The Lived Experience in Mental Health by Gary Morris

Author:Gary Morris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CRC Press

SELF-MEDICATION

A prominent means for individuals coping with fluctuating mood states has been through treating themselves by self-medicating. This can relate to the use of various non-prescription pharmaceutical substances and through the use of alcohol or tobacco. Studies indicate that bipolar and substance-use disorders commonly occur in the same individual with bipolar having a higher prevalence of substance-use disorders than any other psychiatric illness (Swann, 2010). The significance for those concerned relates to Swann’s (2010) findings that those self-medicating have a more severe course of bipolar, including earlier onset, more frequent episodes and more complications, including anxiety and stress-related disorders, aggressive behaviour, legal problems and suicidal ideation. Bipolar and substance-use disorders share common mechanisms, including impulsivity, poor modulation of motivation and responses to rewarding stimuli and susceptibility to behavioural sensitisation.

Ward (2011) found a high incidence of substance use in the bipolar population which increases negative outcomes and changes the illness presentation. The six themes that emerged from analysis of formulated meanings were

• Life is hard

• Feeling the effects

• Trying to escape

• Spiritual support

• Being pushed beyond the limits

• A negative connotation

These aspects reflect experiences recounted within a range of autobiographical narratives and Hornbacher (2008) in particular related how alcohol helps to lift her depression, although causing it to rise rapidly into mania. This highlights the problem of increasing one’s instability through the consumption of illicit substances which is reflected in Ros Morris’ (2008) account of her son’s problems being made worse through his use of drugs. Reasons for using drugs or alcohol are either attempts to seek respite from troubling symptoms or to try and prevent one’s mood from dropping. This section can be widened to encompass other maladaptive self-coping mechanisms including lifestyle factors, dietary choices or approaches to sleep. This can especially apply when people are aware of elevated mood states beginning to lessen. The desperate need to hold onto one’s state of productivity and vitality is added to through fears around progressing towards a depressive state. This can lead to unhelpful approaches being engaged with such as excess caffeine consumption or attempts to avoid sleep.

It is evident that lifestyle factors require careful attendance in order to support one’s prolonged ability to cope. As illustrated by Jones et al. (2009), self-responsibility and lifestyle changes such as attending to diet, relaxation, sleep patterns, eating and exercise will add protective functions, whereas a chaotic lifestyle leaves a person more at risk of mood changes. Examples about the detrimental impact of not attending sufficiently to one’s lifestyle are illustrated by Hornbacher (2008), Morris (2008) and Cheney (2008), all of whom illustrate the detrimental effects it had upon their (or family member’s) health and well-being.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.