Some Missouri rural communities seeing a rise in drug use potentially due to undiagnosed mental illnesses (CW: drug use/suicide attempt)

Some Missouri rural communities seeing a rise in drug use potentially due to undiagnosed mental illnesses (CW: drug use/suicide attempt)

Posted on October 18, 2021

More than 20 years later, Ginger Lenore Phillips said she finally knows what was leading her to abuse drugs. “It’s a mixture of bipolar I and Schizophrenia” she said. Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI CMO said drug-use is a common trend among people either misdiagnosed or improperly diagnosed with mental illness. “A lot of people who are experiencing emotional distress try to change how they feel,” he said. Dr. Duckworth said the shame society places on people experiencing mental distress, lack of open discussion, and access to services are often what drive people to self-medicate. “All contribute to the idea that this should be held in silence, and that leads to trouble for people because these are treatable conditions,” said Dr. Duckworth.