Recovery Michigan

It’s an unfortunate statistic, but more than half of all U.S. residents have experienced a traumatic event, including domestic abuse, sexual assault, neglect, or a natural disaster.  For families and individuals who live in communities that are racially and ethnically diverse, or that are low-income or under served, these events are more familiar than they should be.

This presents an ever-mounting challenge to providing mental health care in those under served communities. The dilemma remains: While people who live in these communities often experience the most traumatic circumstances, they often have the fewest choices for specialty mental health care. Many also face an even more fundamental obstacle: They simply don’t know where to find such care. While this presents a great challenge for health care professionals, it also identifies an opportunity for change and growth.

It has been shown that trauma can affect an individual’s health in a variety of ways, contributing to chronic illness such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, musculoskeletal pain, hypertension, depression and addiction. It’s a problem that should be and can be addressed.

Integrating elements of mental health care into primary care is a natural place to start.