Running head: PSYCHOSIS FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE 1

Psychosis from Substance Abuse

Paulina Porras

November 13, 2017

The University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract

Psychosis from substance abuse has become a huge health problem in the United States.

As the country continues to progress, more people are turning to addictive pharmaceuticals to

deal with chronic pain. However, these prescription drugs are known to cause addiction and

withdrawal which further the complications within communities. The United States has made

access to narcotics and pharmaceuticals far too easy to the public. Some doctors and physicians

are contributing to malpractice and allowing citizens to pay extra cash for prescribed or higher

dosage amounts than necessary. Because of the widespread problem of substance abuse in

America, the youngest generation is being influenced to follow the same path. These problems

act as a snowball effect causing a rise in addiction, crime, laundered money, and death. In order

to maintain the growing problem of substance abuse throughout communities, the public must

spread awareness of the conditions and issues that derive through abuse. If stricter rules and

regulations were implemented into the healthcare system, we would be able to get a better handle

on this growing social issue. Substance abuse in the United States will continue to grow if

actions arent taken towards improving the problem. With the help from rehabilitation centers

and the public, we can encourage addicts to turn their lives around from the influence of drugs.

Keywords: Psychosis, malpractice, substance abuse, awareness, influence

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Introduction

The United States has been facing an increasing problem of drug induced psychosis from

substance abuse of narcotics. Psychosis from substance abuse is when an individual consumes or

injects a drug to alter their perceptions to escape from reality, making it difficult to control their

thoughts and actions. The term is used for someone who experiences delusions, hallucinations,

and reality- breaks from the real world through mental disorders, substance abuse, and past

traumatic events. Psychosis from substance abuse is a mental health disorder that derives from

various people and aspects that contribute to the growing social issue. Essentially, substance

abuse is a major social issue because it increases mortality rate, contributes to illegal activities,

and typically causes addiction. Resolutions toward improving substance abuse in our

communities will help decrease addiction and abuse rates; enhance the safety of communities,

and save millions of dollars of laundered and unclaimed currency. By examining substance abuse

through the influence of the young generation and the malpractice of doctors from pill mills, it

was concluded that this disorder must have serous actions taking towards maintaining and

improving the growing issue.

Psychosis from Substance Abuse

The American Addiction Centers, established in 2007, uses their website to provide aid to

people who have become addicted to substances from abuse. The AAC uses pathos and logos to

display their concern towards people that undergo withdrawal and addiction. In a study recorded

in 2009 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration concluded that 9.3 percent

of individuals in the US ages 12 and older needed treatment for a drug or alcohol problem. Drug

addiction is affects a users life emotionally and physically. Hallucinations and delusions are a

couple of many symptoms that happen during drug-induced psychosis. As a community, we

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must spread awareness to the young generation that drugs are not the way to live our lives.

Generation Z has the highest addiction rate than the previous generations of drug users.

In the novel based on true events, Crank, a young girl, Kristina describes her life as she

goes down the path becoming an addict. Published in 2004 by Ellen Hopkins, provides pathos of

her daughter's story of her path to becoming a heroin addict. Kristina describes her drug-induced

experiences as a dream I never wanted to wake up from. You opened my eyes to things I'll

never really see. You're the best thing that will ever happen to me (Hopkins, 2004, pg. 145).

Abusing drugs at such a young age increases the risk of users becoming addicts and suffering

major withdrawals. Once an addict reaches a point of constantly feeling the need to intoxicate

their body, or uses a drug involuntarily in high dosages, it becomes challenging for them to cut it

out of their routine.

When excruciating withdrawal comes into play, quitting a drug addiction is more difficult

than becoming addicted to the drug in the first place. Major withdrawal symptoms include

fatigue, mood changes, confusion, seizures, body tremors, and much more. Not only does

substance abuse harm a user physically by filling their bodies with toxins constantly, but harms

them emotionally from dependence on getting their fix. Withdrawal takes a toll on a person's

body and efforts towards alleviating the symptoms therfore should take action in rehabilitation

as soon as possible, so the abuser will have an easier time recovering and staying off the drugs.

In conclusion, the American Addiction Centers are empathetic and reaching out their arms to

help the millions who suffer annually from substance addiction and withdrawal. The best

solution is to provide multiple treatment options and rehabilitation centers to resolve a dreadful

social issue.

Putting a Stop to Pill-Mills

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In an experimental report in 2010, three doctors, Khary K. Rigg, Samantha J. March, and

James A. Inciardi, examined the pattern of opioid abuse in America, specifically focusing on the

substance abuse epidemic in Florida. They named their journal Prescription Drug Abuse and

Diversion: Role of the Pain Clinic. In their journal, they use pathos, ethos, and logos to explain

the malpractice of doctors and pharmacists in pill mills, the social issues of substance abuse

problems in the United States, and the fabricated pain symptoms and documentation recorded.

For people to abuse drugs, they must have some form of receiving or gaining possession of them.

One of the most significant contributors to substance abuse comes from illegal activities such as

pill mills. Pill mills are false or increased dosage prescriptions written by doctors or pharmacists

to treat chronic pain. The opioids that are usually prescribed by doctors are Oxycodone,

Hydrocodone, Percocet, and Vicodin. These medications are highly addictive, which is why so

many people are willing to risk their careers to fulfill the needs of addicts. In the medical

journal, Rigg explains that opioid abuse is so widespread, it accounts for 75% of all prescription

drug abuse in the U.S (March, Incardi, & Rigg, 2010, para. 2). Doctors and pharmacists in

malpractice are the largest contributors to substance abuse in America because the more

prescriptions that they prescribe, the more money they make. Pill Mills transactions are only paid

with cash because it is easier to slide by the illegal activity. In Role of the Pain Clinic, an

interview was recorded to explain the devastating effects of the excess amount of prescribed

opioids that has hurt millions of people. A drug treatment enrollee stated when he would walk

into the pharmacy and say, Listen, I want 240 Roxi's, I want 190 Oxy's, and I want 90 Xanax

and he gives it to me (March, Incardi, & Rigg, 2010, para. 35). Without hesitation, doctors are

handing out mounds of prescriptions for their benefit. One resolution towards improving

malpractice by pharmacists would be establishing guidelines of how much medication a

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physician can prescribe. Another resolution would be placing cameras in the pharmacies to

record all transactions; it will not only scare physicians not to submit to illegal activity, but also

provide evidence of malpractice happening within the establishment.

Influence and Will of the Young Generation

Generation Z is the highest contributor to substance abuse in America. Through the

influence of peers and pressure to fit in, millions of adolescents are giving into the use of

narcotics. This generation has caused more violence, accidents, deaths, and addiction that make

substance abuse harder to control in

Figure 1: A picture providing a statistical fact on the
mortality rate from drug overdose in the U.S communities. In 1968, the Gateway

http://nmsubstanceabusecouncil.org/2015/11/drug- Foundation was established to address the

overdoses-and-car-crashes/
connections of substance abuse affecting

criminal activity. The website explains that

psychosis influences excessive amounts of

drug abuse that results in crime. Using

logos and ethos, the Gateway Foundation

elaborates on the statistics and laws of

multiple drugs consumed by Americans, the effects of addiction that create violence or crime,

and treatment options to addicts of various ages. An offense that derives from substance abuse is

at an all-time high. In our modern-day economy, it is effortless for people to access narcotics and

alcohol. Alcohol accounts for the most prominent substance abuse of any other narcotic in a

study reported in June of 2015 by the National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

The NCADD surveyed that alcoholism accounts for 95% of all violent crime on college

campuses. Crime rates continue to rise as more teens and even children as young as twelve are
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accessing narcotics and alcohol by peer pressure to fit into a specific crowd. Not only is

underage drinking prolonging the need for substance abuse in individuals, but is also

contributing to more injuries, deaths, and incarceration from intoxication. In Gateway's 2012

American Alcohol Consumption Study, they confirmed that a concerning 21% of adults

indicated they drink to, take the edge off. Turning to alcohol should not be a way for people to

destress or cure the blues because it only increases the risk of making bad choices.

The Gateway Foundation understands that abusers of alcohol or drugs will continue to

do so as long as the consequences of use do not outweigh the benefits. So, their suggestion for

getting treatment for addiction is to encourage rehabiltation to an addict as an option, not a

threat. On occasion, this method doesn't always work, however, patients who do decide to admit

themselves into rehabilitation centers will have a better chance of fully recovering from

substance abuse. In Crank, Kristina says, The problem with resolutions is they're only as solid

as the person making them (Hopkins, 2004, pg. 221). She is implying addicts are the only

people are truly able to get themselves over the hump of addiction and withdrawal. Its all about

the will of a person to choose whether they want to better themselves or not.

In conclusion, psychosis from substance abuse is a significant community problem that

needs attention before more people can easily access illegal substances. Ethos, pathos, and logos

are used in this report to support the social issue of substance abuse by using personal stories,

applying ethical terms, and relevant facts. As communities continue to modernize, peer pressure

to try drugs is always apparent in schools, homes, and workplaces. Again, the multiple ways that

the public and government can take towards decreasing substance abuse rates include:

confronting and encouraging an abuser to admit themselves into rehabilitation programs,

stopping pill mill transactions by enforcing stricter laws and regulations, and treating symptoms
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of addiction early on in users. Awareness of abuse and psychiatric disorders caused by substance

abuse will allow the public to understand this social issue, and encourage family and friends to

address and publicize awareness to others.

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References

Alcohol Consumption: Gateway Surveys American Adults about Drinking. (2012). Retrieved

October 25, 2017, from https://recovergateway.org/substance-abuse-

resources/facts/alcohol-abuse/alcohol-consumption/

American Addiction Centers (2007) How to Identify Drug-Induced Psychosis. Retrieved October

24, 2017, from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/drug-psychosis/

Hopkins, E. (2004). Crank. Retrieved October 30, 2017

Lynn, A. (2017, September 20). Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs. Retrieved October 25,

2017, from https://www.samhsa.gov/atod

Markowitz, S. (2000). An Economic Analysis of Alcohol, Drugs, and Violent Crime in the

National Crime Victimization Survey.

Rigg K. K., March S. J., & Incardi J. A (2010) Prescription Drug Abuse and Diversion: Role

of the Pain Clinic Retrieved October 24, 2017, from Journal of Drug Issues

Wilcox, S. (n.d.). Alcohol, Drugs, and Crime. Retrieved October 25, 2017, from

https://www.ncadd.org/about-addiction/alcohol-drugs-and-crime