Integrating Recovery-Oriented Practices for Individuals with Co-Occurring Disorders: With Tobacco & Schizophrenia Case Example

This webinar discusses motivation-based, recovery-oriented treatment plans for co-occurring disorders, including community resources. It describes how to integrate recovery practices such as dual recovery therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, and Open Dialogue into mental health and addiction treatment settings

Preparing the Open Dialogue Approach for Implementation in the United States [English and Spanish versions]

A Spanish translation of this publication is available to download under Additional Files below. Open Dialogue is a recovery-oriented psychosocial approach that has been found to be effective with persons in acute psychiatric crisis. Drs. Douglas Ziedonis and Mary Olson are leading a multi-disciplinary team at the University of Massachusetts Medical School / UMass Memorial Health Care to develop implementation tools (manuals, fidelity scales, etc.) that are needed to implement and evaluate the Open Dialogue approach in the United States

Addressing Tobacco through Organizational Change (ATTOC)

Describes the Addressing Tobacco through Organizational Change (ATTOC) intervention that provides services and ongoing support for agencies and organizations that are interested in learning how to initiate, improve, and or provide treatment for tobacco addiction; reduce tobacco addiction amongst employees; restrict or eliminate tobacco use on campus; and change the work environment to promote health and wellness. Originally published as: Research in the Works, Issue 1, 2011

Implementing Wellness into Mental Health and Addiction Recovery: The Addressing Wellness Through Organizational Change (AWTOC) Approach [English and Spanish versions]

A Spanish translation of this publication is available to download under Additional Files below. There are many opportunities for clinicians and leaders in mental health and addiction treatment programs to champion more discussion about wellness and integrate evidence-based treatments that can decrease patient morbidity and mortality. However, many clinicians and staff may not feel trained and prepared to help individuals adequately address wellness goals, to integrate wellness into their routine clinical practice, or to make appropriate referrals to community resources. To address this service and training gap, the UMass Department of Psychiatry developed the Addressing Wellness Through Organization Change (AWTOC) approach, based upon the Addressing Problems Through Organizational Change (APTOC) model developed by Douglas Ziedonis, M.D., M.P.H. which has been used previously to address tobacco cessation (Ziedonis et al., 2007)

Barriers and solutions to addressing tobacco dependence in addiction treatment programs.

Despite the high prevalence of tobacco use among people with substance use disorders, tobacco dependence is often overlooked in addiction treatment programs. Several studies and a meta-analytic review have concluded that patients who receive tobacco dependence treatment during addiction treatment have better overall substance abuse treatment outcomes compared with those who do not. Barriers that contribute to the lack of attention given to this important problem include staff attitudes about and use of tobacco, lack of adequate staff training to address tobacco use, unfounded fears among treatment staff and administration regarding tobacco policies, and limited tobacco dependence treatment resources. Specific clinical-, program-, and system-level changes are recommended to fully address the problem of tobacco use among alcohol and other drug abuse patients

Gender-Specific Factors Associated with Readiness to Quit Smoking among Korean Americans

Introduction: The study examined gender differences in smoking and factors associated with three stages of readiness to quit smoking (precontemplation with no quit intention in the next 6 months, contemplation with a quit intention in the next 6 months but not in the next month, and preparation with a quit intention in the next month) among Korean Americans. Method: The study is a telephone survey with a randomly selected sample from an online telephone directory. Inclusion criteria for participation were (a) being of 18 and older, (b) identifying self as Korean, and (c) having smoked daily for at least six months prior to the interview. Results: The sample comprised 70 women and 168 men with a 63.8% response rate from eligible respondents. Women were 3 years older on average than were men when they started smoking regularly (t = 3.5, p = 0.001). Women were more likely to smoke inside the house than were men (X2 = 16.5, p \u3c 0.001). Compared to women in the preparation stage, women in precontemplation and contemplation stages had decreased odds of perceiving a family norm favoring quitting and increased odds of perceiving risks of quitting. Compared to men in the preparation stage, men in precontemplation and contemplation stages had decreased odds of perceiving a family norm favoring quitting and benefits of quitting. Previous quit attempts were also a significant factor for both women and men. Conclusions: Korean American female and male smokers are similar in the aspect that they are more likely to be ready to quit when they perceive a family norm favoring quitting. However, they differ in the relationship between perceived risks and benefits of quitting and readiness to quit. These findings underscore the importance of designing gender-tailored smoking cessation interventions in addition to having culture-specific interventions with the group

Dignity in mental health practice and research: Time to unite on innovation, outreach and education

Dignity has been described as ‘the inherent and inalienable worth of all human beings irrespective of social status such as race, gender, physical or mental state. Dignity is, therefore, at the core of psychological well-being, social connection and humanity. Mental health interventions that explicitly promote and preserve dignity for people experiencing mental distress are growing in clinical practice and research in the USA, India, Europe and elsewhere. However, there is a need for more research and policy supporting the implementation and evaluation of these initiatives. Here, we highlight some of these programmes and make recommendations on how to further integrate dignity in mental health research, practice, outreach and education in India and the world

Incorporating Tobacco Cessation with Health Promotion Activities in a Psychosocial Rehabilitation Clubhouse

Many people with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) use smoking to manage symptoms, stress, or increase social contact, and consume nearly half of all tobacco sold in the US. Compared with the general population, individuals with SMI are at greater risk of co-morbid health problems and premature death. Often individuals with SMI are unaware that services like Quitlines, Nicotine Anonymous (NIC-A) meetings, and/or NRT exist. To compound matters, many states (e.g. Massachusetts) have cut tobacco cessation funding, and few programs provide integrated approaches to tobacco cessation in mental health settings that include peer supports. The lack of services and large disparities in smoking rates and health outcomes in people with SMI have resulted in a national crisis. There is a need to implement and evaluate cost-effective interventions that attempt to decrease morbidity and mortality associated with tobacco use among people with SMI. Our efforts engage this population in integrating a manualized tobacco control intervention, “Learning About Healthy Living” (LAHL) and training in use of Breath Carbon Monoxide (CO Meters) to track the progress of tobacco use among members and staff in the Clubhouse Model. Our project joins experts in tobacco dependence treatment for adults with SMI from UMass with leaders in the Clubhouse Model from Genesis Club in Worcester, MA

PTSD/SUD in Individuals with Physical Disabilities: Identifying Problems and Promising Interventions

Co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) is common, affects multiple domains of functioning, and presents complex challenges to recovery. Initial research indicates that individuals with physical disabilities experience higher rates of lifetime trauma and PTSD, and exhibit more severe SUD compared to non-disabled individuals. To expand upon these initial findings, we conducted a series of two studies on PTSD and SUD among individuals with physical disabilities