My Life with Co-Occurring Disorders

To kick off the Summit, hear from a patient living with a substance use disorder along with mental illness.

Substance use and mental health disorders are associated with stigma. Combined, the stigma associated with these conditions can impact the care the patient receives for either disorder. As pharmacists or providers that care for those with mental health and/or substance use disorder disorders, interventions to reduce stigma are important to ensure our patients receive care that is welcoming and stigma-free. One method to reduce stigma is to interact with a person experiencing a stigmatized condition. In this session, the learner will be introduced to a person experiencing co-morbid mental health and substance use disorders. A psychiatric clinical pharmacist he has worked with for the past 10 years will interview him. This pharmacist has provided his methadone to treat his opioid use disorder. He will discuss his story about how he began using opioids and the impact his opioid use disorder had on his physical health, mental health, and family connections. He will provide his perspective on receiving care through multiple levels of the healthcare system, including barriers he experienced to accessing evidence-based treatments. His story is powerful and will allow the learner to reflect on their own attitudes toward providing treatment for people experiencing co-morbid diagnoses.

CE credit will not be awarded for participation in this session.