RECORDING: The Nexus of Substance Misuse Prevention and Mental Health Promotion

The Great Lakes PTTC has provided a 3-part series on the nexus of substance misuse and other public health issues. We will be exploring the nexus of substance misuse and mental health conditions, suicide, and problem gambling. This “nexus” provides an opportunity for prevention specialists and other behavioral health leaders to develop a cohesive strategy within a public health framework to reduce the rates of all four behavioral health problems.

The third of this 3-part series, focuses on the nexus between substance misuse prevention and mental health promotion efforts. We recognize that drug and alcohol addiction as well as substance use disorders are commonly associated with underlying or untreated mental health disorders. Anxiety disorders, depression, and other psychiatric disorders frequently coincide with an individual's substance use.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Discuss the complex relationship between mental health disorders and substance misuse.
• List shared risk and protective factors between mental health and substance misuse disorders
• List the barriers to collaboration between the mental health field and substance misuse prevention
• Describe collaboration strategies for substance use prevention professionals and the mental health field to improve public health and community conditions.

PRESENTER: 

Erin Ficker

Erin serves as a prevention manager for the Great Lakes PTTC. For more than 14 years, Erin has worked in substance abuse prevention supporting communities to use evidence-based strategies and data-driven processes in substance abuse prevention planning and implementation.  She works with community level prevention practitioners and schools in the development, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability of prevention interventions.