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IN THIS ISSUE
ON THE COVER : Stand up and be counted
10
Psychedelics
in mental health treatment
6
INSIDE
4 NEWS Deprived areas to get funding boost ; harm reduction focus in first Biden drug strategy
8 SAFE SPACES Oasis for women ’ s treatment needs
14 PROFILE Caroline Gitsham , Humankind ’ s new chair
16 PUSHED TO THE BRINK Fighting for the right to keep a diamorphine script
18 I AM A ... DrinkCoach
22 LETTERS Charter on DRDs ; diamorphine alternative ?; being trauma-informed ; mental health breakthrough
Respect your peer volunteers Trauma-informed services
20
12
STAYING STRONG IN PARTNERSHIP
‘ We are proud of our history but filled with excitement for the future .’
Andy Furlong on the Swanswell-Cranstoun merger in our Partner Updates at www . drinkanddrugsnews . com
DDN is a self-funded independent publication . Our bespoke partnership packages provide an opportunity to work closely with the magazine . Please get in touch to find out more .
We must be genuine in our efforts to be responsive
The number of women dying a drug-related death has increased by a staggering 80 per cent in the last decade , which is why we ’ re keen to support an initiative to improve women ’ s access to treatment ( p6 ). We need to replace failing practice with a new system that puts women at its heart , says Karen Tyrell – well illustrated by The Oasis Project ’ s inspiring work ( p8 ).
With the vast majority of people in drug and alcohol services reporting mental health problems ( p10 ), similar giant strides are needed in developing services with an integrated approach to mental health difficulties and substance misuse . We ’ re still creating barriers to accessing services – ‘ address your substance misuse before you can have mental health support ’ – instead of accepting that there ’ s no neat pattern of behaviour . As the team from Bath explore ( p12 ), most people experiencing addiction have had traumatic experiences in their lives , so we need to be genuine in our efforts to learn about and respond to this .
If there ’ s ever a temptation to create a service model and then expect people to fit to it , the distressing story on p16 should serve as a warning . How much time , money – and sheer anguish – could have been saved by consulting the patients as equal partners ? Claire Brown , editor Keep in touch at www . drinkanddrugsnews . com and @ DDNmagazine
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