| Summary: | With the emerging knowledge of the nature of addiction and compulsion in their many forms, evidence from many quarters is foreshadowing our next great epidemic. Already addiction ranks as our number one public health problem, dramatically outdistancing in financial costs compared to other illnesses such as cancer and diabetes. Unfortunately, deep public prejudice against mental health and addiction professionals as inept or even fraudulent is a steep barrier to the changes we need to make.The good news is that other countries have pioneered models for changing cultural attitudes. Further, catalytic combinations from genetics, trauma research, neuroscience, emotional regulation, and addiction treatment have cleared a path of hope via effective, core strategies that all clinicians and their patients can access. The real questions are, do we have the resolve and do we have time?
|
|---|