Substance Abuse and the Older Adult Population - Coursework Example

Substance Abuse and the Older Adult Population In the United s, drug and substance abuse have been associated with younger populace over the past years. However, this notion of drug abuse has currently changed. Many studies indicate that substance abuse problematic rates have been on the decrease with a promiscuously increasing ages starting at 20s. When individuals are in their early and mid-20s, most of their behaviours are highly influenced through peer influence. As the age progress, responsibilities catch up with individuals. This results into the reduction of both alcohol and illicit drug use. Likewise, behavioural studies have also indicated that a substantial reduction in the rate of drug abuse prevalence may also emerge as a result of maturity or an elevated mortality rates. Substance abuse in the contemporary world has alleviated among the aged population. This has been experienced in the U.S. in the periods between 1946 and 1964 through to the 21st Century. In 1995, for example, 49% of the baby-boom cohort had in one way or the other used illicit drugs in their lives. This was in comparison with 11% of adult aged 50 years and above. These studies thus gave an elaborated indicator in relation to an extraordinarily alarming drug abuse rates among the older adult population. Currently, the rates of heavy alcohol abuse seemingly have overwhelmingly been higher among the baby boomers than in earlier cohorts’ individuals. This essay, therefore, investigates and explains substance abuse prevalence in relation to an aging adult population. Changing of substance abuse patterns among the older admissions in the United States is a problem to blame on the unbalanced population growth. Heath care providers, over the years, have overlooked the issue of substance abuse and misuse among the elderly. This is due to the hidden evidence-based practice and diagnostic approach of substance abuse among older adults. It is often diagnostically challenging to come up with drug abuse symptoms amongst the elderly. This is because the older people have in one way or another experienced mimic drug abuse symptoms to other behavioural and medical disorders. Substance abuse disorders are nonetheless psychologically inevitable in a societal setting. Drug abuse disorders may often include dementia, depression and diabetes. Basing drug abuse patterns among the older people on the factual statements by National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 4.7% of adults aged 50 and above have been linked to chain smoking and use of illicit drugs in the past years (Dowling & Condon, 2008). Out of the 4.7%, 2.9% of this group are wholly dependent on alcohol abuse (Dowling & Condon, 2008). Perhaps this is because of the legality nature of alcohol consumption as a drug in United States. An increasingly experienced substance abuse in the United States has thus been blamed on the aging population of this country. Due to an alarming rate of older adults population increase in U.S., the country has been ultimately expecting substance abuse growth among the older inhabitants. For this problem to be mitigated fully, the public health official policy makers and implementers must swiftly act. Dowling and Condon (2008) say that a swift action would be to monitor closely and treat the older populations’ substance abuse behaviours. An examination of substance use disorders among adults seemingly gives a negative feedback. Older adults are majorly the substance-abusing individuals in the U.S. The U.S. Surgeon General Unit as a result of substance abuse problem issued a call of action in 1999 (Gfroerer et al., 2001). This policy aimed at generating tangible facts about mental health and substance use disorders. The U.S Department of Health and Human Service of the year 1999 conducted this research. Simultaneously, this was the year the U.S. experienced one of the highest older population growth rates. Older adults consequently represented a growing at-risk population group for substance use disorders (SUDs). By 2000, an estimation of 568,000 persons of more than 55 years old was diagnosed secretly with an illicit substance abuse. The results indicated that more than 5 million older adults were full-time alcohol users (Gfroerer et al., 2001). A projection made even appeared worse as alcohol abuse behaviour among the older people of 50 years and above was projected to double to 5.7 million by the year 2020. The overall population using illegal drugs as well as illegally made drug prescriptions for non-medical purposes would ultimately increase in the number. As a result of substance abuse among the older adult population, other particular negative health risks outcomes may also be experienced (Gfroerer et al., 2001). These SUDs negative health outcomes may include hypertension, cancer, fall cognitive deficits and early onset dementia. These health problems would be serious threats to the overall economy of America. Economic problems of SUD exclusively rely on the burdens of comorbid mental health disorders in relation to diagnosis and treatment (Kerfoot et al., 2011). Additional long-term health impact of SUDs is the emergence of chronic medical health conditions, which is even a worse experience. The potential effect of the baby-boom generation on substance abuse among elderly persons is the negligence practices that have always been the order of the day on the substance use disorders among the elderly populace. Rehabilitation has proven to be unwelcoming to the elderly substance abuse population. For instance, in the recent clinical practices, a major structural emphasis was only done on the young individuals who abuse drugs (Petreson & Jestel, 1999). Typically, available diagnostic criteria were likely to benefit only the youth. This was because these facilities significantly underestimated the prevalence of drug abuse among the older adult population. Additionally, these facilities were specially validated and developed in younger samples. As at per now, the current U.S. baby-boomers situation of drug abuse has propelled to greater heights. These baby-boomers are on the way to becoming elderly by 2020. A visionary consideration is, therefore, needed to cater for the substance abuse on the older populace up to the year 2020. The 2020 visions should be ultimately demographically geared. According to Petreson and Jestel (1999), the demographic tactics of solving substance abuse would concurrently be the best solution to the older population’s substance abuse concern in U.S. Demographic trends always predominantly identifies the areas prone to substance abuse among the elderly. This trend is, therefore, the most prevalent psychiatric disorder solution among the younger individuals. At the baby boom stage, it is demographically suggestible to manage the substance abuse and dependence. At an early demographic stage, the emergence of public health problem, which may be experienced in the next years, can be easily mitigated. The baby boomers, of whom the substance abuse indicators are on in 2020 can easily be therapeutically counselled at the earlier demographical stages (Rosen et al., 2003). This would minimise cases of substance abuse among the older adult population in the coming years. Substance abuse among older adults involves improvement protocol series. This is the only better way of inducting the older drug abusers adults from their initially acquired socially acceptable behaviours. Substance abuse is often referred to as an anomie. It is, therefore, important for the drug abusers to be treated in order to maintain conformity and compliance with the social norms. Treatment Improvement protocols (TIP) are developed mechanisms by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHASA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (Reterson & Jestel, 1999). The basic mission for TIP existence is for the establishment of topic-specific and best treatment strategies for prevention and treatment of mental disorder and substance abuse. Knowledge used in the treatment of substance abuse-related mental disorders is of a large scope nature. TIP is, therefore, interlinked to various knowledge, experiences of administrative, clinical, and research experts for various treatment and prevention forms. One of the TIP treatment modes is by the elimination of Benzodiazepines. This treatment mode is administered on the abuse of prescription drug users. The elderly especially those above 65 years consume more prescribed medications than over-the-counter medication. The abuse of prescription drugs in the United States is because of alcohol or other drugs abuse, which makes aged individuals’ bodies more vulnerable to impaired judgements consequently (Gfroerer et al., 2001). Antihistamines and sedatives may also be considerable researched on in an aged individual body system when treating substance and subscription abuse. Age changing is a very complex process hence the older adults should be consequently taken for medical identification, screening and assessment check-ups regularly. Drugs of abuse and aging brain are other problems encountered among the older adult population. Substance misuse among the aging individuals has received a measly attention in the recent past. The lack of attention problem has been consequently blamed on a presumably traditional view of the older people. Traditionally, the United States has encountered only a smaller percentage of drug abuse problems. This notional view of drug and drug abuse in U.S. has, therefore, promoted the laxity nature of this country towards tackling the drug abuse’s socio-economic problems. Alcohol abusers, for example, are considered to be on the rise with alcohol abuse being marked the commonest substance of abuse for the population (Rosen et al., 2003). While alcohol abuse prescription at large remains the most commonly abused substance among older adults in the U.S., several evidential lines suggest that the abuse of illicit drugs abuse amongst the elderly is on the rise. This is because of the emerging hard economy stressful lives amongst the older population. The older population in the American society are inconsistently struggling to make the ends meet all alone in the current economy. Alcohol is, therefore, one of the drugs this aged populace currently abuse the most. Ultimately, rather than these individuals being limited to prescription medication and alcohol abuse they also overly abuse drugs such as cocaine, phencyclidine, marijuana and amphetamine among other hard drugs (Dowling & Condon, 2008). Psychotherapy and psychosocial issues arising from older adult population’s substance abuse among the American aging population is highly on the rise. The American adult populace comprises of a drastically changing and growing group within the population. One of the psychotherapy issues arising from substance abuse among older adult population is the mental health disorders. Data-set presented from an epidemiological catchment area in 1980 elucidated on mental health disorder. The data presented a 1-month prevalence scheme for psychiatric disorder among individuals aged 65 years and above to be at 12.3% (Kerfoot et al., 2011). The commonest psychiatric related disorder was anxiety disorder, which was at 5.5%. Lastly, cognitive impairment and alcohol abuse dependence disorders were at 4.9% and 0.9% respectively (Kerfoot et al., 2011). Secondly, psychosocial disorder was also evident among the aged substance abusers. Patients with both psychiatric and substance use disorders present various unique life-long challenges to psychiatric practice. This is because of the psychosocial mental impairment. The psychosocial mental impairment is a combination of mental disorders, which tends to adversely affect the severity and course of retention and illness in treatment. Psychotherapy and psychosocial issues arising from the older adult’s substance abuse may also implicate these individuals domestically. Domestic social misfits have overwhelmingly been because of substance abuse (Rosen et al., 2003). Domestic violence, additional, may be experienced in extreme cases of older adult population drug abuse. Accordingly, these substance abuse negative impacts if not swiftly dealt with, may even result into death because of social isolations. In conclusion, diagnoses, screening and treatment so far are the best ways arrived at in relation to clinical mitigation of substance abuse and the aging brain. Substance abuse may be misdiagnosed among the aged individuals as just a normal underlying aging condition. This should not be the case in an insolently screened and diagnosed old age substance abuse case. Falling can be both a consequence of an older age as well as substance abuse. As it has evidently been proven that alcohol and drug prescription are the mostly commonly abused substances among older patients, for treatment of these patients, a proper screening and diagnostic approaches must be carried out before the administration of treatment. One of the best therapeutic treatment mechanisms for the aged substance abusers is the use of lithium as a modification therapy. A study published in the international journal of Geriatric Psychiatry anomaly shows that elderly people with AD may be stabilised by the use of lithium to treat the disease. Antipsychotic use in the elderly may be of a higher risk to elderly. This is due to a higher risk of this medication as a causative agent of pneumonia to the elderly. Averagely, the pharmaceutical dispensing evidence-based practices nonetheless recommends antipsychotic therapeutically usage in the elderly as a method of screening, diagnostic and treatment of substance abuse to the elderly. References Dowling, J., Weiss, S., & Condon, T. (2008). Drugs of Abuse and the Aging Brain. Neuropsychopharmacology (2008) 33 , 209-218. GFroerer et al. (2001). Substance abuse treatment need among older adults in 2020: the impact of the aging baby-boom cohort. 127-134. Kerfoot et al. (2011). Dual Diagnosis in an Aging Population: Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders, Comorbid Substance Abuse, and Mental Health Service Utilization in the Department of Veterans Affairs. JOURNAL OF DUAL DIAGNOSIS, 7(1–2), 4–13 , 4-10. Patterson, T., & Jeste, D. (September 1999 ). The Potential Impact of the Baby-Boom Generation on SubstanceAbuse Among Elderly Persons. Mental Health & Aging PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES Vol. 50 No. 9 , 1184-1187. Rosen et al. (2013). Just Say Know: An Examination of Substance Use Disorders among Older Adults in Gerontological and Substance Abuse Journals. Social Work in Public Health, 28 , 377–387. Read More