Mood and Addictive Disorders Paper

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Course: PSY/275

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In today’s society, people seem to have a lot of problems that are classified as mental disorders. These disorders include: depression, Substance abuse and bipolar. Substance abuse and the many mental illnesses does affect millions of people. Mental illnesses begin from many different reasons, as well as having substance abuse issues. Many people do overcome substance abuse issues but many do not. It can affect many people from very many different walks of life as well as having mental illness.

Depressive Disorder

Depressive disorder is the group of disorders marked by unipolar depression. Depressive disorder can be described as the combination of many thoughts and emotions that can interfere with the mood every single day. People with depression may feel down or blue and an not explain why. It can also interrupt with daily functioning and can even make getting out of bed feel like a struggle. There is no single cause for depression, it can be genetic, biochemical, environmental, and psychological factors that bring on depression. Women also have a higher rate of depression then men Research has shown that depression is a disorder of the brain (Belmaker, 2008).

There are many treatments for depression. One of the most common treatments for depression is medication. Another common treatment for depression is therapy or counseling. Specific treatment for depression will be determined by your physician based on age, overall health, and medical history, extent of the condition, type of mood disorder, tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies and expectations for the course of the condition. Many people with mental illness do not believe in taking medication so therapy proves to be a better treatment for these individuals. There are other forms of holistic treatment and even herbal therapy has been helpful for the treatment of depression. Antidepressant medications, especially when combined with psychotherapy has shown to be very effective in the treatment of depression.

Bipolar disorders

Bipolar which is also known as manic depression is the recurring condition that involves that changes of the mood which alternates between highs and lows. The manic phase of the condition involves irritability, anger, and depression. The elevation phase on the condition can bring unusual behavior such as being overly happy, overspending, promiscuity (Burgess, 2006). Bipolar usually occurs in childhood and leads to adulthood. Bipolar is often confused with everything from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to schizophrenia to borderline personality disorder. No one really is sure of the direct cause of bipolar disorder. Bipolar can be caused from hereditary or genetic. Life events including various types of childhood trauma are thought to play a role. Scientists do know that once bipolar disorder occurs, life events can precipitate recurrences. Incidents of interpersonal difficulty and abuse are most commonly associated with development of the disorder.

Treatments for the condition are the same as depression. The usual treatment used in unipolar and bipolar depressive disorders includes antidepressants. There are three kinds of drugs to reduce the symptoms of depression MAO inhibitors, tricyclic and SSRIs. Clinicians use what “maintenance therapy” where the patients are on the drugs for around five months after depression symptoms go away (Comer, 2014). Medication which is always the first option for individuals with mental illnesses. When an individual with depression has an elevation they feel as though they do not need any treatment for their condition. Mood stabilizers are also another common treatment for bipolar disorder. There is also research that proves that nutritional approaches have proven to lower the need for bipolar medication.

Substance abuse

Substance abuse can mean the abuse of many different things. Statistics show that 13% of American’s have used some form of illicit drugs. Many things can cause substance abuse. Many people do not know why one becomes addicted to drugs. But common reasons a person uses substances are peer pressure, boredom, as a way to deal with stress, growing up in a home when drugs and alcohol are used and considered normal, low self-esteem, Substance abuse as part of a personality disorder. Addiction is a brain disease that affects multiple brain circuits, including those involved in reward and motivation, learning and memory, and inhibitory control over behavior (Robinson, Smith, and Saisan, 2014).

Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies. An individual’s treatment plan depends solely on the individual. Counseling individual or group and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of drug abuse treatment. Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug abuse. Medication as well as behavioral therapy, when combined, are the most important elements of the therapeutic process that begins with detoxification, followed by extensive treatment and relapse prevention (Robinson, Smith, and Saisan, 2014). Having the most comfortable withdrawal symptoms can be another one of the most important in the initiation of treatment, preventing a relapse is also necessary for maintaining its effects. And sometimes, as with other chronic conditions, episodes of relapse may require a return to prior treatment components. A continuum of care that includes a customized treatment regimen addressing all aspects of an individual’s life, including medical and mental health services and follow up options community or family based recovery support systems can be crucial to a person’s success in achieving and maintaining a drug free lifestyle.

Cultural and gender differences

The diagnosis of bipolar disorders equally diagnosed, with men and women but are more common in low-income homes. Depression occurs at least once in every person’s life. Women are more willing to share emotions because society has forced men to believe that it is not okay to show true emotions. There are many theories that explain differences between genders for depressive and bipolar disorders and each has supporting ideas for them however, men are no more prone to depression than women and women to men. The different theories include/but not limited to; (a) the artifact theory, (b) hormone explication, (c) the life stress theory, (d) the body dissatisfaction explanation, (e) lack of control theory, (f) rumination theory (Comer, 2014). Minorities are not able to speak the language in order to explain symptoms to the doctor in all entirety. At some points in the language barrier, there are misguided diagnosis in the attempt to treat some patients who come from a different country. Moreover, different cultures raise children differently; maybe they cannot show weakness, crying spells. Mexican American and Chinese American males have a more likelihood of depression due to not coming forward to talk about their emotions therefore further research is still in need. (Dere, J., Watters, C. A., Yu, S. C., Bagby, R. M., Ryder, A. G., & Harkness, K. L. (2015).

Conclusion

All mental health issues as well as substance abuse issues can be devastating when any individual is becomes faced with these issues. Overcoming them in some cases maybe a lifelong conquest, but with the right medication it can be possible to treat and beat. Thinking pessimistic thoughts is common in depression and in response, People find it easier or more acceptable to see a doctor for pain or a cold but find it hard to do so with mood disorders.

References

Robinson, L., Smith, M., Saisan, J. (2014, February) Drug Abuse & Addiction. Retrieved from. http://www.helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects_treatment.htm

Burgess, W. (2006). The Bipolar Handbook. New York: Penguin Group.

Comer, R. J. (2014). Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology (7th Ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Dere, J., Watters, C. A., Yu, S. C., Bagby, R. M., Ryder, A. G., & Harkness, K. L. (2015). Cross-cultural examination of measurement invariance of the beck depression Inventory–II. Psychological Assessment, 27(1), 68-81. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pas0000026

Belmaker, R. (2008, January 3). Major depressive disorder. The New England Journal of Medicine, 358, 55-68