Check out the press release from PR web titled: GateHouse Academy Trains Next Generation of Dual Diagnosis Clincians and Drug Rehab Specialists

The press release takes a look at how Gatehouse Academy trains graduate level students in community based treatment for addiction in young adults.  Gatehouse Academy is the premier source for young adult drug rehab, and trains the counselors of tomorrow to be effective in dual diagnosis treatment.

Dual diagnosis treatment is being treated for an addiction and a mental illness at the same time. These are referred to as co-occurring disorders, meaning an addiction and a mental illness.

Traditional addiction treatment can be quite confrontational, whereas traditional treatment for mental disorders can be nurturing. Because of this, dual diagnosis treatment focuses on creating new methods and interventions are needed. This type of treatment is more non-confrontational than the traditional addiction treatment.

Dual diagnosis treatment started around 1984 in an outpatient facility in New York. This is according to a SAMHSA article. After doing preliminary research on this type of treatment, it found that dual diagnosis treatment was more effective than traditional addiction treatment. It helped people who had been bouncing around to different treatment centers get help for everything in one place.

Dual diagnosis treatment goes through phases of interventions. It focuses on readiness to accept treatment. The readiness levels are starting points for treatment, rather than confrontation.

This type of treatment put a focus on exploration and acknowledgment. According to the article:

This includes:

* attaining a level of trust necessary to discuss their own use of substances and/or

symptoms of mental illness;

* the exploration and subsequent discovery of any problems or interaction affects that

result from substance use and mental health symptoms;

* considerations and motivation for addressing these problems;

* active engagement in a process of treatment that seeks to eliminate symptoms;

* attainment of partial or full remission;

* and participation in an individualized maintenance regime for relapse prevention.

These programs are implemented as components of existing mental health, and substance

abuse programs, and thereby provide integrated treatment.

Dual diagnosis treatment is an important tool to have in a rehabilitation center. It offers options for people needing recovery.

According to an article from British website http://www.guardian.co.uk, the British government wants to give compulsory treatment of benefit claimants addicted to drugs.

Problem is that everyone else seems to think that’s pretty much impossible. British Liberal Democrats think the plan is completely absurd citing the fact that Britain does not have enough addiction treatment centers to get the job done.

Also according to the article:
“As many as 350,000 heroin and crack cocaine users of working age are receiving state payments, it has emerged. The government’s welfare reform bill will require all of them to undergo medical assessment and treatment or lose financial support.”

The number however may be as many as 400,000 drug addicts receiving these types of benefits with at least 8,000 more waiting for them.

However, treating these people without proper facilities remains to be seen. There is simply nowhere to put all of these drug addicts to ensure that they get proper care. Some may require dual diagnosis treatment as well.

Others say that you cannot force an addict into treatment and just expect them to completely change their lives; they have to do it willingly.
The article states:
“The welfare reform bill also contains provisions enabling a secretary of state to introduce similar mandatory treatment regulations to those who misuse alcohol.”

So the plan is not just meant for those using hard drugs, it’s also a plan to help UK citizens break free from all types of addiction.

This article in The Guardian is just another example of how drug addiction really is a wide spread epidemic in the world today. It shows that no government has found a way to deal with it yet effectively. But can people be forced by the government into treatment? Or will that just make relapse that much more expensive for governments.

If a person is not ready to get off drugs, the government surely cannot force them.

If you or a loved one need help with addiction treatment call us and we can help.

An article appeared in Time Magazine on May 29, 2009 entitled: “Do DIY Anti-overdose kits help?”
The article focused on one rehab center called Chicago Alliance that is giving kits to drug users in exchange for needles at trade in events.

The kits contain a drug called naloxone (Narcan) which is used in ambulances and hospitals to reduce opiate overdose. Overdoses kill about 22,000 Americans each year and most are completely by accident. Most of them come from mixing substances. That was the cause of death of actor Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith.
17 states having in place what the Chicago Alliance is doing. And city health departments in New York City, Boston, Baltimore and San Francisco have similar programs. However, many do not see Anti-overdose kits and their distribution to be the answer to the drug overdose problem or even dual diagnosis treatment.
There is a very real possibility that the kits could be being misused because they are out of the hands of the professionals that were meant to be using them, like EMTs and doctors.

Here is a quote from the article regarding misuse issues: “A recent study published in the journal Addiction found that after naloxone training, addicts did just as well as medical professionals at addiction treatment centers at recognizing the symptoms of overdose and determining when to use the medication. And addiction experts say the experience of coming back from an overdose is frightening enough — not to mention often accompanied by severe withdrawal symptoms — that few addicts would consider using naloxone as an insurance policy to justify taking more drugs.”

Is the medication effective and fulfilling its purpose? Yes it absolutely is. But it makes one think if giving addicts an out if they overdose is the right answer. Does it make them feel as if they can continue using? What do you think about DIY anti-overdose kits?

According to a new report from the Office of Applied Studies that provided state by state analysis found that there are a wide range of types of drug and alcohol use, but that of course, every state has its varying issues.

The report was developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ) based on the 2006 and 2007 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health ( NSDUH ).

Here are the report’s most notable findings:

• Vermont had the nation’s highest incidence rate of marijuana use among people aged 12 and older ( 2.5 percent ) while Utah had the lowest ( 1.6 ) percent.

• The District of Columbia had the nation’s highest rate of past year cocaine use among those aged 12 and older ( 5.1 percent ) while Mississippi had the lowest ( 1.6 percent ).

• Utah had the nation’s lowest rate of current underage drinking ( 17.3 percent ) while North Dakota had the highest ( 40 percent ).

• Tennessee had the nation’s highest rate of people aged 18 and older experiencing a major depressive episode in the past year ( 9.8 percent ) while Hawaii had the lowest ( 5.0 percent )

According to the press release for the study, here is another interesting finding:

“Among those aged 12 and older, Iowa had less than half the current illicit drug use rate of Rhode Island ( 5.2 percent vs. 12.5 percent ) – yet Iowa’s population aged 12 and older also had one of the nation’s highest levels of people experiencing alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year ( 9.2 percent).”

The report is an important indication that it really does not matter where you live because every state experiences its own set of problems and needs addiction treatment centers.

This report just goes to show how much of an impact addiction is having on our country as a whole and there may be more need for dual diagnosis treatment than we think.

According to an article from Army Times, the Army news source, the Army has started to take notice of the rampant use of drugs and alcohol in the ranks. The article attributes this largely to commanders who are failing to take control or the worsening situation to get people into addiction treatment centers.

The Army now hopes to get offenders into treatment. They are staring their crackdown slowly, but getting started is half the battle. “That could mean increased inspections of barracks rooms and more visits by leaders to soldiers’ off-post homes to make cursory evaluations of their living conditions.”

Soldiers who are having urine tests coming back positive can soon expect stricter penalties. The problem with substance abuse has come to light after the Army Vice Chief of Staff Peter Chiarelli made an internal method. This is being combined with a larger initiative launched in April to look into the suicide rates of soldiers.

The problem is, according to the article, is that soldiers who are testing positive in multiple urine tests are not being referred for treatment. Instead only about 70 percent of those tested go on and receive treatment for one addiction, or dual diagnosis treatment.

Positive urine test results are growing steadily. And alcohol continues to be a problem for soldiers. In a Department of Defense study from 2005, it found that nearly 25 percent of soldiers are heavy drinkers.

Alcohol is among the reasons why a soldier may commit suicide. Along with other factors such as relationship problems, financial hardship or pending legal action.

“The incidence of alcohol abuse is detected differently than that for drugs, usually by military police or local police outside post, for driving under the influence or in observations by peers.”

So soldiers could go without being found out that they indeed do have a problem for longer periods of time.

More than ever, young Americans are misusing over-the-counter cough and cold medicines. Once seen as just harmless drugs to get rid of the sniffles, young Americans are now using them to get high.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, about 3.1 million Americans age 12-25 used over-the-counter cough or cold medicines to get high. This is according to their 2007 National Survey on Drug Use And Health report.

More specifically, according to the study, “30.5 percent misused a NyQuil® product, 18.1 percent misused a Coricidin® product, and 17.8 percent misused a Robitussin® product in the past year.”

The chemical contained in product of this kind is called dextromethorphan (DXM),  and it is contained in nearly 140 over-the-counter drugs.  The cough suppressant is safe if taken in recommended doses, but can create a ‘high’ feeling if misused.

If DXM is taken in large amounts an “out-of-body” experience can occur.  This is much like the same experiences that can be had with the more illicit drug phencyclidine (PCP).

Just as with any street drug, overdosing on DXM can happen.  There can be life threatening reactions to the drug including: blurred vision, loss of physical coordination, intense abdominal pain, vomiting, uncontrolled violent muscle spasms, irregular heartbeat, delirium, and death. Because of this trend, there have been more reports of poisoning by DXM.

Today, most products containing DXM are now behind the pharmacy counter, but still available without a prescription.  Now most pharmacies require the person buying the substance to show identification.

The accessibility of this kind of ‘high’ is what is most frightening for parents. DXM is relatively easy to get and may already be in the young adult’s home for access. Keeping tabs on your medicine cabinet is never a bad idea when there are young adults and children in the home. It could to drug use that requires addiction treatment centers or as a gateway to other drugs resulting in the need for dual diagnosis treatment later.

read the full report here.

Although there has been a slight decline in illicit drug use according to the 2007 Substance Abuse and Mental Health services Administration study,  there is a troubling new trend among teens. More are abusing prescription medications because it is readily available in their medicine cabinet.

This kind of teen drug use is second in popularity only to marijuana.  Preventing this type of drug abuse is something that parents are missing the boat on, according to the study. Parents need to take control before their child need dual diagnosis treatment.

According to the 2006 SAMHA National Survey on Drug Use and Health more than 2.1 million teens abused prescription drugs.  Another alarming finding is that prescription drugs are the number one choice of teens 12- 13 years old.

The most common type of drug that teens are abusing is pain relievers like Vicodin and Oxycontin.

The scary part about abusing prescription drugs are that they can have fatal reactions when a teen decides to try other drugs or drink. According to the study, nearly half of teens who abused prescription pain killers also report using two or more other drugs,most commonly alcohol or marijuana. Addiction treatment centers may be needed to stop.

More alarming is that children and teens do not think that prescription drugs carry the same amount of danger because they are easily accessible to them in their own home, or from a friend.  The study states the 32 percent of teens do not think that prescription drugs, like painkillers are safer because they have fewer side effects than street drugs.

Because prescription drugs are so easy for children and teens to obtain, they are more likely to try them.  More than half of the teens in the study reported that they abuse prescription drugs and painkillers because they are not illegal. Also, they feel they are less shameful and that parents don’t care as much if they get caught using them.

If you have prescription painkillers in your home, make sure you know how many are in the bottle and never let your child or teen take them without a prescription of their own. The only cure for this type of drug abuse is parental supervision.

Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings indicate that kids who use cigarettes are more inclined to use illicit drugs. It also shows an asociation to alcohol as there is an indication that for heavy drinkers, there is a higher rate of illicit drug use.

The study found that:

* In 2007, the rate of current illicit drug use was almost 9 times higher among youths aged 12 to 17 who smoked cigarettes in the past month (47.3 percent) than it was among youths who did not smoke cigarettes in the past month (5.4 percent).

* Past month illicit drug use also was associated with the level of past month alcohol use. Among youths aged 12 to 17 in 2007 who were heavy drinkers (i.e., consumed five or more drinks on the same occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days), 60.1 percent also were current illicit drug users, which was higher than the rate among nondrinkers (5.0 percent).

Many experts agree that for parents and teachers who deal with teenagers on a daily basis, knowledge is the power in identifying a child that has a problem with alcohol and drug use and may need dual diagnosis treatment. These studies help to show trends and empower people who are thinking about enrolling a teenager into addiction treatment centers or young adult drug rehab program.

Over 1 out of 10 children under the age of 18 years of age live with at least one parent who was dependent on or abused alcohol or an illicit drug during the past year, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The report is based on national data from 2002 to 2007.

“The research increasingly shows that children growing up in homes with alcohol and drug abusing parents suffer,” said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H. “The chronic emotional stress in such an environment can damage their social and emotional development and permanently impede healthy brain development, often resulting in mental and physical health problems across the lifespan. This underlines the importance of preventive interventions at the earliest possible age.”

Among the findings:

• Almost 7.3 million children lived with a parent who was dependent on or abused alcohol
• About 2.1 million children lived with a parent who was dependent on or abused illicit drugs
• 5.4 million children lived with a father who met the criteria for past year substance dependence or abuse, and 3.4 million lived with a mother who met this criteria.

Findings for Children Living with Substance-Dependent or Substance-Abusing Parents: 2002 to 2007 are drawn from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health an annual nationwide survey of persons aged 12 and older. This report focused on questions asked of 87,656 parents aged 18 and older about their substance dependence and abuse.

In addition, SAMHSA has a Children’s Program Kit for use by addiction treatment centers to provide educational support programs for the children of their clients in drug treatment programs. It teaches children a variety of skills to fostering a sense of purpose and hope. The toolkit has activities for children from elementary school through high school. It also contains information for therapists to distribute to their clients to help parents understand the needs of their children, as well as training materials (including posters and DVDs) for substance abuse treatment or dual diagnosis treatment, staff who organize support groups for children.

This kit can be obtained for free at:  http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/productDetails.aspx?ProductID=17245.