The Elephant in the room

We had an emergency meeting of the Blue Ribbon Task Force against Child Abuse. Texas has seen an increase in infant deaths from abuse in the past few months. The children were all all under the age of 3 months. We thought we were being called together to mobilize and do something to help these innocents live in an environment free of fear and death at the hands of their care givers. What we heard was how Child Protective Services was re-aligning it's staff. A few years ago, the case workers were drowning in paperwork and couldn't be in the field where the kids needed them. There was a cry from the people to do something to fix this and the 50% turn over rate For CPS case workers. We got that. Turnover now is at 2%. But since there is much less turnover now there are more staff in positions not "needed". So positions will be eliminated or adjusted to move over to work on foodtsamp applications, which is woefully behind in processing new applications. So we are back to no clerical support for the case workers. Another very interesting fact is there will be 1 million dollars designated to provide mandatory drug testing in the families that are receiving Family Based Safety Plan Services. So we now have parents who will test positive, but they have no money for treatment. There are very few treatment options for anyone who is covered by Medicaid or Medicare, which the majority of these families probably will be. Even those who have private insurance are hard pressed to find a program anywhere in the city or South Texas. No answer there again. We all know substance abuse is a blight on the country. We all know it causes a myriad of economic, social, medical and psychological issues. Mentally ill people use street drugs to self medicate. There is much less stigma to being a drug addict than being mentally ill. I know a parent who was relieved to know her 16 year old girl was just addicted to crack, and not "crazy". Until the state and the city commits to making substance abuse treatment a viable option for people who need it, nothing will change. Until Mental Health providers stop fighting over what is a priority and treat the entire person, nothing will change. Children who are raised in a drug abusing home are 10 times more likely to develop substance dependence themselves as well as mental health issues such as anxiety disorders, personality disorders and post traumatic stress disorder. Certain drugs can bring about schizophrenic type episodes and psychosis. Talk to your councilperson and let them know how you feel about the lack ofsuch a painfully obvious needed resource for our city. Let them know we all know the problem. We all know part of the solution. Stop throwing money at tourism and increasing economic development and focus on developing a city that grows healthy and strong families. Speak out for drug treatment to be part of the promise for a stronger San Antonio.
Demand insurance companies provide coverage for treatment of addiction just as they would any medical issue. Push for parity in the true sense of the word. Do some research on mental health and addiction. Then research child abuse cases. The path is clear. Will you be a voice for change for our kids? I hope so.

Why Teens Use Drugs

Many high school seniors who take pain medications without a prescription do so for reasons besides relieving pain. This is not news. The reasons sited maybe new for parents and teachers. According to a newly released University of Michigan study the top reasons given are tension or stress relief, to get high, to experiment and for pain relief. Many adults feel kids have no reason to be stressed. This finding supports beliefs that teens are under an undue amount of stress and are resorting to quick fixes to cope. Students who said they used the drugs only for pain relief were less likely to report heavy drinking or other drug use than were those who took them for other reasons, according to this study. Additionally, more than seven in every 10 non medical users of prescription opioids motivated by pain relief reported a lifetime history of medical use of prescription opioids. The drugs in question here are such things as oxycodone, codiene, demerol, vicodin, the usual pain relievers. Most students surveyed reported using their own prescriptions they had initially received for pain management. They progressed to securing the drugs from other means such as "borrowing" from adults in their life. Based on this information, it is evident we as advocates for children need to pay closer attention to the amount of stress piled on our children at an early age. Additionally, we need to ask questions of our kids about how they handle stress, what stress feels like to them and offer them coping skills and the ability to practice those skills until they find something healthy that works for them. Check in with them periodically to be sure what they are using to relieve the stress is still effective. Left to their own devices, kids will always go for what works fastest and is easily accessible. That's why self harm is such a popular thing. There is a very old saying that children learn what they live. This is very true and can be seen by the increase in the use of drugs, self harm and sex as a way to deal with stress and tension. Many teens use drugs to get by, to make it through the day. If engaged early, we may be able to avert an addiction that will soon have a disastrous impact upon their lives and the lives of those they touch. Take time to talk to your kids about anxiety, stress, sleep patterns, eating, and the way they decompress after a particularly tough day. Help them by learning what works for them. Oh, and by the way, your ability to model effective and healthy ways to handle stress will say much more than anything you can tell them so take care of your own stress relief as well.