Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Fall 2021 - 15

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
TEENS WHO WILL REMAIN
UNDIAGNOSED AND
UNTREATED DUE TO THE
PANDEMIC?
Everyone is responsible: school
counselors, prevention specialists, friends,
peers, parents, and physicians are all
responsible for the group of teens who will
go unidentified and undiagnosed as having a
substance use disorder. Dr. Radosh advocates
that it is important for us as a community
to teach everyone how to talk to peers and
parents when uncomfortable situations and
concerns regarding alcohol/drug use arise.
Those difficult conversations with parents
are worth having if it means not losing their
teen to drug abuse or addiction.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM
HERE?
Because teens struggling with mental
health issues are more susceptible to
developing a substance use disorder, taking
more action to care for and monitor the
socio-emotional health of our adolescent
students is necessary for prevention. School
districts should provide more opportunities
for teens to get help such as offering inschool
therapy, e.g. Fleetwood, or hiring
social workers and other mental health
professionals, e.g. Reading. Offering these
in-school services benefits educators since
mental health professionals will be more
available to students and allow teachers,
school nurses, and guidance counselors to
better focus on other duties that come with
their job. It will be better for the students as
well because with more specialized resources
and counselors, they will receive better
quality care.
Bringing back prevention programs
and presentations detailing resources for
middle and high school students will also be
beneficial. In addition to being more aware
of and concerned with our students' mental
health, we need to emphasize educating
them on substance abuse and making
resources available to them. Continuing to
administer SAP assessments is also critical
for schools to stay aware of where their
students are in terms of substance use, abuse,
and mental health issues.
Pediatricians and family physicians also
have a large role in recognizing any signs
that may signal a substance use disorder
while assuring the patient help and support.
Students are scared and need adults they
feel they can trust, share private information
with in confidence, and turn to for help.
The role of physicians in this unique
circumstance is to implement the following
three steps with teen patients: establish trust,
do not try and " fix, " and to be supportive.
By establishing trust and showing support,
physicians can more effectively comfort
their patients: help them realize they are not
defined by their substance use and identify
what purpose the drug is serving for them.
Rather than trying to " fix " them, help the
patient decide on their own reasons to
stop using alcohol or drugs. Most likely,
substance abuse is a result of isolation
and mental health issues like anxiety and
depression, thus, simply being there for
the patient and facilitating those difficult
conversations may be enough to inspire the
patient to move forward from drug use.
Whether the result is a decline in substance
use frequency or a complete stop, the patient
needs to come to the conclusion that they
need to quit for their own reasons (rather
than being told to do so) for treatment to be
effective.
In conclusion, despite efforts to continue
prevention and treatment options virtually
during the Pandemic, many students are
not getting the help they need. The nature
of online communication has inhibited
the ability for teens to receive community
and medical support. Although quarantine
isolation has accentuated the likelihood of
teens developing a substance use disorder,
there are some things we can do as a
community to lessen the negative impact the
pandemic had on prevention and treatment
efforts. By combining the integration of
mental health professionals and in-school
therapy services in schools with facilitated
awareness and support from physicians,
we can work towards addressing substance
abuse as a community and make it more
comfortable for teens to confront the
problem.
RESOURCES FOR REFERRALS:
1. Caron Treatment Center
a. https://www.caron.org/student-assistanceprogram/student-assistance-program-sapservices-for-youth
b.
Wernersville location: 844-260-1324
2. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
a. https://namiberkspa.org/
b. Helpline: 1-800-273-8255
3. Student Assistance Program (SAP)
a. https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/
safeschools/sap-pbis/SAP/Pages/default.aspx
4. Council on Chemical Abuse (COCA)
a. https://cocaberks.org/
b. 610-376-8669
THANK YOU
I would like to thank everyone who has
contributed to my research for their time,
expertise, and involvement. Thank you for the
support and for giving me the opportunity to
gain an incredible amount of knowledge in such a
short period of time!
Layla Abousaab is in her third year as a premed
student at the University of Pittsburgh,
working towards a B.S. in Biological Sciences
and Political Science.
WORKS CITED
" Addiction Knows No Boundaries. " Crozer, 3
May 2017, www.crozerhealth.org/news/newsreleases/2017/addiction-knows-no-boundaries/.
Fisher,
Anne. Personal interview. 30 June 2021.
" Help With Addiction and Substance Use
Disorders. " American Psychiatric Association, www.
psychiatry.org/patients-families/addiction.
MassGeneralHospital. " Adolescent Substance Use
Disorders: Who is at risk and how do we help
them make a change? " Youtube, presentation
by Amy Yule, 2 Oct. 2018, youtube.com/
watch?v=fhmM8P9XggE.
NIDA. " Introduction. " National Institute on Drug
Abuse, 2 Jun. 2020, https://www.drugabuse.gov/
publications/principles-adolescent-substanceuse-disordertreatment-research-based-guide/
introduction.
" Poverty
and Addiction Relationship. " St.
Joseph Institute for Addiction, 12 Apr. 2021,
stjosephinstitute.com/understanding-therelationship-between-poverty-and-addiction/.
Price,
Kimberly. Personal interview. 24 June
2021.
Radosh, Lee. Personal interview. 6 July 2021.
Smith, Shannon M et al. " Classification and
definition of misuse, abuse, and related events in
clinical trials: ACTTION systematic review and
recommendations. " Pain vol. 154,11 (2013):
2287-2296. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2013.05.053
Steed, Jaclyn. Personal interview. 1 June 2021.
" Student Assistance Program (SAP). " Department
of Education, www.education.pa.gov/Schools/
safeschools/sap-pbis/SAP/Pages/default.aspx.
Trevena, Cory. Personal interview. 20 May 2021.
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Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Fall 2021

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