Withdrawal from opiates can cause long-term mental health issues, study says

By Staff Writer

Opiate abuse has become prevalent among problem teens in America. Although many adolescents believe that getting high off of these substances is a short-term fix, a new study reveals that an addiction to opiates - such as morphine and heroin - can cause long-term problems that make it difficult to kick the habit.

The report, which appears in the journal Biology Psychiatry, was conducted by French researchers. They examined mice as they recovered from chronic morphine exposure, and found that some of the withdrawal symptoms - low energy, depression and poor sleep - can last several weeks or even months.

The animals exhibited low sociability and despair behavior after four weeks of abstinence. The study's author said that the greatest risk with protracted abstinence from opiates is relapse, which is how many problem teens deal with the harsh side effects, which are caused by a lack of serotonin in the brain.

Parents of adolescents who abuse drugs or alcohol may consider employing tough love by enrolling them in troubled teen programs, many of which are designed to help children adopt healthy behaviors.