Center for Network Therapy: Back to School SOS | Addiction in the Classroom
WEST ORANGE, N.J., Sept. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Parents place their faith in the education system for not only learning but also for nurturing and development of their children. The role of teachers in shaping America's future cannot be overestimated. "Teachers are under increasing stress and are not immune from turning to alcohol or drugs in order to cope with stressors or self-medicate," said Addiction Expert Dr. Indra Cidambi. "However, the stigma associated with addiction conflicts with their societal role and they access treatment much later in the addiction cycle, which should change," she added.
Teachers in America are given responsibilities without the authority to make decisions, overwhelming paperwork, and shifting teaching standards, leaving teachers feeling overworked, underpaid and burnt out. As per a 2017 survey (1) 58% of teachers said their mental state was not good for 7 or more of the past 30 days. A 1990 study by the Journal of Drug Education discovered higher rates of abuse of alcohol, amphetamines, and tranquilizers as compared to the national average (10%).
For the sake of our kids' future, it is important they get back on track when they have slipped into addiction while using drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism. Research showed that students of stressed or 'burnt out' teachers had elevated levels of cortisol, which has been associated with learning difficulties as well as mental health problems.
Teaching is seen as a "noble" profession, which makes it difficult for educators to seek treatment for mental health or addiction issues openly. "Also, many teachers also do not fully realize that addiction is a chronic disease that calls for treatment," said Dr. Cidambi. Consequently, teachers oftentimes seek treatment after they have progressed deeper into addiction and they balk at the default inpatient detoxification and rehab option that treats addiction like a behavioral problem that needs to be punished. "Addiction is a chronic disease and, like diabetes or HIV, outpatient treatment, including detoxification, delivers better outcomes due to the integration of real life into treatment," added Dr. Cidambi. Not surprisingly, teachers strongly prefer the outpatient treatment model for addiction.
But treating teachers has its challenges. Teachers battle to give up control and accept the role of a patient. Treatment providers need to be sensitive to this issue and work to earn their trust. Teachers in treatment also usually have guilt associated with 'abandoning their students,' so the need for them to take care of themselves so they can take care of others needs to be highlighted. "Additionally, teachers are apprehensive about how HR will view their time off to receive treatment for substance use disorders and if they will be accepted back as teachers after successful completion of treatment," added Dr. Cidambi. Working as a team with their HR or EAP to alleviate such concerns helps teachers to access treatment in a timely manner and complete it successfully.
(1) https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/2017_eqwl_survey_web.pdf
About Dr. Indra Cidambi
Indra Cidambi, M.D., Medical Director, Center for Network Therapy, is a pioneer in Addiction Treatment. She introduced Ambulatory Detoxification for treating withdrawal from Alcohol, Benzodiazepines, and Opiates. She has a fellowship in addiction from NYU/Bellevue and is board certified in Addiction Medicine and Psychiatry.
About Center for Network Therapy (CNT)
CNT is New Jersey's first facility to be licensed to provide Ambulatory (Outpatient) Detoxification and Withdrawal Management for alcohol, anesthetics, benzodiazepines, and opiates. Led by Board Certified Addiction Psychiatrist, Indra Cidambi, M.D., experienced physicians and nurses provide high-quality treatment. Dr. Cidambi and team have successfully detoxed over 1500 patients in 6+ years.
SOURCE Center for Network Therapy
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