Examines the problems associated with the use of crack and other forms of cocaine, focusing on the mental and psychological disorders that can occur.

It inspired written testimonials from William McKinley, Thomas Edison, and Sarah Bernhardt; merited a medal from Pope Leo XIII; produced "exhilaration and lasting euphoria" in Sigmund Freud. Once the stimulant of choice of the enlightened and the elite, cocaine has become, a century later, a plague, ravaging the lives of millions. This book is the first to draw together all the facts about this pervasive drug--from its natural occurrence in a tea-like native South American plant to its devastating appearance as crack in the inner cities of the United States. Drawing on the latest work in medicine, psychiatry, neuroscience, pharmacology, epidemiology, social work, and sociology, the volume is a highly accessible reference on the history and use of cocaine, its physical and psychological effects, and the etiology and epidemiology of cocaine addiction. It also provides a critical evaluation of the pharmaceutical agents and psychosocial interventions that have been used to treat this addiction. Author Jerome J. Platt answers such basic questions as: What is cocaine? What forms does it come in? How is it administered? What does it do? What are the medical complications of cocaine addiction? What are the treatments, and how successful are they? Uniquely comprehensive, Cocaine Addiction makes all the latest information on this urgent subject readily available to medical professionals and practitioners, social workers and scholars, and anyone who cares to know more about this perennially troubling drug.

This book provides information on the dangers of cocaine and crack cocaine, a stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system. Use of the drug can result in sudden death, even upon first time use. Within this book, readers will learn about the long and short-term effects of cocaine and crack cocaine which include physical addiction, emotional addiction, expense, health problems, arrest for drug possession, and for other drug-related crime and overdose. Personal stories of teens who used drugs and the realities they faced invite the reader to understand the effects of the drug on a personal level. These stories seamlessly unfold along with advice on how to deal with peer pressure when choosing to say no. Most importantly, there is an entire chapter devoted to getting help. This book is an essential resource and provides concise information about a difficult topic.

Estimates indicate that as many as 1 in 4 Americans will experience a mental health problem or will misuse alcohol or drugs in their lifetimes. These disorders are among the most highly stigmatized health conditions in the United States, and they remain barriers to full participation in society in areas as basic as education, housing, and employment. Improving the lives of people with mental health and substance abuse disorders has been a priority in the United States for more than 50 years. The Community Mental Health Act of 1963 is considered a major turning point in America's efforts to improve behavioral healthcare. It ushered in an era of optimism and hope and laid the groundwork for the consumer movement and new models of recovery. The consumer movement gave voice to people with mental and substance use disorders and brought their perspectives and experience into national discussions about mental health. However over the same 50-year period, positive change in American public attitudes and beliefs about mental and substance use disorders has lagged behind these advances. Stigma is a complex social phenomenon based on a relationship between an attribute and a stereotype that assigns undesirable labels, qualities, and behaviors to a person with that attribute. Labeled individuals are then socially devalued, which leads to inequality and discrimination. This report contributes to national efforts to understand and change attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that can lead to stigma and discrimination. Changing stigma in a lasting way will require coordinated efforts, which are based on the best possible evidence, supported at the national level with multiyear funding, and planned and implemented by an effective coalition of representative stakeholders. Ending Discrimination Against People with Mental and Substance Use Disorders: The Evidence for Stigma Change explores stigma and discrimination faced by individuals with mental or substance use disorders and recommends effective strategies for reducing stigma and encouraging people to seek treatment and other supportive services. It offers a set of conclusions and recommendations about successful stigma change strategies and the research needed to inform and evaluate these efforts in the United States.

Sports heroes, executives, and the homeless -- cocaine permeates every inch of our society, with tragic results. Although casual use of cocaine has clearly declined, the number of daily users, in particular those using crack, continues to climb. Why do people continue to use cocaine? What is its appeal? How does it affect the body and mind? What can a person do if a family member or friend is using cocaine? In the past decade, the introduction of "crack" has increased the popularity of cocaine. Treatments have changed to adapt to this new, cheaper, more widely available drug. This Second Edition of Cocaine -- by three noted psychiatrists from Harvard University and the University of Utah -- highlights the tremendous research effort that has been mounted to discover the most effective way to help cocaine-dependent patients. It covers what cocaine is, the different methods of its use, its effects on the brain and other organs, and its psychological and social consequences for users and those around them -- both at home and in the workplace. This book also covers cocaine addiction -- how it happens, who is at risk, how to treat it, and how to find help. Cocaine includes a list of commonly asked questions about the drug and a self-test to determine if you or someone you love is dependent on cocaine.

The widely accepted disease model of addiction overlooks the fact that helping addicts to change their lives is fundamentally an interpersonal and societal act, because even the seemingly objective chemical effects of cocaine are inevitably integrated into a larger world of meanings and relationships. Addicts are demonized in our society, and the consequences of their social alienation profoundly affect not only them but also their therapists and the process of therapy as well. Mark and Faude describe an approach to treating cocaine addiction whose centerpiece is learning to develop "relationship episodes" with the patient - concrete narratives of actual events in the patient's life. Sharing generous clinical examples, they demonstrate how engagement in this mutual activity illuminates and transforms the subjective, interpersonal, and cultural experience of the cocaine user.