In medicine, there are four key vital signs: temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure. However, in many ways, pain is often seen as a phantom fifth vital sign. After all, a doctor's oath quite literally states "First, do no harm," and what is more harmful than pain? As such, keeping patients pain-free and ... Read More
FHE Commentary
As behavioral health news breaks it is often covered by organizations that may not understand the issue thoroughly or the consequences it will bring. In this section, the industry leading addiction and behavioral health treatment center, FHE Health tackles the current cultural phenomenons and happenings. Behavioral health is complex, and when you need it explained, it helps to have an expert to help you understand.
The 5th Vital Sign: How Treating Pain Contributed to the Opioid Epidemic
What to Do if Your Pet Ate Drugs
Owning a pet can be a wonderful addition to your life, providing a companion and a friend that offers support in a way human relationships often can't match. Pets have a lot to offer, with clinically proven benefits like increased fitness, lower stress levels and brighter moods. Despite the bond you have with your ... Read More
State of the Debate: Probing the Needle Exchange Question
Should cities establish needle exchange programs to encourage those using drugs to avoid sharing needles? What about the use of safe injection locations throughout cities? There is a significant amount of debate about whether these programs are beneficial and who should pay for them. Perhaps the best way to understand ... Read More
America’s Response to Opioids: Rising to the Challenge?
Opioids are one of the biggest threats to Americans today, as the National Institute on Drug Abuse makes clear in a recent report. As of January 2019, over 130 people die every day using opioids. This includes drugs such as prescription painkillers and synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and heroin. Consider it from a ... Read More
Truth in Fiction: Netflix’s “Flaked” And the Facts of Addiction
Flaked, about an alcoholic man in Venice Beach, California, follows Chip and a group his friends and acquaintances as they attempt to navigate very real problems in what has become a very idealized community. The character Chip, written, directed and acted by Will Arnett of Arrested Development fame, has a ... Read More
Delray Beach Tackles the Opioid Crisis
Opioid addiction continues to be a growing problem throughout the United States. The epidemic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has cost 700,000 lives from 1999 through 2017. In 2017 alone, there were 70,200 drug overdose deaths across the country — 68 percent related to opioid use. ... Read More
A Healing Vocation: Finding Jobs in the Recovery Industry
For many who have been through recovery or who watched a loved one on the journey to recovery, staying involved with the community becomes a passion, not just an obligation. After being through it yourself, it's only natural to want to enter the field and make a difference for others who are where you were. The ... Read More
A New Strategy: Ketamine Treatment and Suicide Prevention
There's no doubt that the suicide epidemic in the United States has largely mirrored the drug epidemic over recent years, to the tune of record suicide and overdose deaths occurring simultaneously. Over the years, the mental health community has tried a variety of methods to lower the suicide rate, both in the United ... Read More