“Pride Goes Before a Fall: The Dark Side of Substance Abuse and Mental Health”

The often-dreaded proposition of humans inflicting harm upon themselves and others has many possible explanations. Those who inquire deeper often find that substance abuse and mental health issues intertwine in a myriad of ways. Researches point to one lamentable fact—it's rising at an alarming rate. Some victims and advocates underscore a critical concern—acknowledging social attitudes may prevent others from getting the help they deserve. As orator Walter G. Frederick notes, "There are no unsound persons, there are unsound situations, which produce disease." Among these permeating issues is self-loathing, topped by pain-driven climax—despair, immobility, alleged shame. If studies are correct, relief might impend, only once society puts away what an Iraqi tortured child poster felt intolerable.