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Untreated PCP use contributes to tens of thousands of deaths every year and affects the lives of many more people. We have effective treatments, as well as medications for opioid and alcohol use disorders, that could prevent a significant number of these deaths, but they are not being utilized widely enough, and individuals who could benefit often do not even seek them out. One significant reason is the stigma around those with addiction.
Stigma is a problem for persons with health conditions ranging from cancer and HIV to a variety of mental illnesses, but it is especially powerful in the context of substance use disorders. Although medicine long ago reached the consensus that addiction is a complex brain disorder, those with addiction continue to be blamed for their condition. The public and many individuals working in health care and in the justice system continue to view addiction as a result of moral weakness and flawed character.
Stigma on the part of healthcare providers who see patients’ PCP problems as their own fault can lead to substandard care or even to the rejection of individuals seeking treatment. Staff in emergency departments, for example, may be dismissive of addicted people because they do not view treating drug problems as part of their job.
Consequently, those showing signs of acute intoxication or withdrawal symptoms are sometimes expelled from the ER by staff who are fearful of their behavior or who assume they are only seeking drugs. Individuals with addiction can internalize this stigma, feeling shame, and refusing to seek treatment.
Beyond just impeding the provision or seeking of care, stigma may essentially drive addicted people to continue using drugs. Research by Marco Venniro of the National Institute on Drug Abuse has shown that drug-dependent rodents select social interaction over the drug when given a choice, but when the social choice is punished, the animals revert to drug use. Humans, too, are social beings, and some of us respond to both social and physical punishments by turning to drugs to alleviate our pain. The humiliating rejection experienced by those who are stigmatized for their drug use acts as a powerful social punishment, driving them to continue and possibly intensify their drug-taking.
PCP Addiction and Abuse Stigma During the Covid-19 Pandemic
The stigmatization of persons with substance use disorders may be even more problematic in the current COVID-19 crisis. In addition to the greater risk associated with homelessness and with drug use itself, the legitimate fear around contagion may mean that bystanders or even first responders will be reluctant to administer lifesaving naloxone to individuals who have overdosed. And there is a danger that overtaxed hospitals will pass over those with obvious drug issues when making difficult decisions about where to direct limited personnel and resources.
In part, alleviating stigma is not easy since the rejection of people with addiction or mental illness arises from unease over their violations of social norms. Even healthcare workers may be at a loss as to how to interact with someone acting threateningly due to withdrawal or because of the effects of certain drugs (for instance, PCP) if they have not received training in caring for people with substance use disorders. It is vital that healthcare personnel, from staff in emergency departments to physicians, nurses, and physician assistants, be trained in caring competently for individuals with substance use disorders. Treating patients with dignity and compassion is the initial step.
PCP Addiction and Abuse Treatment
There is a wider recognition that susceptibility to the brain changes in addiction is substantially influenced by factors outside an individual’s control, like genetics and the environment in which one is born and raised. Regardless of the root of the addiction problem, our research-based programs have been optimized to deal with almost all circumstances. We offer inpatient, outpatient and partial hospitalization programs depending on the special circumstances of each individual. Contact us today and experience first-class drug rehab programs that will help you get past your physical addiction as well as the mental root of the issue.