Why Do They Act That Way? by David Walsh PhD

Author:David Walsh, PhD.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books

Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs

A recent trend in drug abuse among adolescents is the use of prescription and nonprescription medications. Between 2008 and 2013 there was a 33 percent increase in prescription drug abuse. At the top of the list is the growing popularity of ADD and ADHD medications like Ritalin and Adderall. One out of eight adolescents has admitted to misusing them. Young people who have legitimate prescriptions either give or sell them to classmates and friends. Sadly, many of these teens are abetted by their parents, a third of whom believe that the ADD and ADHD stimulants will enhance their sons’ or daughters’ academic performance by improving their concentration and focus. These and other medicines can only be legitimately obtained by prescription for good reasons since scientists have a growing concern about the long-term effects. In addition, there are worrisome side effects, including appetite and growth suppression as well as sleep disturbances. Even cases of psychosis have been traced back to overuse of ADD and ADHD stimulants.

Cough and cold medicines easily available in supermarkets and drugstores everywhere pose a threat as well. Most of these remedies contain dextromethorphan, or DXM, a cough suppressant that can produce hallucinations in high doses. Web sites tell kids how much medicine they need to get high depending on their weight. “Robotripping,” or “dexing,” requires less than a bottle and costs only a few dollars. Overdosing is on the rise, with some emergency rooms reporting as many as four cases a week among adolescents as young as twelve. Symptoms of abuse include sweating, fever, dry skin, blurred vision, hallucinations, nausea, irregular heartbeat, and loss of consciousness.

The Partnership at Drugfree.org has launched the Medicine Abuse Project and offers parents three suggestions. First, monitor the supply of all the family’s prescription drugs. Second, put medicines that could be misused in a secure location. Third, safely dispose of all expired or unused medications.

Because of the adolescent brain’s sensitivity while important neural circuits are being formed, the negative effects of alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs—legal or not—on the adolescent’s brain are faster and more severe than on the adult brain, and they occur with less warning. The negative effects of these chemicals aren’t just temporarily altered states of mind or behavior problems; they can damage a developing brain permanently. Drugs and alcohol can be a serious problem for anyone, but for adolescents, they can become a serious problem forever.

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