Substance Abuse And Mental Illness

A difficult challenge to the juvenile justice system and child welfare system is working with adolescents with comorbid difficulties, causing these adolescents to becoming at risk for incarceration and involvement with the juvenile and adult justice system. The juvenile justice system appears to be having a challenging time in determining how to respond and treat adolescents with mental health and substance use. "Many

According to the Diagnostic Statistic Manual 5 (DSM-5) substance use disorder is when the individual has a dependency on alcohol or drug, followed by penetrating craving and antisocial behavior to acquire the substance. The terms substance abuse and substance dependence refer to substance use disorder, which has been separated into three classifications as follows

Marijuana is also much less harmful than addictive drugs, such as cocaine and heroin (“Office of National” 4). Some skeptics may say that this is an instance of replacing one drug with another. However, marijuana has been proven to be non-addictive and to alleviate many symptoms for people suffering from mental and emotional disorders (Musto 1-9). Researchers note that cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana, may effectively treat a number of different physical and mental ailments, including post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and depression (“Office of National” 3). Research shows the benefits of using marijuana to help in successfully treating mental illnesses.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine associations of other illicit drug use and cannabis use with suicidal ideation, depression, and suicidal

America’s drug problem has increasingly become an epidemic. In a 2013 study done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 24.6 million Americans, 9.4% of the population,

Reported heroin use in the United States is rising. Recent data suggest that almost 700,000 Americans consumed heroin last year, which represents an almost 40% increase from 2007 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association, 2014; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association, 2008). An overwhelming increase in the dependence on prescription opioid analgesics over the last two decades combined with a supply heavy market of high quality-low cost heroin imported from South America may be concurrent factors driving this trend (Cicero, Ellis, Surratt, & Kurtz, 2014; Mars, Bourgois, Karandinos, Montero & Ciccarone, 2014; Lankaneau et al., 2011).

Available scientific evidence indicate that marijuana contain a useful chemical that treats several mental disorder illnesses. The useful purpose of this drug has prompted a long standing debate as

Kuepper, R., Os, J., Lieb, R., Wittchen, H., Hofler, M., & Henquet, C. (2011). Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10-year follow-up cohort study. BMJ,342 (mar01 1), d738-d738. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d738

Marijuana is considered in popular culture to be a widely accepted mainstream recreational illegal drug used in the United States; its use comes with severe adverse side effects that are often overlooked. Long-Term use of marijuana 'sis shown to have negative effects on physical, mental, and environmental health. Studies have shown that in the United States, up to 20% of daily marijuana users become dependent (Marijuana and Lung Health) showing a physical or emotional need for the drug. Marijuana use has the potential to affect every aspect of a person 's physical and mental wellbeing negatively. Its use also comes with potentially life-altering risks to one 's future including an individual’s likelihood of obtaining a degree, impacting their future earning potential and decreasing their overall reported life satisfaction. Once dependent on marijuana, people stop caring about their schooling. Long-term use of smoking marijuana can result in the inability to learn, retain information and think critically.

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance worldwide (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2011; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2011). It has been reported that cannabis use has stabilized or even decreased in recent years in most high-income countries. However, the continuing high prevalence of use among adolescents and young adults, as well as a gradual increase in the strength of cannabis consumed, is a cause for concern. These concerns focus, in part, on the perceived association between cannabis use and mental

Patients with alcoholism often go through cycles of binging on alcohol, stopping for short periods of time due to experiencing feelings of remorse for behavior done under the influence and inevitably returning to drinking in excess. (Mikuriya, 2004). Additionally, long term use of excessive amounts of alcohol can lead to debilitating diseases and eventually death. Cannabis though, has been shown in some cases to be an effective substitute for alcohol aiding patients in their struggle to reduce or stop alcohol use. (Mikuriya, 2004) With its relatively benign side-effects, this makes cannabis a more favorable alternative. In Mikuriya’s (2004) study, 92 patients who had alcohol addictions used cannabis primarily to treat alcoholism, with patients listing depression, pain, and insomnia among secondary reasons for use. Patients were interviewed, and medical records reviewed for information regarding the extent of alcoholism and any current or former treatments (Mikuriya, 2004). During follow-up visits, typically every 12 months, patients reported what conditions they were using cannabis to treat, as well as how effective they found the treatment to be (Mikuriya, 2004). Of the patients that reported back, 45 ranked using cannabis as a “very effective” treatment, and 38 ranked it an “effective” treatment option. (Mikuriya, 2004). While total abstinence was an unattainable goal for some patients,

The report by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older were current (past month) illicit drug users, which is a representative of 9.4 percent of this age group (SAMHSA, 2014). The use of psychoactive substance poses a detrimental effect to the health, social and economic fabric of families, communities and nations. The worldwide use of psychoactive substance is estimated at 2 billion alcohol users, 1.3 billion smokers and 185 million drug users

Depression is a widespread issue in today’s world. It can be caused by abuse, conflict, a sudden change in one’s life, and much more. The number one cause of depression is stress. Cannabis, or marijuana, has been used to treat depression dating back to the year 1621 with doctors in India using it to treat depression in their patients. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, was shown to change negative images or emotions in the minds of the patients who smoked marijuana. Many patients stated that it took them to another world, a place where they felt comfortable and the feeling of depression was obsolete. The sad part is that since marijuana is still classified as a

Living with in poverty with a mental illness and a substance abuse problem is not an easy job. The struggles of life as well as a traumatic event can cause a person brain to malfunction. There is approximately 27 % of the United States population that fits the criteria for a mental illness. Mental illness, substance abuse, and poverty go hand and hand. However, health care providers call mental illness and substance use a dual diagnosis or a co-occurring disorder when combined. Dual diagnosis is a very broad subject, not just one type of disorder. For instance, a person that has experienced a traumatic event in life and have continually relived it. This is called Post traumatic stress, which is an anxiety disorder. This can happen to a person that has be raped, in an accident, or witnessed or has been a victim of a violent crime, or even abused. The person will continue to relive the incident and every time they think about the incident they can become overwhelmed, anxious, with the same fear as they did when the incident took place. There are many problems that are associated with a person that has a dual disorder. For example, a person can suffer from major depression and not be able to resume a normal life. The symptoms of depression, anxiety and fear often appear maybe a few months after the traumatic event or even years later. Furthermore, people that have these traumatic experience may start to drink heavily or become addicted to illegal drugs. May scholars have

Marijuana is a contrast to tobacco and alcohol when addiction characteristics do not show with the use of marijuana while addiction shows with legal tobacco and alcohol. It shows that less than one in ten marijuana smokers convert to consistent consumers of the drug, and most intentionally terminate their use after age 34, by comparison, 15 percent of alcohol users and 32 percent of tobacco smokers display indicators of drug dependency. Cannabis withdrawal indicators are uncommon and do not need replacement medication to stop the habit. When smoking marijuana comes to an end of an intake, the vast majority of smokers do not feel subjected to uncomfortable withdrawal indicators commanding restarting the use of marijuana.