What is Bipolar Disorder?

The most prominent feature of bipolar disorder is the occurrence of one or more maniac episodes. It is also considered to a chronic condition as patients suffering from one maniac episode tend to have more episodes in the future. It is found that the average is about four episodes in about ten years if no proper treatment is administered. The patterns of mood swings with depression and manic episodes are individualistic and tend to repeat again and again. Researches indicate that the disorder is caused due to genetic influence. This disorder usually starts of in adolescence or early adulthood and if not treated may show its symptoms throughout life.

Bipolar disorder is such a disorder which brings in other problems like drug or alcohol abuse along with it. Patients tend to abuse drug and alcohol in order to get relief through self medication or to stabilize their mood swings and in severe cases as a mode of self-destruction. These problems need to be treated as well along with treatment for bipolar disorder. About 30% to 60% of bipolar disorder or manic depression patients struggle with drug abuse in an attempt to treat this disorder. These traits are found common among people suffering from poor cognitive function, fretfulness, poor interpersonal skills, social isolation, poverty, and lack of structured activities.

Bipolar disorder and substance use

Read the rest of this entry »

There are many types of drugs, illegal and prescription, which are getting over used and abused. These drugs can take a toll on the person who is abusing them. The drugs change the way the brain works and a person who uses drugs on a regular basis may never be able to completely recover or repair the damage done to the brain. That is why it is important to spread the word about the dangers of drug use and addiction in hopes of preventing teens and adolescents from trying them in the first place.

There are many reasons why people choose to take drugs in the first place and environment and social factors play a key role. People take drugs to escape from reality and feel good because they might have a hard time dealing with life the way it is. Some people may just use drugs to experiment and never use them again, while others enjoy the feeling so much they continue to use them at a dangerous pace.

The chemicals found in many of the drugs that people abuse are like the chemicals that we find in our brains. The receptors in our brains latch onto these chemicals and that is what makes a person feel good. When dopamine is released in the brain it causes the person to feel good and pleasure. However, if the person abuses the drug to release the dopamine, the brain will have a hard time producing the dopamine naturally without the drugs help. This is how the addiction starts and why the person feels like they need to continue taking the drug to feel good.

Read the rest of this entry »

Substance abuse is a treatable, and the appropriate treatment is crucial for drug abusers to reduce their drug use, improve their ability to function and minimize the medical and social complications. The goal for any person in treatment is to attain total recovery from substance abuse.

A one-time treatment will not suffice for a patient to achieve long-term abstinence from abuse or addiction. Various matching interventions, settings and services are used to cater to an individual’s particular problems and needs. Treatments include counseling that helps patients avoid high-risk behavior, psychotherapy, medication; family therapy, parenting instruction, vocational rehabilitation and the assistance of medical, social and legal services.

The duration of the treatments or therapies also varies according to individual needs. Short-term methods that usually last less than 6 months include medication, residential therapy and drug-free, outpatient therapy. Medical detoxification can also be employed.

Longer-term treatments include residential therapeutic community treatment and methadone maintenance, outpatient treatment. Cognitive behavioral relapse prevention and contingency management are forms of behavioral therapies that are also effective means to treat the case.

Read the rest of this entry »