Simmons Masters in Social Work student, Heidi HyunJin Lee, was interviewed by GBH’s Morning Edition co-host Paris Alston for Wake Up Well, a segment focused on mental health.
An Acute Treatment Service Case Manager at Charles River Recovery, Lee shared common misunderstandings about mental health and how it coincides with substance abuse.
“I worked alongside some of this city’s heroes on Atkinson Street on Mass. and Cass for about a year and a half or so,” said Lee, referring to the area of Boston described as the epicenter of the state's mental health, opioid, and homelessness crises. “They’re just people like you and me. And some of us who have lost or have someone or family with mental health or substance challenges know that.”
She noted the prevalence of all varieties of addiction in modern society, and how the perceptions of those addictions vary widely.
“I think that we need to give grace to ourselves, because it’s so hard not to be addicted to something,” Lee said. “We’re addicted to our phones. We’re addicted to work. We’re addicted to even good things. But society isn’t really going to shame us in the ways that, you know, people who use substances receive.” Ultimately, Lee emphasized the need for community support for these challenges.