The director of the Brasami Addiction Clinic, Ijolene Constancia, visited Aruba along with her team. Following various meetings, an important agreement was signed between Curaçao and Aruba.
The foundation operates from the perspective that addiction is a psychiatric disease and a brain problem, rooted in mental health challenges. Psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety form part of these challenges.
The “Double Trouble” Phenomenon
One frequently encounters the situation known as “double trouble,” where an individual struggles with both an addiction problem and a psychiatric issue. The Brasami Addiction Clinic can assist in these cases, but a crucial condition is that the psychiatric problem must not be primary or in the foreground; the addiction itself must take precedence.
What does this mean? At the moment a person has a psychiatric problem—such as drug-induced psychosis, which may resemble a standalone psychiatric issue—the protocol requires stabilizing the person first. They must take their medication so that the psychotic condition is stabilized, they remain calm, and they no longer experience psychotic symptoms. Only then can they come to the Brasami Addiction Clinic for addiction treatment.
Comprehensive Treatment and the Seven Life Domains Model
According to director Ijolene Constancia, it is important to provide comprehensive treatment. This means it is not simply a matter of taking a person and placing them somewhere to provide food or activities to pass the time, but rather ensuring they receive complete treatment for their addiction.
Medication is a very important and essential component, but it remains just a small part of the whole. In addition to this, the emotional aspect is addressed, and other mental issues are managed. Alongside treatment, the person’s social skills are also attended to. This is based on the seven life domains model (shete leefgebieden), where guidance and support are provided across each of the life areas throughout the entire process.
