Adolescence and Substance Abuse

Solution Preview

Note: Please make sure that your credits commensurate with detailed posts such as this, and allow more time for response.
Thank you

(1) What population do you want to help? Children and Adolescents

Adolescents

(2) What is the clinical area of concern (substance abuse) that you would like to
help this population with? Please make sure that the clinical area of concern is something that can be measured by formal or other appraisal instruments or some other observable and measurable method. Make sure to integrate, cite, and reference at least one peer-reviewed journal article to support your clinical area of concern.

Research indicates that substance abuse and substance abuse dependency are serious problems among youth and college students (Burck, Laux, Ritchie, & Baker (2008). The use of substance abuse includes the use of number of controlled substances that has a high probability of having a substance abuse dependence disorder. The definition outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR [APA], 2002) has substance characterized as, "A cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms indicating that the individual continued use of the substance despite significant substance-related problems (p. 192).Other studies indicate that the younger the individual at the onset of substance abuse, the greater the likelihood that a substance abuse disorder will develop and continue into adulthood.

Adolescence is the transition from childhood beginning from 10 to 12 years of age and ending at the period of 18 to 22 years of age. In relation to childhood, adolescence is a period of increasing autonomy, societal demands, and peer relations (Prencipe, Kesek, Cohen, Lamm, Lewis, & Zelazo 2011). Thus, adolescents experience various psychological problems and behavioral symptoms associated with this transition. As a consequence, adolescents become stressful over concerns such as physical appearance, identity, peer relations and sex and recreational drugs become attractive because of their relaxing effect. Studies indicate that Tthe primary drugs that people use recreationally fall into categories referred to as psychoactive drugs including (a) narcotics, (b) sedatives, (c) stimulants, (d) hallucinogens, (e) cannabis, phencyclidine (PCP) and (f) alcohol. The DSM-IV-TR (2000) group disorders related to these drugs that are abused (including alcohol).

(3) What programs exist that address this clinical area of concern? Provide examples of interventions used to help with this clinical area of concern such as cognitive behavioral therapy, person centered therapy, family therapy, et cetera. Make sure to integrate, cite, and reference at least one peer-reviewed journal article to support this section of your post.

Substance abuse is a "major national public health problem that creates impaired health, harmful behavior, and major economic and social burden, but there are medical and public health program appropriate to help solve the problem" (Adolescent substance abuse: A public Health priority, p. 2). Research indicates that the key to understanding drug use or abuse is that it is compulsive behavior (Schwartz & Smith, 2003). For instance, these statistics support other research that show suicide attempts are linked to substance abuse. While medications can be prescribed that my help, research suggests that treatment and/or therapy may be needed to help adolescents to cope with stressful situations. ...