Let’s get wise – we have a key role on gambling
The reasons for suicide by a young person can be very hard to understand, with many factors coming into play. In this month’s issue we consider how the evidence speaks for itself – that gambling can be a direct contributor to suicide but our system is unwilling or unable to recognise this. Governments, regulators – even coroners through under-reporting – seem to be turning a blind eye, letting industry run with the narrative that tragedies relate to a small number of people who ‘don’t use the products properly’. Let’s get wise to the situation – we have a key role in being proactive on prevention.
Meanwhile, we all know that our treatment system is under enormous pressure right now. Not only are we battling to right the ship from a ten-year tide of under investment, but budgets haven’t been confirmed and it’s really hard to plan for the vital continuity we all need. Prison and probation are bursting at the seams, drug-related deaths continue to rise – yet tried and tested treatment is being undervalued. Nobody in these pages is saying that residential rehab is the only way – but as our articles show, it is an absolutely vital piece of our treatment landscape if we are to be in any way responsive to discovering, addressing, and helping with complex needs.
Read the November issue as an online magazine (you can also download it as a PDF from the online magazine)
Claire Brown, editor