Outline
- Introduction
- Argument from previous researches – Regardless of the modern means that have been advanced towards decreasing the incidences of drug abuse, a large percentage of the Americans are consuming a lot of drugs is just because of the unnecessary prescription that they receive from wrong people for wrong reasons
- Thesis statement – According to the modern research, it has been realized that the absence of efficient drug control policies is the one that has resulted to over medication or drug abuse in United States. This is what has been realized to have the potential of increasing the chances of contracting various diseases.
III. Background /argument of the problem
- Expounding the thesis statement and providing more views about the causes of over medication in America is the one that can result to the implementation of better drug utilization policies. The underlying reason for that is that America has ended up establishing a brave newer world in which every individual is given the opportunity of taking psychiatric drugs without even taking into consideration the side effects that they have.
- Solutions
- Recommendations for remedying the problem – one of the methods that have been considered to be more effective in handling this problem is the need of coming up with approved means that ensures that people do not take drugs without first being prescribed by the physician.
- Conclusion and means of implementing the suggested solutions
- Reasons learned from the research – in order to be in the position of curbing this epidemic, all stakeholders in the health care organizations needs to come up with ultimate means of diminishing the illegal or uncontrolled supply of drugs. The reason for that is because it the one that can end up ensuring that the wave of pharmaceutical misuse is still incubating. It is also important to stop coming up with arbitrary distinctions about the amount of drugs a person needs to consume.
Introduction
The history of medicine is something that has its glorious moments. The only thing that is currently happening is that the same scenario has been extremely littered with harmful treatments, blind allies, and false theories. Regardless of the emergency of invasive therapies, it has been realized that prescription drugs are quite effective when it comes to the need of alleviating the existing condition. The reason as to why a large percentage of the Americans are consuming a lot of drugs is just because of the unnecessary prescription that they receive from wrong people for wrong reasons (Herzberg 1). This in return has the potential of causing multiple needless harms.
- A) Thesis statement: The ingredients of this ‘epidemic’ are something that has existed which in return has increased the chances of drug misuse amongst Americans.
Background /argument of the problem
According to research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it has been proven that the general abuse of prescription drugs amongst Americans has reached epidemic proportions. Initially, the bulk of prescription drugs were not used to be correctly done by experienced psychiatrists. The reason for that is because prescription drugs are always primary prescribed by physicians who are always busy and undertrained in psychiatry. Ideally, their diagnostic as well as treatment decisions have been noted to be heavily dependent on campaigns that provoke the wave of pharmaceutical drugs being supplied into the market. The end result of this is the massive over-prescription of drugs for off labels inappropriate indications, and untested. In the United States, research indicates that a large percentage of pharmaceutical suppliers have unregulated freedom as compared to other global companies. This is what makes them to push or facilitate the selling of such substandard products where they do not belong. From this perspective, it implies that although substantial efforts have been used for the purpose of examining the determinants of the continued use of non-medical PPD, still there is no information that has been obtained about its supply side (Fischer 2).
On the other hand, research suggests that it is only the severely depressed individuals managed to obtain drugs that they desperately require, while consuming antidepressants that they do not need. In return, it becomes possible them to receive no more than placebo effects. In most cases, the absence of careful diagnostic workup as well as other considerations of alternative means is the one has also made Americans, especially addicted ones to depend on drugs. This means that America has ended up establishing a brave newer world in which every individual is given the opportunity of taking psychiatric drugs without even understanding the side effect that they have to them. Preferably, the use of nonmedical prescription drugs amongst Americans is something that has now become more and more prevalent as compared to the use of illicit drugs for example marijuana amongst teenagers and other elderly people (Levy 3).
Addiction is perceived to be drain disease, many aspects of this problem is mainly rooted in politics, culture, and the society. For instance, it has been noted that much of it mainly emanates from the excessive consumption of barbiturates and amphetamine elderly individuals is also the one that have made American to be over medicated. The effect of that is that it increases the risk of them developing various ailments, for instance, heart diseases, diabetes, and shortening life expectancy. It has been also realized that it has become extremely difficult to eradicate drug markets. Furthermore, the increased the wave of or the persistence of nonmedical cocaine and heroin misuse, particularly in major towns is also a point of concern. The reason for that it is also another problem that has necessitated the American government to come up with supply-side strategies aimed at restricting the manufacture and sell of such drugs.
Currently, drug advertisements are everywhere, including magazines, television, and other social media platforms. In addition to that, the opioid epidemic arises because the majority of the Americans end up diagnosing themselves as well as moving from one physician to another until they obtain what they want. The end result of this is the accumulation of specialists as well as mountains of medications. At times, one physician cannot have the ability of understanding what the other physician could have initially prescribed. With time, it becomes unusual or had to estimate the quantity of drugs that a person could have consumed (Muennig 3). This is what reduces the wellbeing of the Americans as far as drug use is concerned.
Psychiatric diagnosis as well as treatment is especially subject to fads and unwarranted drugs companies that influences misuse of drugs. Regardless of that, it should be realized that judgment to be made will ultimately rely on subjective information that cannot be disproved or confirmed by medical tests. This is also another reason as to why the majority of the Americans now prefer taking generic drugs with the idea of cutting costs. Consequently, the number of Americans that take more of these drugs is projected to rise for the coming years. In order to regulate drug use or over medication, any organization found prescribing these drugs ought to be subjected to modern forms of policing that will result to judgment (Muennig 4). This is something that has not yet been met.
What Americans fail to take into account is making conscious decisions as well as considering other alternatives to medications whenever they have any problem. As a result of that, it possible to take what is not medically necessary because of not understanding that proper and controlled medication is the best option to consider. It is important for a person to give his or her primary care physician the chance of managing his or her healthcare and medications. Despite of the laws that have been formulated for the purpose of preventing over medication, it has been realized it has not yet become possible to scrutinize the loopholes for these drugs (Herzberg 2).
Consequently, this has not yet placed any restrictions to manufactures, doctors prescribing the drugs, and so on. Therefore, the mass consumption or drug abuse has also been accompanied by growing illegal markets in America. The rise of the disease control as well as the modern skepticism towards drug manufacturing companies is what has also been noted to shadow the cultural or social distinctions that exist between pharmaceuticals and respectable drug use. With this, the role of pharmaceutical regulations entails targeting manufacturers, pharmacists, physicians, and final consumers. The reason for that is because new ideas concerning pain treatment is just a mechanism of relieving the condition or the illness a person has. Despite the measures that the government has come up with, the same research indicates that at least fifty percent of the Americans are taking prescription drugs. According to the information gathered by American health care organizations, Americans are inundated with pharmaceutical solutions to any problem that they have or the physicians might imagine them to be having (Levy 3).
Solutions
From the forgoing, it is evident that despite the strategies being used; pharmaceutical companies still continue to manufacture a new series of seductive drugs, analgesics, stimulants, and antidepressants hence increasing the chances of over-medication. Despite that, it should be noted that the ingredient of this problem is something that used to exist which in return have increased the chances of pharmaceutical drug misuse amongst Americans.
Regardless, various American organizations that control healthcare institutions should physicians should writing prescriptions to patients after first understanding or assessing whether they are likely to have the potential of reviving their condition. This is because the diversion of psychoactive prescription drugs (PPDs) use, for instance, is the one that also have been noted to have the potential of increasing the paths leading to drug misuse (Fischer 1). Moreover, it is important for physicians to first understand the medical history of the patient or patients who require their medical attention as well as other factors that can assist in ensuring that they are not over medicated.
In addition to that, through understanding of the interplay that exists between environmental factors and drug requirement by individuals is important to aid defining intervention and effective prevention strategies. To do so, it is important to ensure that there is in place medical systems that have the ability of fostering the better healthcare standards
Conclusion and means of implementing the suggested solutions
The approaches that are currently used to remediate the situation have ended up shifting drug misuse to newer substances while at the same time inducing negative consequences to the majority of the Americans depends on them. Some of the restrictions that the government has come up with or implement have also made constant drug users to look for alternatives. Despite that, it has been proved that drug control strategies being used are the one that will give the state the ability of educating people about the importance of obtaining proper medical care (Muennig 5). The modern wave of pharmaceutical misuse ultimately represents a significant opportunity for rethinking about the existing drug policy. The reason for that is because for decades that have passed, American have managed to come up strategies that has the potential of encouraging massive medical markets for particular medicines perceived to have therapeutic values. It is this mechanism that has ended up ensuring that the wave of pharmaceutical misuse is still incubating. It is also important to stop coming up with arbitrary distinctions about the amount of drugs a person needs to consume.
Work cited
Fischer, Benedikt, et al. “The Global Diversion of Pharmaceutical Drugs Non-Medical Use and Diversion of Psychotropic Prescription Drugs in North America: A Review of Sourcing Routes and Control Measures Benedikt Fischer et Al. Diversion of Psychotropic Prescription Drugs.” Addiction, vol. 105, no. 12, Dec. 2010, pp. 2062–2070. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03092.x.
Herzberg, David, et al. “Recurring Epidemics of Pharmaceutical Drug Abuse in America: Time for an All-Drug Strategy.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 106, no. 3, Mar. 2016, pp. 408–410. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302982.
Levy, Sharon, et al. “Facing Addiction: A Laudable, but Incomplete Effort.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 108, no. 2, Feb. 2018, pp. 153–155. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.304230.
Muennig, Peter A., et al. “America’s Declining Well-Being, Health, and Life Expectancy: Not Just a White Problem.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 108, no. 12, Dec. 2018, pp. 1626–1631. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304585.
