Disruptive behavior disorder is also termed as, behavior disorder. Behavior disorder includes conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and ADHD.
Attention Deficit Disorder:
ADHD is characterized by inattention or hyperactivity, persisting for at least 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and immature.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder:
In oppositional defiant disorder, the child breaks the rules of those in the family and the school. It may occur in children of any age and in adolescents. Sometimes ODD leads to conduct disorder.
Conduct Disorder Behaviors:
In conduct disorder, the rules broken include the regulations and laws made by society. Conduct disorder usually occurs in older children and adolescents. Between one and four percent of young persons seven to seventeen have conduct disorder.
Causes:
Research has identified both biological and environmental causes for disruptive behavior disorders. Youngsters most at risk for oppositional defiant and conduct disorder are those who have low birth weight, neurological damage or ADHD.
Youngsters may also be at risk if they were rejected by their mothers as babies, separated from their parents and not given good foster care, physically or sexually abused, raised in homes with mothers who were abused, or living in poverty.
Manasvi
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
EATING DISORDER
Eating disorder is the disorder characterized by the insufficient or excessive eating to the detriment of an individual’s physical and emotional health, binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa etc. Primarily, thought of as affecting females only but now it has been seen that it affects males as well.
The cause behind eating disorder are complex and not yet understood properly, though it is clear that they are often associated with other conditions and social situations. For example, one study found that girls with ADHD are many times more likely to develop certain eating disorders, and another found that women raised in foster care are many times more likely to develop bulimia nervosa. It is generally thought that peer pressure and idealized body types seen in the media are also a significant factor. It can be due to a combination of biological, psychological or environmental causes.
The cause behind eating disorder are complex and not yet understood properly, though it is clear that they are often associated with other conditions and social situations. For example, one study found that girls with ADHD are many times more likely to develop certain eating disorders, and another found that women raised in foster care are many times more likely to develop bulimia nervosa. It is generally thought that peer pressure and idealized body types seen in the media are also a significant factor. It can be due to a combination of biological, psychological or environmental causes.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Signs of the learning disability
Diagnosis at the early stage about the child's learning disability and timely intervention by parents, teachers or doctors can significantly improve his or her self-esteem, academic achievement, and ability to form and maintain relationships. Adults should know about the warning signs of learning disabilities. The following checklist provides a range of characteristics that could indicate the presence of learning disabilities in a child. Most people will be able to answer "yes" to one or more of them, but this does not necessarily indicate the presence of learning disabilities. However, if a child exhibits several of the following characteristics, it is often a good indication that he or she may have one more learning disabilities.
Reading
Confuse similar letters or numbers, reverse them, or confuse their order
Have poor reading ability or poor comprehension
Often misread information
Have problems with syntax or grammar
Have difficulty reading addresses, small print and/or columns
Writing
Read well but not write well (or vice versa)
Have difficulty writing ideas and/or organizing thoughts on paper
Reverse or omit letters, words or phrases when writing
Have problems with sentence structure, writing mechanics and organization
Frequently spell the same word differently in a single document
Math
Have difficulty with arithmetic, math language, and math concepts
Reverse numbers
Have difficulty with time sequencing, and problem solving
Language
Can explain things orally, but not in writing
Have difficulty telling or understanding jokes or stories
Misinterpret language or have poor comprehension of what is said
Respond in an inappropriate manner, unrelated to what is said, or only respond partially to what is said
Auditory
May not respond to sounds of spoken language, or may consistently misunderstand what is being said
May be bothered by different frequencies of sound (i.e., music, vacuums, loud noises) or may be overly sensitive to sound
May have difficulty in differentiating sounds that occur simultaneously
Cognitive
May acquire new skills slowly
May have difficulty following directions, especially multiple directions
May experience visual spatial confusion (i.e., confuse right and left, up and down, under and over, behind and between)
May get lost in large buildings
May seem unaware of time or sequence of events
Motor
May perform similar tasks differently from day to day
May have trouble dialing phone numbers or holding a pen/pencil
May have poor coordination, be clumsy, unaware of physical surroundings, or have a tendency to hurt his/her self
Memory
May be able to learn information presented in one way, but not in another
May find it difficult to memorize information (i.e., phone numbers, days of the week, or months of the year)
May be unable to repeat what has just been said
Organization
May have difficulty following a schedule or being on time
May have trouble learning about time
May have difficulty organizing belongs
Social
May have difficulty with social skills
May misinterpret non-verbal social cues
May experience social isolation
May not use appropriate eye contact
Attention
May have short attention span or be impulsive
May have difficulty conforming to routines
May be easily distracted
May experience stress on extended mental effort
The above was compiled by LDW from information provided by the American Council on Education, the National Adults Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
Reading
Confuse similar letters or numbers, reverse them, or confuse their order
Have poor reading ability or poor comprehension
Often misread information
Have problems with syntax or grammar
Have difficulty reading addresses, small print and/or columns
Writing
Read well but not write well (or vice versa)
Have difficulty writing ideas and/or organizing thoughts on paper
Reverse or omit letters, words or phrases when writing
Have problems with sentence structure, writing mechanics and organization
Frequently spell the same word differently in a single document
Math
Have difficulty with arithmetic, math language, and math concepts
Reverse numbers
Have difficulty with time sequencing, and problem solving
Language
Can explain things orally, but not in writing
Have difficulty telling or understanding jokes or stories
Misinterpret language or have poor comprehension of what is said
Respond in an inappropriate manner, unrelated to what is said, or only respond partially to what is said
Auditory
May not respond to sounds of spoken language, or may consistently misunderstand what is being said
May be bothered by different frequencies of sound (i.e., music, vacuums, loud noises) or may be overly sensitive to sound
May have difficulty in differentiating sounds that occur simultaneously
Cognitive
May acquire new skills slowly
May have difficulty following directions, especially multiple directions
May experience visual spatial confusion (i.e., confuse right and left, up and down, under and over, behind and between)
May get lost in large buildings
May seem unaware of time or sequence of events
Motor
May perform similar tasks differently from day to day
May have trouble dialing phone numbers or holding a pen/pencil
May have poor coordination, be clumsy, unaware of physical surroundings, or have a tendency to hurt his/her self
Memory
May be able to learn information presented in one way, but not in another
May find it difficult to memorize information (i.e., phone numbers, days of the week, or months of the year)
May be unable to repeat what has just been said
Organization
May have difficulty following a schedule or being on time
May have trouble learning about time
May have difficulty organizing belongs
Social
May have difficulty with social skills
May misinterpret non-verbal social cues
May experience social isolation
May not use appropriate eye contact
Attention
May have short attention span or be impulsive
May have difficulty conforming to routines
May be easily distracted
May experience stress on extended mental effort
The above was compiled by LDW from information provided by the American Council on Education, the National Adults Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Drug abuse and addiction
Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. What Your browser may not support display of this image. people often underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction—that it is a disease that impacts the brain and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower. Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives.
Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person's self control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs.
It is because of these changes in the brain that it is so challenging for a person who is addicted to stop abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to counteract addiction's powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patient's drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse.
Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And, as with other chronic diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal failure—rather, it indicates that treatment should be reinstated, adjusted, or that alternate treatment is needed to help the individual regain control and recover.
Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person's self control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs.
It is because of these changes in the brain that it is so challenging for a person who is addicted to stop abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to counteract addiction's powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patient's drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse.
Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And, as with other chronic diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal failure—rather, it indicates that treatment should be reinstated, adjusted, or that alternate treatment is needed to help the individual regain control and recover.
Stress Management Tips
Stress is a factor in all of our lives. Stress is simply the way we react physically, mentally, and emotionally to various conditions, changes, and demands in our lives. A certain amount of stress in one's life is good. Stress keeps us engaged, focus, and moving forward. However, too much stress can be very bad. Too much stress will detract from productivity and happiness.
Here are nine tips to help you manage your stress.
The Nine Stress Management Tips:-
1. Know what stresses you most. Not your co-worker, friend, husband, or wife. YOU!! Get your feelings out. Write them out and describe each situation. Share all bad feelings with a friend or in a journal. Before you can conquer your stresses you must know what is stressing you.
2. Say no. Focus on you own goals, not your spouse's or parents'. You must know yourself, your dreams, and your passions. If asked to chair another group or take on another responsibility, look at your mission statement or goals for the day. If it is does not fit it there say thank you but I just cannot. Saying no is one of the hardest things in life, but will help make you a success in your chosen field.
3. Learn to relax. Work hard but know when to take time off to be with the family, go to the beach, or read a book. Work all day if you must but when you get home play in the snow, watch cartoons, or tell your child a story. This allows stress tension to go away and helps you calm the heart's pace and digest food normally, and protect your immune system. Learn to meditate and take deep breaths to calm down.
4. Eat healthy. Eat less junk food and more fruit and vegetables for an amazing overall lowering of stress levels. We can actually lower the amount of the bad stress hormone, Cortisol, by taking vitamins. Take those vitamin pills daily.
5. Keep laughing. Keep a sense of humour. Studies show a good attitude helps lower cancer rates, makes surgery more effective, and keeps a relationship together through hard times.
6. Ask yourself WHY. Why are you doing this? Write down your wants, needs, goals, hopes, and dreams. Does what you are doing now help you get fulfill any of these things? What is your motivation? The more you understand why you doing what you are doing the less stress you will have. If you cannot come up with a good reason, then stop doing it.
7. Stay active. Exercise is a great way to relive tension and gives you a great break from exams. A healthy body makes a happy body. Even a three minute jog is helpful at taking your mind off your pressures. You'll come back with an acute focus and renewed energy.
8. Follow your bliss. Try to know which subjects and type of people you enjoy. Structure your life around activities that you love. Joseph Campbell, a wise philosopher, advises you to follow your bliss. The more you do in life that goes with your own flow, the more passion you'll have for what you do.
9. Organize and Prioritize. Do the worst and hardest tasks first. Keep a to-do list and calendar with you at all times. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Follow these nine steps and you'll be well on your way to getting rid of that stress bug, recapturing your peace and sanctity, and performing better as a business person, entrepreneur, or workers.
Here are nine tips to help you manage your stress.
The Nine Stress Management Tips:-
1. Know what stresses you most. Not your co-worker, friend, husband, or wife. YOU!! Get your feelings out. Write them out and describe each situation. Share all bad feelings with a friend or in a journal. Before you can conquer your stresses you must know what is stressing you.
2. Say no. Focus on you own goals, not your spouse's or parents'. You must know yourself, your dreams, and your passions. If asked to chair another group or take on another responsibility, look at your mission statement or goals for the day. If it is does not fit it there say thank you but I just cannot. Saying no is one of the hardest things in life, but will help make you a success in your chosen field.
3. Learn to relax. Work hard but know when to take time off to be with the family, go to the beach, or read a book. Work all day if you must but when you get home play in the snow, watch cartoons, or tell your child a story. This allows stress tension to go away and helps you calm the heart's pace and digest food normally, and protect your immune system. Learn to meditate and take deep breaths to calm down.
4. Eat healthy. Eat less junk food and more fruit and vegetables for an amazing overall lowering of stress levels. We can actually lower the amount of the bad stress hormone, Cortisol, by taking vitamins. Take those vitamin pills daily.
5. Keep laughing. Keep a sense of humour. Studies show a good attitude helps lower cancer rates, makes surgery more effective, and keeps a relationship together through hard times.
6. Ask yourself WHY. Why are you doing this? Write down your wants, needs, goals, hopes, and dreams. Does what you are doing now help you get fulfill any of these things? What is your motivation? The more you understand why you doing what you are doing the less stress you will have. If you cannot come up with a good reason, then stop doing it.
7. Stay active. Exercise is a great way to relive tension and gives you a great break from exams. A healthy body makes a happy body. Even a three minute jog is helpful at taking your mind off your pressures. You'll come back with an acute focus and renewed energy.
8. Follow your bliss. Try to know which subjects and type of people you enjoy. Structure your life around activities that you love. Joseph Campbell, a wise philosopher, advises you to follow your bliss. The more you do in life that goes with your own flow, the more passion you'll have for what you do.
9. Organize and Prioritize. Do the worst and hardest tasks first. Keep a to-do list and calendar with you at all times. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Follow these nine steps and you'll be well on your way to getting rid of that stress bug, recapturing your peace and sanctity, and performing better as a business person, entrepreneur, or workers.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Street children and substance abuse
Today children living and working on the streets are vulnerable to violence, exploitation and substance (inhalants) abuse. These children are coming under the influence of the substances like whitener which is named solution in the streets. Poverty, unemployment, family breakdown, child abuse and neglect are the main factors that cause minors to roam the streets. To cope with their above mentioned problems, some street children resort to substance abuse. Studies carried out indicate that inhalants top the list of drugs consumed. Children chew, swallow or sniff inhalants (whitener and other substances) to deal with the hunger, pain and violence they are exposed to on the streets. Inhalants (whitener) are preferred because they are cheap, their effect is long-lasting and its withdrawal symptoms are mild. Whitener is usually consumed in groups. Many youngsters also consume tobacco, cannabis and over-the-counter drugs. They are generally unaware of or indifferent to the numerous risks connected to substance abuse.
A substance in order to achieve alterations in psychological functioning has been termed as substance use. WHO estimates that globally, 25% to 90% of street children indulge in substance use? According to UNICEF, there are more than 5, 00,000 street children in India who live and work in inhuman conditions and are at high risk of substance use.
Using a substance can have many different consequences. Some of the consequences are insignificant and some are extremely serious. These substances have effects on the body of the user as well as consequences on the life of the user and the whole community. The consequences can be physical like accidents convulsions and coma, malnutrition damage to body parts eg. liver, lungs, nerves etc .cancer Death Psychological restriction of interests and lifestyle depression memory and concentration problems delirium (confusion and hallucinations) Psychosis (fixed false ideas; hallucinations; grossly abnormal behavior Social rejection by peers, family, employers exploitation and violence (including murder) by drug syndicate Inability to work and loss of income legal problems due to: Behavior under the influence of substances Crimes committed to obtain substances.
Abusing substances among the children had emerged as a big problem all over the world; this problem needs to be looked into, so that children can be stay away from this problem.
A substance in order to achieve alterations in psychological functioning has been termed as substance use. WHO estimates that globally, 25% to 90% of street children indulge in substance use? According to UNICEF, there are more than 5, 00,000 street children in India who live and work in inhuman conditions and are at high risk of substance use.
Using a substance can have many different consequences. Some of the consequences are insignificant and some are extremely serious. These substances have effects on the body of the user as well as consequences on the life of the user and the whole community. The consequences can be physical like accidents convulsions and coma, malnutrition damage to body parts eg. liver, lungs, nerves etc .cancer Death Psychological restriction of interests and lifestyle depression memory and concentration problems delirium (confusion and hallucinations) Psychosis (fixed false ideas; hallucinations; grossly abnormal behavior Social rejection by peers, family, employers exploitation and violence (including murder) by drug syndicate Inability to work and loss of income legal problems due to: Behavior under the influence of substances Crimes committed to obtain substances.
Abusing substances among the children had emerged as a big problem all over the world; this problem needs to be looked into, so that children can be stay away from this problem.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Codependence and Addiction
Codependency – This is a relationship addiction in which a person living with or caring for a person with a substance abuse problem hinders their recovery by enabling or allowing that person to carry on with their addiction. People who are codependent often suffer from a low self-esteem and feel victimized. They are characterized as living through or for another person. Many substance abuse treatment centers also offer treatment for codependency. See Abuse & PTSD
Mood Disorders Predict Later Substance Abuse Problems
"Mania symptoms and bipolar disorder II more likely to lead to substance abuse than depression"
People with manic symptoms and bipolar disorder type II are at significant risk of later developing an alcohol abuse or dependence problem, a long-term study conducted in Switzerland confirms. The study was published in the January 2008 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Extensive research using retrospective reports has demonstrated a clear association between mood disorders and substance abuse. But few prospective long-term studies have been able to show evidence of this.
Kathleen Merikangas, Ph.D., of the NIMH Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, collaborated with colleagues to follow 591 people (292 men and 299 women) over two decades, beginning in 1978 when the participants were 19 or 20 years old. The participants were interviewed six times between 1979 and 1999.
By 1993, almost 10 percent met criteria for major depression. Although bipolar disorder type I was very rare, 4 percent met criteria for bipolar disorder II—a milder form of the disorder. In addition, 24 percent had symptoms of mania but did not meet specific criteria for bipolar disorder.
By 1999, when participants were about 40 years old, 18 percent met criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence problems, while 8 percent met criteria for cannabis (marijuana) abuse and 3 percent met criteria for benzodiazepine abuse.
Merikangas and colleagues found that people who showed symptoms of mania, but who did not meet criteria for bipolar disorder, were at significantly greater risk for later developing an alcohol abuse or dependence problem. Those with bipolar disorder II were even more at risk of developing an alcohol problem or benzodiazepine abuse problem. Major depression was associated only with developing a benzodiazepine abuse problem among this population.
“The findings confirm the link between mood disorders and substance abuse or dependence problems,” said Dr. Merikangas. “They also suggest that earlier detection of bipolar symptoms could help to prevent consequent substance abuse problems.”
The study was known as the Zurich Cohort Study.
Reference
Merikangas, KR, Herrell R, Swendsen J, Rossler W, Ajdacic-Gross V, Angst J. Specificity of bipolar spectrum conditions in the comorbidity of mood and substance abuse disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2008;65(1): 47-52.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/mood-disorders-predict-later-substance-abuse-problems.shtml
People with manic symptoms and bipolar disorder type II are at significant risk of later developing an alcohol abuse or dependence problem, a long-term study conducted in Switzerland confirms. The study was published in the January 2008 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Extensive research using retrospective reports has demonstrated a clear association between mood disorders and substance abuse. But few prospective long-term studies have been able to show evidence of this.
Kathleen Merikangas, Ph.D., of the NIMH Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, collaborated with colleagues to follow 591 people (292 men and 299 women) over two decades, beginning in 1978 when the participants were 19 or 20 years old. The participants were interviewed six times between 1979 and 1999.
By 1993, almost 10 percent met criteria for major depression. Although bipolar disorder type I was very rare, 4 percent met criteria for bipolar disorder II—a milder form of the disorder. In addition, 24 percent had symptoms of mania but did not meet specific criteria for bipolar disorder.
By 1999, when participants were about 40 years old, 18 percent met criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence problems, while 8 percent met criteria for cannabis (marijuana) abuse and 3 percent met criteria for benzodiazepine abuse.
Merikangas and colleagues found that people who showed symptoms of mania, but who did not meet criteria for bipolar disorder, were at significantly greater risk for later developing an alcohol abuse or dependence problem. Those with bipolar disorder II were even more at risk of developing an alcohol problem or benzodiazepine abuse problem. Major depression was associated only with developing a benzodiazepine abuse problem among this population.
“The findings confirm the link between mood disorders and substance abuse or dependence problems,” said Dr. Merikangas. “They also suggest that earlier detection of bipolar symptoms could help to prevent consequent substance abuse problems.”
The study was known as the Zurich Cohort Study.
Reference
Merikangas, KR, Herrell R, Swendsen J, Rossler W, Ajdacic-Gross V, Angst J. Specificity of bipolar spectrum conditions in the comorbidity of mood and substance abuse disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2008;65(1): 47-52.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/mood-disorders-predict-later-substance-abuse-problems.shtml
ALCOHOL & DRUG ADDICTION Psychotherapy and Counseling in the Treatment of Drug Abuse
What is remarkable is that some form of drug abuse counseling or psychotherapy is almost invariably a part of every type of comprehensive drug abuse treatment. Individual therapy orcounseling is available in about 99 percent of the drug-free, methadone maintenance, and multiple-modality drug abuse treatment units in this country (National Drug and Alcoholism Treatment Unit Survey 1982). It is also available in approximately 97 percent of the detoxification units.
Despite the fact that drug abuse counseling and psychotherapy are nearly universal in drug abuse treatment, surprisingly little is known about these forms of treatment. Much more research has focused on pharmacological treatments for drug abuse than on nonpharmacological, even though nonpharmacological interventions are almost always utilized and are sometimes the only form of treatment offered to the drug abuser.
Counseling and Addiction: How Therapy Can Help
Kicking the prescription drug abuse habit is a major accomplishment. But for most people with opioid addiction, detox is only the beginning of a long-term battle against craving and relapse.
Counseling is an essential part of drug abuse treatment for many people. Cognitive behavioral therapy, family counseling, and other therapy approaches can help people recovering from opioidaddiction stay clean. Psychotherapy can also treat the other mental health conditions that often contribute to prescription drug abuse.
Why Counseling Is Important
Opioid addiction is more than a physical dependence on drugs. Even after detox, when physical dependence is cured, addicts are at high risk for relapse. Psychological and social factors are often powerful stimuli for prescription drug abuse relapse:
* Stress, especially sudden life stresses
* Cues in the environment, like visiting a neighborhood
* Social networks, like spending time with friends who continue to use drugs
These factors can create ongoing, nearly irresistible urges to use drugs. Prescription drug abuse counseling helps addicts escape craving and learn to cope with life, without using drugs.
Several counseling therapies are available for prescription drug abuse, and no method is known to be the best. Likewise, no one approach is appropriate for everyone with opiate addiction. The right drug abuse treatment plan is tailored to a person's addiction and his or her individual needs.
Individual vs. Group Therapy
While any counseling therapy for drug abuse treatment is better than none, group therapy is generally preferred over individual therapy. In group therapy, a person is more likely to be both challenged and supported by peers who are also going through drug rehab.
Twelve-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous are the most well-known group therapy organizations.
Individual therapy can be helpful in the case of a dual diagnosis: coexisting depression, bipolar disorder, or other significant mental health condition that requires treatment in its own right, separate from the opioid addiction.
Outpatient vs. Residential Treatment
Residential therapy allows the addicted person to temporarily escape the environment that allowed him to use drugs. A person goes away to a specialized facility for a period of weeks to months. While highly effective in the short term, there is debate as to whether residential programs lead to longer abstinence from prescription drug abuse than outpatient programs. Residential drug abuse treatment programs are expensive, usually costing tens of thousands of dollars.
Outpatient treatment programs are the usual setting for ongoing prescription drug abuse treatment. The largest and most well-known outpatient therapy organization, Narcotics Anonymous (NA), is a 12-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. More than 43,000 NA group meetings take place every week worldwide.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches a person how to recognize moods, thoughts, and situations that cause drug craving. A therapist helps the person avoid these triggers, and replace negative thoughts and feelings with ones that are healthier.
The skills learned in cognitive behavioral therapy can last a lifetime, making it a potentially powerful method of drug abuse treatment. However, not all therapists are trained in cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, which can be complex.
Contingency Management Therapy
In contingency management therapy, a person in drug abuse treatment receives positive incentives for staying clean. Vouchers for goods and services, or privileges in a more rigid treatment setting are common incentives. Contingency management therapy is effective in drug rehab studies. But skeptics point out its high costs, and that when incentives stop, its positive effects decline.
Motivational Interviewing
Traditional therapies for drug abuse treatment involved confrontation. Addicts are masters of denial, the thinking went, and therapy should break down walls to force them to accept the reality of their addiction.
While confrontation may still have a role, many therapists instead promote motivational interviewing, a newer counseling method. In motivational interviewing, a therapist seeks to understand and enhance an addicted person's natural motivation for change. For example, if the person reveals he is motivated by love of his family, or returning to work, these may become the focus of therapy.
Couples and Family Therapy
Prescription drug abuse and opioid addiction don't only affect the user's life; the whole family is transformed. Strong relationships with family and friends are essential for successful drug abuse treatment. Various counseling methods include the spouse and other family members of the addicted person.
There are several potential benefits of family or couples therapy:
* Family members can act as a powerful force for change in the addicted person's life.
* Including family members can increase the likelihood a person will stay in therapy.
* Each family member can begin to heal the damage their loved one's addiction has caused in their own life.
Studies show family therapy results in lower relapse rates, increased happiness in the family, and better functioning in children of addicted parents.
Maintenance Therapy
Most experts today consider opioid addiction to be a chronic, relapsing illness. Just like other chronic illnesses such as diabetes or high blood pressure, opioid addiction treatment in some form must be lifelong.
Many people with opioid addiction will continue to take maintenance therapy in the form of methadone or Suboxone (buprenorphine/ naloxone), sometimes for decades. By the same token, experts say, they should also continue some form of counseling.
This idea runs counter to traditional views of drug rehab, in which a person was considered "cured" after a relatively short period in treatment. However, evidence is mounting that lifelong treatment with counseling, maintenance therapy, or often both, should be standard drug abuse treatment for most people with relapsing opioid addiction.
Rapid Detox in Drug and Alcohol Detoxification
There have been substantial advances when it comes to understanding the biochemical and genetic basis for substance abuse and addiction over the past ten years. In spite of this knowledge very little information is disseminated in regards to alternative forms of detox treatment. One form of alternative treatment is rapid detox and is a viable alternative for certain patients. Rapid detoxification and rapid opiate detox can be beneficial if you are suffering from an addiction to heroin, prescription painkillers, Oxycontin, Methadone, Suboxone, Vicodin, Darvocet, Percocet, Hydrocodone or any other opioid.
Traditional treatment entails a detoxification period that is often debilitating and has horrendous withdrawal symptoms that are both painful and often dangerous for the patient. Not only is there intense physical pain there is often psychological cravings for months beyond treatment. Statistics show that with regular detox methods within a year 85 to 90 percent of all patients have suffered a relapse and are using again.
The most visible and widely talked about rapid detox method is the Waismann Method. The Waismann Method also known as Neuro-Regulation is performed in a hospital intensive care unit. It involves cleansing the opiate receptors in the patient’s brain of the narcotics while the patient is under anesthesia. During the procedure, the patient will experience no conscious withdrawal, and will be able to return home within days. Over 65 percent of the patients who are treated with the Waismann Method remain drug free after one year.
In April 2000, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) released a public policy statement on rapid and ultra rapid opioid detoxification. Based on their policy and further studies, ASAM updated April 2005, to include their policy recommendations which are listed below and should be considered when considering detox.
Policy Recommendations
1. Opioid detoxification alone is not a treatment of opioid addiction. ASAM does not support the initiation of acute opioid detoxification interventions unless they are part of an integrated continuum of services that promote ongoing recovery from addiction.
2. Ultra-Rapid Opioid Detoxification (UROD) is a procedure with uncertain risks and benefits, and its use in clinical settings is not supportable until a clearly positive risk-benefit relationship can be demonstrated. Further research on UROD should be conducted.
3. Although there is medical literature describing various techniques of Rapid Opioid Detoxification (ROD), further research into the physiology and consequences of ROD should be supported so that patients may be directed to the most effective treatment methods and practices.
4. Prior to participation in any particular modality of opioid detoxification, a patient should be provided with sufficient information by which to provide informed consent, including information about the risks of termination of a treatment plan of prescribed agonist medications such as methadone, buprenorphine, as well as the need to comply with medical monitoring of their clinical status for a defined period of time following the procedure to ensure a safe outcome. Patients should also be informed of the risks, benefits and costs of alternative methods of treatment available.
In rebuttal to ASAM’s policy Clifford Bernstein, M.D., medical director of AAMOD, the leading practitioners of the Waismann Method treatment for opiate dependency, stated that the study offered misleading results and failed to recognize those who have had success with rapid detox. He states that anesthesia-based detox is a humane and effective medical treatment that allows patients to avoid most of the unnecessary withdrawal symptoms. Furthermore, he points out that the study misleads the reader into believing that anesthesia-based detox is not a successful method for opiate treatment by stating that 80% of participants dropped out of follow-up treatment. This statistic does not say anything about the success of the detox treatment or whether or not patients were able to stay off of the drugs. Since the opiates have been blocked from their brains and they no longer feel cravings following the anesthesia-based detox, many of these patients do not need an aftercare program. He stated that the study did not accurately represent the procedure, the merits of the doctors performing it nor the benefits of this treatment. He states that the procedure is safe, however one should use the same precautions as any other procedure under anesthesia as well as verify the qualifications of the doctor performing and to be sure to do it at an hospital with appropriate emergency resources if they are necessary.
Rapid detox is a relatively painless way for people suffering from addiction to opiates. While rapid detoxification can be effective, it is should be undertaken only after discussing the pro’s and con’s as well as follow- up treatment.
http://www.addictionsearch.com/treatment_articles/article/drug-and-alcohol-detoxification_9.html
Despite the fact that drug abuse counseling and psychotherapy are nearly universal in drug abuse treatment, surprisingly little is known about these forms of treatment. Much more research has focused on pharmacological treatments for drug abuse than on nonpharmacological, even though nonpharmacological interventions are almost always utilized and are sometimes the only form of treatment offered to the drug abuser.
Counseling and Addiction: How Therapy Can Help
Kicking the prescription drug abuse habit is a major accomplishment. But for most people with opioid addiction, detox is only the beginning of a long-term battle against craving and relapse.
Counseling is an essential part of drug abuse treatment for many people. Cognitive behavioral therapy, family counseling, and other therapy approaches can help people recovering from opioidaddiction stay clean. Psychotherapy can also treat the other mental health conditions that often contribute to prescription drug abuse.
Why Counseling Is Important
Opioid addiction is more than a physical dependence on drugs. Even after detox, when physical dependence is cured, addicts are at high risk for relapse. Psychological and social factors are often powerful stimuli for prescription drug abuse relapse:
* Stress, especially sudden life stresses
* Cues in the environment, like visiting a neighborhood
* Social networks, like spending time with friends who continue to use drugs
These factors can create ongoing, nearly irresistible urges to use drugs. Prescription drug abuse counseling helps addicts escape craving and learn to cope with life, without using drugs.
Several counseling therapies are available for prescription drug abuse, and no method is known to be the best. Likewise, no one approach is appropriate for everyone with opiate addiction. The right drug abuse treatment plan is tailored to a person's addiction and his or her individual needs.
Individual vs. Group Therapy
While any counseling therapy for drug abuse treatment is better than none, group therapy is generally preferred over individual therapy. In group therapy, a person is more likely to be both challenged and supported by peers who are also going through drug rehab.
Twelve-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous are the most well-known group therapy organizations.
Individual therapy can be helpful in the case of a dual diagnosis: coexisting depression, bipolar disorder, or other significant mental health condition that requires treatment in its own right, separate from the opioid addiction.
Outpatient vs. Residential Treatment
Residential therapy allows the addicted person to temporarily escape the environment that allowed him to use drugs. A person goes away to a specialized facility for a period of weeks to months. While highly effective in the short term, there is debate as to whether residential programs lead to longer abstinence from prescription drug abuse than outpatient programs. Residential drug abuse treatment programs are expensive, usually costing tens of thousands of dollars.
Outpatient treatment programs are the usual setting for ongoing prescription drug abuse treatment. The largest and most well-known outpatient therapy organization, Narcotics Anonymous (NA), is a 12-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. More than 43,000 NA group meetings take place every week worldwide.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches a person how to recognize moods, thoughts, and situations that cause drug craving. A therapist helps the person avoid these triggers, and replace negative thoughts and feelings with ones that are healthier.
The skills learned in cognitive behavioral therapy can last a lifetime, making it a potentially powerful method of drug abuse treatment. However, not all therapists are trained in cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, which can be complex.
Contingency Management Therapy
In contingency management therapy, a person in drug abuse treatment receives positive incentives for staying clean. Vouchers for goods and services, or privileges in a more rigid treatment setting are common incentives. Contingency management therapy is effective in drug rehab studies. But skeptics point out its high costs, and that when incentives stop, its positive effects decline.
Motivational Interviewing
Traditional therapies for drug abuse treatment involved confrontation. Addicts are masters of denial, the thinking went, and therapy should break down walls to force them to accept the reality of their addiction.
While confrontation may still have a role, many therapists instead promote motivational interviewing, a newer counseling method. In motivational interviewing, a therapist seeks to understand and enhance an addicted person's natural motivation for change. For example, if the person reveals he is motivated by love of his family, or returning to work, these may become the focus of therapy.
Couples and Family Therapy
Prescription drug abuse and opioid addiction don't only affect the user's life; the whole family is transformed. Strong relationships with family and friends are essential for successful drug abuse treatment. Various counseling methods include the spouse and other family members of the addicted person.
There are several potential benefits of family or couples therapy:
* Family members can act as a powerful force for change in the addicted person's life.
* Including family members can increase the likelihood a person will stay in therapy.
* Each family member can begin to heal the damage their loved one's addiction has caused in their own life.
Studies show family therapy results in lower relapse rates, increased happiness in the family, and better functioning in children of addicted parents.
Maintenance Therapy
Most experts today consider opioid addiction to be a chronic, relapsing illness. Just like other chronic illnesses such as diabetes or high blood pressure, opioid addiction treatment in some form must be lifelong.
Many people with opioid addiction will continue to take maintenance therapy in the form of methadone or Suboxone (buprenorphine/ naloxone), sometimes for decades. By the same token, experts say, they should also continue some form of counseling.
This idea runs counter to traditional views of drug rehab, in which a person was considered "cured" after a relatively short period in treatment. However, evidence is mounting that lifelong treatment with counseling, maintenance therapy, or often both, should be standard drug abuse treatment for most people with relapsing opioid addiction.
Rapid Detox in Drug and Alcohol Detoxification
There have been substantial advances when it comes to understanding the biochemical and genetic basis for substance abuse and addiction over the past ten years. In spite of this knowledge very little information is disseminated in regards to alternative forms of detox treatment. One form of alternative treatment is rapid detox and is a viable alternative for certain patients. Rapid detoxification and rapid opiate detox can be beneficial if you are suffering from an addiction to heroin, prescription painkillers, Oxycontin, Methadone, Suboxone, Vicodin, Darvocet, Percocet, Hydrocodone or any other opioid.
Traditional treatment entails a detoxification period that is often debilitating and has horrendous withdrawal symptoms that are both painful and often dangerous for the patient. Not only is there intense physical pain there is often psychological cravings for months beyond treatment. Statistics show that with regular detox methods within a year 85 to 90 percent of all patients have suffered a relapse and are using again.
The most visible and widely talked about rapid detox method is the Waismann Method. The Waismann Method also known as Neuro-Regulation is performed in a hospital intensive care unit. It involves cleansing the opiate receptors in the patient’s brain of the narcotics while the patient is under anesthesia. During the procedure, the patient will experience no conscious withdrawal, and will be able to return home within days. Over 65 percent of the patients who are treated with the Waismann Method remain drug free after one year.
In April 2000, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) released a public policy statement on rapid and ultra rapid opioid detoxification. Based on their policy and further studies, ASAM updated April 2005, to include their policy recommendations which are listed below and should be considered when considering detox.
Policy Recommendations
1. Opioid detoxification alone is not a treatment of opioid addiction. ASAM does not support the initiation of acute opioid detoxification interventions unless they are part of an integrated continuum of services that promote ongoing recovery from addiction.
2. Ultra-Rapid Opioid Detoxification (UROD) is a procedure with uncertain risks and benefits, and its use in clinical settings is not supportable until a clearly positive risk-benefit relationship can be demonstrated. Further research on UROD should be conducted.
3. Although there is medical literature describing various techniques of Rapid Opioid Detoxification (ROD), further research into the physiology and consequences of ROD should be supported so that patients may be directed to the most effective treatment methods and practices.
4. Prior to participation in any particular modality of opioid detoxification, a patient should be provided with sufficient information by which to provide informed consent, including information about the risks of termination of a treatment plan of prescribed agonist medications such as methadone, buprenorphine, as well as the need to comply with medical monitoring of their clinical status for a defined period of time following the procedure to ensure a safe outcome. Patients should also be informed of the risks, benefits and costs of alternative methods of treatment available.
In rebuttal to ASAM’s policy Clifford Bernstein, M.D., medical director of AAMOD, the leading practitioners of the Waismann Method treatment for opiate dependency, stated that the study offered misleading results and failed to recognize those who have had success with rapid detox. He states that anesthesia-based detox is a humane and effective medical treatment that allows patients to avoid most of the unnecessary withdrawal symptoms. Furthermore, he points out that the study misleads the reader into believing that anesthesia-based detox is not a successful method for opiate treatment by stating that 80% of participants dropped out of follow-up treatment. This statistic does not say anything about the success of the detox treatment or whether or not patients were able to stay off of the drugs. Since the opiates have been blocked from their brains and they no longer feel cravings following the anesthesia-based detox, many of these patients do not need an aftercare program. He stated that the study did not accurately represent the procedure, the merits of the doctors performing it nor the benefits of this treatment. He states that the procedure is safe, however one should use the same precautions as any other procedure under anesthesia as well as verify the qualifications of the doctor performing and to be sure to do it at an hospital with appropriate emergency resources if they are necessary.
Rapid detox is a relatively painless way for people suffering from addiction to opiates. While rapid detoxification can be effective, it is should be undertaken only after discussing the pro’s and con’s as well as follow- up treatment.
http://www.addictionsearch.com/treatment_articles/article/drug-and-alcohol-detoxification_9.html
TEENAGE SUBSTANCE ABUSE
The youth are natural risk-takers. They need to experiment and to examine limits –others' and their own. It's assumed that they can manage their own lives and take their own decisions. However, because of their limited experience, their judgement can at times be faulty.
Teenage drug use is a serious social issue and can directly impact academic achievement. Some symptoms include high-school dropout, early sexual initiation, and troubled interpersonal relationships, amongst other consequences.
Some factors leading to it are:-
• Absence of close family ties
• Family conflict and dysfunctional state
• Violent behaviour at school, college or in their community
• Peer pressure
• Learning problems and academic difficulties
• Poor social coping skills
• Having friends who smoke or associate with drug circuits
• Curiosity
• Weight loss too
• False hope
• Substitute to love
• Abuse ,neglect or other traumatic experiences in childhood
Myths about drug abuse:-
• Relieves stress, tension, or depression
• Enhance work, play performance
• Relieves pain or symptoms of illness
• Enhances social experiences
• A "magic bullet" for all problems
Prevention is the cure
Results from NIDA-funded research have shown that prevention programs that involve the family, schools, communities, and the media are effective in reducing drug abuse.
• Parental awareness
• Collaborating with media
• Providing scientific information about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use
• Discuss risk behaviours associated with driving and sexual behaviours under the influence of drugs
• Confidential and non-judgemental –when and where and under what circumstances drugs are used
• Majority of students who do not indulge should be glorified
• Motivation not to use is an important prevention technique.
By:-
Devika Rana
Senior psychologist ( ksh-usa)
Teenage drug use is a serious social issue and can directly impact academic achievement. Some symptoms include high-school dropout, early sexual initiation, and troubled interpersonal relationships, amongst other consequences.
Some factors leading to it are:-
• Absence of close family ties
• Family conflict and dysfunctional state
• Violent behaviour at school, college or in their community
• Peer pressure
• Learning problems and academic difficulties
• Poor social coping skills
• Having friends who smoke or associate with drug circuits
• Curiosity
• Weight loss too
• False hope
• Substitute to love
• Abuse ,neglect or other traumatic experiences in childhood
Myths about drug abuse:-
• Relieves stress, tension, or depression
• Enhance work, play performance
• Relieves pain or symptoms of illness
• Enhances social experiences
• A "magic bullet" for all problems
Prevention is the cure
Results from NIDA-funded research have shown that prevention programs that involve the family, schools, communities, and the media are effective in reducing drug abuse.
• Parental awareness
• Collaborating with media
• Providing scientific information about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use
• Discuss risk behaviours associated with driving and sexual behaviours under the influence of drugs
• Confidential and non-judgemental –when and where and under what circumstances drugs are used
• Majority of students who do not indulge should be glorified
• Motivation not to use is an important prevention technique.
By:-
Devika Rana
Senior psychologist ( ksh-usa)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Autism
Autism is a disorder qualified by impaired social interaction and communicating, and by restricted and repetitious behavior. These signs all begin before a kid is three years old. Autism has a potent genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are composite and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by uncommon mutations, or by rare combinations of common genetic variants. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. Controversies surround other proposed environmental causes, such as heavy metals, pesticides or childhood vaccines; the vaccine hypotheses are biologically implausible and lack convincing scientific evidence. The prevalence of autism is about 1–2 per 1,000 people; the prevalence of ASD is about 6 per 1,000, with about four times as many males as females. The number of people diagnosed with autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved.
Parents often signs in the first two years of life for their children. The signs often occur gradually, but some autistic children come first most often and then back. Although early intervention or cognitive behavior can help autistic children to gain self-care, social, and communication skills, there is no known cure. Not many children with autism live independently after reaching adulthood, but some are successful. An autistic culture has developed, with some people in search of a cure for autism and other believers should be tolerated as the difference and not treated as a disorder.
By:-
Manasvi
Parents often signs in the first two years of life for their children. The signs often occur gradually, but some autistic children come first most often and then back. Although early intervention or cognitive behavior can help autistic children to gain self-care, social, and communication skills, there is no known cure. Not many children with autism live independently after reaching adulthood, but some are successful. An autistic culture has developed, with some people in search of a cure for autism and other believers should be tolerated as the difference and not treated as a disorder.
By:-
Manasvi
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