mental illness and drugs

theMENT.                                MENTAL ILLNES AND DRUGS IN FLORIDA:
theMENTAL ILLNESS:

 Miami-Dade County is home to the largest percentage of people with serious mental illnesses (SMI; e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression) of any urban community in the United States. Roughly 9.1% of the population (more than 210,000 individuals) experience SMI, yet fewer than 13% of these individuals receive care in the public mental health system. As a result, law enforcement and correctional officers have increasingly become the lone responders to people in crisis due to untreated mental illnesses. On any given day, the Miami-Dade County Jail houses approximately 1,200 individuals with SMI. This represents approximately 17% of the total inmate population, and costs taxpayers more than $50 million annually. The County jail now serves as the largest psychiatric facility in the State of Florida.

CORRELATION BETWEEN MENTAL ILLNESS AND DRUGS:

Addiction is a common disease. In 2013, approximately 23 million Americans aged 12 and older needed some kind of treatment for issues related to drug or alcohol use or abuse.[1] In addition, about one in four adults in the United States will suffer from some form of mental illness in a given year.

Substance abuse, addiction, and mental illness are all considered mental and behavioral health issues, and they often occur simultaneously. Between 2009 and 2013, approximately 880,000 Floridians received treatment for any mental illness (AMI), which was only 36.3 percent of those who needed treatment, leaving a further 63.7 percent without treatment that may have helped them during that time.

DRUGS:

Drug abuse has become an American epidemic, and the problem continues to get worse. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is responsible for compiling and reporting vital statistical data, drug overdoses surpassed motor vehicle accidents and firearms deaths in 2008. They have been the leading cause of accidental death in the United States ever since.

In 2015, overdose deaths claimed 56,000 American lives. Public health officials now consider substance abuse an epidemic, with significance comparable to obesity and cancer. Substance abuse affects all races, genders, ethnicities, and classes – there is no “poster child” for abuse or addiction, and no one is immune.

At the heart of the epidemic is an increase in prescription pain killers and opioid abuse. In 2015, over half of the nation’s overdose deaths were directly related to opioids such as heroin and prescription pills. Heroin cut with other substances like fentanyl is hitting the streets, and in some cases can causing death by overdose within minutesThe Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association (FADAA), incorporated in 1981, is a non-profit membership association representing substance abuse prevention and treatment providers, managing entities, and community anti-drug coalitions.  FADAA's mission is to serve its members by advancing addiction and co-occurring treatment, prevention, and research through communications, professional development, and public policy leadership. 

FADAA is perceived as the “lead voice” by national, state, and local policy makers, treatment providers, and the recovery community on substance abuse policy and related practice improvement. FADAA’s extensive portfolio of activities includes hundreds of training and technical assistance events. FADAA’s board members and staff constantly monitor and address policy issues related to emerging trends that impact substance abuse and co-occurring service delivery in areas including but not limited to healthcare reform, prevention, child welfare, criminal justice, veterans and their families, workforce issues, business and private sector changes and cultural diversity.

The Florida Behavioral Health Association (FBHA) formed in April of 2013 as a 501(c)6. The concept for FBHA originated from members of the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association. FADAA members wanted an association that worked in tandem with the existing FADAA structure, but that also stood independently as a business-league organization.

The purpose of FBHA is to unite people engaged in the business of behavioral health and behavioral medicine with a specific focus on promoting legislation, funding, and policies that recognize and advance behavioral health prevention, treatment, and recovery. FBHA also serves as a liaison on the state and federal levels by working with other professional organizations to promote the advancement of behavioral health and to increase the image and exposure of the behavioral health industry.

The goals of FBHA are achieved through six FBHA Divisions. Each division concentrates in a targeted area of behavioral health need. The smaller scope of topic within each division allows for more agile legislative change for division members and larger successes in public policy. Membership into FBHA is elected through the Board of Directors or by a Committee of Admissions appointed by the Board of Directors following an application submitted by the company, organization, or individual requesting membership.