There are many myths surrounding mental health and addictive disorders, which is why Great Falls College MSU, Gateway Community Services, Alliance for Youth and other community organizations have planned a week of events titled “Stop the Stigma.”

“The goal of this event is to educate people on mental health and addictive disorders and to debunk some of the myths that lead to stigma surrounding these issues,” Elfie Neber, psychology faculty at GFC MSU, said in a press release.

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Stop the Stigma runs from Oct. 22-26 with the following events held throughout the week:

• Oct. 22 – “Screenagers.” This documentary, which focuses on growing up in the digital age will be shown twice – at noon and again at 6 p.m. There will be a panel discussion following the 6 p.m. screening. Watch the trailer here.
• Oct. 23 – “Blowing Smoke.” This presentation will focus on the past and present state of tobacco, including the history of tobacco, new products and thought-provoking ideas about its future. Noon.
• Oct. 23 – “Red Flags and How to Take Action.” Learn to identify and respond to a mental health and/or substance abuse crisis. 6 p.m.
• Oct. 24 – “Prescription Perspective.” Belden Billy from Rocky Boy shares the story of his own battle with substance abuse. A panel discussion will follow. 6 p.m.
• Oct. 25 – “Porn and Sex Addiction.” With the Internet and pornography being so readily available, more people are developing significant problems around compulsive/addictive behaviors. Join presenter Steven I. Lanzet, M.Ed., LMFT, LCPC, CSAT-S, for this community presentation on what families, parents and citizens need to know. 6 p.m.

All events listed above are free and open to the public and will be held in Heritage Hall at Great Falls College MSU, 2100 16th Ave. S.

The Substance Abuse Prevention Alliance, under the umbrella of Alliance for Youth, released their first issue of The Blunt Truth this morning. The document addresses marijuana use and youth. Read the document here.

In addition to these free events, there will also be a full-day training from Lanzet on Oct. 26 focusing on sex and porn addiction treatment. The cost of this training is $99, and participants can earn six hours of continuing education credits.

The training, designed for counselors, social workers, therapists, nurses and other mental health and healthcare professionals, will offer an introduction on what constitutes a problem, some ideas of the causes, and how to identify and begin to assist clients in a respectful and e­ffective manner.

More information on the full-day training is here.