Effects of Drugs on Mental Health

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Effects of Drugs on Mental Health

Baroni, A., & Castellanos, F. X. Stimulants, cognition and ADHD. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 4, 109-114; 2015.

This paper closely examines use of stimulant as drugs and mental health. Stimulants are often classified as substances usually drugs that affect the normal functioning of the body. Stimulant drugs catalyze the neuron messaging that speed up the reaction between the body and the brain. Amphetamines are mostly legal stimulant drugs prescribed by doctors in order to treat conditions such as the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD and the sleep disorder narcolepsy. Often people with various mental health issues may turn to use of stimulants as a way of masking their feelings or what they are going through. When taken in combination of alcohol stimulant used can be dangerous. They cannot be allowed to be used by persons with depression, mental problem or even preexisting heart conditions.

This paper will be a good reference point especially in examining drug abuse and treatment of mental health. Most people tend to abuse certai drugs such as alcohol and stimulants including cocaine and amphetamines because when a person is high then they tend to forget what they are really going through. Alcohol has often been associated with progress in mental health issues because before one decides to stop taking, they may have become too addicted

Moore, Thomas J., and Donald R. Mattison. “Adult utilization of psychiatric drugs and differences by sex, age, and race.” JAMA Internal Medicine 177.2 (2017): 274-275.

Adults may be the most affected group when it comes to mental health. This paper will be extremely important in looking at how adults cope with mental health especially the use of psychiatric drugs. Aside from other non-medicated means of dealing with mental issues including visits to a therapist, medication has often been proved to be key in helping people deal with the mental issues that they have. The article goes into depth on the drugs often used by American adults for their various mental health problem as well as the duration that they take these drugs. 1 out of 6 adults in America are on drugs to treat mental health problem and for most of them it is a long-term medication most having taken for more than three years.

This paper will be useful in looking at the extent of the use of anti-depressants. Some drugs such as benzodiazepines have warning labels on them including tolerance, drug dependence, withdrawal, as well as rebound symptoms. Drugs such as zolpidem tartrate which are recommended for short term use are also being used for long term use. This paper will be vital at looking at the fact if the people who use this drugs especially for long-term use are able to understand the risks associated with the use of the drug.

Moncrieff, Joanna. The bitterest pills: The troubling story of antipsychotic drugs. Springer, 2013.

This book explores the use of antipsychotic drugs including its origin. The first drug that was describes as antipsychotic drug was chlorpromazine known by brand names such as largactil in UK and Thorazine in USA. The ant-psychotic drugs were used in psychiatry and were deemed successful in the treatment of psychosis as well as schizophrenia. Most drugs currently labelled as antipsychotic are no longer just used in the treatment of psychosis and schizophrenia as people with depression, anxiety and bipolar are now being given these drugs. People who have used these drugs have pointed out they are not the best with words such as “living hell”, “sheer torture” and “drug poison” describing how they feel taking the drugs.

This paper will serve as key referencing point in explain how antipsychotic drugs have unpleasant effect to users suffering from various mental health. So many doctors seem to describe anti-psychotic drugs nowadays but the patients do not seem really to understand the effects especially if the drugs are taken for a long time. Certain mental issues are different from illnesses for example treating of schizophrenia needs not to be the same as the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This paper will also serve as a key reference in writing my introduction on development of various drugs in treatment of mental health issues.

Nesvåg, Ragnar, Jørgen G. Bramness, and Eivind Ystrom. “The link between use of psychedelic drugs and mental health problems.” Journal of Psychopharmacology 29.9 (2015): 1035-1040.

The paper evaluates the use of psychedelics including lysergic acid and diethylamide, mescaline and psilocybin in relation to mental health. The research included adults who were part of National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The paper distinguished individuals who had used the psychedelic drugs from those who had not and they were also asked about their history of mental health disorders. From the research, it was established that the use of the psychedelic drugs did not have any relation with the occurrence of mental health disorders as well as suicidal tendencies. The research wanted to provide scientific proof that psychedelic drugs were not harmful although users who abused other drugs including cocaine and alcohol may suffer from mental health because of the abuse of drugs.

This paper will be a key referencing point for may article and will be a key framework in helping me analyze relation between drugs taken in treating mental disorders and if they had any effect on resulting mental disorders to patient. Use of psychedelics has often been debated but those linking these drugs to mental health lack epidemiological data and thus the research will be helpful in me examining that part of the research.

Pouget, Jennie G., et al. “Pharmacogenetics and outcome with antipsychotic drugs.” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience 16.4 (2014): 555.

This paper evaluates the use of antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia as well as other mental conditions. Certain antipsychotic drugs however have proved to have side effects and are heterogeneous presenting a large variability to the user. Fr most people suffering from mental health disorders, getting a drug that gets to work best on you may be hard and this process may prove to be a trial and error before there is a clear balance however by that time one has endured so much side effects. Pharmacogenetics a new field in medicine may help in treatment of different individuals who also suffer from various mental health issues by selecting medication that is best on the patient on the basis of their genetic information. The paper looks at genetic markers that may useful in determining best antipsychotic treatment.

This paper will important in helping understand how cetin drugs may not always work for a mental health patient and they have severe side effects. Pharmacokinetic testing may prove to be a life savior in ensuring that all antipsychotic drugs are not just classified in dealing with mental health issues but rather depending on a patient’s genetic makeup and other factors, then the best drugs can be curated for them guaranteeing abettor recovery process.

Bibliography

Baroni, A., & Castellanos, F. X. (2015). Stimulants, cognition and ADHD. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 4, 109-114.

Moore, Thomas J., and Donald R. Mattison. “Adult utilization of psychiatric drugs and differences by sex, age, and race.” JAMA Internal Medicine 177.2 (2017): 274-275.

Moncrieff, Joanna. The bitterest pills: The troubling story of antipsychotic drugs. Springer, 2013.

Nesvåg, Ragnar, Jørgen G. Bramness, and Eivind Ystrom. “The link between use of psychedelic drugs and mental health problems.” Journal of Psychopharmacology 29.9 (2015): 1035-1040.

Pouget, Jennie G., et al. “Pharmacogenetics and outcome with antipsychotic drugs.” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience 16.4 (2014): 555.