Essay Sample on Addiction in Men: 20M US Adults with Substance Abuse Disorder

Introduction

The mental health disorder under discussion is the addiction to drugs and alcohol by men. The use of substances tends to change the normal desires and priorities of a person. There is a change of the normal behaviors and interference with the ability to work, go to school and relate well with friends and family. The statistics as per 2014 revealed that close to 20 million adults in the US had a substance use disorder (NIMH 2016). Out of this population, 8 million of them also had a mental illness (NIMH 2016). There was more prevalence among the men showing that they were more than half.

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Individuals who use substances are also addicted to tobacco even with all the health risks. There are many people who smoke cigarettes. Adults who have mental illness have a higher chance of smoking cigarettes compared to others (NIMH 2016). It is important that people are aware of addiction from substance use because it is a mental illness which is quite hard to stop. Individuals suffering from addiction should seek help from health and rehabilitation centers to help them with their health problems and letting go of the addiction.

Treatment and Therapy

Treatment and medication play a big role in treating mental disorders and associated conditions. Psychotherapy is a good treatment option for an addicted adult (NIMH 2016). The choice of the right plan for treatment should have its basis on the individual needs of the person and the medical situation under the care of mental health professional.

Psychotherapy is used in combination with medical treatments. One type of psychotherapy that will be effective is the cognitive behavioral therapy which will help the addicted individual to identify and make changes to their thinking and patterns of behavior of addiction (NIMH 2016). Through this type of psychotherapy, the individual will be able to replace the addiction to substances for accurate thoughts and functional behaviors. They will be more occupied doing constructive things rather than being involved in drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco.

This form of therapy will help the person to focus on current problems and the ways they can use to solve them and they can practice new skills. Interpersonal therapy can also be important for use as a short-term form of treatment as the addicted individuals are made to understand the underlying interpersonal issues which are troublesome such as the current changes in their social life, conflicting with other people and relating to others (NIMH 2016).

The use of drug treatment will be to help the addicted individuals to stop compulsive seeking of substances and their use. The individual can use antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications and stimulants. Most importantly, the patient should understand their medication's before they start using it and the instructions.

Population

Mental illness affects both men and women but there is less prevalence of mental illness on me than women. However, men are likely to die through suicide compared to women. Everyone should know that mental disorders can be treated. Men and women are likely to develop some warning signs such as misuse of alcohol, anger, changes in moods and energy levels, feeling stressed, thoughts of suicide and obsessive thinking among others (NIMH 2016). Health institutes should be on the frontline to aid men from addiction to substances and the victims should be prepared to get help and change completely.

References

NIMH (2016). Men and mental health. Transforming the understanding and treatment of mental illness. National Institute of mental health. From https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/men-and-mental-health/index.shtml