Jan/Feb 2016
Industry Insider
7
The Broken System Sherry Schlenke, MEd
D
aniel Montalbano, the son of The Addict’s Mom (TAM) founder Barbara Theodosiou, was a victim of the broken system of our community mental health facilities and prisons. Dr. Harold Metzner of the University of Colorado uses the term “broken system” to describe the failure of this nation’s mental health and prison systems to adequately meet the needs of the population of people who have a diagnosis of co-occurring disorders; that is, a serious mental illness (SMI) comorbid with a substance use disorder (SUD).
ABOUT THE ADDICT’S MOM In Barbara’s words,
I discovered within a six-month period that two of my sons were addicts. My first reaction was to become physically ill. I was completely lost in the sadness of addiction, feeling shock, fear, and confusion. It was through my own brokenness that The Addict’s Mom was born. I knew deep inside that I was not the only mother who was suffering with her children; there had to be so many other moms going through the same horror that I was experiencing. I wanted to connect with those moms and create a forum where their pain and feelings could be shared with others who would be empathetic; a safe place where moms could “Share without Shame” their experiences, their sorrows, their anguish, and their fears of being the mother of a child with the disease of addiction. TAM began as an online, grassroots national and international support network, and has grown to over fifty thousand members, with a chapter in all fifty US states. Members meet online and in person to educate, advocate, and act as liaisons between policy makers, mental health professionals, and families of those suffering from the disease of addiction. In local communities, TAM sponsors events dedicated to heighten awareness of the disease, to reduce the stigma of the disease, and to promote changes in the legal system affecting those with the disease. Through pledges from our generous donors, TAM is now able to offer treatment scholarships to the loved ones of our members. As drug use and subsequent imprisonment and death among our youth reach epidemic proportions, TAM is becoming a force for societal change.
THE BROKEN SYSTEM AND DANIEL
The first component of the broken system often begins in elementary school. Daniel was likely a child with undiagnosed high functioning autism. He was cognitively gifted, and therefore it is probable that he had Asperger’s syndrome. When Daniel entered the school system, he was very misunderstood. Being socially awkward, Daniel was bullied—at the bus stop in the morning, at school, and on the bus home. Additionally, because he lacked coping mechanisms for his social and emotional problems, Daniel acted out in class. People with autism suffer from “theory of mind,” in which they are completely unaware of the perceptions and feelings of others. According to Stephen M. Edelson, PhD, of the Autism Research Institute, “Theory of mind refers to the notion that many autistic individuals do not understand that other people have their own plans, thoughts, and points
Barbara Theodosiou, founder of The Addict’s Mom.
of view. Furthermore, it appears that they have difficulty understanding other people’s beliefs, attitudes, and emotions” (n.d.). Thus, Daniel did not realize just how very inappropriate he acted, and he did not understand when others reacted to him in a negative way. As Daniel advanced through his school years and continued to have behavior problems in class, his teachers placed him in isolation, further distancing him from his peers. The parents of the other students complained that Daniel was too disruptive in class. He was disliked, mocked, and ostracized by his peers. Substance abuse is not unusual in individuals with autism, and Daniel’s progression to substance use is predictable. He told his mother that he began using drugs at the age of thirteen as a way to escape the reality of his painful life. Daniel was not referred for educational or psychological evaluation by the school staff, and they did not implement behavior modification, conflict resolution strategies or promote positive peer interactions. The school system was indeed broken in Daniel’s case. The Mental Health System Barbara consulted a child psychiatrist when Daniel was thirteen. Unfortunately, he was misdiagnosed with ADHD, which has a high comorbidity rate with autism. By this time Daniel was also experiencing auditory hallucinations, which may indicate a thought disorder. The misdiagnosis of ADHD was also due in part to the reluctance of the professional to “label” a young boy with a psychiatric diagnosis. Barbara followed the recommended treatment options, which included therapy. Because Daniel’s problems at school continued to escalate, Barbara removed him and he finished his general educational development (GED) test for high school equivalency through the local community college. Being completely distanced from his peer group, however, exacerbated his social deficits. Further, his continued substance use resulted in an increase in symptoms of a psychological disorder.