Alien Sent to Earth to Solve the Epidemic

Who is thinking about the behavioral health crisis in a visionary way in hopes to solve the epidemic.

Overdoses and suicides #1 and #2 in injury related deaths respectively. Anxiety, depression record setting levels.

Consider this…

Flat-Earth?

In order for people to discover the new world they had to allow for the possibility that the world was not flat.

• Einstein proposed particle theory at a time when all scientists were certain light was a wave.
• The American Revolution (1775-1783) took many ideas from the early civilizations of Greece and Rome and combined them with the Christian Bible to revolt against an authority that was unbending by embracing a completely new concept: a modern representative republic.
• Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1440 changing the way that information is disseminated and changing the world. Before this monumental creation books were copied by hand and humans were limited in their ability to transform their lives/move beyond their immediate sphere.
• The industrial revolution, the assembly line, the invention of the automobile ushered in a new era of urbanization and economic growth.
• Steve Jobs decided it was possible to put the power of a mainframe computer in our pocket.
• The internet has made instant access an everyday mundane experience.
• Elon Musk is trying to solve the LA traffic problem by tunneling under the city. It looks like it will work.

We could go on and on… in each case the world changing development required visionary thinking.

Paradigm shifting….Risk taking….Not normal… behavior.

Are You Willing and Engaged?

Right now we are sure that the solution to our crisis is “more access” to the same services.

Or maybe we add some medicine and make that accessible.

Or maybe we develop an app to “monitor” progress.

All of these are built on the fundamental premise of a “willing and engaged client”.

That’s the paradigm. Help those who want it. You can’t make a person get help.

We are sure this is the case. We base the entire system of this fundamental premise.

Limited Vision

Are we, perhaps, limiting our view?

Is there a similar visionary way to think about behavioral health.

Reject everything we know about what works with mental health and substance use disorders.

Pretend you’re an alien sent to earth to solve the epidemic. And you have no preconceived ideas.

Maybe we can help people who don’t want help? Can we engage those who don’t want to be engaged?

Maybe you don’t have to hit bottom and become willing?

Maybe the Earth is Round??

Get rid of the concepts that limit us.

Even the concept of “Recovery” itself as it exists in our minds.

How would we solve the problem if we started from scratch? Where would we start?

Or…what concepts would we keep and what would we purge? What concepts could we borrow from other industries that may be useful in this industry?

What radical ideas would be generated if we weren’t limited by all the slogans and cliches that have been burned into our subconscious?