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Thesis statement on the opioid crisis
Consequences of drugs
Drug abuse and its effects
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Recommended: Thesis statement on the opioid crisis
The current public health issue I have chosen is prescription drug and overdoses. This problem has been a growing epidemic over the years. Its effected in not just one state but the whole country and is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States. Our current president back in October, declared a 90-day opioid public health emergency. On January 29, 2018, the Economists published an article on this hot topic. According to the CDC in the year of 1999 the number of deaths caused by prescription drugs was 16,848 and risen to 63,632 deaths in 2016. According to a past study, they’ve discovered that with the decline of our countries economic conditions it has been showing an increase of use of pain reliever use and opioid abuse with the
Although writing a prescription may be an easy way to put a bandaid on a problem, people tend to forget that medication can’t be responsible for curing our nation. Slowly we are becoming a country where pills are handed out like candy, causing a severe series of negative effects and downfalls. Ray Bradbury, the author of the award winning novel Fahrenheit 451, is definitely in agreement. In 1951, when the novel was written, Bradbury was able to make the prediction that the innocent use of medication would soon turn into an extreme drug epidemic, and unfortunately he wasn’t wrong. The overuse of drugs in the United States, such as mental illness medication
... identified three major health issues that are global but has the potential to affect the United States health care system and how they influence health leaders.
Public health has made substantial advantages that have decreased the mortality rate and increased the life expectancy. At the beginning of the 20th century, the 5 leading causes of death were…. Talk about how shitty public health was prior to these changes
Mental Health treatment disparities amongst under-class white and African American women. Mental health used to be a taboo topic to discuss in public, or even to the people closest to you. Now it is becoming more acceptable to talk about some aspects of the once controversial topic. Everywhere people look now they are being constantly reminded about how important mental health awareness is, whether it be a suicide prevention hotline posters, celebrities raising awareness on social media, or even in movies. Mental Health is an upcoming social topic that is rightfully becoming more socially acceptable to discuss rather than sweep it under the rug. It is very important that awareness is being practiced whether it be for more common illnesses like depression , or something more serious like schizophrenia it is important that people are educated about mental illnesses so they know how to cope with them, and treat them Although the solution sounds easy it isn't because not everyone has equal access to mental health treatment.There are invisible barriers in the way for some people when it comes to access to mental health treatment. Race and class are two variables that are huge
Years ago, the common image of an adolescent drug abuser was a teen trying to escape from reality on illegal substances like cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. Today, there is a great discrepancy between that perception and the reality of who is likely to abuse drugs. A teenage drug abuser might not have to look any further than his or her parent’s medicine chest to ‘score.’ Prescription drug abuse by teens is on the rise. Also, teens are looking to prescription drugs to fulfill different needs other than to feel good or escape the pressures of adulthood. Teens may be just as likely to resort to drugs with ‘speedy’ side effects, like Ritalin to help them study longer, as they are to use prescription painkillers to check out of reality. Pressures on teens are growing, to succeed in sports or to get high grades to get into a good college (Pressures on today’s teens, 2008, theantidrug). Furthermore, because prescriptions drugs are prescribed by doctors they are less likely to be seen as deleterious to teens’ health. A lack of awareness of the problem on the part of teens, parents and society in general, the over-medication of America, and the greater stresses and pressures put upon teens in the modern world have all conspired to create the growing problem of prescription drug abuse by teens.
In the United States, health insurance has been a way to cover insured individuals medical cost. The coverage of insurance depends on the type of health insurance plan an individual has. Each insurance plan varies, and one of the coverages that insurance plans offer is prescription drugs. The cost of prescription drugs, depends on which health insurance plan you have. If an individual does not have health insurance, paying for a prescription drug will be an out-of-pocket cost and cost will vary for those who have health insurance. One of the issues that have been arising in the United States is Prescription drug usage. Many patients are abusing their prescription health insurance coverage and it is affecting their health come. Some of the prescriptions
The rate of death due to prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has escalated 313 percent over the past decade. According to the Congressional Quarterly Transcription’s article "Rep. Joe Pitt Holds a Hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse," opioid prescription drugs were involved in 16,650 overdose-caused deaths in 2010, accounting for more deaths than from overdoses of heroin and cocaine. Prescribed drugs or painkillers sometimes "condemn a patient to lifelong addiction," according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This problem not only affects the lives of those who overdose but it affects the communities as well due to the convenience of being able to find these items in drug stores and such. Not to mention the fact that the doctors who prescribe these opioids often tend to misuse them as well. Abusing these prescribed drugs can “destroy dreams and abort great destinies," and end the possibility of the abuser to have a positive impact in the community.
Prescription drugs do not always cause addiction, but a specific group of prescription narcotics can increase dependency on the medication and cause a severe addiction. For many people that become addicted to prescribed medicines, it changes their life forever. Prescription drugs are equally as dangerous as street drugs, if not more so. High powered pain relievers are safe if taken properly, but some people pop multiples a day which can cause coma and even death.
The misuse of prescription drugs among college students is a growing problem for this generation. There are more students taking non-prescribed prescription drugs for various reasons than ever before. The dangers associated with this are not well known and students do not realize the damage they are doing to themselves now, and the effects it will have on their body and mind in the future. Young people should be educated on this subject and recognize the risks they are taking by consuming these medications. Some use for recreational purposes and some simply use it to stay up late and study, not realizing that one is just as dangerous as the other. Prescription drugs are just as dangerous as street drugs and college students are misusing and abusing them without a second thought.
Many problems exists, but for an issue to make it in public policy agenda it has to be a salient issue meaning it has to be an issue that stands out and encountered by a large interest group (Boundless, 2013). An example to this is the ACA, starting 2014 ACA will provide health care coverage to everyone, reduce health costs, and improve quality health. The large interest group in this situation is the millions of Americans.
I was fairly young at the time, over my grandparents with my mom. I’m just sitting there on the couch when I start to hear my mom screaming at my Uncle Nick. Next thing you know he comes running down, my mom is right behind him, she starts beating him, not because he anything malicious towards her but because he had started using drugs again. The next day my mom brought him to rehab. Uncle Nick has been an addict since before he was twenty, only problem is he’s not even the only one in my family that is an addict, nor do I have the only family that this affects in Philadelphia. This epidemic is a terrible ordeal for Philadelphia that city officials must take action. Last year alone there was an almost thirty percent increase in fatal drug overdoses with the total being over 900 and more than 80% of these deaths being opioid related. Fatal overdoses have mainly been found in the age range of 35 to 59, with males having triple the cases than that of women.
To begin, public health has a longstanding history in attempting to get involved in the daily lives of people in our society. In 1919, prohibition began the first attempt at government interference when it came to drugs an alcohol. After the abolishment of prohibition, drugs became a main focus as far as public health was concerned. The United States faced its first drug epidemic in the beginning of the 20th century, and its second during the 1970's. During the discovery of new drugs such as morphine, heroin, and cocaine, our society has attempted to find a solution for drug abuse and addiction in the country. During the 1960s, drugs like marijuana, amphetamines, and psychedelics gained popula...
In my own opinion, I think that painkiller abuse is both the patient and the doctor’s faults. Granted without the doctor to keep prescribing the patient the painkillers, the patient would become less likely to become a painkiller addict. In contrast, coming from the side of being a doctor’s daughter and watching multiple reality medical shows, I know that if the doctor cut the patient off of that painkiller, if the patient wanted it bad enough they would find a way to get it. With this in mind, I am not too sure on to who is at fault right now.
West Virginia has one of the highest rates for prescription drug abuse, and overdose in the nation. In order to change this it is important to understand what pharmacists do, their role in prevention, and the severity of prescription drug abuse. Pharmacists are known to dispense prescription drugs to patients and inform them about their use; However, one aspect of their career most people overlook is that Pharmacists must keep a sharp eye out for criminals looking to abuse these prescribed drugs.
.../programs, research, community, and world health issues. All of my interests have been merged into one magical puzzle through Public Health. Public Health also has a strong emphasis on behavioral and social factors.