reference a chronic drinking … Read more

Anyone can get nervous when faced with certain events like meeting someone new, being around a large crowd, or doing something in front of an audience. Social anxiety disorder entails a strong fear of being judged in these situations and other less frightening scenarios. Worrying about normal everyday events for weeks before any of them … Read more

Military Caregiver Curriculum The Elizabeth Dole Foundation asked the RAND Corporation to develop a research agenda to guide future efforts to improve support for military caregivers and veterans. To develop the plan, researchers mapped currently available research on caregiving for adults, children, and older adults with disabilities and gathered stakeholder input through a survey and … Read more

Disorganized type schizophrenia is defined by scattered behaviors that are nonsensical and have no purpose. Also called hebephrenic schizophrenia or just disorganized schizophrenia, patients who are diagnosed with this disorder often have a difficult time having functional relationships with others or being able to manage their day-to-day affairs. Too often, rather than seek medical and psychiatric … Read more

Not very long ago, addiction was considered a moral affliction. Addicts were seen as bad people, willfully selfish and hedonistic, rather than individuals suffering from a mental and physical affliction. After years of research, we now have a more enlightened understanding of addiction with the current model revealing that addiction is a chronic, progressive disease … Read more

As the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed, there is a gender dimension to drug use. With an eye on male versus female patterns of drug use, the survey found: Similar to prior years, there were more men aged 12 and older who were current illicit drug users compared to women of the same … Read more

Chapter 4 — Linkages For Mental Health and AOD Treatment Overview Conventional boundaries between single-focus agencies have impeded the clinical progress of patients who have psychiatric disorders and alcohol and other drug (AOD) use disorders (Baker, 1991; Schorske and Bedard, 1988). The treatment of patients with dual disorders is a clinical challenge, as well as a systems … Read more

I received a phone call from a columnist, Arianna Huffington, on November 22, 1997. She asked me if I would speak to her about Larry Lawrence and his military background. I told her I was only willing to go on the record with my opinion and attached is a copy of what I faxed to … Read more

Holistic medicine focuses on treating the entire person and not just a disorder or affliction. Holistic health care providers believe that an individual is made up of different parts including physical, emotional, environmental and spiritual aspects. All pieces must be addressed and balanced to solve any issues, sickness or disorder, and to make a person … Read more

Human ingenuity is a double-edged sword. Weapons made for protection can be used for murder, and technology developed for sharing information can steal privacy. Similarly, advancements in the fields of chemistry and medicine – ostensibly for healing and improving physical health – can also be turned around and used to poison and corrupt a mind … Read more

Klonopin is a prescription medication that’s a member of the benzodiazepine family. These drugs are designed to soothe electrical impulses in the brain, and they can be very helpful for people dealing with mental illnesses that stem from brain wiring issues. These drugs can also cause changes that some people find pleasurable, and when that … Read more

In a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne called “The Birthmark,” a scientist is married to a lovely woman who has the tiniest of red marks on her cheek. The man notices this flaw right away, and he spends the rest of the story attempting to remove that stain from the face of the woman … Read more

Common household cleaners. Beauty products. Art supplies. They are easily accessible on store shelves or online, and many are stored under the sink and in cabinets around the house. You may think nothing of it, but in the hands of some people, these common products can turn into drugs of abuse – deadly substances that enable … Read more

Chapter 8 — Psychotic Disorders Dual-Focus Perspective This chapter is an overview of current assessment and treatment principles for patients with alcohol and other drug (AOD) use disorders and psychosis. Along with an increased awareness of the treatment needs of patients with these dual disorders, an increased emphasis on service systems has evolved. These and other … Read more

One of the most emotionally debilitating mental disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder causes intense anxiety, intrusive memories and nightmarish flashbacks that interfere with daily life. Many individuals with PTSD will turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to numb their pain or to gain some measure of control in their lives. Chronic substance abuse creates a complicated Dual … Read more

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) as a self-report rating filled out by patients to assist therapists in their ability to measure the signs and symptoms of depression that a patient may be experiencing. With a more thorough evaluation at the onset of treatment, patients can immediately begin a schedule of care that … Read more

It’s funny how one nagging pain can take over so much of our lives. If you have experienced back pain, you have become all too familiar with the limitations that chronic pain can bring. In the US alone, American spend somewhere between $80-100 billion dollars each year on treatments for back pain. Expensive treatments range … Read more

Approximately 23.1 million Americans over the age of 11 were abusing drugs and alcohol in 2012 enough to warrant treatment, despite only 2.5 million of them receiving it.[1] A large portion of these substance abusers are fans of marijuana, which has been decriminalized and legalized in several states in recent years. What few recognize is … Read more

Dual Diagnosis treatment is a relatively new innovation in the field of addiction recovery. Until the 1990s, people who were experiencing symptoms of a mental health disorder — anxiety attacks, depressive episodes, delusional behavior or mood swings — were treated separately from those who sought help for drug or alcohol abuse. When these conditions overlapped, clients … Read more

Three main priorities The primary goal of the military health system (MHS) is to ensure that soldiers suffering from behavioral disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and substance use disorders, receive effective treatment. Soldiers who live geographically far from a military treatment center may have particular difficulty accessing quality care, which can compromise … Read more

Although many people are not familiar with the four types of borderline personality disorder (BPD), the differences between the types are substantial and important to understand. In certain instances, borderline personality disorder co-occurs with alcoholism, presenting a complex dual diagnosis. What Is Impulsive Personality Disorder? Impulsive personality disorder is often seen as the most charismatic … Read more

Everyone has bad days. Whether it’s because of problems at home, at work or in our relationships, we all experience down periods in our lives. For most people, the down periods come and go in a reasonable, ordinary fashion and can be remedied by things that make us happy. But for those who suffer from … Read more

Alcohol use disorders, including chronic drinking, binge drinking and alcohol dependence, negatively impact the drinker physically, emotionally and mentally. No part of a drinker’s life is unharmed by alcohol addiction, and even moderate drinking can add up to increased risk of a number of issues, including liver damage and cirrhosis. Watching your loved one harm their … Read more

Family therapy can play an important role in an individual’s recovery from substance abuse. The addict is not the only person damaged when substance abuse is in play. Rather, every person the addict deals with intimately or on a regular basis can be affected by the addiction. As a result, family therapy is often needed to repair … Read more

Often, primary care professionals and their clients have a profoundly adversarial relationship, when it comes to substance abuse and addiction. Two recent studies prove this point quite well. In the first, published in the journal Addiction, 47 percent of abusers of anabolic-androgenic steroids claimed that they trusted the information they received from their dealers as much as … Read more

Psychotherapy, or individual counseling, has become one of the cornerstones of drug treatment services. Most rehab programs feature two key treatment elements: detox and medication therapy (where applicable) and counseling (individual and group programs often based on the 12-Step model). Some centers also offer complementary services, such as acupuncture, massage and yoga. The important role psychotherapy … Read more

When someone struggles with addiction, the most dangerous part is not the addiction itself but rather the stigma attached to it. When someone is labeled a “stoner” or a “junkie,” it should not be a surprise that the drug abuse often continues. Some people in society believe that those with a substance use disorder have … Read more

Anger is primal, and it’s one of the first emotions small children learn to express. It’s common to see small children throw tantrums when they don’t get what they want, and everyone has seen tiny kids break into physical expressions of anger when they feel particularly affronted. We never grow out of anger, but we … Read more

Sober living homes are excellent resources for those who are interested in an intermediary step between intense residential drug rehab and returning home to attempt outpatient aftercare support treatment services. Sober living offers a number of benefits to patients in recovery but these benefits come with some structure as well. Every sober living home is different, so … Read more

Dreams have been called the brain’s home movies. When the lights are low and sleep sets in, the brain seems to process the events of the day in sight, sound and taste. If the day was pleasant, those dreams might be wonderful. But if the day was filled with some kind of tension or distress, … Read more

The way you perform daily tasks, how you retain and use information, and how your brain wholly functions can collectively be called “cognition.” Cognition is essentially your day-to-day functioning as well as how you can spatially, verbally, and logically relate and problem-solve. When one is affected by mental illness, one or more of these areas … Read more

Trauma can hit even the strongest among us with great force. Of course, physical traumas and injuries are usually visually measureable and can lead to trauma-related physical pain, but emotional trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can also have a profound effect on the human body. Emotional trauma can cause long-lasting brain changes that may lead to … Read more

Hospitals and clinics staffed primarily by military personnel shall provide health care to serving soldiers and, where possible, their dependants, as well as to retirees and their dependants. When facilities are not available, health care for these civilians is provided by the Tricare program, formerly known as the Civilian Health and Medical Assistance Program (CHAMPUS). … Read more

Crime and drug use are almost inexorably linked. In fact, about 80 percent of people who are arrested and placed in prison abuse either drugs or alcohol.[1] Of those who are in prison, about half are clinically addicted to one substance or another.[2] Placing someone in prison for addiction can seem, on the one hand, like an … Read more

Army Captain Jennifer Peace felt like she could finally breathe. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced on television from Peace’s office that she could serve in public, as she had. It’s over, she realized. It was finally over. No more rules about men’s uniforms or cropped hair; no more subordinates awkwardly greeting him as “sir” … Read more

Completing drug or alcohol rehab is a major accomplishment, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s not more work to do. During the weeks, months and even years after completing rehab, individuals in recovery are still at risk for relapse. Having a co-occurring disorder — a mental health condition that occurs along with a substance use … Read more

A majority of Americans today (58 percent) believe that smoking marijuana should be legal (1). At the same time, while most Americans recognize that mental illness is a biological problem, most still say they don’t want somebody who is schizophrenic or depressed as a neighbor or a friend (2). How are these statistics related? They … Read more

Codependence is a type of maladaptive relationship in which two people have an unhealthy reliance upon one another. These relationships can form in families, at work, between friends, or elsewhere. The codependent person takes the role of a rescuer or confidant for someone struggling with issues such as irresponsibility, immaturity, underachievement, mental health disorders, or … Read more

Mood swings – we all experience them, right? One day you’re feeling on top of the world, the next day you’re irritable and yelling at drivers while in traffic. Some attribute the shift to bad days, hormones, or just feeling a little bit funky. For others, these mood swings are persistent and unpredictable, causing problems … Read more

Marijuana is not the easy breezy, laidback substance that so many make it out to be. For many users, it can induce feelings of paranoia and have a negative effect on mood. It’s a problem, but it’s not one that is stopping too many people from indulging in the substance. According to the United Nations Office … Read more

Chapter 6 — Anxiety Disorders Definitions and Diagnoses The anxiety disorders are the most common group of psychiatric disorders. The term anxiety refers to the sensations of nervousness, tension, apprehension, and fear that emanate from the anticipation of danger, which may be internal or external. Anxiety disorders describe different clusters of signs and symptoms of anxiety, panic, and phobias. A panic … Read more

A patient who is struggling with both a drug and/or alcohol problem and a psychiatric or emotional disorder is said to be living with a co-occurring disorder, or a Dual Diagnosis. These issues can have signs that intertwine and affect each other, causing the patient to experience serious problems with symptom management. How can you tell … Read more

In any given year, about 5.2 million adults have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Each person with PTSD is different. They are of different ages, different races, different backgrounds, and different belief systems. They all may have come to mental illness via different routes, too, but they all share … Read more

Those who struggle with insomnia disorder have a hard time falling asleep at night, staying asleep for the duration of the night, or both. It is an issue for many in the United States and the disorder can cause a host of related problems that come with risks of their own. The National Institute on Neurological … Read more

Money and power are often linked with health and prestige. It’s assumed that professionals who have achieved some level of success just have less to worry about, when compared with the average person, and they might not develop addictions or substance abuse problems as a result. It’s assumed that their high status in their communities will protect … Read more

Each Vicroprofen pill contains two active ingredients: hydrocodone and ibuprofen. When these two elements work together, they can bring about a great deal of pain relief. But the pills are designed to deliver that relief for a very short period of time. According to the Mayo Clinic, doctors shouldn’t provide Vicoprofen pills for longer than 10 … Read more

Rape affects people of all backgrounds, ages and genders. Rape is a traumatic experience and many rape survivors suffer long-term consequences. Sometimes, substance use can become a way to self-medicate painful feelings, or compulsive behaviors may serve as a way to gain a sense of control over life. If you have been raped and currently … Read more

A case study of military surgical technicians How to harmonize medical training for all types of weapons? Currently, the Air Force, Army and Navy maintain their own schools and train their own medical professionals differently. The 2005 recommendation of the Armed Forces Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended the creation of a joint medical education … Read more

Borderline personality disorder, or BPD, is a debilitating condition that is often misrepresented in popular culture and misunderstood by the general public. BPD distorts the individual’s self-perception and interferes with their ability to maintain stable relationships. Those who suffer from BPD are seen as highly manipulative, dependent and dramatic, but mental health professionals understand that … Read more

Schizoaffective disorder is characterized by a combination of schizophrenia and mood disorders. A hard disease to categorize, it usually features one or more of the primary symptoms of schizophrenia (delusions, disorganized behavior, hallucinations, etc.) and manic episodes that may or may not include depression. Imagine the difficulty of schizoaffective disorder treatment when it is combined … Read more

A serious mental health disorder characterized by a range of different intrusive symptoms, patients who are diagnosed with schizophrenia are usually prescribed medication to assist them in managing these symptoms. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), antipsychotic medications are the first line of pharmacological defense against symptoms of schizophrenia and similar disorders. The original … Read more

More people than ever are being treated for depression. Unfortunately, they may not be the people who actually need treatment. A new study published August 29, 2016, in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that of 46,417 adults, 8.4 percent of them screened positive for depression. Yet of those 3,899 people, only 28.7 percent received any treatment.1 That means … Read more

It’s not always easy to tell when someone you care about is struggling with chronic drug abuse or drug addiction and needs drug rehab. Maybe you don’t see them often enough to know what else is going on in their lives that could be a potential cause for the changes you’re noticing. Maybe they’ve been going through … Read more

When talking about recovery from drugs and alcohol abuse, the phrase “12-Step support groups” is used a lot. Because you only ever hear them in the context of treatment and rehabilitation, there’s a lot of misconception and mystery over what these groups are, what happens in these groups, what their goals are, and how they help … Read more

Views from the Health Providers In the United States, there are 5.5 million men and women who support a current or former member of the military with a disability or disabling condition. These individuals – we call them military caregivers – are often unpaid and often have other work and family responsibilities. They are our … Read more

Why is alcohol such a hard drug to kick? Researchers think it’s due to the chemical changes each sip can cause deep inside the cells of the brain. In a study in Science Translational Medicine, researchers discovered that alcohol touches parts of the brain called the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex, which are both involved in a … Read more

Fentanyl is an incredibly powerful medication that’s designed to help people cope with severe, overwhelming pain. Not surprisingly, then, it’s associated with some very serious side effects in people who abuse it for recreational purposes. Specifically, it’s been linked to overdoses. In one study, published in the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, researchers note … Read more

Getting into a drinking or drug problem can be insidiously easy: just one drink to celebrate a happy occasion, or a puff of a joint or a line of coke at a party, and a few months later you’ve lost everything. Getting out of a drinking or drug problem isn’t often easy, but that doesn’t … Read more

In 2011, about 10 percent of American adults admitted that they were in recovery from a drug or alcohol abuse problem, according to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. Each and every person who moved from substance abuse to sobriety likely dealt with transition concerns. They probably wondered what they should do or say or think in … Read more

Addiction is a powerful enemy, and the weapon to fight it – namely, treatment – is similarly potent. When wielded improperly, carelessly or unprofessionally, treatment can be as damaging and destructive as the addiction it is supposed to combat. That is why treatment accreditation exists: to promote healthy rehabilitative institutions and practices, and to protect … Read more

Much has been written and discussed about the increase in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol abuse, sexual violence, suicide and other mental health problems among soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan after 13 years of armed conflict. These problems are considered among the most serious in military healthcare, for which scientific solutions are needed. All … Read more

Anxiety can take many forms. For some, it’s a feeling of nervousness sparked by a person, a place or a thing. For others, it’s an undertow of worry caused by an unresolved event from the past. For still others, it’s a constant presence brought about by something they just can’t name. All of these people … Read more

Blending one drug with another is a common technique medical professionals use in order to treat very serious medical and physical illnesses. By using different medications that work on different receptors, they hope to provide people with the kind of relief they might not get if they only used one medication at a time. For … Read more

If you are physically dependent upon hydrocodone and would like to stop taking the drug, your doctor will recommend that you taper off your dose until you are no longer using the substance at all. This is a simple process that does not require any further support or treatment – as long as you are not psychologically … Read more

Alcoholism is one of the leading lifestyle-related causes of disease and death in the United States. According to statistics from the University of California at San Francisco, alcohol abuse is responsible for 1,400 disease-related deaths, 17,000 motor vehicle fatalities and 500,000 injuries in the US each year. The longer you drink heavily, and the more alcohol you … Read more

The word “codependency” is somewhat controversial. To some, it’s a word that could be applied to a reasonable set of behaviors a family engages in when facing a substance abuse problem. To others, it’s a mental illness that arises due to a substance abuse problem that happened many, many years ago. To still others, the disorder doesn’t … Read more

One of the most moving talks I ever heard was given by former U.S. Senator George McGovern. He spoke eloquently about his daughter Terry, who had both alcoholism and depression. He gave a detailed account of all that he, his wife and many others did to help Terry recover, only to be shocked and saddened … Read more

The goal of an intervention is to help addicted loved ones begin their journey to healing in the following ways: Recognize that they are struggling with a life-altering disorder Envision a life in recovery for themselves Accept immediate treatment However, even when the family does everything right and stages the perfect intervention, it is still possible that … Read more

I received this article from George on  August 1997. Following a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, George did his “homework” and compiled this wonderful tribute to Arlington National Cemetery. George, many thanks for sharing it with me and for giving me permission to post your portion of it here. This lovely tribute to Arlington was … Read more

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental health disorder, one that is defined by extreme mood swings. Those who live with bipolar disorder often fight madly to escape the deep depressive episodes they experience – and strive just as hard to achieve and maintain the ebullient manic episodes that also characterize the disorder. Many bipolar patients report that they feel … Read more

In most types of bipolar disorder, a patient struggles with episodes of depression and episodes of mania, or high energy, in a cyclical pattern, but mixed bipolar disorder is defined by the experience of episodes characterized by both mania and depression simultaneously or in quick sequence. Those who experience mixed episodes are often diagnosed with bipolar … Read more