Helping Those Needing Help

As a medical doctor and psychiatrist for 45-years I have been blessed to care for thousands of people.

In my clinical experience many individuals receiving psychiatric disability have substance abuse problems in addition to a primary psychiatric disorder---panic, bipolar disorder, depression, etc. These primary psychiatric disorders can be sufficiently treated enabling a vast majority of patients to work at a regular job. 

Nonetheless many psychiatric patients find an attorney who works on a contingency fee. Most of the time the patient fails to tell the attorney they have a substance abuse problem along with their primary psychiatric illness. The attorney pleads their case and then the patient capable of working receives disability payments.

Substance abuse treatment should be required for all addicts receiving disability but there exists no requirement for drug testing. Drug testing although expensive in no way matches the cost of untreated substance abuse. There are plenty of free clinics for alcohol/drug abuse, plus Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotic Anonymous programs are free. Most addicts on disability refuse treatment. 

Substance abusers use their disability money to buy street drugs. Giving money for drug abuse expands the problem. 

Thus in my opinion all psychiatric patients receiving disability payments should have routine drug testing. The welfare state has failed to help people and enables addicts to keep using street drugs. Periodic drug testing for psychiatric patients would help mandate treatment for substance abuse. 

Work cures misery and tough love works. Some people disagree believing that compassion without individual responsibility along with money cures all problems. This belief is called enabling. In my experience enabling never helps anyone change for the better.

Nevertheless, let us examine  all view points. Let us study all ideas. Let us listen to each other without arguing. Let us come together as community thinkers, not fighters. Let us develop a plan that works. 

In my view the federal government has never solved social problems. I believe that individual communities and states unfettered by government control can solve social problems because different approaches vary in different areas. 

We the people can solve many problems if we argue less, listen more and work together.

Please comment to enhance learning and inspire interaction. We don't know what you are thinking until we read what you write. Did the blog entry bring to mind a personal story you would like to share? Any ideas you would like to contribute? Any disagreements?