Psychotropic Medication

The University of Washington School of Medicine is the leader in scientific research of FAS. The school/students have done many controlled research study’s. The Study on Alcohol and Pregnancy, Neuropsychological Analyses of FAS/FAE Deficits, Parent-Child Assistance Program , and the FAS Follow-up Program. One of the many problems of misdiagnosis, and is shown in this study is that, the birth rate of FAS children is nearly 1 per 100 births (ACBR). The problem is this, alcohol-affected children and adults are often denied services when they lack the characteristic FAS face and or mental retardation as defined by a standardized IQ score of less then 69.

Research Research today highlights some of these very issues identified by Chris and Chris. Statistics indicate LGBT individuals have higher percentages of drug and alcohol abuse, are ate greater risk for depression and suicidal ideation, and identity crises. “Conversations taking place in today’s therapy offices reflect the change. Although many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people still bring issues of discrimination and fear of rejection to their psychologists’ offices, they are just a likely to discuss such mainstream issues as parents and fears about aging” (DeAngelis, 2002). Substance Abuse “Studies suggest that up to 33% of the LGBTQI population have difficulty controlling their drug or alcohol use, compared to 3-10% of the heterosexual population” (Leible, 2012).

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in the book Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, reports that “[o]f children ages 9 to 17, 21 percent have a diagnosable mental or addictive disorder that causes at least minimal impairment” (http://www2.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=federal_and_state_policy_legislation&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=43804). With numbers as high as twenty-one percent, this is an issue that is probably more widespread than we realize it is. Statistics like these raise many questions as to just how many characters are afflicted with mental illnesses. One such case is Holden from the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, who may have any of a number of mental illnesses

Studies have found that self-harm can start as young as 5 and that at the age range of 5-10 year olds, it mostly is boys self-harming, while the age range for girls is 11-15 years old (Murphy & Fonagy 3). It is found that the majority of adolescent self-harm is coming from homes with split family homes, where one parent is raising the children. It has also been found, that children without any siblings are more apt to inflict self-harm than children with siblings. When adolescents have a bad home life and have multiple stressful life events, it often makes them reach out to self-harm to relieve the pain that they are feeling. Ayton says, “These findings suggest that housing type has an independent effect on the mental health” (306 ).

In order to seek mental health services, youth offenders must receive a referral from a member of the staff. It estimated that as many as 60%- 70% of detained youths have an emotional or behavioral disorder. In the year 1990, nearly 98,000 youths were admitted to long-term juvenile correctional facilities with in the U.S. Once the youth offender is detained, mental health problems often to undetected. Most juvenile detention facilities do not have an suitable screening procedures, and proper funding for other suitable detecting mechanisms.

Babies Born Addicted to Illegal Drugs Mothers who use illegal drugs while pregnant increase the risk of the baby being born having health issues. Babies who are born addicted to drugs usually suffer from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Babies that are born to mothers addicted to drugs do not have the choice to be clean. Mothers need to think about their unborn child, instead of being selfish and only thinking of themselves and their next “high.” Addiction is a powerful disease that affects one in every ten people in the United States.

Practice includes therapist modeling and role-plays. • In Sessions 10 to 13, the child is exposed to imaginary and real situations that cause increasing levels of anxiety. • In Sessions 14 and 15, children practice in high-stress, high-anxiety situations. • The final session is used to discuss the therapy experience, to review the skills, and to encourage the child to think about how to apply the skills in everyday

When one child has autism, the chance of a non-twin sibling having it as well is only 2-8%.The term spectrum refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills and level of impairment, or disability, that children with ASD can have. Some children are mildly impaired by their symptoms but others are severely disabled (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). Autism has increased dramatically within the past years. More children are being diagnosed each year due to increased awareness and diagnosis that have been made. Many people in our society may have heard the word autism or know a friend or family that is diagnosed with having autism.

Should the U.S. Legal Drinking Age be lowered from 21 to 18 Years of Age? Alcohol is considered the drug of choice for many American youth. Statistics provide that there are more than 10.1 million underage drinkers in the U.S. with 85 percent of college students and 72 percent of 12 graders having tried alcohol. As a result, underage drinking contributes to death from injuries, increases the risk of sexual and physical assault, as well as playing a role in risky sexual behavior. However, there have been increasing debates over whether the minimum legal drinking age should be reduced from 21 years to 18 years.

Mental illness comes in many forms and many people within the U.S. have to deal with it daily; luckily, the U.S. is taking further action to help fight and prevent it. According to the “Prevalence of Mental Illness”, over 1.1% of adults living in the U.S. are affected by schizophrenia, 2.6% are affected by bipolar disorder and 6.9% have been affected by at least one depressive period within the twelve months. Not only are adults affected by many forms of mental illness, but a large part of the youth population is as well. Over “90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition” (Mental). Suicide is a leading cause of death in youth.

Chapter 32 Assessment and Interviewing Heather J. Walter and David R. DeMaso It is estimated that 20% of children living in the United States experience a mental illness in a given year, at a cost of nearly $14 billion. In children, mental illness is more prevalent than leukemia, diabetes, and AIDS combined; far more money is spent on mental disorders than on any other childhood illness, including asthma, trauma, upper respiratory infections, and infectious diseases. Although nearly 1 in 5 youths suffers from a psychiatric disorder, 75-85% do not receive specialty mental health services.

Human Service Role Human services professionals play a major part in helping from every angle of child abuse. Everyone from the victim, to the perpetrator, and other members of the family need help. There are many local agencies that is in place to help the struggles of child abuse. “The wide range of activities in which a human service professional might engage within a child and family services agency, there is also a wide range of practice settings where the human service professional might work, the largest being a state’s child protective services (CPS) agency” (Martin, 2014, p.82).