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There have been numerous studies that have demonstrated that there is a high comorbidity between PTSD and substance abuse. Specifically, adolescent PTSD has an incredibly strong correlation with substance abuse. According to one source, almost 60 percent of young people with PTSD problems subsequently develop substance abuse problems. Before we take a look at how PTSD can affect someone’s behavior and lifestyle. What Is PTSD? PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a disorder that...

What are adverse childhood experiences and how do they impact us later in life? In California, where I live and work as a sex and intimacy disorders specialist, there is a movement for mandatory adverse childhood experiences (ACES) assessment in all public and private medical and psychotherapeutic settings. So, regardless of an adult patient’s presenting issue(s) – medical, psychological, or both – clinicians would screen for childhood trauma. The reason for this push, which I strongly...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3615506/

https://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/legislation/en/

Photo caption and credit: Frank Kros, President of the Kros Learning Group, explains The N.E.A.R. Science to the group. The Maryland General Assembly held an event to inform them about how to make trauma informed policy decisions, and informing them about the consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). (Paul W. Gillespie) ____________________________________________________________ If adverse childhood experiences were eliminated entirely, rates of depression could plummet, heart...

FYI im speaking to legislative committee Jan 9, 2020 on human trafficking and ACEs

Will screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in California be mandatory? No, but it’s recommended. Will there be training for physicians and staff on how to screen? Yes. Who will be reimbursed for screening patients in California? Physicians who serve patients in the state’s Medi-Cal program — for now. For more answers to these and other questions that surfaced during a Dec. 4 webinar introducing Californians to a new statewide initiative, read on. Come January 1, California will...

By Logan Metzger, Iowa State Daily, December 11, 2019 One group in the Des Moines area is providing housing for abused and sexually-exploited women and their children. This group is called Garden Gate Ranch. It is a faith-based Christian organization that provides housing and transitional services for the women and children impacted. “God started to speak to me about human trafficking, which I knew so little about,” said Brenda Long, founder and executive director of Garden Gate Ranch. “I...

By Megan Conn, The Chronicle of Social Change, December 2, 2019 When Roxanne Williams became a foster parent four years ago, she started in the deep end of the parenting pool. New York City child welfare workers brought her a boy with limited English on a Friday afternoon and left after confirming her home was safe, leaving Williams to muddle through their first days together on her own. “It was rough – you weren’t getting the calls back [from her foster care agency] as fast as you wanted...

By Dr. Nancy Osborn, Thrive Global, December 12, 2019 Holidays can be wonderful opportunities to get together with family and friends. It’s time to eat, drink and be merry, right? Maybe not so much. The eat-drink-and-be-merry holidays don’t always happen that way for everyone. In fact, frequently the ‘be merry’ part fails so often that many of us have learned to no longer look forward to the holidays at all. Instead, our annual tradition is to dread the holidays. This year we can choose to...

On Friday, December 6, I attended "Moving Equity to the Center — Part 2" in Fresno, CA. The morning began with the usual networking. The conversations were enlightening and engaging. I was able to meet several people who work in the Fresno community and provided valuable insight to how issues are being addressed there. Then, after Linda Gleason, the founding director of The Children's Movement, introduced guest speaker Dr. Reverend Karen Crozier, I sat, listened, and thought. Dr. Crozier...

Please check out our latest Healing Our Ghosts' podcast with ECHO's executive director and #metoo Harvey Weinstein's silence breaker Louise Godbold. Healing Our Ghosts shines light into the suffering we keep hidden. We are not alone in our struggles and when we share our pain, we lift the shame secrecy that keeps us alone and disconnected from each other and prevents us from healing. With humor and compassion, Ana Joanes interviews a wide variety of guests about their messy lives, how they...