VOA标准英语2012--Study Shows Opiate Abuse by Some US Forces with Mental Disorders

Study Shows Opiate Abuse by Some US Forces with Mental Disorders²

The U.S. war in Afghanistan is the longest military conflict in American history. Many of the troops who have fought there also saw combat in Iraq. Doctors say at least one third returned with mental health problems. 

Dr. Michael Yochelson was part of a military medical team that assessed returning soldiers for post-traumatic stress disorder¹ and traumatic brain injury. 

"I think it's going to be really critical that those personnel are identified and get into therapies quickly," Yochelson said.

But what kind of therapies are most effective? Researchers studied a group of more than 140,000 U.S. military veterans who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2005 and 2010, and who had been prescribed an opioid -- a narcotic³ -- within a year of getting a pain diagnosis⁴ at a veterans' hospital.

Dr. Karen Seal is a co-author of the study. "Veterans who had a mental health diagnosis, but particularly PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) were far more likely than their counterparts without mental health problems to receive opiate pain medication," Seal said.

Veterans with PTSD were 2 1/2 times more likely to be on these narcotics⁵. The researchers also were also concerned about the quantity of drugs prescribed. 

"These patients tend to receive higher dose opiates than their counterparts and would request early refills of their opiates, which indicates that they are using them more quickly than they should be," Seal said.

Many of the veterans on these drugs -- whether they were mentally ill or not -- had higher rates of accidents, alcoholism, violent injuries, suicides and overdoses. Seal says the findings demonstrate that alternative methods of treatment, such as physical therapy, talk therapy or acupuncture⁶, should be offered more widely.

"The study really woke us up to the reality of the serious adverse⁷ consequences that can occur with the use of opiates in returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have pain and mental health problems," Seal said.

Yochelson says treating post-traumatic stress disorder will take more than a quick fix. 

"Frankly⁸, if they've been on multiple deployments and perhaps been there for 12 or 18 months or longer, or even over a period of several years, several deployments and never had it addressed until now, I think that treatment period may be going on for several years and maybe indefinitely," Yochelson said.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

1 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

2 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 narcotic   

n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的

参考例句：

• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。
• No medical worker is allowed to prescribe any narcotic drug for herself.医务人员不得为自己开处方使用麻醉药品。

4 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

5 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 acupuncture   

n.针灸，针刺法，针疗法

参考例句：

• Written records show that acupuncture dates back to the Song Dynasty.文字记载表明，宋朝就已经有了针灸。
• It's known that acupuncture originated in China.众所周知，针灸起源于中国。

7 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

8 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。