Contemporary Issues
Contemporary issues is an idea or event that is important or relevant currently. Teenagers in the current era face problems in their day to day life at a time in their life when they are experiencing internal as well as external struggles. Since they go through a lot and are expected to cope with them such as hormonal changes or parental and social forces, they end up feeling overwhelmed. Some of the typical contemporary issues faced by teenagers include; cyber addiction, depression, completion and peer-pressure, bullying, and last but not least, drug and substance addiction. This paper aims to research on the contemporary issues facing teenagers, its effects on adolescent behavior, external stressors associated with the problem and provide support options for the question presented.
Drug and substance abuse, for instance, is when teenagers decide to take illegal drugs or legal drugs but not prescribed by a physician leading to a continuous habit of taking the pills. Studies have proven drug abuse to be among the causes of severe health conditions, and some of the cons towards young lives include; emotional problems associated anxiety, mood swings, and depression (Knopf, 5). Also, drug abuse has been associated with increasing severe psychological issues. Studies prove that adolescent drug abuse result and are more susceptible to addiction and dependence on the drugs themselves. Besides, drug abuse is impacted with risky sexual behavior among teens leading to unplanned pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Through the sharing of needles, the adolescent is at the risk of spreading fatal deceases such as HIV, Hepatitis C, and others during the process of drug and substance abuse (William, 3). Lastly, drug abuse can result in severe mental disorders including brain shrinkage or similarly impaired abilities.
External stressors associated with drug abuse are the external forces that one can’t easily control such as significant events. Some of these external stressors include academic failure and associated problems as a consequence of long continuous struggles at school pushing them to the limits. Another external stressor is the parental behavior in which the teens copy precisely what their parents are doing in their presence as it seems instead an acceptable act to do. Lastly, a research conducted concludes peer pressure as an external stressor in luring adolescents into the drug abuse circle (William, 3). The assessment strategies used for the determination and screening of drug abuse include; the necessary assessment that involves asking questions relating to drug abuse, screening for the presence of drugs and substances in the patient’s body fluids and finally a treatment plan in case the patient taste results concur (Knopf, 5).
In conclusion, additional assessment questions that might be necessary to ask includes those that determine the start of the abuse, the company of the patient and their family background. However, since the ethical parameters act as a protection to the patient against possible risk with their parents, extreme personal information is kept from the parents for the patient’s safety. Support options available for adolescent hooked in drug and substance abuse include relapse prevention where the participant is linked with sponsors who in turn provide support and accountability. Besides, inpatient rehab maybe recommended for teens associated with this problem for a more extended period of timed. Similarly, for those not in need of constant supervision, outpatient rehab can be recommended to ensure their daily life is impacted in overcoming drug abuse and addiction.