The effects of drugs on clinical depression

July 29, 2015

The effects of drugs on clinical depression: Depression and addiction

The effects of drugs on clinical depression is almost getting out of hand in the current life set up.

The complications of drug addiction and misuse of alcohol will continue to be with us thanks to the life demands in the twenty first century. Everybody is having their own share of life demands and expectations which in many times we often fail to meet. Those failures always form the biggest reasons why people feel depressed and stressed. When these two (depression and stress) are present in ones’ life there will be high chances that some of those people may resort to using drugs to minimize their depressed and stressed situation. And with that in mind, we want to discuss through this article the effects of drugs on clinical depression and stress. Our objective is to inform you of their interrelationship and the best possible means of eliminating them from your life. Meanwhile in one of our discussion forums a question was asked to the experts’ at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury that “does depression cause addiction by triggering a need for intoxication? Or does substance abuse cause depression by changing the way the brain functions?” In response to that, doctor Akoury said that it is important to note that depression and substance abuse intertwine on several levels including the following:

Under normal circumstances depression can trigger drug or alcohol use as a form of self-medication.
Drugs or alcohol can also precipitate depression by altering the brain chemistry.
The effects of intoxication or withdrawal can resemble the signs of a depressive disorder.
The neurological factors that cause depression may predispose the individual to alcohol or drug addiction.

One very challenging thing about depression and drugs is that a lot has been and is still being done to conclusively establish the difference between the two but as things stand now, even to the most experienced clinicians, it can be difficult to tell the difference between clinical depression and the effects of drugs or alcohol. Many of the most widely abused substances are central nervous system depressants, including:

Alcohol: Includes beer and wine as well as hard liquor and spirits
Benzodiazepines: Includes sedative/muscle relaxants like Valium (diazepam), Ativan (lorazepam) and Xanax (alprazolam)
Cannabis: Includes smokable and edible forms of marijuana
Opiates: Includes illicit and prescription drugs derived from opium, such as heroin, morphine, codeine, hydrocodone and oxycodone
Barbiturates: Includes powerful sedatives like Seconal (secobarbital) and Nembutal (pentobarbital)

From the expert’s point of view, doctor Akoury says that substance induced mood disorders occur when the psychological effects of drug intoxication or withdrawal cause abnormal emotional states. Withdrawing from cocaine, meth or other stimulants can cause changes in brain chemistry that lead to severe depression. Depression may also be a side effect of withdrawal from heroin or other opium-based drugs.

The effects of drugs on clinical depression: Symptoms of substance-induced depression

Symptoms of substance-induced depression include: fatigue, poor appetite, lack of concentration, tearfulness, suicidal ideation and they resemble the symptoms of major depressive disorder. And besides that, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the symptoms of substance-induced depression usually does not take long and normally resolve within a few days after the drug is cleared from the patient’s system. However when depression is not diagnosed in good time, getting clean or sober can actually make the symptoms worse. Further to that it is important to appreciate that when alcohol or drugs have been used as a form of self-medication, the depressive symptoms may come to the forefront once the individual has been through detox. Nonetheless in the event that depression is treated in a mental health setting without addressing the problem of substance abuse, the patient may never be motivated to stop abusing drugs or alcohol, and depressive symptoms may never really be resolved.

The effects of drugs on clinical depression: Treatment of depression

First of all it is important to appreciate that depression is a chronic condition that in many instances may never be completely cured. However, its symptoms can be managed effectively through a combination of psychotherapy, behavioral modification training and participation in support groups. Doctor Akoury adds that in the event that talk therapy alone can’t resolve the symptoms of depression, then the application of antidepressant medication can be a valuable addition to the treatment plan. Besides that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has also been proven to be a highly effective method for changing the negative thought patterns associated with depression.

Feelings of hopelessness, low self-worth, and despair are treated as learned thought patterns that can be replaced with positive, self-affirming beliefs. According to JAMA Psychiatry, CBT is an effective therapy for depressed individuals within all age groups, and positive results continue over time. The therapeutic strategies learned in CBT can be applied to co-occurring disorders like anxiety, personality disorders or substance use disorders.

Alongside that doctor Akoury alludes that with consistent, medically supervised use, antidepressant medications can improve symptoms in a matter of weeks. Antidepressants in the SSRI category (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors that is considered to be in the first line pharmaceutical treatment for depression, these medications include popular drugs like Prozac (fluoxetine), paroxetine (Paxil) and citalopram (Celexa). When SSRIs are not effective, older antidepressants in the tricyclic or MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) may be prescribed instead. And according to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, depressive symptoms improve with treatment in up to 80 percent of cases. Unfortunately, nearly two-thirds of depressed individuals either do not seek or do not receive treatment for this serious, disabling disorder. Out of those individuals who struggle with both depression and substance abuse, only a small percentage receives research-based, dual diagnosis treatment for both conditions. It therefore means that we still have a lot to do in order to bring these chronic conditions to manageable levels. Finally if you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, depression or even stress, your help is now within reach just by making a phone call on Tel: 843 213 1480 to schedule for your appointment with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center today and all your concerns will be professionally addressed.

The effects of drugs on clinical depression: Depression and addiction

Alcoholism in South Africa

December 1, 2014

Alcoholism in South Africa Current Treatment Available

Alcoholism is a big problem in South Africa. According to World Health organization it is the primary drug in South Africa. In South Africa it is reported that alcohol is responsible for nearly half of all the motor accidents with over 30% of the population having an alcohol problem or are at risk of having one. According to The world health organization alcohol affects 17.5 million South Africans with several Studies showing that people who start drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become alcoholics. The alcoholism problem does not only affect the youths, fetal alcohol syndrome is common in South Africa as the statistics shows that 122 out of every 1000 Grade 1 pupils in the Northern Cape town of De Aar have fetal alcohol syndrome. This is the highest incidence of the fetal alcohol syndrome in one population anywhere in the world. There are also locally brewed beers that are somewhat illegal but are still highly consumed the country has estimated 182000 illegal shebeens.

Dr. David Bayever from the government drug control organization, known as the CDA, is quoted saying “The drug problem in South Africa remains very serious with drug usage being twice the world norm in most cases…and we are only dealing with what we know about…this is only the tip of the iceberg,”. He says that at least 15% of South Africans have a drug problem; this number however is expected to rise. While some drugs are produced directly in South Africa, it is also a major transshipment hub for importing and exporting them owing to its strategic location. Poverty, unemployment, lack of recreational facilities, being surrounded by substance abusers, and long work shifts have also mentioned by researchers as factors contributing to substance abuse. The age of initiation of substance abuse using non-drugs such as glue was 9 years old and alcohol 10 – 12 years old.

The schools are not left out, the heaviest drinkers are aged between 18-22. In high schools 35% of the students are alcohol drinkers taking at least 9 units spirits, 1 liter wine or 2 liters of beer. In a CDA study 20% of 14 year old boys and nearly half of 17 year old boys drank in the previous month. Girls were a bit lower with 18% of 14 year olds and 35% of 17 year olds in the same period. (CDA). Considering the high rate of alcohol abuse in South Africa it is important that there be effective treatment means for the users of alcohol if the population is to be freed from alcohol addiction.

The problems associated with alcohol abuse are well known by the people who abuse it. Despite this fact, in South Africa it’s been reported by the Medical Research Centre (MDC) that 50% of all people who die of unnatural causes have above-legal alcohol levels in their bloodstream. The MRC also estimates that up to 30% of all general hospital admissions are related directly or indirectly to alcohol consumption. A big reason to worry.

The other social problems associated with alcohol abuse include assault, domestic violence, child neglect where parents neglect their children as all their money is spent on alcohol. It has also been shown that alcohol is involved in most traffic accident cases. For example, 60% of all pedestrians involved in traffic collisions were found to have high blood-alcohol levels and 76% of domestic violence cases in the rural South-Western Cape also involved high blood-alcohol levels.

As stated earlier South Africa also has the highest rate of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) cases across the globe at 8-12%, with approximately 70-80 babies per 1000 born being affected with FAS in the Western Cape. This calls for guidance to parents and strategies to be laid in helping parents who abuse alcohol to stop using alcohol especially during pregnancy so as to reduce this rate.

Alcohol abuse in itself is very costly to the south African government as alcohol abuse overall, including healthcare, police enforcement, incarceration et cetera, costs the country R9 billion per year besides this the country is also losing its manpower to alcohol deaths, it is estimated that cirrhosis which is a liver disease most commonly caused by over-consumption of alcohol is the 5th leading cause of death in the country and kills approximately 25,000 people each year.

Public Rehab centers

Alcohol being the problem it is to South Africa; there many public rehabilitation centers that have been set to help deal with alcoholism and help the addicts break the chain of alcohol addiction. However most of these public rehabilitation centers are filled with people as a greater population is affected. The huge number of alcohol addicts has led to a strain on the resources in these centers making it impossible for an addict to get a good treatment, moreover most of these rehab centers take on a strict Christian approach to treating alcoholics which do not suit all of the addicts. This has led to the rise of other private rehabilitation centers to help give an alternative to alcohol addicts.

The private rehab centers have now offered an alternative to addicts giving more time to every addict as they are less crowded than the public rehab centers. However they charge fairly higher and that is quite a problem to most addicts who do not have stable jobs.

Finally, Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is committed to helping all people trapped in drug addiction. Call on her today at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Alcoholism in South Africa Current Treatment Available

Tag Archives: Congenital disorder