September 07, 2022Kurt White, LADC, LICSW
In July, the government rolled out a new crisis and suicide hotline number, a simple three-digit number that can be called or texted from any phone: “988”. This is one of many strategies to help address the growing prevalence of suicide in this country.
Problematic alcohol use in older adults is something of a hidden issue. We often think of substance use problems as an issue that starts in adolescence or young adulthood, but this doesn’t apply to everyone. In fact, alcohol use in those over 60 has been increasing for the past two decades, and even more so among women.
May 16, 2022Karl Jeffries, MD
The Brattleboro Retreat is delighted to announce that Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry has selected an esteemed member of our inpatient psychiatry medical staff, Dr. Jarred Zucker, as this year’s recipient of the Faculty Teacher of the Year Award.
The ongoing challenges and sacrifices brought about by the coronavirus pandemic have tested each of us in ways that might not have been imaginable just a year ago. Yet during this unprecedented time, we have learned that adversity can inspire new approaches to solving our common problems. We are encouraged to say that such is the case with the relationship between union and management at the Brattleboro Retreat.
At the end of December the Retreat will officially close several programs that over the course of many years--and in some cases decades--have made meaningful contributions to our community, and helped make the healing mission of our hospital a reality for countless thousands of individuals.
It is not without sadness that we say goodbye to the BRIDGES program, the HUB program, the Meadows School, the Mind Body Pain Management Program, the Mulberry Bush Independent School, and Starting Now.
For many of us—especially those who live at higher latitudes in the northern hemisphere—the seasonal onset of colder weather and waning sunlight is accompanied by negative trends in both our mood and energy.
The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which can range from irritability, negative thinking and feelings of fatigue to full blown depression, are experienced by nearly five percent of the U.S. population each year.
I often get asked, what does “recovery” from addiction actually mean?
It may come as a surprise that attempts to define recovery from substance use issues are fairly recent. Just 15 years ago, stakeholders in attendance at the first National Recovery Summit took up the task of developing a definition of recovery along with associated principles. The definition they came up with is as follows:
“Recovery from alcohol and drug problems is a process of change through which an individual achieves abstinence and improved health, wellness and quality of life.”
Brattleboro Retreat's Senior Director of Patient Care Services, Kurt White, LADC, LICSW recently spoke at a Brattleboro Museum & Art Center event -- In Sight: What the Unseen are Holding for Society. Kurt White discussed why we tend to avert our eyes when we walk past someone living on the street, why—from a psychological standpoint—we try not to see them.
This is a recording of the live event held on September 10, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
