Substance Abuse in Teenagers - Scholarship Essay Example

SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN TEENAGERS The consumption of harmful “psychoactive substances” refers to substance abuse. These include theuse of alcohol and illicit drugs. The continuous consumption of these substances can lead to the problem of substance dependence. The development of “a cluster of behavioral, cognitive, and psychological phenomenon” leads to dependence. A strong desire to consume the drug, problems in controlling its use, continuously consuming it in spite of harmful results, giving drugs greater importance than any other activity are some of the symptoms of dependence. It has been seen that there are 2.5 million deaths each year due to alcohol consumption. There are a lot of people between the age group of 15 and 29 who are dying from ‘alcohol- related causes” and disorders due to intake of drugs is found in 15.3 million people (Substance Abuse, 2011). When the use of drugs goes beyond the realm of experiment into a “problematic involvement” then it is specified under different classification system. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM- IV), fourth edition is a one such primary system which has mentioned the major indicators of substance abuse. It includes “role impairment, physically hazardous use, recurrent substance related legal problems and drug related social and interpersonal difficulties (Mash & Barkley, 2009, pp.185). Substance abuse has now become very common in case of teenagers in United States and this necessitates proper treatment programs and preventive measures. Substance Abuse in Teenagers Substance abuse is a phenomenon which has become very common among different sections of the population especially the teenagers or adolescence. Adolescence period is a very crucial time in a child’s life because it a time when changes are observed on “biological, cognitive and social levels.” They come across new scenarios in their lives and often many are involved in substance abuse. Teenagers often resort to drugs and alcohol as they think them to be the mediums to become stress free. At times in their quest to “fit in with peers” or in trying to model the behavior of some family member they take the help of drugs and alcohol (Berman, 1995). The use of alcohol and drugs among the teenagers has increased over the years across the world. In United States, the studies have shown that more than half of the students in 12th grade had consumed illicit drug. Almost 76.8% students had consumed alcohol. A number of students in the 8th grade were also found to have taken drugs and alcohol. Drug use does not necessarily lead to abuse. The question of substance abuse arises when one consumes alcohol or drugs as an outcome of some social or personal problem. The survey conducted by the national survey of representative youth in United States in the year 2004 revealed that 5.8% of 12 to 18 years old met the criteria for substance abuse. Adolescence population base is quite high and when a large number of people under it meet the substance abuse criteria then it implications both at the health and societal levels. These implications include failures in school, risky sexual behaviors, delinquency, suicidal nature, injuries caused by motor vehicles and increasing medical health care costs (Mash & Barkley, 2009, pp. 184-185). Substance Abuse: Its Implications Substance abuse in teenagers is filled with “sociocultural implications.” An association was found between the teenagers being absent from school with drug use and recovery. In United States many teenagers had enrolled for the treatment facilities which are publicly funded. The implications are in the form of “teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, hazardous violent behaviors and unintentional accidents and injuries are found in case of adolescent teenagers. Those addicted to drugs and alcohols are more suicidal in nature and there is the risk of homicide. Thus one can say that there is a huge impact of substance abuse in teenagers on both individual and psychological health, and also on “non intentional trauma and injuries” (Amieva- Wang et al 2011, p.770). Risk Factors The use of drugs and alcohol has increased tremendously among American teenagers. It was projected that in the year 2010 there will be large number of adolescents to be involved in substance abuse. The thing which begins as a mere experiment takes a serious turn when substance abuse leads to substance dependence. Risk factors can be categorized into different groups which are as follows: Cognitive and Attitudinal It is commonly observed that adolescents who are addicted to drugs and alcohol are not aware of the negative results associated with it; instead they consider it to be normal. Their lack of handling their personal distress often draws them towards these substances. In fact among female adolescents it has been found that they lack “constructive thinking” and eventually antisocial behavior among them is very common. Personality and Psychopathology A person’s addiction to a substance is often associated with his personality. A commonly observed phenomenon has been the prevalence substance abuse among those people who have “low assertiveness, low self esteem, low social confidence, and low self confidence. Substance abuse is also prevalent among those who have mood swings. Behavioral, Social and Environmental Antisocial behavior and bad performances in the academic field are highly correlated to substance use. In case of social influence the role played by family and friends are very crucial. The attitude of the family in dealing with their children is very vital. The tolerable factor of the parents towards their child in case of substance use is important in the sense that if dealt with a rigid hand the child might not understand the gravity of the situation and go on using it. The strongest factor that can be attributed is “peer influences” where the urge to experiment leads to continuous use. Biologic and Genetic It has been observed that alcohol and substance abuse is higher in case of families with positive history and more use of “gateway drugs” is seen where there is a paternal history of substance abuse disorder (Ruiz, Strain & Langrod, 2007, pp. 414-415). It is often seen that under genetic risk factors, the existence of alcoholism in parents has contributed to the development of substance abuse in case of children (Mengel, Holleman & Fields, 2002, p. 693). Adolescent Substance Abuse Problem The increasing number of substance abuse among the teenagers in America is a clear indication for the need to identify the problems associated with it and to develop a proper treatment method to cure them. Substance abuse starts at an early age of 13 and if not curbed at its initial stage then the situation becomes very grim. Substance abuse also affects a person emotionally. One can observe that those are involved in alcohol or drug abuses are more prone to suffer from anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. However the consumption of these substances often aggravates the level of emotional problems. The continuous use detaches them from the society and they often enter into fights. The excessive use of drugs often leads to mental problems and adversely affects the thinking ability of the person. Self harm is often seen among the teenagers who consume these substances. Further, the continuous consumption leads to another problem which is substance dependence (Monti, Colby & O’Leary, 2004, pp. 80-82 ). Treatment Recent studies have revealed the fact proper treatment in case of substance abuse can reduce its impact and also the possibility of any criminal activity. In order to design a suitable intervention program and strategies for treatment it is essential to understand the relationship between “substance use and adolescent development.” the approach to the treatment is very crucial because from the beginning if one assumes the teenagers to be “little adults” then the treatment will never yield a positive result. It is very essential for the practitioners to understand that why the substance has become so important in the patient’s life. The treatment procedure in this case needs to be tailored in a specific way. As adolescence is a period when the person is out of his childhood and entered a new phase of development so addressing them cannot be the same as done with adults. Not all adolescents after using a substance reach the stage of substance abuse, so the diagnosis needs to be done properly. Programs should be conducted so that the adolescent client’s family is also there because often this problem starts from family related issues (Winters, 1999, pp. 5-6). A study was conducted by Brannigan et al to find out about the quality of the treatment programs provided to substance abuse clients in United States. Around “144 highly regarded adolescent substance abuse treatment programs” were examined and the result was that most of the treatment programs were not properly addressing the main components which are crucial for the effective treatment in case of substance abuse (Brannigan, et al 2004, pp. 904-909). Conclusion The period between childhood and adulthood is adolescence. It is in fact a very crucial period in a person’s life for the world is seen in a different perspective and they enter into new situations in their life. At times to be a part among their peer groups or to cope up with some distress teenagers resort to drugs and alcohol. If taken on a continuous basis it leads to substance dependence. Thus treatment with a proper plan is required because physical change or injury due to it can be observed but the doctors need to understand the psychological aspect of it. Though it is a growing phenomenon in the current world but a nicely tailored treatment system can bring about a big change (Essau, 2002, p. 121). References Amieva-Wang, N. E. et al (2011) A Practical Guide to Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Caring for Children in the Emergency Department. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Berman, D.S. (1995). Risk Factors Leading to Adolescent Substance Abuse, Adolescence, 30, retrieved on October 1, 2011 from: http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5000392030 Brannigan, R. et al (2004). The Quality of Highly Regarded Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Programs, Archieves of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 158(9), 904-909. Essau, C. (2002). Substance abuse and dependence in adolescence: epidemiology, risk factors and treatment. Sussex: Psychology Press. Mash, E.J & Barkley, R.A. (2009). Assessment of Childhood Disorders. New York: Guilford Press Mengel, M.B, Holleman, W.L. &Fields, S.A. (2002). Fundamentals of clinical practice. New York: Springer. Monti, P. M., Colby, S.M. & O’Leary, T.A. (2004) Adolescents, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse: Reaching Teens Through Brief Interventions. New York: Guilford. Ruiz, P., Strain, E.C & Langrod, J. (2007) The Substance Abuse Handbook. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Winters, K.C. (1999). Treatment of Adolescents With Substance Use Disorders: A Treatment Improvement Protocol. Pennsylvania: Diane Publishing. WHO (2011) Substance Abuse, WHO, retrieved on October 1, 2011 from: http://www.who.int/topics/substance_abuse/en/ Read More