Social Media Use and Well-being: What We Do and Don’t Know

Social Media Use and Well-being: What We Do and Don’t Know

November 15, 2022 (New Carrollton, MD) Nearly 60 percent of the world’s population, and 81% of the US population, are active social media users. As social media use becomes more pervasive, there is a growing interest in the role social media plays in wellness and mental health. Does social media help or hinder mental health? The answer is not that simple. Social media can be an easy, accessible way for people to establish social connections and networks. These can be important contributors to well-being and mental health. Yet some studies indicate social media use also may have a negative effect on mental health and well-being, although these effects vary by age, race, and other demographics. Recent research suggests that how social media is used can have a greater impact on mental health than how often or how long social media is used.

The November 2022 Behavioral Health Spotlight focuses on social media use and well-being. “Social Media Use and Well-being: What We Do and Don’t Know” was written by Nancy Bateman, MSW, a Senior Public Health Advisor for Behavioral Health Services at Bizzell. It discusses current findings on social media use and well-being, meaningful uses of social media data in the mental health/well-being space, and recommendations for future research. The BHARC Behavioral Health Spotlight, published by the Behavioral Health Advancement Resource Center (BHARC) and funded by Bizzell, is a thought leadership series highlighting various behavioral health topics that impact communities across the United States and abroad.

Read the report: Social Media Use and Well-being: What We Do and Don’t Know

About BHARC

The Behavioral Health Advancement Resource Center (BHARC) is an ever-growing and trusted source for current behavioral health program development and research findings, examples of evidence-informed and promising practices, and emerging behavioral health policy and interventions. The BHARC Advisory Council consists of experts in substance use, mental health, clinical trials, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare standards and quality. For more information, visit: BHARC.org

About Bizzell US

Bizzell US (Bizzell) is a strategy, consulting, and technology firm that designs innovative solutions to help build healthy, secure, and sustainable communities in our nation and around the world. Bizzell leverages the combined experience of our diverse subject matter experts to develop data-driven, research-informed answers to the world’s most complex challenges—ensuring our clients achieve their vision and goals. For more information, visit: BizzellUS.com

Engaging Patients through Trauma-Informed Care in the Age of COVID-19

Engaging Patients through Trauma-Informed Care in the Age of COVID-19

Most individuals will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime. According to the CDC, nearly 60 percent of adults have experienced at least one traumatic event. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that by 16 years old, nearly two-thirds of children have experienced a traumatic event. Traumatic events can include physical or sexual abuse, assaults, wars, serious accidents, illnesses, sudden loss or violent loss of loved one, and natural disasters. They can lead to significant health problems or other adverse consequences. Trauma-informed care (TIC) provides a strengths-based framework for treatment that actively engages the client, so they experience a sense of control, involvement, empowerment, and safety through collaboration and choices.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, a renewed emphasis surfaced on the role and benefits of TIC. Many people experienced significant stressors and traumas associated with the pandemic. As Dr. Anton C. Bizzell, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of Bizzell US, noted in a recent Psychology Today article, the pandemic has particularly impacted the mental health and well-being of our youth and children and could lead to adverse long-term affects without appropriate care and services. Adoption of TIC at the clinical and organizational level can offer a path to healing and recovery for individuals who might otherwise suffer unnecessarily.

The BHARC Behavioral Health Spotlight, published by the Behavioral Health Advancement Resource Center (BHARC) and funded by Bizzell, is a thought leadership series highlighting various behavioral health topics that impact communities across the United States and abroad. The October 2022 Behavioral Health Spotlight focuses on trauma-informed care. “Engaging Patients through Trauma-Informed Care in the Age of COVID-19” was written by Nancy Bateman, MSW, a Senior Public Health Advisor for Behavioral Health Services at Bizzell US. It discusses trauma-informed care principles, the prevalence of trauma, and varied expert perspectives on the relationship between trauma and COVID-19.

Read the report: Engaging Patients through Trauma-Informed Care in the Age of COVID-19

About BHARC

The Behavioral Health Advancement Resource Center (BHARC) is an authoritative source for behavioral health information, insights, technical assistance, training, and innovative tools. BHARC is a mechanism to share evidence-based behavioral health interventions and best practices. The BHARC Advisory Council consists of experts in substance use, mental health, clinical trials, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare standards and quality. Learn more about the Behavioral Health Advancement Resource Center at BHARC.org.

About Bizzell US

Established in 2010, Bizzell US (Bizzell) is a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) HUBZone certified strategy, consulting, and technology firm with a mission to improve lives and accelerate change. Bizzell US develops innovative solutions to some of the most critical issues of our time such as health care services equity, global health, workforce innovation and other urgent needs facing the world. Under the leadership and vision of founder, Anton C. Bizzell, MD, the company has grown into a thriving firm headquartered in New Carrollton, Maryland with staff and offices in various regions around the country including California, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Georgia, and globally in Africa, Asia, and Central America. Learn more about how we develop data-driven, research-informed, innovative solutions to complex-real-world challenges: BizzellUS.com.

Dr. David Sleet, Senior Associate at Bizzell Co-authors Article on Alcohol Harms in Young Adults in The Lancet

A new analysis from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, Seattle, suggests that for young adults aged 15-39, there are no health benefits to drinking alcohol, only harms. The harms they are most likely to experience are injuries.

The study, published in The Lancet July 16, 2022, (doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00847-9), used data from the Global Burden of Diseases, a project based at the University of Washington in Seattle that tracks health trends worldwide and produces comprehensive data on the causes of illness and death in the world.

Both males and females under age 40 risked health loss from alcohol use, even when consuming small amounts of alcohol. But for those older than 40, consuming small amounts of alcohol (such as 1-2 glasses of wine daily) can provide some health benefits, yet health risks vary by age and region.

David Sleet, Ph.D., one of the co-authors of the article and a Senior Associate for Injury Prevention at Bizzell US (Bizzell), noted that “We need stronger interventions tailored towards younger individuals to reduce the substantial global health loss, particularly from injuries, attributable to alcohol use.”

The study’s authors call for alcohol consumption guidelines to be revised to emphasize that health risks of alcohol use differ by age, stressing that the level of alcohol consumption recommended by many existing guidelines is too high for young people. They also call for policies targeting males under age 40, who are most likely to use alcohol harmfully.

The study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“I would like to congratulate Dr. Sleet and the other contributing authors on the publication of the report in The Lancet. As alcohol sales have soared during the pandemic, the long-term health risks of heavy drinking including brain and liver damage, heart disease, digestive disease, and mental health disorders have increased. I urge all Americans to fight the deadly epidemic of alcohol use and abuse, particularly among adolescents and young adults” said Anton C. Bizzell, M.D., President & CEO of Bizzell.

To date, the publication has received national media attention, with USA Today, and The Guardian covering the report.

To read the reviews, please see below:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/07/15/alcohol-health-risks-under-40/10067144002/
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/14/alcohol-is-never-good-for-people-under-40-global-study-finds

About BHARC
The Behavioral Health Advancement Resource Center (BHARC) is an authoritative source for behavioral health information, insights, technical assistance, training, and innovative tools. BHARC is a mechanism to share evidence-based behavioral health interventions and best practices. The BHARC Advisory Council consists of experts in substance use, mental health, clinical trials, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare standards and quality. Learn more about the Behavioral Health Advancement Resource Center at BHARC.org.

About Bizzell
Established in 2010, Bizzell US is U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) HUBZone certified strategy, consulting, and technology firm with a mission to improve lives and accelerate change. Bizzell US develops innovative solutions to some of the most critical issues of our time such as health care services equity, global health, workforce innovation and other urgent needs facing the world. Under the leadership and vision of founder, Anton C. Bizzell, MD, the company has grown into a thriving firm headquartered in New Carrollton, Maryland with staff and offices in various regions around the country including California, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Georgia, and globally in Africa, Asia, and Central America. Learn more about how we develop data-driven, research-informed, innovative solutions to complex-real-world challenges. Learn more at BizzellUS.com.

ARTICLE REFERENCE:
GBD 2020 Alcohol Collaborators. Population-level risks of alcohol consumption by amount, geography, age, sex, and year: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020.

Lancet   2022 Jul 16;400(10347):185-235. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00847-9. PMID: 35843246 PMCID: PMC9289789

happy people stacking hands outdoor

Bizzell Awarded Four SAMHSA IDIQ Domains

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Bizzell Group Contact
Chad Brown DM, Chief Administrative Officer
301-459-0100 | cbrown@thebizzellgroup.com

The Bizzell Group (Bizzell), a global strategy, consulting, and technology firm, is excited to continue its successful partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Bizzell has been awarded four domains as a prime contractor on SAMHSA’s Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract through 2027. The IDIQs help SAMHSA achieve its goal of reducing the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.

Through this award, Bizzell is eligible to compete for new contracts under the following domains:

  • Domain I: Feasibility, Pilot, and Evaluation Projects
  • Domain II: Statistical Projects
  • Domain V: Technical Assistance and Training Projects
  • Domain VI: Planning, Implementation, and Report Support Projects (8a and HUBZone)

Since Bizzell’s inception, the firm has worked with SAMHSA and other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate behavioral health advancements and improve services and resources for communities within the United States and across the globe. Bizzell has a full range of capabilities that can support SAMHSA’s mission, and includes program and project management, data analytics, evaluation and learning, and technical assistance and training.

Bizzell has conducted a wide range of feasibility studies, evaluation projects, and didactic learning seminars to strengthen health system interventions and training, foster data-informed decisions, and improve program outcomes and impact. Specifically, we’ve partnered with SAMHSA to provide direct technical assistance and support services to opioid treatment programs nationwide. Additionally, we’ve delivered in-person and web-based provider trainings in the areas of prevention treatment and recovery, substance use disorder and maternal and infant health, effective uses of medication assisted treatment, and improving cultural competence in substance abuse treatment.

“As a company, Bizzell is passionate about developing innovative solutions that lead to positive health outcomes,” says Anton Bizzell, M.D., President and CEO of Bizzell. “We are energized to support SAMSHA’s critical work to advance the nation’s behavioral health—especially now as more people struggle with mental health and substance use concerns and the demand for effective and accessible behavioral health services is growing.”

About Bizzell

About Bizzell Established in 2010, Bizzell is U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) HUBZone certified strategy, consulting, and technology firm with a mission to improve lives and accelerate change. Bizzell develops innovative solutions to some of the most critical issues of our time such as health care services equity, global health, workforce innovation and other urgent needs facing the world. Under the leadership and vision of founder, Anton C. Bizzell, MD, the company has grown into a thriving firm headquartered in New Carrollton, Maryland with staff and offices in various regions around the country including California, Colorado, and Georgia, and globally in Africa, Asia, and Central America. Learn more about how we develop data-driven, research-informed, innovative solutions to complex-real-world challenges: www.thebizzellgroup.com.