Case Scenario:
All of the referenced populations such as Sex offenders, women, juveniles, substances abusers and domestic violence victims and abusers in some ways experience some sort of mental health issues. To begin with all sex offenders, have a mental condition to even commit the heinous crimes that they commit. It takes a pretty sick person to do the things they do and along with that some domestic violence victims are victims of sexual abuse. Daily women face challenges with hormones, different health issues that go on, and daily life. Not taking anything away from a mental health issue that any man may have. Substance abusers experience mental health issues with some of the substances they use, some are mind altering. While each of these can be related in some ways they are also very different issues.
The characteristics of a substance abuser can be seen in students that generally get good grades or employees that would normally have good work ethics that start to fail or miss work could be a sign of possible substance abuse. Physical health is another issue in the characteristics of a substance abuser the signs of lack of energy and confusion are strong signs of substance abuse. Weight loss and unexplained illnesses is very common among substance abusers. On the other hand, there are other signs of substance abuse for instance, a change in appearance also, a change in attitude or behavior and lying and stealing to support their addiction.
The needs of a substance abuser must first be assessed by a doctor to be examined to look for other possible problems, such as anxiety or depression or any other medical issues, such as tuberculosis, or HIV/AIDS. Although, each substance abuser has different needs regarding counseling and treatment. Careful monitoring is also a need for the substance abuser to comply with the treatment and counseling to prevent relapse, it is important for the substance abuser to be tested throughout the treatment process. It is also important to the substance abuser to have a strategy to continuing treatment in the community setting, a strategy for counseling and for any medical issue they may have.
The similarities among the substance abusers and the mentally ill is that they both are dealing in some sort of psychological disorder, much of their needs as far as treatment and counseling are very similar. They both must enter the community setting with a strategy to continue treatment outside of the prison system. The differences are that the substance abuser self-medicate to escape or to mask their feelings of depression or anxiety, in the case of the mentally ill they do not take their prescribed medication to avoid the effects they may have from the prescribed medicine. However, the mentally ill can also be subject to substance abuse in which can present a much different approach to the treatment of their needs and overall care.
Juveniles who enter into the Djj system are still developing mentally, physically, and emotionally. Juveniles who are incarcerated have a higher risk of experiencing rape, Assault, and suicide. If they are eventually transferred to an adult faculty the chances are even higher for crimes against them because of their young age. Mental illness is a major factor in juvenile incarceration. It is estimated that 70% of juveniles who enter into the Djj system have some form of mental illness (www.childtrends.org 2015).
Suicide is also five times higher for juveniles who are placed in solitary confinement cells for behavior and disciplinary reasons. Some solutions involve incorporating treatment based laws, hiring extra quality staff and tougher guidelines for staff who already work in the Djj system. Juveniles in some cases are passed through the pipeline of the Djj system without proper treatment because their treatment teams have such heavy caseloads. Social workers, Psychologist, and Case managers are over worked leading to less quality of care for juveniles. Juveniles with major issues and problems suffer because they really don't get the treatment they need for varies issues in their young life. There needs to be a reworking of the whole system to better treat our kids so the pipeline to adult prison is decreased. This is a major issue because money is a factor in getting better programs for the Djj system and this can only occur if bills and laws are put into place to make that happen.
People who suffer from addiction usually have one or more accompanying medical issue, which may include lung disease, stroke, cancer or and mental disorders. Medical exams such as chest x-rays and blood test may display the damaging effects that long term drug abuse can have on the body. For example, smoking can cause cancer in the mouth, lungs, throat, stomach, kidney, bladder etc. In addition, drugs such as inhalants can cause severe damage to nerve cells and can also cause damage or destroy the brain. Drugs and mental illnesses sometimes coexist. In some cases, mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety can be the reason one may began to use drugs, and in other cases drugs may be the cause of the mental illness.