Showing posts with label therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label therapy. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Addiction; Desperate Maladies Require Desperate Remedies
An addiction is an uncontrollable strong craving for something, or to be abnormally dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming. There are many types of addiction, the most common are alcohol addiction, narcotic addiction, and drug addiction; also known as substance dependence.
Drug addiction is the compulsive use of drugs, to the extreme point where the user has no other choice but to continue to use them. A drug addict might address his beloved drug in De Quincey’s words, “thou hast the keys of Paradise, oh, just, subtle, and mighty opium!” An addict’s paradise is an inferno in disguise.
The demon of drug abuse has engulfed the entire world. It has clutched the youth of society in its deadly jaws.
The range of addictive drugs or substances and widely abused drugs include Alcohol, Anabolic steroids, Analgetics, Barbiturates, Buprenorphine, Butorphanol, Chloral hydrate, trichloroethanol & derivatives, Cocaine, Codeine, Dextroproxyp, Dextromethorphan, Ethchlorvynol, Fentanyl & its analogs, Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), Glutethimide, Heroin (Diacetylmorphine), Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), Ketamine, Laxatives, Levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM), Meperidine, Meprobamate, Methamphetamine & other Amphetamines, Methaqualone & related sedative-hypnotics, Methadone, Methcathinone, Morphine, Nicotine, Oxycodone, Opium, Xanax, Paraldehyde (Paral), Phencyclidine (PCP), and Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol).
Drugs have dragged the addicts to the deep dungeons of oblivion. The whole international community that is direly worried about the problem of drug abuse, has given a loud and clear call to medical institutes and organizations to liberate the victims of drug addiction.
Psychological experts and researchers are always raking their minds to know why people fall prey to drugs. Their studies have divulged that drugs and intoxicants are used to forget or negate the frustrations of life, failures in life, dejected love affairs, depression, or sometimes for fun or adventure.
“Thank the Lord, there’s a ray of hope!” Doctors and researchers have been able to invent some treatments for drug addiction.
Standard drug addiction treatment may include behavioral therapy, medications, or a combination of both. Medication therapy includes medical treatment to beat drug addiction. Behavioral therapy consists of counseling, cognitive therapy, or psychotherapy. The third method, the combination of both, is proving to be the most effective treatment for addiction recovery.
In medication therapy, for instance, addiction treatment like methadone, LAAM, and naltrexone are helpful for opium addicted people. Nicotine replacement therapy, nicotine patches, gum, nasal spray and bupropion are quite effective for people addicted to nicotine. Antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or neuroleptics, are helpful for treatment of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, or psychosis.
As drug addiction is a chronic disorder, there’s no effective short-term treatment for it. It requires a long-term treatment to beat drug addiction.
Finally, strong will power plays a key role in addiction treatment and addiction recovery. Psychotherapists can play an important role in building up the patients’ will to beat drug addiction.
Martin H. Fischer says, “There is only one reason why men become addicted to drugs, they are weak men. Only strong men are cured, and they cure themselves.”
Monday, January 18, 2010
'Tis The Season Not To Be Jolly
During the months of November to February, the days start getting shorter and colder, and the nights longer and darker. Climate changes seem to affect many people and they just can't understand why they tend to feel gloomy and miserable. This mood disorder is called winter depression, or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
According to Norman E. Rosenthal, the doctor who coined the term SAD in 1984, winter depression has a sound medical basis that involves changes in the body's mood centers brought on by shorter daylight hours and a lack of sunlight. Most depressive illness sufferers experience a sense of utter isolation and loneliness. But the fact that many people go through the same grumpiness during this time of the year provides a sense of comfort and assurance that they are not alone. As the cliché goes “misery loves company.”
Based on statistics of SAD Association, 500,000 people in the United Kingdom experience some form of winter depression, while doctors have estimated that 20% of the population, or almost 2 million people, are affected in Sweden by this condition.
One of the most effective and clinically proven treatment for SAD is “light therapy”, which has been shown to benefit some 80-85 percent of SAD cases. Simple as it may sound, the treatment actually involves more than just turning on a light and sitting beside it while twiddling your thumbs as you wait for that renewed energy to “power up” your whole well-being.
The average domestic or office light emits a paltry 200-500 lux (a lux is a unit of illuminance,) whereas a minimum of 2,500 lux is required to alleviate the symptoms of SAD. In comparison, a clear summer's day can reach an intensity of 100,000 lux.
Based on these specs, a number of specially designed light boxes have been invented that emit precisely the right amount of illumination. Symptoms of SAD gradually subside by sitting in front of one for about 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the severity of the condition.
Light therapy may be the best treatment for SAD as far as symptoms are concerned. However, addressing the root causes of the condition may involve both anti-depressant drugs and psychotherapy treatments especially for those with severe symptoms.
Studies have shown that the incidence of SAD increases dramatically as you go 30 degrees of latitude further north or south, as the condition is virtually unheard of in the tropical countries. A movement or vacation trip to these countries in the equator may sound impractical but can definitely improve ones mood and well-being.
Watching movies that feature warm, sunny, summery climates show demonstrable improvements in mood. Research shows that any film with clear blue cloudless skies, palm trees and an absence of snow should qualify for a movie therapy.
The same mood-enhancing effect may result by simply watching outdoor sports like cricket or golf. However, over-exposure to snooker, darts, and indoor bowling has been found to bring on a state of depressive, trance-like catatonia that, in severe cases, culminates in complete mental health breakdown.
According to Norman E. Rosenthal, the doctor who coined the term SAD in 1984, winter depression has a sound medical basis that involves changes in the body's mood centers brought on by shorter daylight hours and a lack of sunlight. Most depressive illness sufferers experience a sense of utter isolation and loneliness. But the fact that many people go through the same grumpiness during this time of the year provides a sense of comfort and assurance that they are not alone. As the cliché goes “misery loves company.”
Based on statistics of SAD Association, 500,000 people in the United Kingdom experience some form of winter depression, while doctors have estimated that 20% of the population, or almost 2 million people, are affected in Sweden by this condition.
One of the most effective and clinically proven treatment for SAD is “light therapy”, which has been shown to benefit some 80-85 percent of SAD cases. Simple as it may sound, the treatment actually involves more than just turning on a light and sitting beside it while twiddling your thumbs as you wait for that renewed energy to “power up” your whole well-being.
The average domestic or office light emits a paltry 200-500 lux (a lux is a unit of illuminance,) whereas a minimum of 2,500 lux is required to alleviate the symptoms of SAD. In comparison, a clear summer's day can reach an intensity of 100,000 lux.
Based on these specs, a number of specially designed light boxes have been invented that emit precisely the right amount of illumination. Symptoms of SAD gradually subside by sitting in front of one for about 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the severity of the condition.
Light therapy may be the best treatment for SAD as far as symptoms are concerned. However, addressing the root causes of the condition may involve both anti-depressant drugs and psychotherapy treatments especially for those with severe symptoms.
Studies have shown that the incidence of SAD increases dramatically as you go 30 degrees of latitude further north or south, as the condition is virtually unheard of in the tropical countries. A movement or vacation trip to these countries in the equator may sound impractical but can definitely improve ones mood and well-being.
Watching movies that feature warm, sunny, summery climates show demonstrable improvements in mood. Research shows that any film with clear blue cloudless skies, palm trees and an absence of snow should qualify for a movie therapy.
The same mood-enhancing effect may result by simply watching outdoor sports like cricket or golf. However, over-exposure to snooker, darts, and indoor bowling has been found to bring on a state of depressive, trance-like catatonia that, in severe cases, culminates in complete mental health breakdown.
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