Overview
I’ve said a few times that I wished there was something like a pamphlet you got when you entered a treatment center that starts with “Welcome to Addiction! Addiction is a disability, and that means you have rights and programs you can explore dedicated to people with disabilities.” Surely something so critical must have been distilled into an accessible format by now in this world of millions of mental health professionals, paraprofessionals, advocates, activists, and peer support groups.
Apparently, it does exist! The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a neat 4-page pamphlet on their website you can look at that does exactly that with ways to find out more depending on what you need. I’m kind of shocked that this isn’t a standard resource we distribute to people on entry to any program that relates to or can diagnose someone with a disability. It’s almost a Catch-22: under 42 USC Ch. 114 10841 K, you have the “right to be told about your rights described in this document clearly when you first arrive and from time to time after that, in words you can easily understand. This includes knowing your rights according to the laws of your state.” But to know about the right to be told about your rights, you have to know you have that right. Under M, you have the “right to talk privately with any available rights protection program in the setting you are in, to the rights protection service within the state mental health system, and to groups created to protect people with mental health conditions, along with qualified advocates.”