It can be helpful to educate yourself about substance use and mental health disorders. In addition to Partnership to End Addiction, there are many resources available to address co-occurring disorders. If your loved one is already engaged in treatment, consider asking your loved one’s treatment team for resources as well.
Education and Training
National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI) offers a free, 12-week course in local communities called Family-to-Family for caregivers living with a loved one with mental health disorders.
Child Mind Institute offers many guides and resources related to children and teen mental health. Located in New York City, they also offer psychiatric services and therapy.
Mental Health First Aid offers an 8-hour course to help participants recognize when a person is having a mental health or substance use challenge and how to help.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) offers a resource center with information on mental health disorders as well as substance use, bullying, suicide, trauma, etc.
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation engages in cutting-edge research to find cures for mental illnesses. They also offer the Healthy Minds Public Television Series with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein and informative webinars for public viewing.
MindTools.io rates platforms and apps for teens, adolescents and adults related to mindfulness, stress management, insomnia, substance use, mental health and counseling. Some of the apps listed are free, while others have a small fee.
National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) offers research on the state of the science in the occurrence of substance use disorders with mental illness and physical health conditions.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers free e-booklets and guides to download on various co-occurring disorders.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) offers a resource center with information on mental health disorders as well as substance use, bullying, suicides, trauma, etc.
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation engages in cutting-edge research to find cures for mental illnesses. They also offer the Healthy Minds Public Television Series with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein and webinars that are informative for public viewing.
Associations
Associations and alliances for mental health disorders may have useful resources to consider, as well as support groups:
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)
- International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
- National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
- International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF)
- Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America (SARDAA)
- National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI)
- Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
- National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEABPD)
Finding Treatment and Clinical Trials
SAFE Locator is a free database that can help you find treatment programs for a loved one with a co-occurring disorder. It also offers support resources for family members.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) offers information on mental health disorders as well as clinical trials.
Support in a Crisis
Have a plan in place in the event of a mental health crisis. Ask your loved one’s healthcare provider what to do in the event of an emergency. The National Alliance of Mental Illness offers a guide, Navigating A Mental Health Crisis, that may be useful. In an emergency, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline listed below) or go to your nearest emergency room.
Crisis Text Line connects loved ones with Crisis Counselors trained to bring texters from a hot moment to a cool calm by active listening and problem-solving.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States.