The Psychiatric Perspective
Bernat-N. Tiffon in Atlas of Forensic and Criminal Psychology, 2022
The possibility of a patient taking their own life is a mental health professional’s nightmare. Most of the time, a victim of suicide has been diagnosed (for more on this matter, refer to the very useful summary tables throughout this book) and treated with psychopharmacological treatment and, increasingly, psychological treatment. We know that the most common causes of suicide, attempted suicide and suicidal behavior are severe depression, schizophrenia, psychotic disorder, alcohol addiction and substance abuse (primarily heroin and cocaine). It is not by chance that you will encounter all these diagnoses in this comprehensive, methodical book. This, in turn, encourages the reader to continue reading, despite the bleak nature of the subject.
Cannabidiol in Mental Health Disorders
Betty Wedman-St Louis in Cannabis as Medicine, 2019
Substance abuse disorders are chronic illness characterized not just by the intoxication associated with acute drug use, but also by disruptions of cognition and negative emotional states that trigger craving and relapse, perpetuating the cycle of drug abuse (Leshner, 1997; Koob, 2006). Several factors contribute to the risk of relapse, including susceptibility to stress, craving induced by drug contexts, increased anxiety, and impaired impulse control (Koob, 2006). Evidence indicates that CBD may be effective for targeting these risk states. For example, its anxiolytic (Guimaraes et al., 1990, Bergamaschi et al., 2011), stress-relieving (Resstel et al., 2009; Granjeiro et al., 2011), antidepressant (Zanelati et al., 2010), and anti-compulsive activity (Casarotto et al., 2010; Nardo et al., 2014) may imply therapeutic benefit for affective changes and the compulsive nature of drug seeking in affected individuals. Also, CBD decreases the rewarding proprieties of some drugs of abuse.
The “Drug Court Strengthening Families” Program
James J. Hennessy, Nathaniel J. Pallone in Drug Courts in Operation: Current Research, 2019
In summary, there are a number of risk factors that have been associated with substance use and abuse as well as related problem behaviors. Peer and family factors play a critical role in predicting substance initiation, use, and abuse. Family factors have also been shown to influence decisions about peers. The children of Drug Court clients are at increased risk for substance use and abuse. One of the most compelling reasons is that they are at double risk-not only have their parents been substance abusers, they also are involved in the criminal justice system. The consequences of parents being involved with both risk factors add even more to the number and type of risk factors their children must contend with, including: the impact on family composition, family conflict, family communication and discipline patterns, parent/child relations, and family stress. Thus, it is clearly established in the literature that there is a need to target children of Drug Court clients for substance abuse prevention; however, it is critically important to establish need at the local level.
Substance use behavior among Hispanic emerging adults in Los Angeles, California
Published in Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2023
Yok-Fong Paat, Trina L. Hope, Salvador Dominguez
Results from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) showed that 54.3 percent of adults aged 18–25 years used alcohol in the past month, and 39.1 percent used an illicit drug in the past year. Rates of substance use are highest during adolescence and young adulthood (Wisk & Weitzman, 2016), with tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana being the most commonly used substances (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020c; National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA], 2020b; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2020). The 2019 NSDUH also found that rates of substance use disorders were highest among young adults, with 9.3 percent of 18 to 25 year-olds reporting an alcohol use disorder in the year prior, and 7.5 percent reporting an illicit drug use disorder. According to SAMHSA, “Substance use disorders (SUDs) are characterized by impairment caused by the recurrent use of alcohol or other drugs (or both), including health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home” (p. 34). Clearly, alcohol and illicit drug use are a normative part of young adulthood, but when substance use progresses to a substance use disorder, it becomes a public health concern—e.g., data from the 2019 NSDUH also showed that adolescents who reported a major depressive disorder disclosed higher rates of both substance use and substance use disorders, and adults who reported any mental illness in the year prior were more likely to be users of illicit drugs.
Outpatient substance abuse treatment completion rates for racial-ethnic minorities during the Great Recession
Published in Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2023
Kathleen Ayako Anangwe, Lucas Enrique Espinoza, Luis Enrique Espinoza, Zoraya Berlanga Aguilar, Noe Leal, Rebecca Rouse
Racial-ethnic minorities tend to experience marginalization as they experienced disparities and inequities in accessing and receiving quality social services. All of which is impacted by one’s identity, association, experience and environment given they are placed on the periphery to access to supportive measures (Baah et. al., 2019). Hence, it is necessary that strategies, measures and tools are provided to ensure access to supportive health and resources are provided to all. In the literature around substance and substance abuse, The term “substance abuse” is used to describe the ingestion of psychoactive substances such as alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs which alters a person’s mood, perceptions, cognition, or motor abilities (World Health Organization, 2017; American Psychological Association, 2018; Mezuk et al., 2010). According to Jones et al. (2012), two of the DSM-5’s initial eleven diagnosable criteria are for substance abuse and/or dependence, making them indicative of a substance abuse disorder These aspects were further reaffirmed in 2022, by the DSM–5-TR criteria which are categorized according to physical dependence, risk use, social problem and impairment which they occur from mild to severe in terms of problem level (Hartney, 2022). Substance craving, whether for a legal or illegal substance, is a major indicator of substance use disorder.
How the war on drugs impacts social determinants of health beyond the criminal legal system
Published in Annals of Medicine, 2022
Aliza Cohen, Sheila P. Vakharia, Julie Netherland, Kassandra Frederique
Substance use treatment can be an essential lifeline for people with SUD working towards recovery. Yet surveillance and punishment are embedded into SUD treatment through the numerous constraints placed upon clients because of the role of institutional referral sources in treatment, such as the criminal legal system, the FRS, social services, and others. Studies suggest that roughly 25% of clients in publicly funded treatment were referred from the criminal legal system as a condition of their probation, parole, or drug court program [135]. This has led to therapeutic jurisprudence: the belief that the criminal legal system can support and facilitate efforts towards rehabilitation using the threat of incarceration [136]. Another 25% of clients are referred to treatment by other sources, including the FRS, social services, schools, and employers [133]. Criminal legal controls such as those from the courts, or formal social controls such as those from the other aforementioned institutions, coerce clients to either comply with treatment or face other harsh consequences, like incarceration, the termination of parental rights, or losing public benefits [137].
Related Knowledge Centers
- Cannabis
- Cocaine
- Ethanol
- Hallucinogen
- Methaqualone
- Benzodiazepine
- Substance-Related Disorder
- Anti-Social Behaviour
- Substituted Amphetamine
- Barbiturate