Addicts

Is it better to put drug addicts in jail or to send them to mandatory drug treatment programs?

I don't believe that either one of these works in the long term for anyone who does not believe that they have a problem. Either one of these will detox a person but once released they will return to drugs with the belief that they can do it once and not have a problem. I think that if one of these has to be chosen then first should be the treatment program. Many who are required to go into these programs will see that they do have a problem. They may start to see signs and symptoms in themselves that they didn't before. Movies such as 28 days with Sandra Bullock show how this can happen. Even though it is just a story, some of it may be based on real events, most things are. For these people jail would have been detrimental to their recovery and probably would have set them on the path of no return. People who are released from drug treatment programs and continue to go back to drugs should probably do some jail time. It's possible that it will be the wake up call that they need. I think that the real problem for addicts is that although everyone says don't do it and just say no, very few are ready to tell the truth about drugs. They make you feel good, you get away from life for awhile. Many become addicts because the desire to get away from reality is so strong that they turn to the drugs instead of trying to better their reality. The key for many people is not just getting away from drugs but a whole lifestyle change, including scenery if needed. Drugs have less power over a person whose daily life is one of joy and happiness already.

Mental Illness

Mental illness has been in my family for generations. Depression has been the most common. My maternal grandmother, mother, sister and I all suffer from it. We have all tried many different treatments with the results being varied. My grandmother would go to the clinic and would have shock treatments. I mean full on, electrodes all over the head, something in the mouth for biting, shock treatments. She would do this approximately every 10 years or so. I never saw it but my mother talked about it. When she (my mother) was about 8 my grandfather left my grandmother, as a result she had a nervous breakdown. She was placed in a mental institution for many months. Because there was no family to take care of my mother and her siblings they were sent to a children's home where they lived until graduating from high school. My grandmother was released after months of treatment but as I said had to go back every so often to have follow up treatment. My mother suffered from depression for years when I was a child. She did not seek help for a long time, just lived with it. I can remember little things from that time that I know now were symptoms. At the time we really didn't know what was wrong with mom. She never became very close to her mother so I guess didn't really know all the symptoms that she went through. Also, my mom didn't have any traumatic experience which she thought was how the depression would start. She didn't really have a trigger, just everything together I guess. I went through something similar not really knowing that I had depression. I thought that it was just the blues or melancholy, and that it was just a part of my personality. It wasn't until I took welbutrin to stop smoking that I realized that it did much more for me than just help me quit smoking. Now I look at my family and that of my husbands and realize that my daughter has an extremely high chance of experiencing some type of mental illness and I have to really be on the lookout for any symptoms that she may have.

Chronic Illness

I did not have to do a formal interview with someone who has a chronic disease. My mother has MS and has been in good condition for about 10 years. When she was diagnosed she was unable to feel anything from about her breastbone down to her toes. She was confined to a wheelchair that I had to borrow from the nursing home that I worked in. As the take charge daughter, I had to take off work and take care of her for a couple weeks. Once we were able to see the doctor she was placed on large amounts of steroids IV and some other medications. She regained the strength back in her legs and after several months of exercise and work she was able to get back to where she was before the episode. In order to keep herself healthy she has to makes sure that she gets plenty of rest. She eats lots of fruit to keep hydrated and keep her system working well. She has to make sure that she does not get overheated because that could bring on a exacerbation of her symptoms. For years she took a medication called Copaxone to prevent further degradation of the nerves. It was a daily shot that she had to give herself. She took it for about 8 years. It made hard knots in her body where she gave the shots. She has since lost her health insurance and can no longer afford the cost of the medication so she has not been taking it for about 2 years. She has not had any problems as of yet but she has to be extra careful not to do anything that would cause her to become symptomatic. As I mentioned, I work in a nursing home where I treat people with chronic disease every day. Now, I understand that being in a nursing home does not offer all the freedoms that the average person has, but people don't do a complete 180 when they get there. I see people everyday who expect a doctor to be able to give them a pill to get rid of symptoms and they don't have to do anything themselves. It's sad that people are not willing to work to make their bodies healthier so that they don't have these problems later. They eat poorly, smoke, drink, don't exercise and have no interest in trying to find natural ways to help alleviate their symptoms. I don't mean they smoke a little or drink a little, I mean heavily. As a former smoker I know how hard it is to quit, but it is not impossible. If someone has a real desire to be healthier they can. I know that what I have seen is a limited portion of people who have multiple problems but given the current population age it is obvious that people need to treat their bodies better. This does include me.

Disease prevention

How can academic institutions take a more active role in disease prevention for women?

I think that offering services is the only way for institutions to be active in disease prevention. The offering of classes regarding various diseases, testing services, and possibly some counseling regarding these diseases would be great. As it has been pointed out TWU offers some of this with their HIV testing and counseling and the like. I think that it is wonderful that this is available for students on campus. As a non-traditional student, both as online and with the fact that this is my second go round in school, I have to ask the question: Is this the academic institutions responsibility? I think that it's great when these services are offered but ultimately the responsibility for prevention of disease, of any kind, is in the hands of the person. These services only give information to the person, they cannot make the person do anything about it. Having the information available, without judgement towards the person is just about all the institution is able to do. Also there are other facilities where these services are offered. If someone does not have insurance, they can go to clinics in their area, I have never lived in any town that did not have a free/prorated clinic within 20 miles of the town. I assume that there are some but if one is that concerned they will go where they are able to get the information. Many doctors offices also give discounts to private pay patients, one just has to tell them that they are private pay, and ask for the discount.