Mental Health/Substance Abuse

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If you are suffering with a mental health crisis, or are thinking about harming yourself or attempting suicide, please tell someone you can trust right away.

For Emergency Services
Call 911
or
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1-800-273-8255, or 1-800-799-4889 (TTY)

Responsible Fatherhood inherently involves the well-being and capacity of fathers to be positively involved with their children. Substance abuse can cause a wide range of problems, issues, and needs within a family as well as between fathers and children, as can mental health issues, such as depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or Bipolar Disorder. These are serious, but treatable conditions.

Responsible Fatherhood programs can be well served by being aware of these needs and taking steps to address them. Current research, statistics, and program advice are available through this section of the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC).

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Organizations

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) : NAMI services include information to help inform yourself, learn more about support and treatment, and to find and support local mental health alliances.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): NIMH services include information on a variety of mental health conditions, including anxiety disorders, such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and other anxiety disorders which affect about 40 million adults in the U.S.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): SAMHSA services include substance abuse information, treatment options, and statistics as well as technical assistance resources for a wide range of topics and audiences, including Tribal communities, youth prevention, intervention and treatment, and faith-based organizations.

Resources from Online Library

Children's Program Kit: Supportive Education for Children of Addicted Parents - SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. This packet of materials was developed to help substance abuse therapists establish treatment and education groups for the children of their clients.
Family Structure Father Closeness & Drug Abuse - The National Fatherhood Initiative. The thesis of this study is that children and adolescents who grow up in intact families are generally less likely to smoke, to drink, or to try illegal drugs.

Other Relevant Resources

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) - Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. The mission of the NCSACW is to improve systems and practice for families with substance use disorders who are involved in the child welfare and family judicial systems by assisting local, State and tribal agencies.
National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD) - NCPTSD aims to advance the clinical care and social welfare of U.S. Veterans through research, education and training on PTSD and stress-related disorders. This site is an educational resource on PTSD and traumatic stress, for veterans and also for mental health care providers, researchers and the general public.
"Real Men. Real Depression." (PDF - 425 KB) - The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has a special initiative targeting men and depression, called For more information, and resources in Spanish, visit http://menanddepression.nimh.nih.gov.
Technical Assistance Resource Guide for the Comprehensive Community Mental Health for Children and Their Families Program (Systems of Care) (PDF - 106 KB) - This Resource Guide provides information and resources to assist states and communities in developing, implementing, evaluating and sustaining systems of care to benefit children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families.