psychological problems

• Mental health is more than simply not having a mental health problem, a person with good mental health will display some (not necessarily all) of these characteristics: not being overcome by difficult feelings, able to have good relationships with other people, able to deal with disappointments and problems they face, able to cope with the stresses and demands of everyday life, being able to make decisions, and coping effectively with difficulties or challenges.
• Cultural beliefs about the cause of mental health problems can influence how people with such issues are treated, in cultures where mental health problems are seen as having a biological cause, medication is often used, while in cultures where they are attributed to spiritual causes, treatments may range from prayers to exorcisms.
• Self-help groups and therapy are more popular in cultures where sharing openly about yourself, your problems and your emotions is valued, while in cultures where mental health problems are seen as shameful, people may be kept isolated and unable to talk to others about what they are going through.
• Research into the effectiveness of self-management programmes is difficult to compile due to the need to allow group members anonymity and the inability to use control groups.
• The groups may be facilitated by a psychologist, therapist or relevant expert.
• Aversion therapy is also focused on the 'here and now' aspect of the problem rather than problems of the past that may be contributing that have influenced or triggered the individual to resort to substances.
• Aversion therapy is a reductionist approach because the therapy only deals with an individuals learned desire to use substances and doesn't consider other factors involved in addiction which can include biological, environmental or social factors.
• They also provide an opportunity for individuals to explore issues from the past, present and future that may contribute to their addiction.
• A major issue with aversion therapy is the unpleasant treatment people experience, leading to a high dropout rate and raising ethical concerns as individuals are harmed in various ways with unwanted stimuli.
• Aversion therapy is a treatment for addiction that aims to help people stop their addictive behaviours by pairing the behaviour with some unpleasant stimuli, resulting in them learning to connect the addictive behaviour with the unpleasant feeling instead of the enjoyable feelings they had previously associated with the behaviour.
• The 12-steps provide addicts with guidelines to help them move towards and through recovery.
• Self-management programmes are a holistic approach to dealing with the addiction as they help people deal with other factors involved in their addiction too such as environmental and social factors.
• When aversion therapy is combined with other support such as counselling or self-management programmes, it is seen to be the most effective.
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous are two well-known groups that consist of a 12-step recovery programme for addiction.
• The programmes provide peer support, accountability and opportunities to develop greater self-awareness.
• However, research available has found these programmes have similar success rates to other treatments and are most effective for those who attend regularly and for longer periods of time.
• Self-management programmes are interventions designed to give addicts the help they need to manage their addictions.
• Research into aversion therapy shows it to be effective but only in the short term.
• The 12-step programmes have a strong spiritual element, but they allow for a personal understanding of God rather than any set religious beliefs.
• Aversion therapy can be implemented with addicts through taking some medication or substance that causes an unpleasant reaction when drugs, tobacco or alcohol are consumed, or through electrical aversion therapy which involves a safe but painful electrical shock that is given to the individual when they carry out the unwanted addictive behaviour.
• Dependence is a biological effect that is caused when a person repeatedly uses a substance.
• Dependence syndrome may be for just one substance or it may be for a group of substances such as opioid drugs, alcohol or cannabis.
• Other factors such as environmental influences may still be involved in the development of addiction.
• Twin and adoption studies strongly suggest that addiction to alcohol, tobacco and drugs all have a hereditary element that is passed through genes.
• Biological explanations for addiction suggest people may inherit a genetic vulnerability towards addiction.
• The International Classification (ICD) is used in diagnosing addiction, including a strong desire to use substances despite harmful consequences, difficulty in controlling use, a higher priority given to the substances than other activities or obligations.
• If the substance is not present, the person may experience withdrawal symptoms which can include headaches, irritability, nausea, anxiety, tiredness and even trouble sleeping.
• Evidence supporting genetic explanations for addiction comes from Kaij’s twin study (1960) which is detailed below.
• One issue with genetic explanations is there is thought to be hundreds to thousands of possible genetic variations involved with addiction.
• Using the substance becomes the main focus of the addicted individual, regardless of the harm they may cause to themselves or others.
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when substance use is reduced or stopped
• Substance misuse refers to using a substance for purposes or in amounts that may be harmful and different from the way the drug is meant to be used.
• A person can be dependent without necessarily being addicted however the two generally go hand in hand.
• The ICD-10 sets out criteria for diagnosis as the occurrence of three or more symptoms being present within the past year.
• Continued substance abuse causes biochemical changes in the brain as well as changes in behaviour.
• Increased tolerance to the substance requiring increasingly larger amounts for the same effects to be experienced
• The ICD-10 describes dependence syndrome as when using a substance becomes more important than other behaviours and there is a strong and overwhelming need to take a substance.
• Substance abuse is when a person uses a substance is used in a way that will be harmful or dangerous for the user.
• A higher priority given to substance use than other activities or obligations
• Addicts then need to “use” regularly in order to avoid the effects of withdrawal symptoms.