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FULTON COUNTY, Georgia – Fulton County Commissioners said Wednesday that September would be the month of recovery and the month of suicide prevention.
The county focuses on recovery for those whose lives are affected by mental health issues, suicides and / or drug use. According to the Addiction and Mental Health Services Administration, National Recovery Month is being used to educate residents about substance abuse treatment and mental health services that can help those who are suffering to recover. life.
"The treatment of mental health and substance use is essential for recovery," said LaTrina Foster, director of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
Regarding suicide, the Fulton County Medical Examiner reported 120 suicide deaths recorded in 2016 in Fulton County and 126 in 2017. The National Alliance for Mental Illness states that one in five adults suffers of mental disorders each year and that one in 17 lives with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In addition to a mental illness, a family, friends and communities are also affected.
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The treatment of behavioral health problems is essential while making recovery a dependency a priority is also important for the following reasons:
- According to SAMHSA, in 2016, 20.1 million people (7.5%), aged 12 or older, had a substance use disorder in the past year.
- In 2014, more people died of a drug overdose in the United States than in previous years, according to the US Center for Disease Control & Prevention. From 2000 to 2014, nearly half a million people in the United States died from a drug overdose.
- According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addicts who have abused opioid drugs are increasingly likely to make the transition to heroin.
Stephanie Kimsey says that her downward spiral began with the use of oxycodone at the age of 15 years old. Kimsey says that friends provided the drug and that the drug was readily available at home due to the active addiction of a parent. Kimsey says she could not keep a job and was always looking for ways to surpass herself.
She says that the death of an overdose at a friend's house and the realization that she would end up in jail or in a casket helped her make the decision to seek help. As Kimsey says, "I wanted to live a normal life."
Since that fateful decision, Kimsey has focused on being free of opioids by communicating and connecting with "uplifting" people.
"I do not want to be with people who do not really see the light," she added. Kimsey, now 25, says she has had an active addiction for eight or nine years; However, she proudly declares that she has been clean for about 18 months.
From the point of view of the impact of family dependency, Dena Cross's son, Erick, had substance abuse problems as early as age 18, which impacted his relationships. family and friendships. The incarceration resulted in his decision to seek sobriety. Cross describes the battle against Erick's addiction as "fought with great emotion and tension" as she urged her youngest son to live his life as best as he could without allowing him to affect his future.
For more information on addictions and hope for healing and mental health issues, citizens can call the Behavioral Health Department at (404) 665-8600 or visit www.livebetterfulton.org for more information. identify Fulton County service providers for adults and youth.
Image via Shutterstock
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