Take a look at our article published on The Orange County Register, addressing issues of addiction and mental health. Two conditions which are heavily linked, but unfortunately, can often interfere with accurately diagnosing those who suffer from either or both.

Here is a short sample:

“He called us one day and said that he just couldn’t get out of bed,” Tripp Smith told me, recounting the moment he and his wife, Loretta Smith, realized that their son Michael had taken a turn for the worse in his battle with mental illness and chemical dependency.”

Soon after, Michael took his own life.

“Michael was your typical Orange County young man,” Smith said. “He was well-liked, successful and an overall great guy with a bright future ahead of him.”

But Michael suffered from an ailment that affects millions of Americans. Chemical dependency, or substance use disorder, and other mental illnesses, Smith explains, still have a great deal of stigma attached to them, despite the staggering statistics that reveal their overwhelming prevalence.

To read more, visit the Orange County Register and please, feel free to contact us for additional information.