[ 25 Jan 2013 | No Comment ]
Pamela Hyde

The keynote address at last week’s 2013 Public Health Law research (PHLR) annual meeting was from Pamela Hyde, JD, administrator of the federal Substance Abuse and Mental health Services Administration.
View the Q&A transcript here.

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Substance Use
Mental Health
Prevention
Recovery Support
Public Awareness and Support

Education, Family-Member »

[ 14 Feb 2013 | No Comment ]
Reaching Youth with Prevention Messaging

By Frances M. Harding, Director, SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
According to a recent report from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k13/NSDUH099b/sr099b-trends-prevention-messages.htm), between the early 2000s and 2011, fewer adolescents were exposed to drug or alcohol use prevention messages in the past year through media and school sources.  In fact, in 2011, 25 percent of adolescents did not receive prevention messages through media or school sources and 40 percent of adolescents did not talk with their parents about the dangers of substance use. Adolescents are subjected to influences …

Education, Family-Member »

[ 14 Feb 2013 | No Comment ]
Parenting is Prevention

By Frances M. Harding, Director, SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
 
A youth’s perception of risks associated with substance use is an important determinant of whether he or she engages in substance use.
A recent SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health report (http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k13/NSDUH099a/sr099a-risk-perception-trends.pdf) surfaced several important perceptions among adolescents aged 12 to 17. Binge drinking can be categorized as having five or more alcoholic drinks once or twice a week. The good news is that the percentage of adolescents who perceived great risk from binge alcohol use has increased from 38.2 …

Featured, Headline, Mental Health »

[ 25 Jan 2013 | No Comment ]
Pamela Hyde

The keynote address at last week’s 2013 Public Health Law research (PHLR) annual meeting was from Pamela Hyde, JD, administrator of the federal Substance Abuse and Mental health Services Administration.
View the Q&A transcript here.

Drunk Driving, Featured, Headline, Impaired Driving »

[ 20 Dec 2012 | One Comment ]
Give your car keys to a friend. Don't drive while impaired.

Written by: Angela Rampton
Thousands of lives are lost each year due to drunk, drugged, or distracted driving, and these numbers don’t even take into account the harm done to families and friends who are left behind.
Each year a proclamation is made declaring December to be National Impaired Driving Prevention month to raise awareness of the devastating effect this problem has on our nation, and to help highlight the steps we can take to prevent it.
In this year’s proclamation, President Obama urges families to “talk about the risks and set clear …

Crisis, Disaster Response, Featured, Headline, Trauma »

[ 14 Dec 2012 | 5 Comments ]
Sad girl sits with a helping hand extended

The headlines coming out of Connecticut are heartbreaking and our thoughts are with those affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
Questions are many at a time like this.
 How can we cope with the tragedy?  How can we speak about the events with young children? What can health professionals or emergency responders do at these times? How can we make our schools even safer? What other resources are available?
In response, we’ve set up a website with information and resources titled “SAMHSA Coping with Violence and Traumatic Events.”
You can find …