Overcoming Resistance: Why We Must Embrace Change in Mental Health and Addiction Care

Why are some of us so scared to change?

I’m sorry. I still get triggered.

I find myself getting worked up by people who respond to new trends and ideas with disdain.

For the millionth time, we have a mental health and addiction crisis that has become intractible. Shoot, it’s not even a crisis anymore. It’s just the norm now.

Our broken non-system of mental health and addiction care was built under the watch of well-meaning professionals who were doing the best they could with the available information.

You don’t have to look far to understand that the current state of care delivery is not effective. Period.

And yet, some still resist suggestions to shake things up.

Let’s find ways to better train primary care docs, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to deliver evidence-based care…

“No! Psychiatrists are the only ones qualified to provide mental health or addiction care.”

But there aren’t enough of us…

“It doesn’t matter! They don’t have our skills!”

New technologies, including AI, could help extend our reach and scale access to evidence-based care…

“AI isn’t going to solve our problems and using the term ‘scale’ in healthcare is wrong.”

We need to look outside of traditional silos of funding and power to drive innovation…

“Private equity and VC money is causing harm.”

Why are some of us so scared to change?

I just think about the thousands of patients in the ER right now who are in such despair that they just want to die. Most of them are there because our current treatment paradigm is ineffective.

These patients deserve better. We must overcome our discomfort and resistance to change and put their interests above ours.

Otherwise, we’ll be having the same LinkedIn conversations 10 years from now.

Photo Credit: Jack Bell Photography