Substance Abuse among the Elderly

Paper Summary:

In this paper, the writer describes the causes and effects of substance abuse in the elderly. The writer discusses why this problem is being overlooked in today's society. Further, the writer mentions the most common forms of substance abuse, as well as problems with prescription medications and proper diagnoses. The writer argues that if people learn to recognize and tend to the warning signs of substance abuse, there will be more of a demand for better treatment programs and more options will be available for older individuals. The writer concludes that there should be more awareness about the warning signs of drug abuse or misuse, because it is something that will eventually affect everyone's life at some point.

From the Paper:

"Though it may be an invisible epidemic, substance abuse among the elderly (adults age 60 and over) is one of the fastest growing health problems facing the nation today. When many people think about substance abuse they immediately think of the younger generation. In reality, though, the elderly population also faces this problem, only in a slightly different way. Instead of abusing drugs such as heroin or cocaine, the elderly are more likely to abuse alcohol and prescription drugs or medications. Though the number of elderly people suffering with these disorders is rising, they remain undiagnosed, under treated, and misrepresented in society. Due to insufficient knowledge and limited research data, health care professionals often overlook or misdiagnose substance abuse in older individuals. If these substance abuse disorders remain untreated and undiagnosed, the last stage of life for countless people may be ruined. For these reasons, substance abuse among the elderly is a topic worth investigating."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Blow, F.C., Oslin, D.W., & Barry, K.L.. (2002) Misuse and abuse of alcohol, illicit drugs, and psychoactive medication among older people. Generations (San Francisco, California), 26, p50(5).
• Jinks M.J., & Raschko, R.R. (1990). A profile of alcohol and prescription drug abuse in a high-risk community-based elderly population. DICP 24(10):971-975.
• McInnes, E.J. & Powell, J.A. (1994) Drug and alcohol referrals: are elderly substance abuse diagnoses and referrals being missed?. British Medical Journal, 308, p444(3).
• Patterson, T.L. (1999). Abuse and misuse of medications in the elderly. Psychiatric Times, XVI (4). Retrieved November 20, 2006 from http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/pp990454.
• Reid M.C., Anderson P.A. (1997). Geriatric substance use disorders. Medical Clinic North America 81(4):999-1016.

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