Some students drink for kicks; others drink to relax. But still
others drink because they cannot keep themselves from it.
Though it may not have started as an addiction, there are many
students who have fallen into the snares of alcoholism or other
substance dependency.
But these students do have options available to them at UCLA to
help them fight their addictions ““Â at least as long as
they have the correct insurance.
The number of UCLA students who seek help for drug addictions
has remained at a fairly constant level for the past several
years.
From 1999 to 2002, the total number of students seen by Student
Psychological Services has risen from 2,500 to 2,866, coinciding
with the increase in student population. The percent of substance
abuse cases has also remained constant at 5 percent.
Though such numbers do not necessarily reflect the whole percent
of the student population that struggles with substance abuse,
UCLA’s numbers are not out of the ordinary for a college
campus.
“I don’t think we have a greater problem. … We are
probably comparable to other large urban universities,” said
Harold Pruett, director of SPS.
“I think it’s caused by a mixture of things ““
sometimes they start out with recreational use, and they find it
helps them feel more relaxed and less stressed.”
In order to receive help, students must first visit SPS, an
on-campus organization that conducts evaluations to determine the
nature of treatment a student requires.
“Students we see who have come in, come in because their
substance use has gotten out of hand and it begins to interfere
with their functioning,” Pruett said.
“We do evaluations and where they go depends on how
frequent is the use … how much are they using and what kinds of
behaviors do they exhibit when they are drinking,” he
added.
Based on this evaluation and the type of insurance the student
carries, SPS refers the individual to the appropriate
treatment.
Some students remain within SPS to get psychological treatment;
others with more severe cases will be hospitalized for
detoxification. This process helps release students from their
bodily need for whatever substance to which they are addicted.
If students are not at a point where they need to be
hospitalized but require more than simple psychological treatment,
students may be referred to Matrix, a drug treatment program
developed by UCLA researchers.
“Matrix is evidence-based treatment,” said Dr. David
Feinberg, medical director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute and
Behavioral Health Services. “We have specific kinds of
cognitive treatment models, and we also do the 12-step as part of
the program.”
Matrix is a combination of treatment methods ranging from
therapist meetings, group and individual activities, a 12-step
program, Relapse Prevention and family involvement.
The 12-step program is a series of group-oriented activities
that allows substance abusers to support each other through their
recovery.
An intensive Matrix program has a duration of about four months,
but treatment is individual and can vary from patient to
patient.
Such care is not available to every student, however, as some
outside insurance companies do not cover mental care.
Students who have the Student Health Insurance Plan have full
access to UCLA programs and pay $10 per session in therapy and $100
for each day they are in the hospital.
“Students need to have insurance for treatment,”
Feinberg said. “We try to prioritize UCLA students because
our patients come from all over.”