The Forum ? Campus officials say stress adds to drug abuse levels

By Sarah De Clerk, contributing writer

An informal survey given to about 150 UALR students suggests that a top reason for prescription drug abuse among students is stress. Oncampus mental health experts seem to agree with this finding.

Mike Kirk, director of Counseling Services, said that college students are likely to abuse prescription drugs because of stress. He said that college students experience a lot of situational anxiety and depression, like test anxiety. He also said that busy college life can keep students from taking care of themselves through proper diet and exercise.

Maintaining physical fitness is important to mental health because, according to a report titled ?Physical Activity Fundamental to Preventing Disease,? released by the U.S. Department of Healthand Human Services ?regular physical activity reduces morbidity and mortality from mental health disorders.?

Kirk said the stress of a busy college life might lead students to abuse marijuana and alcohol, but Tara Kittrell, a nurse practitioner in the student health clinic, disagreed.

Kitrell said while an older generation used those substances to selfmedicate, today?s young people are more likely to abuse prescription drugs. She said that college students use uppers like Adderall as a ?cognitive stimulant? that allows them to ?keep up for long periods of time.? She said that can motivate students to take stimulants because depression reduces energy and anxiety reduces memory, making it hard to concentrate. Kittrell said students also use prescription drugs, particularly pain medication, to ?check out,? and escape their stresses.

Students may take prescription drugs to relieve stress, but drug abuse can exacerbate mental health problems. Kirk explained that alcohol and marijuana are depressants that, over time, make students feel bad. Kittrell echoed this idea and said that any central nervous system depressant, including opiates like Oxycodone and benzodiazepines like Xanax, will ?slow you down? and cause depression. In addition, Kittrell said prescription drug abuse can cause ?definite changes that happen in your brain.? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, these changes can include decreased dopamine levels, decreased cognitive function, drug tolerance and addiction. Kittrell also said prescription drug abuse could cause more stress than there was initially if students are arrested for possessing drugs without a prescription, become addicted or if drug abuse causes problems with school work. Kittrell said people often expect a ?wonder drug? to solve their problems. She used antianxiety medication as an example.

?We need anxiety to get our butts in gear,? she said. ?You aren?t entitled to never feel anxious.? She had a similar view on prescription stimulants. ?We can?t all be A-students,? she said, and students using cognitive stimulants are ?like the football team taking steroids.?

Kittrell emphasized the importance of developing lasting coping skills, rather than relying on a pill to feel good. She said there are often ways of promoting mental health that do not involve prescriptions. She said people are not meant to be in a constant state of ?chemically induced nirvana.?

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