News Archive
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Help for You
Talking with someone about your thoughts and feelings can save your life. There are steps you can take to keep yourself safe through a crisis. Call us any time or click on chat now to connect with Your Life Iowa support.
Help for Someone You Know
Learn how to recognize the warning signs when someone’s at risk—and what you can do to help. If you believe someone may be in danger of suicide:
The Iowa Department of Public Health and Iowa Department of Human Services are collaborating to bring mental health resources to Your Life Iowa. Take a first look around on what will become your link to mental health resources near you. Stay tuned as more information is coming!
April is Alcohol Awareness Month and the Iowa Department of Public Health wants to remind you there is “Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow”. Click "Read More" to access prevention resources, learn how alcohol impacts Iowans, and find local prevention and treatment professionals near you.
Did you know that 90.2% of Adult Iowans have gambled in their lifetime and that 45.8% have gambled in the past 30 days? March is Problem Gambling Awareness month, and for approximately 13.6% of Adult Iowans, they have experienced a sign or symptom of problem gambling in the past year.
This holiday season, Your Life Iowa encourage you to gift responsibly. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, young people report their first gambling experience on average occurs around 9-11 years of age.
Each spring and the fall, the Drug Enforcement Administration conducts National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to help reduce the amount of unused and expired medications. The next event is October 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at locations across Iowa.
Iowa's Good Samaritan Law encourages those who witness a drug overdose to stay and call 911, rather than running out of fear of prosecution.
Every September, SAMHSA sponsors Recovery Month to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrate the people who recover. The annual theme is Join the Voices for Recovery: Invest in Health, Home, Purpose, and Community.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five American adults and children will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime and 90 percent of those who die by suicide have an underlying mental illness. September is National Suicide Prevention Month and thoughts of suicide can impact anyone regardless of age, gender or background. Suicidal thoughts should not be ignored and often indicate a more serious illness. Help and hope is available.
Iowa has experienced a 38% increase in methamphetamine treatment admissions over the past four years. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, "Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant. When people stop taking it, withdrawal symptoms can include anxiety, fatigue, severe depression, psychosis, and intense drug cravings.
Each year, approximately 30,000 Iowans experience a brain injury that results in a visit to an emergency department, admission to a hospital or death. Traumatic brain injuries, sometimes called concussions, are commonly caused by a fall, motor vehicle crash, assault or a sports injury, and can sometimes go undiagnosed.
Seventy-five percent of Iowans that smoke say they want to try to quit within the next year. If that describes you, Quitline Iowa is here to help.
Every day, 91 Americans die from opioid overdose. In Iowa, opioids are impacting women age 45-64 at an ever increasing rate. Why? In part, because they don't even know it. Women in this age group are more likely to have physical conditions for which opioids are prescribed, yet they don’t know about the severe risks of opioid misuse.
The 41st Annual Governor's Conference on Substance Abuse is April 18-19th, 2018 at the Veteran's Memorial-Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines.
Every year, thousands of children receive lottery and scratch-off tickets as gifts. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Association of Problem Gambling Service Administrators (APGSA) want to spread the word that lottery and other gambling products are not for children under the age of 18.
We've been listening to your feedback and have made some changes to help you find information faster, as well as added new Mental Health information and resources as Your Life Iowa offers statewide crisis assistance. Your Life Iowa is funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health and is your link to current behavioral health information and resources.
Take a look around and let us know what you think about the changes!
Did you know in the last decade that Opioid (e.g., heroin, morphine, prescription painkillers, etc.) overdose deaths in Iowa increased by over 300 percent?
Did you know that 13 percent of Adult Iowans have experienced at least one problem related to their gambling?
Iowans who experience problems related to their gambling come from many backgrounds. They can be rich or poor, young or old, male or female. Problem gambling can affect people of every race, every religion, and every education and income level. It happens in small towns or big cities.
The Iowa Youth Survey is conducted by the Iowa Department of Public Health's Division of Behavioral Health in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Human Rights’ Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning and Statistical Analysis Center.
