Passionate Post

I chose this population because it’s something that so close to my family. I actually have a brother that’s currently suffering from it. He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression and he uses heroin. You would never think that this could happen to someone that so close to you. Growing up you would never think that one of your siblings would have to go through it. Everyone would think well we seemed pretty normal growing up; we didn’t have a rough life so I couldn’t understand why. He started with prescription drugs recreational until he lost his best friend this is when he really spiraled out of control.

            My mom has gone through hell and back again beating her self down trying to figure out where she went wrong. Looking for treatment centers where you can find some but they’re extremely expensive or they treat 1 illness and not the other. Working with individuals in this population can be draining but you have to know where these treatment centers are that accepts both mental health and addiction. My mom’s number 1 got to was always the hospital first, although she never gets past that part because he just doesn’t want the help. Then there are times when he’ll take his meds for his mental health issues and decide that he wants to work on recovery but once those meds ware off it’s another story.

The crazy part about this is that my brother was diagnosed with ADHD where my mom was instructed to put him on medication when he was in Elementary school. Like most parents that just listen to the negative about the meds she refused to give them to him. He also had a learning disability which placed him in special education. Eventually he became a problem child always in trouble in school and at home in the neighborhood, and like the studies state he began to smoke marijuana at an early age of maybe 13 or 14.  For him weed was a gateway drug because he later used PCP, to prescription meds then heroin all the while drinking alcohol. 
My mom has tried a number of things from therapy to substance abuse programs. The flip side to the substance abuse programs is that he doesn't have to stay, they can not hold him against his will unless he's mandated by the curt system. Her number 1 go to would be her calling the ambulance telling them that he was in danger of harming himself this would give him at least a 3 day stay on the mental health ward in the hospital. they provided him with medication and therapy which helped for a period of time until he went back out on a binge.

Informative Post

The topic that I chose to discuss is co-occurring disorders. Co-occurring disorders is also known as dual diagnosis and comorbidity, it’s when an individual with mental health issues also suffer with drug addiction and/or alcoholism. There are so many people that suffer from mental health issues and don’t know it or haven’t been medically diagnosed so in the place of the proper medication they choose to self-medicate. It may start out as a party drug but when they start to realize that it actually helps them to cope with feelings and emotions that they’ve been having (mental illness) they then began to use a lot more until they become dependent on this particular street drug, prescription meds and/or alcohol.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), Although drug use and addiction can happen at any time during a person’s life, drug use typically starts in adolescence, a period when the first signs of mental illness commonly appear. Comorbid disorders can also be seen among youth. During the transition to young adulthood (age 18 to 25 years), people with comorbid disorders need coordinated support to help them navigate potentially stressful changes in education, work, and relationships. The brain continues to develop through adolescence. Circuits that control executive functions such as decision making and impulse control are among the last to mature, which enhances vulnerability to drug use and the development of a substance use disorder.

I’ve read studies that states a child that is diagnosed with ADHD and is medicated is less likely to abuse drugs and a child that isn’t medicated is likely to smoke marijuana as a teen. We all know that marijuana is so called a gateway drug which I believe is true for some people. Then there are also studies that show certain meds that are prescribed for ADHD are addictive and cause children to later abuse medical and street drugs.  

I would have to say that with black people we are less likely to have our children evaluated due to embarrassment or just a lack of care. There are some parents that are in denial about the abnormalities that everyone else can clearly see but they feel that their child is completely normal. Meanwhile s/he acting out in school, being disruptive, or not meeting their developmental goals. These are all signs of your child is possibly struggling with some type of disorder. Not saying that you should just listen to a doctor that says that you should put you child on medication because they’re acting out, do your own research to find out what works best for your child.