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“Mental health has taken
over,” he says of the now widespread approach to
coordinating the two treatments. “Mental health is treating
both diagnoses simultaneously.”
Part of the reason for the
combined approach is a matter of practicality. Part is based
on the prevailing view in psychology circles that those with
mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, cannot make much
progress in drug treatment unless the mental health issues
are treated as part of an overall approach.
The practical side of the
combined treatment approach has evolved nationwide over the
years as drug treatment agencies found themselves
increasingly unable to gain access to funds that have been
more readily available to mental health agencies. Here in
Lucas County, the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board
was unable to pass a levy for taxpayer funds on three
straight occasions in the early 2000’s before acquiescing to
a merger with the Lucas County Board of Mental Health –
which, on the other hand, was perennially successful in
passing such levies.
Such a merger would make
it that much easier for the mental health professionals,
says Norwood, to subsume drug treatment into a comprehensive
treatment approach.
“The body can’t always
tell the difference,” he says of the dual approach. He
advocates drug treatment first so that then the mental
illness can be properly diagnosed and treated appropriately
– if indeed mental illness is present.
“First, get somebody
sober, I don’t think it works the other way,” he says.
“Then, with young people going into treatment together with
mental health, it creates a stigma that may harm them later
– drug abuse can be temporary. Mental disease is not
temporary.”
“I’m not saying mental
health does not have a place but there can be a better
psychological profile if they are sober,” says Norwood.
Recently, as he notes, agencies devoted solely to drug
treatment have fallen by the wayside or have been absorbed
into mental health agencies. COMPASS and SASI, two drug
treatment agencies with long histories in northwest Ohio,
have been taken over by Zepf, for example.
“For survival purposes,”
says Norwood. “For the dollar. And for the most part, this
hurts those who are socio-economically challenged, more than
it hurts others.”
Often, he feels, those
with addiction issues are misdiagnosed.
“People are so willing to
accept a mental health diagnosis when in reality they are
just a drunk or a dope fiend,” he says.
Norwood’s approach to drug
treatment is an upgrade from the typical 12-step approach.
“I can almost guarantee that they will get sober,” he says.
It’s “an aggressive approach – sometimes you have to
confront – a tactful confrontation. When you can bring
someone to a realization of where they are – as opposed to
where they want to be, then they can get to where they want
to be.
“Recovery is not about not
using; recovery is about getting you back on track with life
– it is a very positive thing if presented right. I’m
hearing about counselors who are doing more work than the
clients, the clients are supposed to do 80 percent of the
work. Is all this that’s going on just a play for dollars?”
Impact Therapy, located at
3450 Central Avenue, Suite 366G, will be one of the few area
centers devoted exclusively to drug and alcohol abuse
treatment. Services will include assessment, case
management, group counseling, outpatient care, crisis
intervention and individual counseling. Services are
Medicaid improved an some other forms of insurance will be
accepted.
For more information, call
567.288.6769 or email
impacttherapyoh@gmail.com
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