Blog - Page 28 of 7347 - Healthy Minds Philly®

Overdose Awareness

Janine Monico2022-08-08T09:11:38-04:00August 1st, 2022|Addiction & Recovery|

Addiction is such a stigmatized topic – yet people are so uninformed about it. Most of us were taught that “drugs are bad,” but that is about the most education we get or tend to remember. I am here to discuss the concept of the disease of addiction which goes far beyond the common stigmas about who “addicts” are. Yes, addiction is a disease due to the fact it is ongoing, not curable (only treatable), and a condition associated with signs and symptoms. Just like other diseases, it may run [...]

Steps You Can Take to Prevent Overdose Deaths

Janine Monico2022-08-06T17:20:27-04:00August 1st, 2022|Addiction & Recovery, Awareness|

I’ll never forget the day I received the call from my parents informing me that one of my sister’s friends passed away from an overdose. I was heartbroken; my sister was devastated. It was 2002, and the first time overdose touched my life personally. What I didn’t know then was that I was going to continue to hear similar stories for the next 20 years, only more often and each one just as tragic. Back then, everyone knew that heroin was “bad” but there was very little information about the danger of [...]

Accessing Mental Health Services in Philadelphia

Janine Monico2022-06-16T10:30:18-04:00July 1st, 2022|Mental Health|

July is Minority Mental Health Month. While we celebrate the gains made by minoritized populations in the United States, much remains to be done. Notwithstanding the increased national dialogue around racism following the death of George Floyd, structural and interpersonal racism persist, with lasting effects on life expectancy and wellness of minorities. These disparities are endemic and affect access to and quality of healthcare and social and economic opportunities. Some concerning facts about health and wellbeing of minorities in the United States: Although suicide rates went down during the pandemic, [...]

The Search for Culturally Competent Care

Janine Monico2022-07-05T13:10:15-04:00July 1st, 2022|Mental Health, Racial Equity|

Fans of the award-winning TV series ‘This is Us’ may remember the episode where Randall decides to switch therapists. The character—a successful commodities trader turned Philadelphia City Councilman—is African American, was raised by a white family, and struggles with anxiety and PTSD. He admits that he isn’t comfortable sharing many of his feelings with his current therapist. His new doctor is “cool, smart, funny, Black, young father... we got a lot in common,” Randall explains. Does your therapist ‘get’ you? The answer to this question is a key factor in [...]