Quantum Units Education

A researcher at Harvard Medical School is studying which substance use disorders are more common among people with different types of mental illness, and when they tend to develop. He hopes his research will one day be used to prevent drug and alcohol disorders among people with mental illness through early counseling, detection and treatment.

Ronald C. Kessler, PhD, the McNeil Family Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School, is investigating at what age people tend to develop mental health problems and substance use disorders. “I am looking at when these problems develop, and at interventions to try to prevent a pileup of problems,” he says. “Often, when a person comes in for mental illness treatment, they already have several problems. For instance a young person with social phobias, depression or anxiety may start using alcohol to self-medicate, so by the time we see them, they have mental health issues and a drinking problem.”

At the recent American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, Dr. Kessler discussed his goal of reaching people with mental health issues before they develop alcohol or drug disorders, known as secondary prevention. “If a person comes in for treatment of depression, social phobia or anxiety, we need clinicians to warn them they may also be at high risk of substance use disorders because of self-medication. We need to look at children, adolescents and young adults being treated for mental illness, and examine their risk for substance use. Find out if they are using drugs or alcohol as a crutch, and if they aren’t, give them the tools to prevent them from starting. Clinicians don’t normally think this way.”

Full story of substance abuse in mental illness at DrugFree.org

Photos courtesy of and copyright PhotoPin, http://photopin.com/

Beedie Savage – President of Quantum Units Education

I don’t want to talk about Liza Long.

She’s the blogger whose post, “I am Adam Lanza’s mother,” went viral this weekend, spawning harsh criticism and resulting in a joint statement by Long and writer Sarah Kendzior Tuesday expressing “the need for a respectful national conversation on mental health.”

But I do want to talk about mental illness. I want to tell the stories from two friends who decided to go public with their families’ struggles after Long’s post. Because this can happen to any family. Anywhere. Any time.

I knew Holly Barstow’s brother in high school as one of the popular kids, smart, funny and handsome. But he’s always been “wired differently,” Barstow, who lives in Omaha now, told me. He could throw a fit lasting five hours as a child and later “could play tennis for seven hours until he looked down and saw blood coming out of his tennis shoes.”

Turned out it was the manic phase of bipolar disorder that gave him such energy.

After the breakup of his second marriage, he began drinking. After the third marriage ended, the man who’d earned a master’s degree and had a successful career in public administration became homeless. He moved in with their mother eight years ago in the small Missouri town where we all grew up. He’d been fascinated by guns and had collected them until he owned 47. Barstow heard he would dress in fatigues and a bandolier, wandering around town with weapons, once even entering the local Catholic elementary school. “He was so out of touch with reality,” she said.

Full story of mental health system at The Washington Post

Photos courtesy of and copyright PhotoPin, http://photopin.com/

Beedie Savage – President of Quantum Units Education

By Charlotte Tallman

The Unified Prevention! (UP!) Coalition for a Drug-Free Do a Ana County is bringing art, awareness and prevention together through the Above the Influence (ATI) Art Project-a project asking teens to create their own visual expressions of the Above the Influence symbol.

Parents, organizations and schools are encouraged to include the ATI Art Project as an activity for teens, bringing both awareness to ATI and substance abuse prevention. Once teens submit their own unique ATI symbol, entries will be reviewed by an independent panel of judges from UP!. Top selections will be picked based on originality, art content and design, inspirational content and media potential. Entries should not have profanity, corporate logos or name brands or symbols of violence including guns, gang signs or symbols. Student’s name, grade, participating school/organization, mailing address, email and phone number must be placed on the back of the artwork, which will not be visible at any point during the judging. Pre- and post-activity surveys must accompany each entry as well as a signed copy of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) “Permission to Use” form. The ATI Art Project Toolkit can be found at www.unifiedprevention.com.

Full story at Las Cruces Sun News

By Bonnie Sullivan Finley

Ho Ho Ho! Bonnie Sullivan Finley takes us to the hub of Santa’s volunteer work in Del Norte county: “Operation Santa.” Here, volunteer elves are busily working their holiday magic to enable hundreds of low-income families to enjoy Christmas this year. Happy Holidays! — Todd Metcalf

Wandering through a maze of paper bags stuffed with brightly-decorated presents past tables stacked with Transformers, Legos and dolls waiting to be tucked into their Christmas wrap, one finally reaches Ron Phillips at his desk in a corner of the room.

Referred to as the “head elf,” Phillips is busy taking calls and making arrangements for this year’s “Santa’s Workshop.” A fixture at “Santa’s Workshop Headquarters,” Phillips was spotted at midnight on Black Friday purchasing toys from Wal-Mart with money donated by Smith River Rancheria.

The head elf has become quite proficient at selecting popular items. So what are the most requested toys? “VTech learning toys for the youngest; Baby Alive and Barbies for the girls; and Hot Wheels, Transformers, and Legos for the boys,” Phillips quickly responds. This elf knows his toys!

Full story at Times-Standard

By Janine Francolini

Three years ago, I started the Flawless Foundation: a charity that takes a stand for more humane, compassionate care for children living with neurodevelopmental challenges. I did this because I simply had to. I was called to take action in the same way a mother feels called to attend to a child with a high fever. In my volunteer work, I witnessed children living with brain disorders being severely misunderstood and underserved. I knew something had to be done.

Thankfully, every moment since our day of inception in 2008 has brought with it clear examples of just how needed — and how successful — our mission at Flawless is. The growth and abundance that have rained upon us is staggering.

How could it be during an economic recession that Flawless has doubled and tripled our budget each year? How could a small nonprofit that started like a bake sale win a national award in its first two years of operation? With virtually no infrastructure and no immense start up capital, how could we have garnered so much support and attention and become a national organization in less than four years when our fellow nonprofit organizations are reducing their offerings or closing altogether?

Full story at Huffington Post