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January 10, 2019
You’ve probably heard about CPR, right? It’s a certification that anyone can earn to help someone in medical distress. But did you know there is a similar program to help people learn how to provide first aid in the event of a mental health crisis? It’s called Mental Health First…
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January 10, 2019
Long before the opioid overdose epidemic hit the news, alcohol-related deaths were taking nearly 90,000 American lives a year. Despite being the third-leading cause of preventable death in the United States – after tobacco and obesity – alcohol use is often overlooked as an opportunity for life-changing intervention. Decreasing or…
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January 09, 2019
Each February, thousands of people pass through the doors of the Aqua Turf in Plantsville/Southington for the Healthy Family FunFest. More than a health fair, it is an event built on strong local partnerships and a singular goal: provide the community with information, screenings and other resources to improve their…
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January 07, 2019
On a recent weekday, a patient was brought into The Windham Hospital Emergency Department overdosing on opioids; doctors diagnosed him with Opioid Use Disorder and asked if he wanted to start recovery. When he agreed, he was given a dose of Suboxone, a medication that eases what can be painful…
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December 20, 2018
They’ve been linked with all sorts of negative things like violence and obesity but some video games can actually enhance psychiatric treatment, according to Dr. Paul Weigle, associate medical director of outpatient services at Natchaug Hospital. Noting that the Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing the first prescription video…
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December 19, 2018
With the parties, charcuterie platters and twinkling lights of the holiday season comes an increase in alcohol consumption. Adding to the typical warnings about drinking and driving, however, is the heightened responsibility for front-line clinicians to screen for risky drinking and signs of alcohol use disorder, or AUD, according to Dr….
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December 04, 2018
On a recent Saturday, a patient was brought into The Hospital of Central Connecticut Emergency Department overdosing on opioids; doctors diagnosed him with Opioid Use Disorder and asked if he wanted to start recovery. When he agreed, they gave him a dose of Suboxone, a medication that eases what can…
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November 28, 2018
Men don’t like to talk about depression, even acknowledge it, and they’re less likely than women to seek treatment for it. Yet close to a third of men experience depression in their lifetime. So how can men tell the difference between feeling down and clinical depression? “Clinical depression, or major…
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November 27, 2018
Drugs fueled a vicious, seemingly unending circle for Steven Mikkanen. Using since high school, when he “wanted to fit in,” left him homeless and broke throughout his 20s. He’d steal to support his habit, but multiple arrests left him undesirable to employers and feeling worthless. In 2014, after three arrests…
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November 15, 2018
Tonya Cutler stands in front of the room, tapping a marker on the list of “triggers” written on a large sheet of paper taped to the wall. While one of the eight adolescents in the room paces relentlessly around the perimeter, his ears picking up everything she says, two girls…