Doylestown Marks National Recovery Month

Helping someone recover from a mental disorder or substance abuse takes a village.

Doylestown Borough Council recently honored the efforts of local groups and individuals who make up that village, the network of support that anyone in recovery must have to succeed.

At a recent meeting, the 9-member local council adopted a resolution recognizing September as National Recovery Month from mental and substance use disorders.

They also watched a public service announcement starring Glenn Close that was produced for Bring Change 2 Mind, a group that aims to erase the "stigma and discrimination of mental illness."

"The idea here was to show the village that helps people with mental and substance abuse disorders," said council member Noni West, one of the sponsors of the resolution.

For the past 23 years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has designated September as National Recovery Month. The national observance hopes to "educates Americans on the fact that addiction treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life."

Doylestown council members West and Susan Madian sponsored the resolution, which was adopted unanimously. West works for the Doylestown-based addiction prevention and education agency, The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, and Madian has a family member living with a mental illness.

Drug and alcohol abuse impacts everyone in the community, West said. Intoxicated and high drivers can cause fatal car crashes, and 7 out of 10 people in prison are battling addiction, she said. The children of addicts are often negatively affected, as well.

"Addiction is America’s most neglected disease," West said, adding that it is the "largest preventable public health issue."

Madian said of the best ways the community can help someone with a mental illness is to try to understand it. Strange behaviors are the "symptoms of the disease, not the cause," she said.

"Mental disorders are no one’s fault," Madian said. "It affects not just the person, but it also affects those who live with or work with them."

More than 40 representatives of local organizations who work with people with mental or substance abuse issues attended the council meeting and were recognized, one by one.

They included Kathy McQuarrie, who runs a family education program for the addiction support program Pro-Act; Nancy Reilly, who runs a 24-hour hotline for people who need help and Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler, whose office was instrumental in developing the county's drug court.

Other groups mentioned included NAMI, NOVA, A Woman's Place, the YMCA and The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania.

"We totally appreciate all the things you do to make like better for those who have this problem," Madian said, thanking them all.