Over the years, the rate of substance abuse among adolescents has grown significantly. Numerous debates have been held to find an effective and efficient way towards minimizing drug abuse cases, but the problem is still evident. Several adversities come with substance abuse, and their impact is being felt through the number of psychiatric disorders being realized among teenagers. It is for this reason that this discussion will focus on the diseases associated with drug use, to offer more understanding on this topic and the gaps that need to be filled to create a healthy society.
Psychiatric Syndromes Associated with Drug Addiction
In the adolescents, one of the significant psychiatric syndromes that addicted individuals in this bracket experience is anxiety disorders as Ayhan, Abazyan, & Nomura, (2011) explains. It manifests itself by feelings of distress, fear and constant restlessness that make it uncomfortable for them to reason appropriately. Drugs like cocaine, cannabis, and ecstasy often cause severe anxiety among adolescents especially when taken in large doses. Since according to the current statistics teenagers have become more addicted to these drugs, they are bound to experience anxiety disorders.
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Substance abuse and addiction also go hand in hand with the development of eating disorders. Many individuals may overlook this condition but it a severe mental disease that is dangerous to adolescent drug users and addicts. In many cases, addiction lowers ones appetite causing them to develop a negative attitude towards food and their minds are often focused on the drugs that they have become addicted to instead of food. The problem usually starts with intake of little portions of food, and in the long run, these teenagers began depending more on the drugs for survival. The eating disorder is a chronic condition, and its adverse effects on adolescents are hazardous.
Additionally, schizophrenia is another psychiatric disorder associated with drug abuse and addiction and its negative impacts on society are being felt significantly. According to Bortolon, Capdevielle, & Raffard, (2015), it is exhibited by abnormal behaviors that range from experiencing hallucinations, losing the ability to understand surrounding environments clearly and even portraying a confused speech. Many adolescents using drugs especially cannabis have high chances of developing this disorder, and its impacts are chronic. The problem with this condition is that it is a combination of both anxiety syndrome and chronic depression further making it a dangerous mental state that puts the addicted adolescents at risk of experiencing persistent psychological health symptoms.
Impacts of Drug Abuse and Psychiatric Disorders in Adolescents
Teen pregnancies are one of the effects that come with drug use. In many situations, use of drugs confuses, wrong decisions and regularly, it is often associated with sex. Under the influence of toxic substances, Salas-Wright & Vaughn, (2015) discusses that persons often lack self-control and ability to make sound decisions; unprotected sex cases are thus frequent. Resultantly, addicted adolescents are bound to succumb into unwanted pregnancies since under the influence of drugs; they cannot abstain or think about using safe methods of controlling undesirable pregnancies.
Poor performance in school and eventual dropouts are also some of the impacts that are brought about by drug addiction. As mentioned earlier, anxiety causes restlessness, and for studying adolescents, it becomes hard for them to concentrate precisely on their studies since their minds and bodies have already been affected by drugs causing tiredness, reduced concentration, and loss of interest in learning. Moreover, the fact that the individuals may be experiencing addiction conditions, it is hard for them to go for long hours without using the substances hence there is no way they can stick to long learning hours. As time goes by, their performance levels deteriorate and eventually, dropping out of school becomes their ultimate choice.
Impacts of Psychiatric Disorders on Teenagers
As for the mentioned psychiatric syndromes, many troubled adolescents often develop suicidal attempts. As explained by Pompili, Serafini, & Innamoriti, (2012), living with mental illnesses is a challenge as the symptoms usually cause the affected persons to develop stress, depressions, poor self-esteem and a negative perspective about life. In the process, one may feel that the sufferings under these illnesses are too much to handle and they opt to take suicidal actions to end their agony. This situation is evident from the levels at which teen suicide rates are increasing rapidly in the world, an indication that mental illnesses effects are fatal.
Social phobia is also another significant impact that psychiatric syndromes cause among adolescents. During puberty, individuals are going through major growing transitions. However, when they become addicted to drugs and developmental disorders, they develop withdrawer symptoms that make them detest being in social places or frequently associating with their age mates. This situation is a dangerous one as it creates feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem and feeling unwanted in society.
Implications of DSM Diagnosis among Adolescents
A DSM diagnosis may cause a feeling of distress, emotional changes and depression eventually in an adolescent. Unlike adults, adolescents have little knowledge on how to handle particular challenges, especially regarding mental illnesses. Hence according to (American Psychiatric Association, (2013), when diagnosed with mental conditions, it is possible for the affected individuals to lose hope in life and feel there is no future for them due to their circumstances. In the long run, this is when implications like suicidal attempts, chronic depression, and drug addiction are evidently displayed by the troubled teenagers.
Conclusion
Evidently, substance abuse and addiction have substantial negative impacts on adolescents in society today. The effects and implications of drugs used are numerous; however, cases of psychiatric disorders are increasing rapidly, a clear indication that community is at risk of losing its young people to not only drugs but also mental illnesses. It is for this reason that discussing drug use and addiction, psychiatric disorders and their impacts respectively are essential to finding practical strategies to apply in saving the teenagers from drug addiction. It is thus high time that more efforts were placed on control of adolescents’ drug use, addiction, and development of psychiatric disorders.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders . American Psychiatric Pub.
Ayhan, y., Abazyan, B., & Nomura, J. (2011). Differential effects of prenatal and postnatal expressions of mutant human DISC1 on neurobehavioral phenotypes in transgenic mice: evidence for neurodevelopmental origin of major psychiatric disorders. Molecular Psychiatry , 293.
Bortolon, C., Capdevielle, D., & Raffard, S. (2015). Face recognition in schizophrenia disorder: A comprehensive review of behavioral, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews , 79-107.
Pompili, M., Serafini, G., & Innamoriti, M. (2012). Substance abuse and suicide risk among adolescents. European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience , 469-485.
Salas-Wright, C., & Vaughn, M. (2015). Substance use and teen pregnancy in the United States: evidence from the NSDUH 2002–2012. Addictive behaviors , 218-225.
