Home

 

Thank you  for visiting the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board. Our website is designed to provide general information about the Board, links to the Board’s contract agencies in Clermont County providing prevention and treatment programs and services, and links to additional information about mental health and substance use disorders.

Mental Illness and Substance Use in Young Adults

Entering adulthood can be an emotional time, but sometimes the ups and downs can mean something more.

Millions of young adults are living with a mental or substance use disorder and many either do not realize they have one or are not paying attention to the signs and not seeking help. In fact, of the 8.9 million young adults who reported having a mental illness in 2018, more than 2 in 5 went untreated and of the 5.1 million with a substance use disorder, nearly 9 in 10 did not get treatment.

It is important to remember that asking for help is a normal part of life, and you should never feel like you have to take on the world alone. If you are concerned that you or someone in your life may be drinking too much, using drugs, or dealing with mental illness, there are resources available to help.

References and Relevant Resources

 

What We Know About Suicide in the U.S.

Someone dies from suicide every 12 minutes—and over the past two decades, suicide rates have increased in every state across the country. For the first time in recent generations, life expectancy is decreasing due to suicide. According to the latest research:

  • There were 1.4 million attempts and more than 47,000 deaths from suicide.
  • Suicide is at its highest level and is still rising.
  • Rural counties are being hit the hardest with suicide rates double the rate in urban counties.
  • There has been an alarming 50% increase of suicide rates among women.

Suicide touches whole communities. Each person who dies by suicide leaves behind 135 people who knew that person—and the impact of suicide and the bereavement that follow.

www.standuptosuicide.org

Know the Risks of Meth

Methamphetamine (meth) is a powerful, highly addictive drug that causes devastating health effects, and sometimes death, even on the first try.

Meth is easy to get addicted to and hard to recover from. Meth is a dangerous, synthetic, stimulant drug often used in combination with other substances that can be smoked, injected, snorted, or taken orally. Someone using meth may experience a temporary sense of heightened euphoria, alertness, and energy. But using meth changes how the brain works and speeds up the body’s systems to dangerous, and sometimes lethal, levels—increasing heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and respiratory rate. Chronic meth users also experience anxiety, confusion, insomnia, paranoia, aggression, visual and auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions.

The Rise of Meth Use in the United States

The number of fatal overdoses involving meth has more than tripled (PDF | 336 KB) between 2011 and 2016, according to the CDC. Use is also on the rise between 2016-2018 for most age groups. In 2018, more than 106,000 adults aged 26 or older used meth—a 43 percent increase over the previous year.

Short-term Effects of Meth

Even taking small amounts of meth, or just trying it once, can cause harmful health effects, including:

  • Increased blood pressure and body temperature
  • Faster breathing
  • Rapid or irregular heartbeat
  • Loss of appetite, disturbed sleep patterns, or nausea
  • Bizarre, erratic, aggressive, irritable, or violent behavior

Long-term Health Risks of Meth

Chronic meth use leads to many damaging, long-term health effects, even when users stop taking meth, including:

  • Permanent damage to the heart and brain
  • High blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes, and death
  • Liver, kidney, and lung damage
  • Anxiety, confusion, or insomnia
  • Paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances, delusions, or violent behavior (psychotic symptoms can sometimes last for months or years after quitting meth)
  • Intense itching, causing skin sores from scratching
  • Severe dental problems (“meth mouth”)

Need Help?

With the right treatment plan, recovery is possible. If you, or someone you know, needs help with a substance use disorder, including meth use, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889, or use SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator to get help.

References and Relevant Resources

Featured Posts

Representative Brad Wenstrup meets with our Opiate Task Force!

As you are aware, Clermont County communities are being hit by the opioid epidemic, but members of the community are here to fight it. Representative Brad Wenstrup joined the Clermont County Opiate Task Force to discuss how the opiate and pill addiction problem has turned into a heroin problem and what we can do as […]

How to Hack Stress!!!!!!!

Who likes stress? If I were to poll our readers right now, I am certain that not a single one of you would pick the option: “Yes, I love being stressed out.” I mean, how could you? We’ve all heard that stress makes you sick, stress is bad for your health, stress is linked to insomnia… […]