New Report Shows Continued Decline in Substance Abuse among Youth
October 9, 2008 - This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), real recovery from mental illness requires community action, understanding, and teamwork. And recovery is made possible through improved science, better community supports, and reduced stigma. However, significant barriers still exist: services are at risk, insurance can be insufficient, and stigma is still prevalent. Substance abuse is also a hurdle to mental illness recovery.
Fortunately, a new report released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that current illicit drug use among teens is continuing to decline. The report is based on the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) which revealed that, among youth ages 12-17, the significant decline in the overall past month illicit drug use that began in 2002, continued in 2007, from 11.6 percent to 9.5 percent.
Survey results indicate that reductions in youth drug use occurred for nearly every type of illicit drug including marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, LSD, and ecstasy. In addition, the survey shows dramatic declines in meth use, down by 67 percent, and prescription drug abuse among teens, which declined overall by 18 percent, from 4 percent to 3.3 percent between 2002-2007.
Both declines come in the wake of government sponsored media campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of these specific drugs across communities. The report also reveals encouraging signs that parents are stepping up and talking to their teens about the dangers of drug use.
Continued Prevention Efforts Still Needed, However
Despite the decline in overall prescription drug abuse, as a class of drugs, the abuse of these drugs continues to have more past year new users than any other class. In 2007 alone, there were 2.5 million new initiates of this class of drug compared to 2.1 million who started using marijuana, the second most initiated drug in 2007.
Therefore, it is imperative that there be continued efforts to educate the public on the dangers of drug abuse. Schools can play a major role in educating youth about the threats that abusing drugs pose to health, and academic and personal success, and highlighting that abusing drugs will not help alleviate mental health issues, but rather worsen them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Coordinated School Health Model includes various components which schools can utilize to better establish drug abuse prevention programs and policies including: health education; family and community involvement; counseling, psychological and social services; and healthy school environment.
In addition, the government has several drug prevention resources including:
A) www.TheAntiDrug.com, which provides advice for parents and adult influences on keeping teens drug-free;
B) www.MediaCampaign.org, which is the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign authorized by congress to reduce and prevent teen drug use. This site includes an Rx brochure for parents as well as customizable open letters for community groups, coalitions, and non-profit organizations; and
C) www.MethResources.gov, which includes a “Life After Meth” photo exhibit and vibrant color print ads.
To learn more about CDC’s Coordinated School Health Model, click here. For additional information on SAMHSA, please visit http://www.samhsa.gov. And to access the full SAMHSA report, click here.
Source: “New National Survey Shows Continued Decline in Youth Substance Abuse,” National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign Update, September 4, 2008; and NAMI website.