Credit: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Department of Health and Human Services

This week’s topics will likely be familiar to many families.  

In September, several important causes are highlighted, including Alzheimer’s disease. The Estes Valley Voice has published two recent articles about dementia during World Alzheimer’s Month. 

I also want to highlight two other important observances this month: National Recovery Month and National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

It is impossible to talk about suicide prevention without also looking at the often-precipitating factors of mental health and/or substance use challenges. 

There are numerous sources that share research and statistics related to the overlap of various mental health diagnoses, the different influences of substance use, and suicidality.  Some good resources to look at are:

  • The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – SAMHSA
  • The National Institutes of Health – NIH
  • The Centers for Disease Control – CDC

The risk of suicide is greatly increased when either active substance use is present or active mental health challenges are present.

When both are present concurrently, the risk is even higher.

Treatment for active mental health and substance use disorders is vital to support recovery for its own sake, but also as a significant step towards preventing suicidal ideation, attempts, and death.

An additional factor in supporting mental health and addiction recovery is consistent and long-term, active engagement by the family — both the family of origin and the family of creation. 

When I started in the field of mental health, I was fortunate to have as my first supervisor and employer a woman who was steeped in and gifted in family systems, an approach in therapy that views a family as an interconnected emotional unit rather than just a collection of separate individuals.

I was further trained and mentored in a family systems style of intervention, which I now use and teach others.

In family systems approaches, the focus is on getting everyone engaged so that family healing helps the individual who is struggling, and the individual can become part of a whole family in recovery. 

This is clearly better for everyone involved, and it helps the individual avoid staying in the role of “the sick one.” For that reason, long-term family involvement is considered a best practice for people pursuing recovery.

Click here to read about ARISE® Comprehensive Care with Invitational Intervention® model I use.

I am co-facilitating a three-day online training course on this model Sept. 25–27. If you’re interested in learning how to help families through a systemic approach, I invite you to join us.

Since most of you won’t be taking that training, I invite you to revisit the last two Mental Health Minute articles on talking with people and listening to people. Underlying all, as usual, is the theme that connection is protection.

As with any other health issues, the longer active symptoms occur, the further things progress, often with increased difficulties in coping, managing day-to-day life, and dealing with relationships.

As with any other health issue, the longer things progress, the more difficult they may be to treat.

Something that I emphasize with individuals and families is education about the potential fatality not only of the diagnoses themselves, but of the underlying shame that can perpetuate the problem. 

It’s very difficult for someone to find the kind of lasting recovery they hope for if they don’t see themselves as worth the effort. And this is partly why it is vital for individuals and families to understand that “recovery” is not only about quitting using or getting on appropriate medication. Lasting recovery takes brain healing.

For people pursuing substance use disorder recovery, my gold-standard recommendation is for people to stay abstinent from mood-altering substances for at least the first year to give their brains a chance to heal and to increase their ability to make clear-headed decisions.  

And I also recommend that the people in their immediate environment keep the home free of substances, and not engage in any drinking or using, or be under the influence, when with their loved one. 

Lasting recovery also takes health in all areas — body, mind, spirit, and relationships.

Returning to the issues of illness and recovery not occurring in a vacuum, consider when you’ve had someone in your world who had some kind of illness or injury.

Maybe you’ve lived with someone who had a knee-replacement surgery. What tasks, extra duties, and roles did you need to take on while they recovered? 

How about in the case of something more chronic, such as epilepsy or Type I diabetes? What adjustments were needed to help support the management of their disease?

It’s no different with mental health or substance use disorder. What can become tricky is when people in the family system don’t know what is helpful. There are times when, either unknowingly or subconsciously, they may actually impede their loved one’s work.

Another vital reason for family members to seek their own support is to help process and work through their own fears, hurt, anger, grief, and other emotions.

I’ve hammered the message enough about whole family healing, so I’ll close by offering some additional resources to supplement those listed above. This is definitely not a comprehensive list, but it may give you places to start:

There are many ways to access support for individuals and families, and there is hope and help available. 

Not only is it National Recovery Month and National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, but it is also National Self-Care Awareness Month. 

Pursuing support for your loved one and yourself is a fabulous way to promote self-care.

Sarah Hills, LPC, CAS, CAI, has a master’s degree in community counseling and the certification required by the state of Colorado as a certified addictions specialist at the supervisory level. She is also a certified ARISE® Interventionist. She is office-based in Estes Park and can be reached by phone at 720-250-6610. Click here to review her website.