News

Campaign to Educate About Teen Prescription Drug Misuse

The National Council on Patient Information and Education, along with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and representatives from 15 nationally recognized prevention, health professional, and child advocacy organizations, are launching Maximizing Your Role as a Teen Influencer: What You Can Do to Help Prevent Teen Prescription Drug Abuse.

Although the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs among youth has declined from 2002 through 2008, over this time many teens have turned to misusing prescription drugs, according to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. In fact, prescription drugs are misused more by this age group than any illicit drug, except marijuana. The nonmedical use of these medicines—the very same drugs used to legitimately relieve pain, and treat conditions like anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in some people—is a growing and under-recognized problem that puts young lives at risk.

Unlike other forms of adolescent drug use, the desire to feel good or get high ranks much lower as a motivation for prescription drug misuse. Experts note that adolescents are turning to prescription drugs not just for recreational use—they are turning to prescription drugs to help manage their daily lives. The reasons include to lower stress and anxiety, boost their mood, stay up all night studying for an exam, or to enhance academic or athletic performance. According to the 2007 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, dealing with pressures and managing school-related stress is cited as the number one reason teens use prescription drugs.

The statistics regarding teen drug use are startling. Consider these facts:

* More than 1 in 10 teens (or 2.8 million) have abused prescription drugs in their lifetimes according to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

* 1 in 3 teens report knowing someone who abuses prescription drugs according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s 2007 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study.

* 1 in 3 teens surveyed says there is “nothing wrong” when using prescription drugs “every once and a while,” according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s 2007 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study.

* Every day, 2,700 teens abuse a prescription drug for the first time according to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

* 8 out of 10 teens who misuse prescription drugs get the drugs from friends or relatives through a number of means including stealing, buying, or simply asking for the drugs according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America‘s 2007 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study.

— Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration