Celebrity "Treatment"

One of the areas of social work that has always interested me is treatment for co-occurring mental illness and  substance abuse. The challenges of treating individuals who suffer from both are endless, and we are all exposed to them on a daily basis...

Exhibit A: Lindsay Lohan.

There are all sorts of wrong things going on with this case. Yes, I am still new in the profession, but I have an opinion, and therefore, I shall express it. For anyone who has had to sit through a class on the DSM-IV (AKA the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) has been exposed to the symptoms and issues that come with various mood disorders. All you have to do is spend one day reading celebrity blogs and watching the news can see that Cocaine and other drugs are not Lindsay Lohan's primary issue.

Lets see here... large bank account? check!... recognizable name? check!... If you ask me, sounds like a recipe for disaster for someone who has a history of drug abuse as well as impulsive behavior....

Fast forward to her release from UCLA Neuropsychiatric. "Misdiagnosis" of ADHD?... Lets think about this for a moment. A recovering addict who used cocaine is given a medically prescribed version of amphetamines that would not raise a red flag during drug testing. Add Ambien with a side of painkillers for "wisdom teeth", and you got yourself a big, fire-engine-red flag.

Using ADHD and "misdiagnosed" on cases like these that by default do not make sense is what is leading people across America to refuse medical treatment when its really needed. What parent would want to treat their child with ADHD medication when they see how today's stars act when they abuse them? or what about college students, who often relay on Adderall to get through assignments for school?

It was made clear, after the news about the "misdiagnosed ADHD" were released, that Lohan's problem was a Personality Disorder. ($20 blog dollars to whoever reads my mind and guesses which PD they're talking about!). (FYI - PDs include impulsive behavior as well as manipulative tendencies....). Who knows, maybe I'm just stereotyping here, but it all sounds a little confusing to me at this point.

The way the media portrays mental illness, drug abuse, and most importantly, treatment, truly affects people's willingness to reach out for treatment, as well as changing the perception of what these conditions really entail. MI and DA have been trivialized to such extent, that the only way people would really be interested in learning more about the subject is by reading celebrity blogs and Entertainment Tonight. There are so many people out there that need this treatment, families whose daily lives are affected by treatment or lack thereof, and yet, the subject is thrown around depending on which celebrity has done what.

I'm just sayin'.

P.S. yes, I did just make up my own blog currency, keep track of how much you accumulate, and eventually i'll have a contest of some sort!