Addictions & Mental

Health: Theory &

Practice: Week 2
Patterns of Substance Use and Mental Health Across the Lifespan
Today’s Plan

 Exploring Process Addictions and Substance Use Addictions

 Exploring Factors that Contribute to Substance Use in Youth
 Exploring Factors that Contribute to Substance Use in Older Adults
 Class Group Work: Divide into groups - Youth Vs. Older Adults
 Reviewing results and trends for Youth and Older Adults
Substance Use Addiction Vs. Process
Addiction
 Substance Use Addiction:
 Involves an external substance – such as alcohol, cannabis, opiates, cocaine,
amphetamines, etc.
 Involves a physical or psychological dependence (or both!)
 Remember the 4 C’s from last week
 Craving for the substance
 Loss of control
 Compulsion to Use
 Negative Consequences associated with the use
Substance Use Addiction Vs.
Process Addiction
 Process Addictions:
 Involves engaging in a behaviour – such as gambling,
internet use, shopping, gaming, etc.
 Involves a Psychological Dependence
 Also involves the 4 C’s
 Craving to engage in the behaviour
 Loss of control or frequency of engaging in behaviour
 Compulsion to engage in the behaviour
 Negative Consequences associated with the use
 What are some negative consequences that someone may
experience when it comes to Process Addictions?
 Gambling? Gaming? Internet Use?
Process Addictions

 Many Process Addictions involve some type of distorted beliefs around the
activity.
 For example, someone with a gambling addiction may have distorted beliefs
such as:
 The odds of winning
 Their sense of luck
 Their sense of control over the outcomes
 Process
Addictions
 Process Addictions may also be viewed
differently by society than substance use
addictions
 Might be considered more “socially
acceptable” than Substance Use
Addictions
 Eg: Someone who works excessively,
may be viewed as “successful”.
Someone who is addicted to gaming
may be viewed as a pro “gamer”,
gambling may be viewed as
entertainment, and someone who is
addicted to exercise may be
labelled as “healthy and fit”
 Do you think that substance use
issues are typically viewed in this
light?
Substance Use Addiction and Process
Addictions - Continuum
 Whether someone is experiencing a Substance Use Addiction or a Process Addiction, there is
a continuum of use that is important to keep in mind:

No Use Experimentation Recreational Regular Use Dependent

(a couple times) (socially) (coping strategy)
(physical
or
psychological)
Gaming Addiction

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LTHGts1EaE

 What are your thoughts on this?

Factors that Contribute to Substance
Use in Youth
 What are a few reasons
that youth may be
susceptible to
substance use
issues/addictions?
Factors that
Contribute to
Substance Use in Youth
 Personal Factors:
 Biological predisposition
 Developmental/Mental health issues
 Personality Traits
 Stress/Trauma
 Coping Strategies/Abilities
 Social Factors:
 Family/Friends
 Community
 Other Factors:
 Media
 Availability/Accessibility

Anything else?
Substance Use in Youth

 The Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) is the longest
running school survey in Canada
 For Students in Grades 7-12
 Conducted every 2 years
 Measures information about physical health, mental health, substance use,
gambling, social media use, bullying, risk factors, etc.
 Most recent report shares from the 2021 Survey
 A very interesting one this time around! It was the first time that the survey was
able to assess how COVID-19 has impacted youth.
 The report also compares results from the 2019 survey to the 2021 survey
Substance Use and Youth

 Trends noted in the OSDUHS

 How the COVID-19 impacted mental health, experience with school, and
relationships with family members
 Some substance use has decreased since the 2019 survey – such as alcohol use,
binge-drinking episodes, cough/cold medicine abuse
 Other substance use issues/other challenges increased – such as opiate use, social
media use, screen time, psychological distress, accessing counselling, video games,
gambling, and more.
 Factors that Contribute
to Substance Use in the
Older Adult Population

 Personal Factors:
 Biological predisposition
 Physical Health Issues/Mental health issues
 Loss of autonomy
 Stress/Trauma
 Social Factors:
 Family/Friends
 Community vs. Loneliness
 Loss
 Other Factors:
 Finances
 Availability/Accessibility

Anything else?
Older Adult Population & Mental
Health/Substance Use
 CMHA’s Mental Health & Addiction Issues for Older Adults: Opening the Door to
a Strategic Framework
 Highlights the need for a strategic framework to support the needs of the older
adult population
 Mental Health/Substance use issues in this population are expected to rise
 The article outlines several key strategies that can be implemented in Ontario to
make sure that the Older Adult Population can have early intervention, have access
to supports that work for their unique needs, that they can have specialized
supports available to them, that there can be transformations in the system, and
that the stigma can be reduced.
Group Work

 Please break into your groups based on which

reading you focused on, and which questions
you answered:
 Youth OR Older Adults
 Review and discuss the answers that you
completed
Group Work
If you Chose to focus on YOUTH
• What are the 4 significant results that students
reported about how COVID-19 has affected their
lives?
• What were the top 3 substances used by students?
Why do you think this might be?
• What percentage of students were experiencing
moderate to serious psychological distress?
• What is one positive outcome that students
experienced between 2019 and 2021? (Hint – Look at
the Significant Decreases and Increases Chart)
• As Social Service Workers, why is it important for
you to be aware of this information?
If you Chose to focus on OLDER ADULTS
• Substance use issues in older adults, often go along
with some type of mental health concern. What are
the 3 types of mental health issues that are
common to see in the older adult population?
• What are some unique factors that may lead to
substance use in the older adult population?
• Prevention, Early Identification and Intervention are
important pieces to the mental health/substance
use system with older adults, why do you think this
is important?
• What are 3 types of trainings that can be provided
to professionals working with the older adult
population to enhance skills and best support
clients?
• As Social Service Workers, why is it important for
you to be aware of this information?
Youth Statistics

 What positive changes were highlighted in the OSDUHS?

 Things such as binge-drinking, hazardous drinking, e-cigarette use, and concussions
decreased from 2019 to 2021. (Why do you think this might be?)
 Getting more than 8 hours sleep on a school night increased
 Youth accessing counselling increased

 What was concerning about the statistics from the OSDUHS?

 The effects of COVID-19 on mental health and psychological distress
 Video game use, social media use, cyber-bullying rates, opiate use, and gambling
rates increased (Why do you think this might be?)
Considerations for the Older Adult
Population
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptYF6XqXxSI

Can you identify any factors that may be contributing to this client’s mental
health picture?

Do you think this client is experiencing problematic substance use?

Do you think she’s aware of her mental health or potential substance use?
Considerations for the Older Adult
Population
 Some things to keep in mind about substance use in the older adult
population:
 Substance use may interact with medications being prescribed
 May be hard to detect – not always suspected
 May be happening in isolation
 May be impacting current mental health/health conditions
 May involve misuse of medications
 May be related to big life changes, loss, loss of community, loss of autonomy, grief
 Alcohol is the most commonly used substance in the older adult population
 Counselling/Interviewing
Skills

 What type of counselling skills or

do you think would be helpful to
use when working with:

 Youth?

 Older Adults?
Review of Basic Counselling Skills….
How to recognize a shitty counsellor