Wellspring Center for Prevention
Promoting Healthy Living Through Education, Training & Advocacy
Addiction News & Policy Update for Week Ending May 20, 2022
The Student Mental Health Crisis
A 2018 Pew Research Center Survey found that 95% of teens in the U.S. have access to a smartphone, and 45% of this group are online nearly all the time. This is particularly concerning, given the Mayo Clinic's analysis of several studies that suggest prolonged and sustained usage of social media puts teens at greater risk of developing mental-health problems.Astonished by How Much There Still Is to Learn and Do
Mark Twain fully grasped the folly of youth. He contrasted it with the humility that comes with experience in this memorable observation: "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in 7 years." Tongue firmly in cheek, Twain is commenting that the aging process teaches us how little we really know.
Deaths related to alcohol addiction in the United States were higher than expected during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis released Wednesday.
End of COVID-19 emergency endangers substance use treatment
Medication-assisted treatment seen as helpful for hard-to-reach populations
Report Highlights Opportunities to Strengthen Behavioral Health Workforce
After conducting a survey of more than 1600 behavioral healthcare workers in the fall of 2021, as well as small group listening sessions with representatives of 30 peer-run organizations, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has released a series of recommendations for supporting, strengthening, and expanding the field's workforce.