Effects of drug on teens & latest treatment statistics

Teenagers take drugs for different reasons whether they are stressful or have been offered any types of drugs. What is the latest drug treatment statistics according to Public Health England?

Many of us are aware of the significant risks that drugs have on people’s mental health. However, how does it affect young people in particular? And what are the latest statistics of teenagers seeking treatment for drugs between 2018 and 2019?

Public Health England says that 14,485 young people were in contact with drug services between April 2018 and March 2019. 12,702 of them reported that they obtain treatment for cannabis which is the most popular drug, 14% reported ecstasy and 10% reported powder cocaine issues. In addition, there has been a slight increase in the number of people seeking treatment with opiates such as heroin (216 teenagers compared to 187 last year), which is less than 1% of those treated.

According to Medline Plus, young people who struggle with emotional problems often turn to drug use to help them manage painful or difficult times. In short terms, this can help them feel calm, however, in the long run, it can affect badly on their lifestyle and mental well-being. Particularly, it can harm teenagers’ brains as their brains keep developing until the mid-20 age. Drugs can disrupt the daily function to the human brain and interfere with the decision they make and so might lead to risky thoughts and actions such as dangerous driving and unsafe sex.

Public Health England says that a referral from education services was the most common path for young people to get into specialist recovery services. There were 4,940 of them who entered treatment this way. Referrals from the youth justice system were the second-largest source of referral (20%), 17% of referrals were from Social care services and 10% was from health services.

Moreover, drugs may create mood changes which lead to depression, stress and death in some cases. There are some types of drugs that are known to trigger psychotic mental health problems such as cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine. Psychosis can be related to self-harming and suicide. NHS provides further information on drug addiction support.

According to Public Health England, nearly a third of young people who began treatment in 2018 to 2019 indicated that they needed mental health treatment, which is higher than last year that was only 27%. A greater percentage of girls indicated a need for mental health care than boys (42% compared to 28%). And 73% of teenagers received support from a community mental health team for their mental health treatment need.

Additionally, 94 % of teenagers who started a treatment intervention received psychosocial interventions during their time in treatment to improve their behaviour. During therapy, only 49 young people (less than 1 percent) received pharmacological intervention by a clinician, which include detoxification, stabilisation, prevention of relapse and opiate replacement prescription.

The earlier people start using drugs, the more addicted they will become to use them later in their lives which can not only affect on their brains but can cause health problems such as high blood pressure, sleep disorder and heart disease. Dr Paula Riggs, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado said:

“Working with adolescents they often do not recognise that drug use is a problem. It is critically important to meet adults where they are in their own understanding whether this is a problem or not. Therapists need to engage with them to understand their goals and what techniques to use when dealing with them in order to begin the right treatment.”