College Drinking Essay

Drinking has become a tradition amongst college students, and drinking is portrayed as a vital part of the college experience. Most incoming college freshman come into college with a preexisting tendency to drink, and the college campus life can be a significant influence on alcohol consumption and the rate at which alcohol is consumed. Binge drinking is so common that it is expected of a college student to drink once getting into the university. The reasons in which students decide to binge drink can vary from students

Many doctors and school officials believe that the diagnosis and labeling of these individuals is helpful so that they can be assisted with their struggles. The idea is that if a disorder goes undiagnosed it must go untreated

Students gain expectations to drink alcohol from each other, as they depend on it, pressure each other and face a new environment and a new social setting. When in college, a student does not have anyone looking after them and so they get free time and they do not know how to use it. They end up filling up their extra time, with going out to frat houses, bars, and or other house parties to drink. Students go from being in high school, where they have to be home by curfew and drinking is still sometimes and issues, to not having a curfew and not having someone wait until they get home that night to make sure they aren’t drinking.

Engs obviously has a great experience with this topic because she is a professor at Indiana University in the Health and Science department. However, I am not sure why she is trying to argue for the drinking age to be lowered because she is obviously over the age of 21. She has many strong points and can tell she has done a serious amount of research on this topic. Engs does give many examples about how college students drink responsibly.

Alcohol abuse is a serious health problem when it comes to college students. "The average amount of binge drinkers on college campuses is 50% of men and 39% of women" (<a href="http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/">http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/</a>). There are various reasons why students drink and serious short and long term effects on the body and mind. Alcoholism is a serious problem for college students and there are many actions being taken to try to lessen the problem among colleges throughout the country.

High school is over and it is your first time away form home, what are you going to do? The typical college student wants to party! Of the people that were surveyed over half believed that the legal drinking age should be lowered. [O’Kane 1] The legal age to drink in the United States is now 21 years old; college freshman, sophomores, and some juniors are not of the legal age to drink. This causes a problem on many campuses; several students are experiencing their first time away from parental care in a setting sinonomus with drinking and clubbing. Some feel pressure from family and friends to receive excellent grades while attending school, sometimes the pressure is too much and going out and

Americans are abusing alcohol less than in the past with one exception: college students who drink more and binge drink more often than nonstudents of similar age. The definition of binge drinking is " the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time." (Dictionary.com) Alcohol continues to extract a high toll from those who abuse it at any age, killing 80,000 Americans a year and draining more than $220 billion from the economy. Out of all the teens who drink, 90 percent of them binge drink to get drunk. To fight alcohol abuse, many educational institutions, community organizations and government agencies are stepping up efforts to promote abstinence among the young and responsible drinking by adults. (Alcohol Abuse)

The consumption of alcohol as a habitual behavior has long been associated with the American collegiate experience, despite the many known negative consequences a student who partakes in drinking can encounter. Because of the danger drunken students pose to a college’s reputation and the safety of its surrounding areas, much research has been done concerning the collegiate party and drinking scenes. This research mostly studied the demographics of the student body, so strategies developed to curtail the illegal or overconsumption of alcohol could be targeted towards the specific groups that demonstrated the highest likelihood of participating in these acts. When the strategies were implemented, however, there was little decline in the number of college students who chose to party and drink (Vander Ven 2011). This failure did not point toward a flaw in the research data, but instead a lack of research into the benefits a collegiate drinker receives that are rewarding to the point he or she cannot resist. This is the topic of Getting Wasted: Why College Students Drink Too Much and Party So Hard by Thomas Vander Ven.

The article, “Deliberate Misdiagnosis in mental Health Practice,” by Kirk & Kutchins, was written after analyzing a survey given to clinicians on under or over-diagnosing their clients. There are times when a clinician feels pressure to use a label that they do not believe is the best description of a person’s symptoms. The first one describe in this article is the pressure by insurance companies often require a diagnosis to obtain reimbursement for treatment. Other times, insurance companies will only cover certain treatment, so an incorrect diagnosis must be given so that the client will continue to receive treatment. One example I see often is that substance abuse treatment is not covered by TriCare (insurance used by military members and

Bias against individuals with a mental illness label can be traced back to early childhood, therefore, many parents hesitate to seek out help for their children just for them to have a characterization of not being well mentally. Others tend to focus on the challenging behaviors instead of the positive characteristics of someone receiving a diagnosis of a learning, behavioral, or emotional disorder. Many continue to suffer in silence, because they do not want to be see noted for their mental illness diagnosis, but for who they are and what they can accomplish. For examples, when an adult or child has been categorized as having a learning, behavior, or emotional problems (Austism, ADHD, manic-depressive) a label can be detrimental, because there are many degrees of disability and ability that gets lost with a generic label that affects educational and social possibilities. Professionals have to be careful over labels given out, because a mere diagnosis is complex, and can have many ramifications on the patient receiving it. In the article, “Mental Illness is Too Broadly Defined,” University Provost Steven E Hyman’s (Professor of Neurobiology and former Director of the National Institute of Mental Health) statement about how psychiatry defines and measures mental illness is, “We have no equivalent of a blood-pressure cuff or blood test or brain scan that is diagnostic (Mental Health, 2007).” Hyman’s statement is just

However, there are some drawbacks to the diagnosis of a mental illness there is benefit to it as well in such a way that it helps destigmatized and takes away labels from people who live with actual, severe mental illnesses. Diagnosis of a mental disorder also helps acknowledgement of a mental disorder from insurance companies and federal governments for coverage and funding respectively and helps people to get support and become aware that their behavioral problem is more than just a weak will or an odd behavior, at the same time diagnosis does not mean getting good treatment as well and in my opinion breaking down mental illnesses into

According to Erford (2010) defines diagnosis as a framework used to identify problems or the focus of intervention. Mental health settings typically use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition- Text Revision (DSM-IV- TR) (American Psychiatric Association, 2001). Diagnosis is the recognition of a problem that becomes the objective and goals of the counseling intervention it is also the detection of a disease, disorder, or syndrome based on some form of systematic assessment. “The problems associated with diagnosis include identifying clients by their diagnosis as opposed to focusing on their unique situations and experiences” (Erford, 2010 p.285). Understanding the implication of a diagnosis on the client and the counseling relationship is something that all professional counselors need to consider. To develop a treatment plan counselors uses the DSM- IV- TR which includes a five axial system that comprises of clinical disorders and other factors that are the focus of treatment, long-standing socio-emotional problems, medical conditions, environmental stressors, level of symptom distress, and functional impairment. This five axial system is intended to provide a comprehensive diagnostic picture. Professional counselors need to be diligent regarding the use of diagnosis. It is an ethical requirement that counselors providing diagnostic formulations be adequately trained in the use of DSM- IV- TR and that

Thus, the college years have developed into a time for finding oneself. Alcohol and drug abuse provide a means to conceal feelings of insecurity that arise from the students uncertainty of themselves. Substance abuse acts as a stress reducer through the beginning stages of college.

While mental health professionals have had mixed feelings about the use of diagnostic labels in counseling, the diagnosis is another common outcome of the assessment process. Mears (2010) reports the advantage of diagnostic classifications as their usefulness in written and verbal interactions about the specific problems a client might experience. An example of this is when a diagnosis documented in a case conceptualization or treatment plan increases the ease of communication between clinicians or billing agencies.

When psychological disorders our book describes that there's a stigma that comes along with the label of being or having a psychological disorder. These stigmas can create negative attitudes towards these people suffering psychological disorders. The stigma in today's society could range from anywhere discomfort being around somebody or a prejudice against them due to a stereotype and discrimination that a person with a psychological disorder could be violent or dangerous.