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Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...

Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...

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prevalence, after alcohol and tobacco use. Am<strong>on</strong>g marginalized children,<br />

inhalant use and abuse is high, with the majority <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> these children<br />

reporting that they use inhalants <strong>on</strong> a daily basis. The authors also<br />

discuss the lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> preventi<strong>on</strong> and treatment programs and the lack <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

research <strong>on</strong> this topic, which provides a serious impediment to the<br />

development <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a nati<strong>on</strong>al strategy to address this problem.<br />

John Ramsey, Jennifer Taylor, and Drs. H. Ross Anders<strong>on</strong> and Robert J.<br />

Flanagan provide a comprehensive descripti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the volatile substance<br />

abuse problem in the United Kingdom. A sharp increase in the number<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> deaths (predominantly <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> male adolescents) attributable to volatile<br />

compounds began in the 1980s and that level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> mortality has been<br />

maintained into the 1990s. The authors present a detailed descripti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

the methods <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> data collecti<strong>on</strong> and limited access to current informati<strong>on</strong>.<br />

They describe specific volatile substances abused and the characteristics<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> abusers in the United Kingdom. They c<strong>on</strong>clude with a commentary <strong>on</strong><br />

attempts to address the volatile substance abuse problem in the United<br />

Kingdom through legislati<strong>on</strong>, treatment and preventi<strong>on</strong>, and the resp<strong>on</strong>se<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> industry to issues involving product change.<br />

Dr. Pamela Jumper-Thurman, Barbara Plested, and Dr. Fred Beauvais<br />

address the issue <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> treatment strategies for volatile substance abusers in<br />

their chapter. As the authors point out, the drug abuse treatment field has<br />

been challenged by inhalant abuse. It has been believed that the resultant<br />

neurological and physiological damage from the use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> inhalants was not<br />

<strong>on</strong>ly irreversible, but it also made treatment almost impossible. These<br />

complicati<strong>on</strong>s as well as the characteristics <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the inhalant abusers that<br />

have implicati<strong>on</strong>s for treatment are discussed. Family problems,<br />

academic failure, and other social problems require multiple services and<br />

counseling approaches in the treatment setting. This chapter sets forth<br />

principles for treating inhalant abusers that have promise for effective<br />

interventi<strong>on</strong>s. Issues such as treatment readiness; use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> peer-patient<br />

advocacy; thorough physical, cognitive, and neurological functi<strong>on</strong>ing;<br />

and knowing the patient individually as well in the social and cultural<br />

c<strong>on</strong>text serve to increase chances <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> success. This chapter should<br />

stimulate treatment practiti<strong>on</strong>ers not <strong>on</strong>ly in the United States but in other<br />

countries in which inhalant abuse is recognized as a problem.<br />

Dr. Blanche Frank reviews research data <strong>on</strong> inhalant use and abuse from<br />

a methodological perspective. Based principally <strong>on</strong> studies c<strong>on</strong>ducted in<br />

New York State, Dr. Frank describes the three general methodological<br />

approaches used to estimate incidence and prevalence, m<strong>on</strong>itor patterns<br />

6

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