Does a mental health issue lead to substance use? Does substance abuse lead to a mental health issue? The answers to those questions are not clear, but we do know millions of adults in the United States have both. A very small percentage of people receive treatment for both conditions and most don’t receive any treatment at all. Research has shown that treatment addressing both conditions at the same time has better outcomes with lower costs, yet it still isn’t happening nearly enough.

During this hour-long broadcast, Exploring the Link; Drugs & Mental Health, we’ll look at the most common co-occurring disorders, learn about treatment options, and see how the shift towards a behavioral health model can make a difference. We’ll travel to Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma to see how coalitions and health professionals there have been linking substance use and mental health for some time.

Key Concepts: 

• Understand why the movement towards behavorial health is happening
• Learn about treatment options for co-occurring disorders
• Find out about common co-occurring disorders

Host:

Mary Elizabeth Elliot, 
Vice President, Communications, Membership, IT, CADCA 

Content Providers: 

Pamela Hyde
Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services

Pamela Hyde was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November 2009 as Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.

Hyde is an attorney and comes to SAMHSA with more than 35 years experience in management and consulting for public healthcare and human services agencies. She has served as a state mental health director, state human services director, city housing and human services director, as well as CEO of a private non-profit managed behavioral healthcare firm.

She received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School (1976) and her B.A. from Missouri State University (1972).

Dr. John Knight
Founder and Director, Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research, Boston Children’s Hospital

Dr. John Knight is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at

Harvard Medical School and a Senior Associate in Medicine and Associate in Psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital. He is the founder and director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research, the first center of its kind to be located at a children’s hospital in the U.S.

He has been a committed pioneer in research on adolescent substance abuse prevention, screening and early intervention, and treatment in healthcare setting and has published more than 100 original scientific articles, clinical reviews, and book chapters related to substance abuse and other developmental-behavioral problems in children.

Dr. Knight received a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and psychology from Boston University and a doctorate in medicine from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He served as a resident in pediatrics at

Albany Medical College and as a fellow in general pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Ellen Morehouse, LCSW, CASAC, CPP

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor, Credentialed Prevention Professional, and the Executive Director of Student Assistance Services, a non-profit, corporation in Tarrytown, New York

Ellen Morehouse is the creator of three national model alcohol and drug abuse prevention and early intervention programs and has served as a consultant to treatment programs, school districts, parent and professional organizations, community groups, and state agencies in planning and implementing alcohol and drug abuse prevention, early intervention, and treatment programs.

Morehouse has been the recipient of several grants, has published several articles in professional journals, and is a member of several boards.

She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University