"Substance abuse prevention, also known as drug abuse prevention, is a process that attempts to prevent the onset of substance use or limit the development of problems associated with using psychoactive substances."
Learning methods for educating communities about mental health and substance abuse issues, as well as how to collaborate with community partners to prevent substance abuse and promote mental health.
Understanding Mental Illness: An overview of the different categories of mental disorders, their symptoms, and causes.
Substance Abuse and Addiction: A deeper exploration of drug and alcohol addiction, withdrawal symptoms, and recovery resources.
Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies: An overview of therapeutic techniques that can help those with mental illness or substance abuse disorders.
Prevention and Intervention Techniques: An overview of prevention strategies, such as early intervention and mental health screenings to identify at-risk individuals.
Assessment and Diagnosis: Methods of assessing and diagnosing mental health and substance abuse disorders, including the use of the DSM-5 manual.
Trauma and Stress Management: An overview of trauma-related disorders such as PTSD and suggested coping mechanisms.
Wellness and Self-Care: Strategies for maintaining a healthy state of mind and seeking personal-care resources.
Family Dynamics and Social Support: An exploration of the role of social support networks and how family dynamics can affect mental health or substance abuse disorders.
Cultural Competence: Strategies to consider cultural factors that may affect mental health diagnosis and treatment.
Community-Based Supports: Reviewing the resources that are available through social service agencies in the community, such as community centers and outreach programs.
Primary Prevention: This refers to efforts aimed at preventing a problem from occurring in the first place. For example, educating individuals on what actions to take to avoid substance abuse.
Secondary Prevention: This refers to early identification of problems and addressing them before they become serious. For example, identifying symptoms of mental health issues like depression and addressing them before they worsen.
Tertiary Prevention: This refers to addressing symptoms of mental health and substance abuse problems that have already occurred to prevent them from worsening.
Psychoeducation: This refers to educating individuals about their mental health conditions, and how they can manage and treat them.
Brief Interventions: This is a short-term form of intervention that provides a quick solution to a problem. It is useful for addressing substance abuse issues.
Motivational Interviewing: This is a technique used to help individuals overcome their resistance to change by fostering motivation and commitment.
Group Therapy: This involves interacting with a group of individuals to address mental health or substance abuse issues in a group setting.
Family Therapy: This therapy aims at promoting family support and reducing family conflict in addressing mental health and substance abuse issues.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This therapy helps individuals to identify and change negative thought patterns that trigger their mental health or substance abuse issues.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: This is a form of psychosocial therapy that is useful for treating borderline personality disorders and suicidal ideation.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy: This therapy involves using mindfulness meditation techniques to treat mental health and substance abuse issues.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: This therapy aims at helping individuals to accept their thoughts and feelings, rather than trying to control them.
Trauma-Informed Care: This type of care considers the effects of trauma on mental health and substance abuse issues, and addresses the underlying trauma.
Role Play: This involves role-playing scenarios to help individuals learn and practice their social skills.
Meditation and Mindfulness: This involves practicing certain techniques to improve focus and reduce stress.
"A concept that is known as 'environmental prevention' focuses on changing community conditions or policies so that the availability of substances is reduced as well as the demand."
"Individual Substance Abuse Prevention, also known as drug abuse prevention, involves numerous different sessions depending on the individual to help cease or reduce the use of substances."
"Substance use prevention efforts typically focus on minors and young adults – especially between 12–35 years of age."
"Substances typically targeted by preventive efforts include alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants, coke, methamphetamine, steroids, club drugs (such as MDMA), and opioids."
"Community advocacy against substance use is imperative due to the significant increase in opioid overdoses in the United States alone."
"It has been estimated that about one hundred and thirty individuals continue to lose their lives daily due to opioid overdoses alone."