Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance creating serious medical, social & psychological problems. It exerts a toll on world health on a par with unsafe sex, measles and malaria and greater than tobaccos a total of more than three of quarters of a millions of deaths in 1990 was related to alcohol and 80% of it occurred in developing countries. It has been reported that alcohol was responsible for 6,34,800 deaths, 14.6 million years of life lost and 32.3 million disability adjusted years of life lost in 1998. The latter measure includes estimates of the impact of nonfatal alcohol caused injury and illness on general quality of life. Prevalence of alcohol problem varies across different cultural and social settings. Macro cultural influences values, beliefs and social role functions, local economy, customs and dietary habits, rapid social change and cultural stress do shape and dictate the way alcohol is used in human societies. There is strong evidence of several sorts for genetic predisposition, personality factors and learning to alcoholism. Here, in this chapter we are trying 2 to conceptualize all these issue for better understanding of this menace.
There are a number of problems with ‘substance dependence’ that present to clinicians. To begin with, detoxification can become much more problematic. The variable pattern of intake, availability of diverse combinations, interaction of multiple etiological factors, and prevalent co morbidities make this group a heterogeneous one. In this chapter mainly we have focussed on substances that are taken in different patterns for different reasons. The combinations might feel different’, feel better ‘or are used for self-medication and also focus on type of substance use and their dependencies and their psychological management.
Alcoholism can be denoted as dependence on alcohol leading to addiction. Alcoholism, as is known, can have detrimental effect on one’s mental and physical health. Recovery or de-addiction process is also difficult due to various factors including withdrawal symptoms. Various psychotherapies are used in order to help the affected persons deal with the situation and recover. One such group of therapies collectively known as body psychotherapies can positively contribute to the process of de-addiction. Body is an umbrella term for various psychotherapies that believe in integration of physiological or somatic, emotional, mental, spiritual and social aspects of an individual. The focus of these psychotherapies is on somatic healing and developing somatic awareness. The techniques involved in these psychotherapies mainly focus on breathing, physical movement and even touch. The present chapter thus focuses on how body psychotherapies can be applied to alcohol de-addiction. The chapter provides an introduction to body psychotherapies, covering its assumptions and principles. Various body psychotherapies have been discussed with a focus on the techniques. Further, how body psychotherapies can be applied to alcohol de-addiction have also been focused on. The chapter includes discussion on the role of the psychotherapists, and the challenges and issues faced while applying body psychotherapies to alcohol de-addiction.
Alcoholism has now been conceptualized as a chronic, progressive, and often fatal disease. Previously alcoholism was understood as a form of ‘social deviation’. It is a primary disorder and not a symptom of other diseases or emotional problems. The formal term of consumable alcohol is ‘ethanol’ or ‘ethyl alcohol’. Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is the predominant alcohol in alcoholic beverages. Alcohol causes very significant impact of almost all types of cells and tissues in human body, including those in the central nervous system. Prolonged alcohol consumption causes plethora of changes in the nervous system of the consuming individuals. Dependence to alcoholic beverages leads to significant damages to the both Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems and very often those damages could pose to be irreversible in nature. Alcohol consumption can have negative impacts in all domains of a person’s life that is physical, social, financial and familial. The impact of alcohol on familial aspects has been widely evaluated by many researchers in the past. In this chapter, consequences of chronic alcoholism on the structure and function of families have been discussed.
Alcoholism Prohibition has been introduced in India as well as foreign countries with the objective of reducing incidents of domestic violence, road accidents, and crimes etc. The results of such a prohibition, has been contrary to expectations as in many cases it lead to illegal sale, purchase and consumption of alcohol, and also to death of large number of people due to consumption of spurious liquor. Since, alcohol addiction is a world-wide concern hence many national and international organizations have been actively engaged in spreading awareness against its use. In India, since independence, many attempts have been made to tackle rising alcoholism. Along with treatment programs, awareness campaigns, providing medical care and counselling combined efforts of the government, NGO’s and responsible citizens can prove to be of immense value in dealing with the situation.
Correspondence to: Dr. Arul Saravanan Ramachandran, MD, DPM Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, SRM Medical College & Research Centre SRM IST, Kattanakulathur, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu-603203 E-mail: arulpsg@gmail.com Copyright © 2018 KBCSM, Zagreb e-mail: alcoholism.kbcsm@gmail.com • www.http://apr.kbcsm.hr Abstract Osmotic demyelination syndromes are often progressive disorders, with clinical features ranging from a mild tremor or dysarthria to a progressive quadriparesis. Although rapid correction of serum sodium is known to be a potent causative factor, additional pathogenic factors exist, which appear critical in predisposing pontine and extrapontine glia to osmotic stress. Interestingly, several cases of osmotic demyelination have emerged where serum sodium was found to be within normal limits and minimal or no correction of a hypo or hypernatraemic state was implemented. Here we report a case of isolated extra pontine myelinolysis during alcohol withdrawal state, with no sodium fluctuation.
Motivation for abstinence is one of the most significant predictors of the patient's treatment engagement and completion, as well as the treatment outcome.Since this complex process has not been sufficiently studied, in clinical practice the need for a better understanding and perception of it has arisen, namely due to its significant contribution to hospital care programs.The aim of this study was to identify the socio-emotional predictors of motivation for abstinence in patients undergoing treatment for a minimum of 12 days.The study involved 72 volontary participants from Department of Alcohol Program in one psychiatric hospital.Motivation for abstinence was studied using the SOCRATES questionnaire which, along with the subscales of ambivalence, recognition and taking steps, represents a criterion.Demographic variables, emotional regulation and control, instrumental and emotional support seeking, life satisfaction, positive and negative emotions and flourishing were examined as potential predictors.Regression analysis showed that emotional regulation and control and instrumental and emotional support seeking significantly explain 15.8% of ambivalence, 29.4% of recognition and 30.6% of taking steps; life satisfaction, positive and negative emotions significantly explained 11.3% of taking steps, while flourishing accounted for 13.7% of taking steps.As for the demographic variables, only sex, age and education level acounted for 15.6% of recognition.In spite of the result obtained, the overall percentage of the explained variance is relatively low.Clinical implications of this study are significant and their greatest contribution is maximizing hospital care programs pertaining to rehabilitation of alcoholics.
Tuberculosis and suicide are related to medical and social problems, and these epidemiological parameters are often considered as the indicators of psychosocial distress.There are theoretical assumptions and empirical evidence which suggest the positive association between suicide and mortality from tuberculosis at individual and population levels.The aim of this study was an attempt to identify the aggregate level relationship between the epidemiological parameters of tuberculosis and the suicide rates in Russia.Tuberculosis incidence / mortality and suicide rates were analyzed from 1980 to 2015 using time series analysis to evaluate the relationship between time series.The results of the analysis indicate the presence of a statistically significant association between tuberculosis mortality and suicide rates at lag zero (r= 0.6; SE=0.17).The relationship between the incidence of tuberculosis and suicide rates was also positive, but less evident (r= 0.4; SE=0.17).The results of this study suggest a positive aggregate-level relationship between tuberculosis mortality and suicide rates.These findings indirectly support the hypothesis that tuberculosis mortality can be considered as an indicator of psychosocial distress.
This paper emphasizes the psychopathology of Marija Novaković.Marija Novaković suffered from psychosis since the age of 24.She has been treated for more decades in the Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče.She was an artist educated in music, but in the relapses she could not compose.Thanks to the support of the Vrapče Hospital her talent came to a full expression.Župić noticed the spontaneity, creativity and symbolism in her paintings.Her visual expression contributed to the auto-and hetero-art-therapy.The protectiveness of the Vrapče Hospital positively affected not only on her illness, but on her artistic expression and creativity.She also contributed to the art brut, which is evident in her opus.
Empathy is an important concept in contemporary psychology and neuroscience in which numerous authors are dedicated to research the phenomena.Most of them agree on the significance of empathy and its positive impact on interpersonal relationships, although certain negative aspects of empathy also exist.From psychological and biological point of view, empathy is an essential part of human survival and successful living in social groups.This paper introduces an overview of empathy, including history of concept starting with the notion of Einfühlung, as well as beginning of studying and defining empathy, contemporary approach, components of empathy and its evolutionary and neuroscience background, empathy measures, development of empathy through training, and finally, the other side of this generally positive concept regarding interpersonal relationships.We also gave notion to further research issues in this field.
Experimenting with drugs in the period of adolescence is today spread world widely.The linear, single-factor, or the deterministic method offer explanations of the nascence of the abuse of psychoactive substances (PAS) that include the effects of these factors: biological processes, inter-psychological processes or various characteristics of the very children, their parents, peer groups or the social environment.This method is therefore largely substituted with circular, interactive -multisystem models.The use and abuse of PAS usually appears as an essential part of the wider picture of life conditions and circumstances, therefore a systematic conceptualization of the issue and its therapeutic solution is indeed called for.Working on this issue, we are considering systematic characteristics of the family of adolescent addict, analyzing their influences on the process development of the treatment in general, and pointing out the implementation of family therapy.Key words: Dependence on psychoactive substances in adolescence, systemic characteristics of the adolescent addict's family, the model of social interactionism, family therapy of adolescence addictions
Difficulties in managing one`s habits of internet use have been the focus of much clinical and scientific interest in the past twenty years.However, their definition, clinical nature, and relationships with other relevant concepts, remain a matter of controversy.The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between compulsive internet use (CIU) and symptomatology related to depression and anxiety among adolescents.The sample consisted of 1320 primary and secondary school students aged 11 to 18 years.Problematic patterns of internet use were assessed using the Compulsive Internet Use Scale, while depression and anxiety symptoms were measured using Beck Youth Depression Inventory and Beck Youth Anxiety Inventory.The results have shown that adolescents who report more compulsive patterns of internet use also show higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms.The findings contribute to the understanding of problematic internet use in adolescents and its relationship with internalizing emotional difficulties, which suggests valuable implications for the development of prevention and intervention programs within the adolescent population.
Considerable inconsistencies exist between results of the studies on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) peripheral concentrations and schizophrenia (SCH).The objective of our study was to check whether these inconsistencies may be explained by confounding effects of age and sex.In this cross-sectional study performed during 2017 at Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Center Sestre milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia, we included a sample of 41 patients diagnosed with SCH.The main outcome was BDNF serum concentrations.We have detected a significant cross-over interaction of sex and age on BDNF concentration (p=0.017).In male patients BNDF concentrations significantly increase with age.In female patients the correlation between age and BDNF was not significant.On this particular sample level, it was negative: aging was associated with the decrease of BDNF concentrations in female patients.BDNF concentrations were significantly different between female and male patients under the age of 22 years (total of 7% of patients), and above the age of 65 (total of 10% of patients).BDNF may be a promising schizophrenia biomarker, but different norms should be proposed for the patients of different age and sex.
In this article we are presenting an overview of 200 composers who contracted and suffered from tuberculosis and addictions.The data was collected from over 10 000 biographies and 1000 compos-ers´ pathographies.Besides causing them great suffering and prematurely ending their lives and creativities (sometimes in its prime), tuberculosis was among the most common causes of death in composers.
Mateja Grizelj1, Danijel Crnković2, Lidija Kostanjšak3, Nada Vrkić4, Dalibor Karlović2 1Varažin Institute of Public Health, Varaždin, Croatia 2Department of Psychiatry, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia 3Acute Psychiatric Unit, University Hospital Campus, Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland 4Department of Medical Biochemistry and Hematology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Original paper
