Harm reduction (HR) is a process of immediately reducing the harm to one's self and others, free of judgment and outside coercion. It is a philosophy and working/living style that acknowledges that we are not forever our current behaviors, addictions, vices or negative thought patterns and that our lives are guided by states of change - from infancy to adolescence, adulthood to old age. HR mandates meeting people where they are and fights for self designed and directed treatment options. From needle exchange and free condoms to reasonable accommodation and free self-defense trainings, HR is now being utilized as a movement for social justice based on incremental change with long-term visions for maintained wellness and self-empowerment. By not blaming people for their destructive behaviors and/or coping mechanisms and instead by looking at the uniqueness and capacity of every life, HR allows us the opportunity to move forward with our most compassionate and ever expanding hearts.

Unfortunately, even within some HR based organizations intravenous drug users and the "chronic severely mentally ill" are seen as "problems" and "hard to reach." This is often where capacity development models and allied Icarus philosophies of camaraderie and support can be of great value. In addition to helping subvert the misnomers of healthcare being a public safety issue when it comes to substance use and mental health needs, this modality allows the people experiencing these issues to get their needs met for themselves.

One of the things about harm reduction is that it seems to posit that the tendency of American/Western society to divide behaviors into black/white or good/evil as an incomplete way of looking at things and not useful for actually healing. For example, in our culture it's assumed that using certain drugs: caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, psych meds, Aspirin"”is okay or at least tolerable, while using others: pot, psychedelics, street drugs, etc."”is unequivocally bad. But the truth is that all of these substances exist on a spectrum. Psychedelics can have mystical healing powers and recreational adventure; psychiatric drugs can kill people's spirits and internal organs; too much Advil can give you an ulcer. This model can also be applied to mental health. Our society encourages us to believe that extreme mood states and behaviors of certain kinds are unilaterally bad, and should be eliminated completely, rather than understood and worked with at their various stages and treated as legitimate things to experience.

What are the ways in which the harm reduction model of understanding and treating behavior can be applied to helping people struggling with their mental health?

The following guidelines for harm reduction have been adapted from the Principles of Harm Reduction authored by the Harm Reduction Coalition:

It is essential to meet people where they're at and to make space for the language people use to talk about their experiences.

Mental health is complex and multifaceted. The definition of "healthy" is different for everyone.

The non-judgmental provision of mental health services will allow more people to access the services they need.

Class, race, social isolation, trauma, sex-based discrimination and other social inequalities affect people's relationship to and experience of mental health.

Bereavement, grief and mourning have particular impacts on the processes of addiction and recovery.

People who struggle with issues related to mental health often experience extreme suffering.

*Because harm reduction is based on the idea that abstinence is not possible for many people, the model is being applied to issues of mental health, since one cannot "abstain" from their trauma and suffering. *

The class war that has created the "war on drugs" specifically targets women, people of color and people by wielding the law and diagnostic criteria of "addictive disorders" against them. Harm reduction offers an alternative modality that acknowledges the relationship between discrimination and addiction. This relationship exists in the context of mental health as well. The use of harm reduction related to mental health makes room for the complexities of the experiences"”often traumatic"”that lead people to be diagnosed as "mentally ill." It is creating avenues of crisis prevention and self-healing unavailable in mainstream treatment methods.

Harm Reduction acknowledges that poverty is depressing and depression is a real illness affecting our ability to contribute and sculpt a life worth living. The harms of capitalism could, by example, be lessened immediately by a focus on capacity development as opposed to the dependency model it necessitates. Food not Bombs is an example of harm reduction tactics in the face of economic harms in addition to wide scale free clinics and free clothing/books/housing boxes.

What is Harm Reduction?

In its original form, harm reduction is considered to be the process of "reducing drug-related harm among individuals and communities by initiating and promoting local, regional, and national harm reduction education, interventions, and community organizing." The Harm Reduction Coalition "fosters alternative models to conventional health and human services and drug treatment; challenges traditional client/provider relationships; and provides resources, educational materials and support to health professionals and drug users in the communities to address drug-related harm."

Now, the concept of harm reduction has expanded to become "a modality of working with individuals and communities to minimize adverse consequences of drug use. e.g. Overdose prevention, syringe access, health care especially for HIV, hepatitis and mental health needs, drug law reform including prison reform, housing, and drug treatment options."

Ultimately, harm reduction is a movement for social justice that makes daily incremental change a stable, horizontal platform for community and self-reliance. Hey "” try incorporating HR into your daily activities and relationships and give harmful stereotypes about addicts, recovery and welfare moms a hypodermic shot to the heart.

http://harmreduction.org