In a podcast conversation, Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Professor Ishan Shivanand, a global expert on mental health, talk about the role of leadership faith in addressing the drug overdose epidemic in the United States and the world.
Dr. Rahul Gupta (left) chats with Professor Ishan Shivanand (right) in a podcast conversation about fighting the opioid epidemic
Millions of lives today are grappling with the opioid overdose crisis. The abuse of synthetic opioids, especially illicit Fentanyl and other stimulants, is deadly worldwide. In 2019 alone, of the 600,000 deaths in the world due to drug use, nearly 80% were related to opioids and 25% were due to opioid overdose according to the latest statistics from the Health Organization. World. And with the fallout from COVID-19 still hanging over most, isolation and chaos are exacerbating mental health conditions – Increasing drug addiction. If that weren’t enough, traumatic events, lack of awareness, and stigma surrounding addiction and mental health make people even more hesitant to share their challenges. Yet faith leaders often become beacons of hope for those who are suffering. During times of crisis, community members tend to seek guidance and comfort from religious leaders even before contacting mental health professionals. coalition to change policy and provide support through meditation techniques and resilient communities. Taking note of the same, recently on August 21 this year, Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), along with Mayor Stephen Benjamin, Director The White House Office of Public Engagement, hosted a White House Roundtable meeting with religious leaders to discuss efforts to combat the drug overdose epidemic in the United States. The meeting was held as part of President Biden’s United Agenda call for Action to defeat the crisis and save lives. In collaboration with Dr. Gupta and other prominent White House officials, religious leaders identified steps to eliminate stigma, prevent overdoses, support recovery and reduce barriers to mental health treatment in their communities. Furthermore, they also explore opportunities to increase access to life-saving harm reduction measures, treatment, and opioid overdose medications, especially among young and vulnerable people. love. Among the religious leaders invited to the Roundtable was Professor Ishan Shivanand, Founder of Yoga of the Immortals, a non-pharmaceutical meditation intervention program. He was honored as Acharya according to the Dharma philosophy Shiv Yog Sanatan. Recently, in conversation with Professor Ishan Shivanand via a podcast, Dr. Rahul Gupta explained why he works with faith leaders to address the epidemic of overdoses and substance abuse disorders. addiction in the United States. In the podcast, he shares (paraphrased), “The question often asked is – what are you solving the problem for?” “If you’re trying to both prevent death and help addicts have better lives, better approaches, better things – you want to put yourself in their shoes. You want to understand what will help people. In a way, it’s called harm reduction – it’s meeting people where they are and helping them move forward.” Emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary work on drug overdoses, he elaborated on the role of faith leaders in reducing addiction (paraphrased), “We We can always incorporate data and science into faith leadership so we can help people and guide them to the right resources.” “It’s important to empower those (faith leaders) who have the ability to make changes in the lives of so many people – and help them make better decisions when it comes to to addiction, mental health and challenges.” Advanced health care often goes unnoticed. They work with scientists, researchers, and healthcare workers to design evidence-based meditation interventions to help prevent and manage addiction. What many people still don’t know is that they are informed and equipped with scientific techniques and tools designed to alleviate addiction and mental illness. The podcast sets the stage for important conversations to raise awareness about comprehensive approaches to managing the opioid epidemic. Subscribe to the Mental Health Matters podcast on Tackling the Overdose Epidemic between Professor Ishan Shivanand and Dr Rahul Gupta on Spotify or YouTube.
Disclaimer: Content produced by Vanyashree Chaudhary
