KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — A concerning and growing number of Americans are struggling with mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) issues as the pandemic enters its fifteenth month. According to an American Psychological Association poll of nearly 1,800 psychologists, 74 percent said they were seeing more patients with anxiety disorders compared with before the pandemic, and 60 percent said they were seeing more patients with depressive disorders. Preliminary data on drug overdose deaths released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revealed a 29 percent increase in overdose deaths during October 2019 to September 2020 compared to the previous 12-month period.
“What we are seeing as therapists is significantly more depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and addiction,” said national family expert Patricia Caldwell, MFT LPC CAADC CCDP-D CCTP, who serves as Vice President of Family and Clinical programming at King of Prussia -based Recovery Centers of America, a national network of evidence-based treatment centers for SUD and co-occurring mental health conditions. “Simultaneously it is extremely difficult to find a therapist as there is a nationwide shortage.“
To help support individuals, families, and communities with mental health and addiction issues both during and in the aftermath of the pandemic, RCA has launched a full spectrum of weekly mental health and addiction educational seminars to help support, connect, and educate families and the community about these issues at no charge. Created originally to help those in acute need including RCA patient families in six states, the programming now offers continuous information needed by the community at large to help build solutions to the nationwide mental health crisis, one family at a time.
Community members are encouraged to join these inspiring and informative webinars, filled with empowering speakers sharing their stories of hope, connection and tools for coping.
Virtual classes and seminars designed by Caldwell, a national speaker on addiction and mental health, are now offered to anyone in the community who is interested, free of charge, to assist struggling individuals and families. The webinars feature different topics each week by Caldwell and top experts in the mental health and substance use disorder field such as: “The disease model of addiction,” “How to set up boundaries with a loved one in recovery,” “Understanding ADHD,” and “How complex PTSD affects individuals.”
“We are opening our doors to everyone who wishes to participate,” said Caldwell. “Because of the great need for mental health education in our communities, we wanted to have a larger conversation with families and individuals about mental health and substance use disorder. By reducing stigma through education and providing knowledge and tools to people, we hope to assist family members in addressing these issues and help prevent crisis in our communities.”
RCA’s successful Seeds to Recovery family program, for those whose loved ones have an addiction or are in recovery, as well as other special programming for first responder families, called Badges to Recovery, are among the virtual programs being offered to the community on some Thursdays and Saturdays. RCA also hostswebinars on the important topic of Medication Assisted Therapy facilitated by RCA medical directors and the VP of Family and Clinical programming.
The social distancing and isolation demanded by the pandemic has been especially difficult for young adults. According to the Center for Disease Control, the majority of adults with substance use disorders started using substances during their teen and young adult years and also experience higher rates of physical and mental illnesses, diminished overall health and well-being, and potential progression to addiction. Accordingly, some RCA programming accessible to all in the community focuses exclusively on the young adult age group who have been disparately impacted by mental health issues and addiction while challenged simultaneously with a nationwide shortage of therapists.
“The decline in mental health among young adults during the pandemic is in part due to blocked social development caused by isolation. At that age, peer relationships become a priority and provide outlets for emotional dialogue. However, the pandemic stripped these young people of the ability to socialize in a way that is needed for brain development by curtailing social outings and in person interaction. Inherently this caused more young adults to withhold how they feel because of the absence of their peers who would normally be there.”
Families can tune into special panel discussion events featured by RCA throughout the year, such as “Mental Health Awareness in Light of the Pandemic – Ways to Address Anxiety and Depression for You and Your Family,” ( 5/26 at 5:30 E.T.) and other topics relevant to mental health. Registration link here.
For those already in recovery from an SUD, dozens of monthly events and programs centered around sobriety and social engagement, both live and virtual, are also offered by RCA to assist both graduates of RCA treatment called Alumni and others in recovery who wish to participate.
Continuing education courses for professionals in the treatment industry through the RCA Academy for Addiction and Behavioral Health Professionals are accessible at no charge several times a month. Last year, RCA Academy had 9,165 attendees for a wide variety of certified RCA classes. This year, so far, over 5000 total attendees have participated in RCA Academy continuing education classes on a plethora of relevant topics.
“We are committed to being a part of the community solution in the fight against addiction and mental health issues play a large part in substance use disorders. This past year has been difficult for so many families and community members because of isolation, unemployment rates, and anxiety associated with the pandemic. RCA wants people to know that they are not alone, that communities and families are stronger when they are united, and RCA is pleased to offer access to important information and help at no cost to individuals, families, and substance use disorder professionals in addition to our RCA alumni.” said Caldwell.
For information on programming, please see links above and for media interviews, please contact tmalenfant@recoverycoa.com.
About Recovery Centers of America
Recovery Centers of America (1-800-Recovery) is based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and provides evidence-based addiction care at 10 inpatient treatment centers, 8 outpatient facilities, and 5 opioid treatment programs spanning Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Indiana, and Chicagoland. Four RCA substance use disorder treatment facilities were recently named as 2020 best U.S. treatment facilities that focus on addiction by a leading national statistics firm and media outlet. RCA has also pioneered a successful comprehensive telehealth addiction treatment program to expand services to patients. For media interviews, contact tmalenfant@recoverycoa.com.
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SOURCE Recovery Centers of America
