Seeking Help: Resources for Clinical Anxiety, Mental Health Issues, and Addiction

• UCSF Caring for the Caregiver Program: Offers peer-led support at UCSF to ensure that providers and staff are emotionally supported through the experience of patient care. Available to all health care team members at UCSF Health hospitals and clinic sites. 

• Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP): Free, confidential support for faculty and staff.  

• Student Mental Health and Wellbeing: Free, confidential remote or in-person consultation for UCSF students. Support services can be accessed by calling (415) 476-1281 or visiting website linked above. 

• Spiritual Care Services provides 24/7 emotional and spiritual support for patients, families, and staff. 

• Parnassus/Mount Zion: (415) 353-1941 

• Mission Bay: (415) 514-4200 

• The Department of Medicine Behavioral Medicine Unit: Needs a referral from your provider via APEX, whereas direct phone is a slower route (415) 353-7900. 

• Palliative Care Clinic: (415) 514-1966. 

• Osher Center for Integrative Medicine: Classes for the public (mindfulness, laughter yoga) are online. 

• UCSF’s CARE Advocate: Free, confidential support to all members of the UCSF community affected by sexual assault, relationship or family violence, stalking, and/or sexual harassment. CARE Advocacy services continue to be available remotely. Video and phone appointments can be made by calling (415) 502-8802, texting (415) 640-9080, or emailing [email protected]. Additional information and resources to support coping and healing can be found on the CARE website. 

• UCSF Police Department: Provides timely responses to those experiencing crimes, including dating violence, domestic violence, sex offenses, and stalking. The UCSF Police Department encourages community members experiencing an emergency to immediately call 911 or (415) 476-6911. Members who are not experiencing emergencies can call (415) 476-1414. The UCSF Police Department is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. 

• UC Health plan mental health resources: All of the UC Health plans for employees, postdoctoral scholars, residents, and fellows have expanded virtual options for behavioral health services in response to COVID-19. 

• Well-Being and Mental Health Resources for Residents and Clinical Fellows 
   

Problem drinking that becomes severe is given the medical diagnosis of alcohol use disorder (AUD). AUD is a chronic relapsing brain disorder characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite negative social, work-related, or health consequences. 

An estimated 15 million people in the United States have AUD. Approximately 5.8 percent, or 14.4 million adults, in the United States ages 18 and older had AUD in 2018. This includes 9.2 million men and 5.3 million women. Adolescents can be diagnosed with AUD as well, and in 2018, an estimated 401,000 adolescents ages 12–17 had AUD. 

To be diagnosed with AUD, individuals must meet certain criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Under DSM–5, the current version of the DSM, anyone meeting any two of the 11 criteria during the same 12-month period receives a diagnosis of AUD. The severity of AUD — mild, moderate, or severe — is based on the number of criteria met. 

To assess whether you or a loved one may have AUD, here are some questions to ask. In the past year, have you: 

• Had times when you ended up drinking more, or longer than you intended? 

• More than once wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn’t? 

• Spent a lot of time drinking? Or being sick or getting over the aftereffects? 

• Experienced craving — a strong need, or urge, to drink? 

• Found that drinking — or being sick from drinking — often interfered with taking care of your home or family? Or caused job troubles? Or school problems? 

• Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends? 

• Given up or cut back on activities that were important or interesting to you, or gave you pleasure, in order to drink? 

• More than once gotten into situations while or after drinking that increased your chances of getting hurt (such as driving, swimming, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, or having unsafe sex)? 

• Continued to drink even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious or adding to another health problem? Or after having had a memory blackout? 

• Had to drink much more than you once did to get the effect you want? Or found that your usual number of drinks had much less effect than before? 

• Found that when the effects of alcohol were wearing off, you had withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, nausea, or sweating? Or sensed things that were not there? 

If you have any of these symptoms, your drinking may already be a cause for concern. The more symptoms you have, the more urgent the need for change. A health professional can conduct a formal assessment of your symptoms to see if AUD is present. However severe the problem may seem, most people with AUD can benefit from treatment. 

Ultimately, receiving treatment can improve an individual’s chances of success in overcoming AUD. The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator can help you recognize and find high quality treatment for alcohol use disorder. If you drink excessively, seek medical help to plan a safe recovery as sudden abstinence after heavy, regular use can be life-threatening. 

If you are not ready to seek treatment, consider using “harm reduction” — or a set of strategies intended to reduce the harm that alcohol may cause you and your loved ones. These strategies include things like never drinking on an empty stomach, alternating between alcohol and water or other non-alcohol drinks, and never driving when you are drinking (you might even consider giving your keys to someone). Reducing the amount you drink is important, but remember that if you are a heavy drinker (especially if you get shaky when you don’t drink), then you shouldn’t stop suddenly without medical supervision. 

Talk with your doctor to determine the best course of action for you. For more information and options for support, see our resource listings below.