Addressing trauma in mental health and substance use treatment

Individuals with histories of violence, abuse, and neglect from childhood onward make up the majority of clients served by public mental health and substance abuse service systems. The greater the trauma, the greater the risk for alcoholism and alcohol abuse, depression, illicit drug use, suicide attempts, and other negative outcomes. Clearly, we cannot begin to address the totality of an individual's healthcare, or focus on promoting health and preventing disease, unless we address trauma. Trauma-informed care is now the expectation, not the exception, in behavioral health treatment systems.