CHAPTER 13
Misuse of Inhalants and Aerosols
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, students should be able to:
•
13.1: Understand the history of inhalant misuse
•
13.3: Comprehend the pharmacology, methods of use, and subjective
effects of inhalants
•
13.5: Understand the DSM criteria for inhalant-related disorders
CHAPTER OUTLINE
A Brief History of Inhalant Use
The Pharmacology of the Inhalants
Scope of the Problem of Inhalant Misuse
Methods of Inhalant Misuse
Subjective Effects of Inhalants
Complications Induced by Inhalant Misuse
Inhalant Misuse and Suicide
Anesthetic Misuse
Nitrous Oxide
The Misuse of Nitrites
Inhalant Misuse and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Edition)
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
The purpose of this chapter is to provide information about the scope of inhalant misuse in the
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Break-Out Discussion #1:
As noted in your text, the very first time when nitrous oxide was used during a surgical
procedure, the patient woke up in the middle of the procedure screaming in pain. In spite of this
rather inauspicious beginning, physicians eventually discovered how to use nitrous oxide to
induce anesthesia before and during surgery.
patient is allowed to wake up to begin recovery from the surgery.
Questions
1. Surprisingly, it has been found that although the patient is “unconscious,” he or she is, in
many cases, able to listen to the chatter in the operating room, which raises an interesting
question: if the surgeon were to find an inoperable cancer during surgery, should the surgeon
discuss this fact in the operating theatre? Why or why not?
2. Might the discussions in the operating roominfluence the patient’s post-surgical recovery, and
possibly the treatment of the patient? Would the patient’s recovery be aided if the patient were
to be provided with headphones, and allowed to listen to soothing music rather than the
operating room banter? Explain your answer.
Break-Out Discussion #2:
How to convince the individual using of the dangers? Imagine that you walk into the garage to
retrieve a tool, and stumble upon a younger sibling engaged in the practice of using an inhalant.
Should you intervene? After all, you are not the child’s parent, although a counter argument is
that now that you know the dangers of inhalant misuse, a delay might result in organ damage to
your sibling. If, in the hypothetical example discussed above, the child were a half-sibling or
step-sibling, would your response to this discovery be any different? Why, or why not?
Questions
1. How do you convince your younger sibling that the use of inhalants will possibly result in
brain damage, especially when their subjective experience appears to indicate no brain
damage? “I have not felt anything like that!” such children often reply when told of the dangers
2. Is this an argument worth starting with your younger sibling, and, if so, why, or why not?
Break-Out Discussion # 3:
Job exposure: Imagine that you are the owner of an automobile repair center, and you notice
that one employee repeatedly does not wear a face mask while repainting the vehicle under
Questions
1. What would be your response to the situation describe above?
2. Why would you respond in the manner that you identified, especially if Union rules mandate
that an employee cannot be fired except for “due cause.”
3. Is a failure to wear a protective respirator “due cause?” Is this a battle worth fighting both
with the employee and the Union? Why, or, why not?
Group Activity
Personal inhalant misuse: The instructor will hand out 3 × 5-inch index cards. Without writing
down their names, students answer the following questions: (1) have you ever misused an
inhalant? (2) what was the effect like, in your own words? (3) did you suffer any adverse
consequences from the misuse of an inhalant? and (4) would you do it again?
The instructor will then pick up the index cards to review the answers and use them as the basis
for class discussion.
Students should be asked about how honest they felt they could be during this exercise.
Did you fill out the index card honestly, or did you not admit to inhalant misuse, if you have
indeed used these compounds?
Why would a hypothetical student who was asked to participate in a similar project lie about the
misuse of compounds that took place almost a decade earlier?
Even if you had never misused an inhalant, would the knowledge of the possible side effects
help dissuade you from misusing these compounds, should you be inclined to use them? Why,
or, why not?
How widespread do you think the problem of inhalant misuse is in your community?
Have there been any deaths reported in the media from inhalant misuse in the past 5 years?
Do you know somebody who has suffered significant health problems, or even to have died, as a
result of their inhalant misuse?
KEY CONCEPTS AND TERMS
Inhalant: Term used to describe the method of substance use that introduces any of a wide
variety of compounds into the body by inhaling
placing the bag over mouth and nose to inhale the concentrated fumes
LO/STANDARDS CORRELATION CHART
A-head
LO
Standard—CACREP
A Brief History of Inhalant
Use
13.1:
Understand
the history of
inhalant
misuse
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
Scope of the Problem of
Inhalant Misuse
13.2:
Understand
the scope of
the problem
of inhalant
misuse
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
The Pharmacology of the
Inhalants
Methods of Inhalant
Misuse
Subjective Effects of
Inhalants
Anesthetic Misuse
The Misuse of Nitrites
13.3:
Comprehend
the
pharmacology,
methods of
use, and
subjective
effects of
inhalants
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
Complications Induced by
Inhalant Misuse
13.4: Describe
the
consequences
of inhalant use
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
Inhalant Misuse and the
Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental
criteria for
development, functioning, and behavior
13.5:
Understand
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
related
disorders