In the News: AAAP President Testifies Before the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health

Dr. Richard N. Rosenthal, president of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), testified at the January 8 meeting of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. AAAP strongly supports the work of the Commission, especially its recognition of the importance of considering the critical needs of those with co-occurring disorders. In elucidating the dramatic under-diagnosis and under-treatment of persons with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental illness and the effectiveness of integrated treatments, the Commission underscored the damaging effects of a system with disparate training, regulatory and funding support for mental illness and substance use disorders. These effects become realities every day to members of the Academy in their clinical practices.

Consistent with AAAP’s ongoing emphasis, the Commission recommended that all health training programs receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) must include co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. According to AAAP, this action will only be effective if supplemented by cross training of practicing clinicians about mental health and addiction screening and treatment to assure proper psychiatric assessment among addicted patients and routine screening for and assessment of addiction problems among all medical (including psychiatric) patients.

Although there is a substantial research base regarding treatment effectiveness for those with co-occurring disorders, collaboration at the federal level among relevant DHHS components is essential to make significant progress in the field. To review a complete copy of the testimony given by AAAP, please visit AAAP’s Web site at www.aaap.org/news/testimony.html.

AAAP is a professional membership organization with approximately 1,000 members in the United States and around the world. The membership consists of psychiatrists who work with addiction in their practices, faculty at academic institutions, non-psychiatrist professionals who are making a contribution to the field of addiction psychiatry, residents and medical students. AAAP publishes The American Journal on Addictions, a leading clinical journal in the field of addictions, and the AAAP News, its newsletter. Other activities include sponsorship of an Annual Scientific Meeting and Symposium and addiction psychiatry review courses.

info@aaap.org

www.aaap.org