Introduction
Chemical abuse has been increase among the youth. Substances such as nicotine, alcohol, tobacco and marijuana have become accessible to young people in schools making it a great risk to adolescents. These chemicals are very harmful to their health, because they affect them psychologically, socially and physically. This essay will discuss the psychiatric disorders that are associated with substance abuse; such psychiatric disorders include depression or mood disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. This article attempts to cover their effects and the treatment options available.
Depression and Substance Abuse
Adolescents with depression are most likely to use nicotine, alcohol and illicit drugs while those that use these substances are at a higher risk of developing major depression. Depression causes anxiety and the depressed person is not able to concentrate for a long time. This affects learning ability causing adolescents to fail in school. Depression and substance abuse have the same impact on the brain and this is what causes them (depression and substance abuse) to have similar symptoms. The two interferes with neuroendocrine system causing a person to be unable to manage stressing conditions. This condition reoccurs when an adolescent is faced with stressful situations. Monoamine oxidase activity and smoking are related with depression. Monoamine oxidase is usually related with negative moods in people. People who smoke cigarettes have lower levels of monooxidase in their brains. This is an important research area in pharmacology. Many people with depression are known to smoke: “neuroendocrine and neuroimaging studies indicate dysregulation in frontal limbic systems associated with stress and reward pathways in major depression and substance use disorders” (Brandy & Sinha, 2007, p. 1).
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Abuse
Substance use poses a risk of traumatic incidences such as in crime activities by/among adolescents. Chemicals make them anxious and cause PTSD after traumatic experiences. In the same way, PTSD could cause adolescents to start substance abuse. Most people with PTSD have been seen to use nicotine and not alcohol. Substance use and PTSD are associated because they both cause abnormalities in noradrenergic systems. PTSD causes high removal of norepinephrine and epinephrine through urine and high amounts of plasma levels of norepinephrine. People who use cocaine have increased amygdalar blood flow (Brandy & Sinha, 2007). Anxiety can affect their socializing behavior, learning and even handwriting.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is mostly affected by genetics and the environment of an individual. This disorder affects adolescent’s behavior, character traits such as anger, and leads to lack of self control. The greatest contributing factors are home relationships such as parents-child relationship and emotional stress which causes an adolescent to engage in substance abuse. When they get stressed, their prefrontal cortical does not function properly. Their ability to handle conflict is impaired and they get into a higher risk of substance abuse: “Stress and reward dysfunction contribute to pre-frontal cortical deficits in ADHD and substance use disorders” (Brandy & Sinha, 2007, p. 1).
Schizophrenia and Substance Abuse
Schizophrenia is common among adolescents who take alcohol, illicit drugs and nicotine. Schizophrenia patients are negatively affected socially, health wise and they do not respond well to treatment. The negative psychological effects e.g. social withdrawal causes the patients to seek a way to alleviate the symptoms and mostly leads them to substance abuse: “Neuropathology of schizophrenia affects the neural circulatory mediating drug reward, leading to an increased vulnerability to addiction” (Brandy & Sinha, 2007, p. 1). On the other hand, excessive use of cannabis can cause schizophrenia.
Combined Impact of Substance Abuse and Psychiatric Syndromes
Chemical abuse makes adolescents vulnerable to road accidents which causes major injuries and sometimes death. About 45.1% of road accidents are related with alcohol. Most adolescent drivers who take alcohol are the majority of the people who cause accidents. They can be injured or they can lose their lives which is a loss in terms of treatment and productivity (Winters, 1999).
Substance abuse causes adolescents to engage in unhealthy sexual practices which expose them to many sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Substance abuse causes adolescents to engage in crime. Majority of adolescents in crime have had emotional, psychological, sex and substance abuse problems. Adolescents can also fail to have families in future or a good career after getting involved in chemical abuse as they will likely be disillusioned about life. When their social ability is interfered with, they can fail to date, marry and get children. If they drop out of school, they may not get a career of their choice and they may continue to abuse drugs or get psychiatric disorders (Winters, 1999). The risk of chemical abuses in adolescence is that they may suffer long term consequences because it interferes with the brain which is still developing (Winters, 1999).
Treatment
Adolescents with psychiatric disorders can be helped through special programmes of guidance and counseling which considers their needs especially in academics, self esteem and the social part of their lives. The family of an adolescent should also be involved in this process. Guidance and counseling should take care of “gender, ethnicity, disability status, state of readiness to change and cultural background” (Winters, 1999, p.1).
Pharmacotherapy can also be used to treat mental disorders. It is recommended for the patient to abstain from substance abuse. The psychiatric should also monitor the patient’s level of drug abuse by by urine toxicology or breath alcohol techniques. The patients must be encouraged so as to obtain positive results (Oxford, 2007).
Conclusion
Psychiatric disorders; depression or mood disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder are associated with substance abuse. They affect adolescents socially and psychologically. They can be treated by pharmacotherapy, guidance and counseling.
References
Brandy, K. T., & Sinha, R. (2007). Co-occuring mental and substance use disorders: neurobiological effects of chronic stress. Web.
Oxford. (2007). Treating and preventing adolescent mental health disorders. Web.
Winters, K. C. (1999). Treatment of adolescents with substance use disorders. Web.