Drug Abuse & Adolescents: West Palm Beach, FL - Essay Sample

Introduction

West Palm Beach area in Florida is one of the most significant entry points for drugs and substance abuse. The most abused drugs in the area include and not limited to cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. As of 2019, the adolescent population in the city was 17.9% of 111,955, the overall population of West Palm Beach, Florida (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). Behavior change indicators in West Palm Beach illuminate the seriousness of social issues affecting its residents, particularly adolescents, pertinent to drugs and substance abuse. Truancy and school arrests highlight significant challenges affecting the young population. Adolescents in West Palm Beach are struggling with drugs and substance abuse.

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Still, they are also grappling with environmental hazards that are likely to add salt to injury in a looming generational challenge. Various health care services are, however, available, specifically for drugs and substance-related issues. This paper aims at highlighting adolescent's characteristics in the locality and mental health issues related to drugs and substance abuse. Additionally, a health promotion activity is proposed, which will mitigate the problems facing adolescents in the locality. Adolescents living in West Palm Beach are struggling with social issues related to drugs and substance abuse; therefore, they require a health promotion activity that accommodates all and lures affected children against abusing drugs.

Characteristics of Adolescents in West Palm Beach Florida

Adolescents in the West Palm Beach area of Florida, United States, is an excerpt of how adolescents are grappling with manageable issues in society. Drugs and substance abuse in West Palm Beach, coupled with biomedical, environmental hazards, exemplify adolescents' susceptibility to socially instigated questions. West Palm Beach area comprises over 20,000 adolescents, most of whom are highly likely to be exposed to illegal drugs and environmental hazards. Cases of delinquency by juveniles in the location are rampant, indicating that school life for adolescents is at risk. Exposure to illicit drugs in the American beach city results in truancy and delinquency in catholic schools and correctional facilities. Adolescents risk their lives by knowingly or unknowingly possessing or abusing drugs; such issues may lead to imprisonment, limitations in children's aid, and job search limitations informed by a criminal record. Adolescents living in West Palm Beach are faced with environmental hazards, stemming from the nearby beaches (Kopf, 2017).

Notably, biomedical waste issues have previously been reported in the locality, which poses a significant threat to youths, mostly loitering along the beach for fun. Sharp objects from medical facilities may transmit diseases, or in some cases, they may be misused for other purposes. For instance, syringes found in biomedical waste may be misused by adolescents as agents of illegal drugs uptake, through self-injection, while abusing the drug. Biomedical waste is also likely to cause egregious maladies, as drug abusers in the region recklessly abandon syringes.

According to the World Health Organization, 85% of medical waste is nonhazardous. The remaining 15% is considered hazardous of which constitutes syringes (World, 2018). This comes even as the government of the United States signs a bill giving counties the go-ahead to partner with private institutions in proving drug abusers with sterile syringes for free (O'Brien, 2019).

Luckily, organizations are already insitu, working as mental health mitigators. Insofar as mental health is concerned, juveniles in West Palm Beach are well sorted. Access to health care is also available for other ailments. Zika Health Care Services program takes explicitly care of juvenile medical services. It is as essential for juveniles to get informed of issues related to the reckless use of syringes as it is essential for adolescents, particularly children between 16 and 18 years of age to know available healthcare services at their disposal. It is also important to note most births in Palm Beach County are born amidst inadequate prenatal care; this poses a future health issue as children advance in age. It is also worth noting the adolescent stage is known as an aged blanket of risk and opportunities.

Most Rampant Mortalities

Motor vehicle accidents, suicide, homicide, and infectious diseases are the highest life takers in the adolescent age group. Injuries top the list of mortalities among adolescents. Notwithstanding that consumption of alcohol and lack of seat belt use are considered significant causes of vehicle crashes mortalities. It has been noted that cases of asthma and diabetes have significantly increased within adolescents. Diabetes further complicates the issue of syringe usage, as some diabetes cases require the use of syringes for insulin administration (Jamieson, 2019).

Mental disorders are another set of health issues that have previously proven detrimental to adolescents' health. Most diseases affecting adults are also said to start in the adolescent stage of life, at the age of 14, anxiety is the most rampant health disorder. Insofar as infectious diseases are concerned, sexually transmitted infections are the most reported ailments. According to the Center for Injury Prevention, injuries (Suicide, Homicide, and motor vehicle accidents) take more life among adolescents (Jamieson, 2019). Injury-related mortalities could be worsened by an increase in drugs and substance abuse. Drug abuse is also related to sexually related infections, particularly among incarcerated adolescents.

Drug abuse is argued to cause behavior change that places abusers at risk of contracting sexually transmissible diseases. In terms of mental health, more than 7 percent of the adolescent population. Most adolescents suffering from mental health problems are noted to be addicted to alcohol and or with other substances such as tobacco. In terms of sex, the male gender is the most hit by mental health conditions. Most morbidity cases occur alongside anxiety disorders, depression, attention deficit, and conduct disorders. Anxiety disorders include and not limited to panic, post-traumatic stress, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Depression disorders result in low yields at school, causing patients to seek solace in drugs and substance abuse.

As a result of increased cases of drugs and substance abuse, adolescents increase their chances of delving in sexually transmitted infections. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are the most prevalent infectious diseases, followed by HIV/AIDS. It is worth noting that regression in the adolescent phase is terrible for future parents and generations, as problems that are amassed in the stage could transcend into adulthood.

Health Promotion Activities

The aforementioned health issues among adolescents highlight the need for robust health promotion activities. Sensitization groups should be initiated, coordinated, and disseminated to schools concerning the morbidity of drugs and substance abuse and mental disorders. I propose an art concert that will include celebrities that are highly regarded among adolescents. These artists should be accompanied by medical experts experienced in dealing with patients suffering from morbidity conditions to schools.

These concert events should also carry HIV/AIDS counselors who should explain the relationship between drug addiction and sexually transmitted infections. Occasional psychological services should also be frequented in learning institutions; they should also be availed near their residential spaces. Mental health care will enhance a healthy generation of adolescents, which I presume will affect future generations (Hillger et al., 2011).

Underlying issues leading to drugs and substance abuse will also get minimized by the intervention of psychologists. Mitigation of impacts of drugs and substance abuse through psychologists hypothetically should induce a ripple effect that cures homicides, suicide, and some motor vehicle accident cases. Sporting days are also imperative activities important for encouraging a healthy life by encouraging body exercise, which should also go a long way in reducing cases of adolescents to contract lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.

Conclusion

Drugs and substance abuse among adolescents living in the West Palm Beach area, Florida, is a significant challenge. These adolescents are susceptible to drug and substance abuse, mainly because of its geographical location. Many youths in the area are exposed to drugs and substance abuse. The ripple effect associated with abusing drugs and other illegal substances cause morbidity when used by adolescents with underlying social issues, and it also leads to sexually transmitted infections and injuries, which lead to high death rates among adolescents. Poor management of biomedical wastes mainly emanating from drug abusers, creates aggravates the issue of drugs and substance abuse. The drug and substance abuse issue may become worse with the looming law that is aimed at increasing the availability of the objects to drug abusers. Drugs and substance abuse require health promotion activities to mitigate current and future issues emanating from drug and sub abuse. Without such endeavors, present and future generations in West Palm Beach is under threat.

References

Hillger, C., Huber, M., & Kirch, W. (2011). Health promotion and drug abuse prevention. Journal of Public Health, 19(S1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-011-0424-4

Jamieson, K. (2019, April 26). Double Win for Childhood Mental Health in Palm Beach County! Center for Child Counseling. https://www.centerforchildcounseling.org/double-win-for-childhood-mental-health-in-palm-beach-county/

Kopf, A. (2017). Concerns rise about medical waste washing ashore in Palm Beach. Palm Beach Daily News. Retrieved May 22, 2020, from https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/local/concerns-rise-about-medical-waste-washing-ashore-palm-beach/qruw9LU6BYWa5BM0lEcO5M/

National Research Council (US) and the Institute of Medicine (US) Committee (2009). Adolescent Health Care Services and Models of Care for Treatment, Prevention, & Development. Adolescent Health Status. Retrieved May 22, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK215414/

O’Brien, J. (2019, June 28). Palm Beach County commissioners to address needle exchange next week. WPEC. https://cbs12.com/news/local/palm-beach-county-commissioners-to-address-needle-exchange-next-week

U.S. Census Bureau (2019). QuickFacts: West Palm Beach city, Florida. Www.Census.Gov. Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/westpalmbeachcityflorida

World. (2018, February 8). Health-care waste. Who. Int; World Health Organization: WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/health-care-waste