“The prefrontal cortex is not completely developed in young people, so they are not yet fully equipped with the ability to make the right choices — making it even easier to fall prey to addiction,” says Neal Schofield, MD, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Princeton House Behavioral Health. “Compounding the problem is the fact that opioid accessibility has expanded beyond our inner cities to arrive in the suburbs and in rural areas. It’s now far easier to obtain these drugs than it is to get treatment.”
“Our goal is to help them understand that opioid addiction is not a social problem, but rather a serious, life-threatening medical disorder of the brain.”
~ Rose Ravelo, LCSW
Ongoing Care Helps Break the Cycle
The monetary price of opioids is low, but the ultimate cost is extremely high. Aside from the risk of overdose and death, the use of these substances creates a “cerebral diabetic” situation, according to Dr. Schofield.
“Because opioids down-regulate neurobiological systems, addiction happens very quickly,” he adds. “We have an excellent young adult detox and inpatient program, but that alone may not solve the problem without continued treatment — particularly when we find that many young patients have underlying psychiatric comorbidities like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. We need to address those issues, as well.”
“Education and discharge planning play a key role,” adds Rose Ravelo, LCSW, Director of Social Work and Case Management for Princeton House. “Young people have many misconceptions about drug use. Our goal is to help them understand that opioid addiction is not a social problem, but rather a serious, life-threatening medical disorder of the brain. We try to motivate patients to choose continued treatment after detox and inpatient care, because it’s critical to recovery.”
Aside from the challenge of encouraging them to stay in the care continuum, young adults often face economic barriers. Dr. Schofield and Ravelo are hopeful that the increased government focus on the heroin epidemic in New Jersey will help expand insurance coverage and care access, particularly for this population.
Young Adult Inpatient Services
In addition to providing safe and comprehensive detox services, Princeton House Behavioral Health’s Young Adult Inpatient Program offers medical and psychiatric treatment, education about addiction and its impact, family involvement to support recovery whenever possible, and referrals to outpatient services — including those at Princeton House — to encourage continued treatment.
Click here for more information about the Young Adult Inpatient Program or call 800.242.2550.
Article as seen in the Spring 2017 issue of Princeton House Behavioral Health.
