...psychiatric disorders can lead normal lives. I will address my feelings about certain psychiatric disorders and the people who suffer from them. Next I will discuss co-occurring disorders and how some are more serious than others. I will disclose my feelings about medical treatment of mental illnesses with pharmacotherapy. Finally I will discuss weather treating mental illness with psychopharmacology drugs are a poor solution or great advancements. Contrary to popular belief Psychiatric disorders are more prevalent than society wants to admit people simply avoid seeking treatment because of the social stigma attached. Psychiatric disorders are those that affect the thoughts and mood of individuals. However, when one hears the phrase Psychiatric disorder the first thought is insanity to the point of being confined to mental institution. Nevertheless this is far from the truth. While these disorders can wreak havoc in lives they can also be managed effectively when the correct treatment plan is coupled with counseling and medication. While treating these disorders can prove a difficult task it is the only way to prevent self-management with drugs and alcohol. While I do believe that people with psychiatric disorders can be effectively treated, one must understand all aspects of the puzzle to ensure the treatment method is effective. Most patients who would be diagnosed as having a mental illness engage in other mood altering drugs in an attempt to self-medicate. These mood altering...
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...Introduction What is addiction, you ask, the dictionary describes addictions as a “compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance or the condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved with something”. (Houghton Mifflin, 2005) Do you think you might have any addictions? For the most part addictions are very serious, even if you don’t think you have one you probably do and just don’t realize it yet. Think about something you can not leave the house or work with out or maybe when you wake up in the morning you have to get the cup of coffee or coke. Most would say that this is an addiction. Addictions are hard to break but sometimes that is necessary because they are controlling you life. There is not a soul out there that wants something so small to control them but they just don’t know how to let it go. This paper will cover some causes, symptoms, and treatments for addictions. Causes of Addictions For some time now researchers have tried to determine the cause or causes of addictions and have failed to determine that factor. The simple answer would be if people did not drink alcohol, use drugs, gamble, or do anything else that is addictive. So let’s look at some examples of how one might become an addict. “People take drugs, for instance, because of their physical effects. They have a marked effect on the body and mind.”(Marsden, May 2001) Since most substances make us feel better, relax, or excite us we tend to go...
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...Mood Disorders, Schizophrenia, and Psychosis Mood Disorders, Schizophrenia, and Psychosis Many propose the question that for many years pondered the minds of many great theorists, and that is: What is a mood disorder, and how many personal dispositions or traits may a person actually possess? To date, a specific number has never been stressed. What is certain, is that mood fluctuates from individual to individual, and is a part of everyday life. Learning to adapt to multiple different moods and personalities can be challenging for anyone, especially those designated to conduct research. There are many different angles in which a person’s mood can be studied. Methods include gathering data and examining different traits. Psychologists study common traits that are shared as well as unique traits referring to individual behavior. In research, they emphasize continued studies on mood and temperament traits. These traits proposed the questions of behavior. Such as why a person behaves in the manner that they do, the motivation behind why they behave in certain ways, and their ability to sustain. For the purposes of this paper, mood, psychosis, schizophrenia, and the biological, cognitive, and behavioral components of each will be analyzed. Part I: Mood Disorders To understand mood disorders, it is important to first understand the definition of mood. Hansell & Damour (2008) suggest that mood is a state of which includes cognitive, motivational, and physical processes...
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...Addiction: Disease, or Self-Inflicted Destruction? Drug addiction is a large problem in today’s society. There’s an ongoing debate on whether drug addiction is a choice or if it is truly a disease. Addiction is a sickness because it is common among people who suffer from mental illness, it is an actual brain disease due to the lack of dopamine in certain individuals and, it is damaging the body without the abuser even knowing. however, most people believe it is a choice because the first time somebody agrees to just try it once they are hooked for life. People who suffer from drug addictions brains are severely affected. Drug “ addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use” (Is...
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...significant. Drugs for the treatment of mental disease and psychological disorders firstly appear in 1950s in the form of iproniazid. It was created in the early 50’s in the United States. The main purpose of this drug was to increase the effectiveness of treatment of tuberculosis with antibiotics. As side effects doctors observed hyperactivity and mood improvement of the patients....
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...are feelings of loss of control and psychological distress, such as guilt, disgust, embarrassment, or depression.2,4 Binge eating triggers reported in the literature include exposure to physical or psychological stressors, food deprivation or restriction (eg, dieting), patterns of emotional eating, and the restriction or abstinence from, and then reintroduction of, highly palatable foods.2 Unsurprisingly, individuals who binge most often do so on high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods.2 The clinical manifestation of frequent binge-eating behavior results in a diagnosis of BED. While not formally defined as a psychiatric disorder like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, BED is included as a provisional diagnosis in the current edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) under “eating disorders not otherwise specified” (EDNOS). However, experts are seriously considering including BED as a formal diagnosis in the fifth edition of the DSM that will be published in May 2013.2,3,5 The DSM-IV states that to qualify as a BED diagnosis, binge-eating episodes should occur at least twice per week for six months, noting that further study is necessary to determine a frequency threshold for binging behaviors should the...
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...The Correlation between Emotional Intelligence and Instable Personality in Substance Abusers. ------------------------------------------------- Abstract Background Substance dependence has recently turned into one of the most important social problems. Clinical findings have shown personality traits, social relations, attitudes and values, along with emotional intelligence factors such as emotions, feelings, emotions management, challenging with problems, problem solving, tolerating psychological pressure, impulse control, self esteem and interpersonal relations, to affect substance dependence. Consequently, understanding the meaning and developing tools for assessment of emotional intelligence are significantly vital in human psychological health. This study aimed to investigate the relation between emotional intelligence and instable personality in substance abusers. Methods The present correlational study selected 80 male addicts through available sampling. The subjects referred to the Therapeutic Community Center and Kimia, Yas, and Aban Clinics in Yazd, Iran. Their emotional intelligence and personality were evaluated by BarOn questionnaire and Eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQ) for adults, respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess the correlations between different factors. Findings There was a negative significant correlation (P = 0.050) between emotional intelligence and instable personality in substance abusers. Problem solving...
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...Mood and Addictive Disorders Kali LaDuke Psy/275 April 4, 2016 Kristi Collins Mood and Addictive Disorders Mood and substance abuse disorders are among the most common abnormal psychological afflictions. Mood disorders include those who suffer the symptoms of depression and mania. The depressive disorder unipolar depression, are those who only experience the lows of depression, while bipolar disorder is marked by both the low of depression and the frenzied high of mania. Substance use disorders are marked by recurrent use of substances, such as alcohol or drugs, that results in maladaptive behaviors (Comer, 2014). To explain the development if both mood and substance disorders there are biological, psychological, and sociocultural models. Treatment for these maladaptive behaviors also use biological, psychological, and sociocultural methods. Finally, there are several gender and cultural differences in the development, frequency, and treatment in these disorders. Mood disorders Depressive disorder has symptoms such as sadness, low energy, guilt, and low self-worth (Comer, 2014). When these symptoms occur without periods of mania, it is called unipolar depression. Overall, about 19 percent of the adult population experiences an episode of unipolar depression in their lifetime. Severe cases interfere with the daily activities of life and can include physical symptoms such as physical pain and muscle fatigue. Severe moodiness and suicidal thoughts may also accompany...
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...Unquiet Mind Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder marked by exceedingly grand and elevated moods along with exceptionally horrible periods of depression. The alters in mood and period of time in each excessive mood seem to be unpredictable and random. This very dangerous disease has a suicide rate nearing 10% with a self harm rate of around 40%. Kay Redfield Jamison, within her very unsettling, yet insightful book named An Unquiet Mind, bravely attempts to display and explain the disease to the public; which seems to have only a miniature grasp of the disorder. People, even well versed and educated at that, still associate certain stigmas with the disease. Jamison's main purposes for this very dark, yet necessary piece is to inform, educate and advocate. Within the later parts of her book, she states “I have become fundamentally and deeply skeptical that anyone who does not have this illness can truly understand it.” (page 174) However, even saying this, she still is determined to put the spotlight on this diseases and elucidate the problems one faces upon developing the disease. She tells of her horrific experiences due to bipolar disorder and how extremely long it took for her to accept the “rather bittersweet exchange of a comfortable and settled present existence” in exchange for a “troubled but intensely lived past.”(page 211). I found four themes as overwhelmingly evident and relevant throughout the entirety of the novel, being confusion, addiction, rejection and ignorance...
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...Desiree is a 27 year old female suffering from an addiction with alcohol. She was 14 years old when she consumed her first alcoholic drink. Desiree also stated that her parents drank almost every night, and on weekends they were mainly drunk. Desiree also explained how easy it was to get alcohol, because all she had to do was go to her refrigerator to find alcohol. Desiree also admitted her drinking was only on the weekends with friends. As she got older she started to drink a lot more, because she started encountering with mood swings. Desiree also lost her license due to a DUI. Therefore, she has to rely on others to take her to work. Desiree also explained when she is not drunk she does not feel herself, and feels angry over little things....
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...SEXUAL ADDICTION Sexual addiction is a popular model to explain hyper sexuality —sexual urges, behaviors, or thoughts that appear extreme in frequency or feel out of one's control. Hyper sexuality is typically associated with lowered sexual inhibitions. Alcohol and some drugs can affect a person's social and sexual inhibitions. There are differences of opinion among sexologists, sociologists, psychologists and other specialists as to whether the phenomenon represents an actual addiction or even a psychological/psychiatric condition at all. Components of the sexual addiction model draw an analogy between hyper sexuality and substance addiction or behavioral problems like gambling addiction, recommending 12-step and other addiction-based methods of treatment. Other explanatory models of hyper sexuality include sexual compulsivity and sexual impulsivity. Sexologists have not reached any consensus regarding whether sexual addiction exists or, if it does, how to describe the phenomenon. Some experts believe that sexual addiction is literally an addiction, directly analogous to alcohol and drug addictions. Other experts believe that sexual addiction is actually a form of obsessive compulsive disorder and refer to it as sexual compulsivity. Still other experts believe that sex addiction is itself a myth, a by-product of cultural and other influences. Some who have expressed doubts about the existence of sex addiction argue that the condition is instead a way of projecting social...
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...This issue brings up our topic of discussion; does Tiger Woods, along with many other civilians, truly have disease classified sex addiction, or was this just a scam to cover up his indecent morals? The definition of a disease is a condition of the human body that impairs proper functioning and is indicated by signs or symptoms that did not result from a physical injury. Scientists have spent years studying the signs and symptoms of humans with a normal sexual pattern, as well as those with an addiction to sex. You might be wondering,...
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...excessive gaming. With the growing number of gamers worldwide, adverse effects (isolation, hospitalizations, excessive use, etc.) are observed in a minority of gamers, which is a concern for society and for the scientific community. In the present study, we focused on screening gamers at potential risk of MMORPG addiction. Methods: In this exploratory study, we focused on characteristics, online habits and problematic overuse in adult MMORPG gamers. In addition to socio-demographical data and gamer behavioral patterns, 3 different instruments for screening addiction were used in French MMORPG gamers recruited online over 10 consecutive months: the substance dependence criteria for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, fourth revised edition (DSM-IV-TR) that has been adapted for MMORPG (DAS), the qualitative Goldberg Internet Addiction Disorder scale (GIAD) and the quantitative Orman Internet Stress Scale (ISS). For all scales, a score above a specific threshold defined positivity. Results: The 448 participating adult gamers were mainly young adult university graduates living alone in urban areas. Participants showed high rates of both Internet addiction (44.2% for GIAD, 32.6% for ISS) and DAS positivity (27.5%). Compared to the DAS negative group, DAS positive gamers reported significantly higher rates of tolerance phenomenon (increased amount of time in online gaming to obtain the desired effect)...
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...Video game addiction An Assignment Submitted by ______ ITT Composition I (EN1320), _/_/_ Video game addiction Video game addictions is a rather new syndrome since the computer games are relatively young – the oldest being only slightly older than twenty years. Video game addiction is a dangerous phenomenon and is detrimental to the realization of reality by a human being. The official definition of the syndrome is the following: video game addiction is a severe compulsive use of either video or computer games. Indulging in using the games excessively may hinder one’s everyday life. Video game addiction may display itself in the following way: social isolation, excessive amounts of time spent on gaming, diminished imagination, irregular mood swings, too much focus on the in-game achievements, behavior, which is modeled by the rules and realities of any given game (Lindsey 2007). Video game addiction is not going anywhere, as it recently acquired enough infamy to make it worthy of inclusion into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, under the “Conditions for Further Study” heading. It was deemed worthy of inclusion by the American Psychiatric Association, due to enough evidence, as well as, the fact that video game overuse results have similar symptoms and effects as seen in other psychological addictions. It has been noted that video game addiction bears many similarities to impulse control disorder and compulsive gambling...
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...speed. Most of these names are derived from the way it looks. It appears as crystals. Meth can be taken by snorting, smoking, injecting, or by dissolving it in water or alcohol. According to "National Institute on Drug Abuse" (2010), “Methamphetamine’s ability to release dopamine rapidly in reward regions of the brain produces the intense euphoria, or “rush,” that many users feel after snorting, smoking, or injecting the drug.” This aids to the addiction process. For those that chronically abuse methamphetamines, their brain will undergo changes in the way it functions. These changes include both cognitive, emotional and memory issues. The side effects associated with taking meth include increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration, rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and hyperthermia ("National Institute on Drug Abuse", 2010). Long term meth use can lead to extreme weight loss, severe dental problems (“meth mouth”), anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, violent behavior, paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions("National Institute on Drug Abuse", 2010). Any chronic drug user will suffer withdrawal symptoms when they have stopped taking the drug. These can begin hours or days after they stop. Withdrawal symptoms for those taking methamphetamines are the inability to feel pleasure. This doesn’t sound nearly as bad...
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