ADHD and Substance Abuse the Research Proposal

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It is not only addiction to abusing substances that may go hand in hand with ADHD, but also cigarette smoking. A study by Wilens and colleagues (2007) of the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and the Pediatric Psychopharmacology Unit of Massachusetts General Hospital question whether or not ADHD individuals self-medicate with cigarettes as well as the substance abuses. In a longitudinal ADHD family study focusing on substance use disorders he finds that those who do and do not have ADHD differ significantly in their personal preferences for alcohol and cigarettes. The ADHD youth are less likely to prefer alcohol but more apt to prefer cigarettes. Both of these groups use substances to self-medicate and get high. Also ADHD self-medicating teens do not differ from those using substances to get high in their type of ADHD symptoms or drug use problems. It is suggested, then, that adolescent self-medication is not just for those with ADHD and that ADHD youth who self-medicate are similar in symptomatology to those who use substances for euphorigenic effects.

Levin and Mariani (2006) of Columbia University conclude that it is important to continue these types of studies regarding ADHD and substance abuse disorder because substance abuse only further aggravates the difficulties with ADHD, present more difficulty with remission and with treatment.

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The co-morbidity can also lead to other psychological problems. Studies have been few to date of ADHD and substance abuse, so it would be helpful to place more an effort here in the future to better understand how these different elements come together.

Faraone. S.V., Wilens, T.E., Petty, C., Antshel, K. Spenser, T., Biederman, J. Kolpe, M. & Carlson, G.A. (2007) Substance Use among ADHD Adults: Implications of Late

Onset and Subthreshold Diagnoses. The American Journal on Addictions, 16: 24-34,

Kolpe, M. & Carlson, G.A., (2007) Influence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms on methadone treatment outcome. American Journal of Addiction. 16(1): 46-48

Mariani, J. & Levin, F. (2007) Treatment strategies for co-occurring ADHD and substance use disorders. American Journal on Addictions 16(1): 45-56

Wilens, T.E., Vitulano, M., Upadhyaya H, Adamson J, Parcell T, Westerberg D, & Biederman J.

Concordance between cigarette smoking and the modified Fagerstrm Tolerance….....

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https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/adhd-substance-abuse-24636