Medical Disorders: Types, Causes, and Treatments

Question one 

There has always been a specific cultural response to the issues concerning substance abuse and an individual's dependence on a substance. Most people who abuse drugs are aware of the effects associated with the practice which have destroyed lives. Chemical dependency enhances financial constraints. An addicted person does not see the need to take care of other responsibilities, but they prioritize getting and using the substance. Addiction affects one's health and hygiene. In modern culture, such people don't get trusted as the condition is prone to relapses. Relapse behavior is a major contributing factor that makes those individuals with addiction problems to be treated as though others do not desire them in public spaces. It is not easy for addicts to get and retain jobs for long. This social rejection has contributed to such individuals developing emotional disorders that are associated with stress and anxiety. 

Speaking from the neurological point of view, the effects that come with the induction of chemicals to the brain fills it with artificial endorphins. This effect enhances the imbalance between endorphins that occur naturally and those that get induced by chemical substances. The mind thus reacts to this by either producing less natural endorphins, or it will still produce the original amount of endorphins but create new receptors to utilize the excessive amount. The aftermath of this condition is that the addict will no longer be in a position to control the neurological urges of the brain because the brain expects a certain amount of endorphin to get infused by the addict. The individual ends up suffering from psychological and biological withdrawal if they want to overcome the addiction. The blame for drug addiction goes back to the addict because they had a choice to decide not to use the drug. 

On the other hand, neurological addiction is quite different in that the addicts get perceived to suffer from the condition because of the chemical imbalance that was a result of the drug use. The addict becomes a victim of the neurological damage due to the continuous use of the drug, and they end up getting in the cycle of emotional pain. They experience the neurological urge to satisfy the craving and the emotional pain of becoming an addict. 

Question two 

Somatic symptom disorder is a result of individuals developing feelings of anxiety about their physical symptoms, such as feeling anxious and fatigue in most cases. Hypochondriasis is the possession of thoughts that a person could be having a critical medical condition that is yet to get diagnosed. The main difference between the two is that the former is a feeling that could last for roughly six months, but the latter could last even for a couple of years. Somatic symptoms are, therefore, the medical conditions that affect an individual's daily life (Maddux & Winstead, 2015) . The symptoms are a result of a person developing feelings of anxiety about other physical symptoms such as feelings of fatigue and stress that could occur regularly. The affected person might worry about the pain that they could be undergoing, and this could prevent them from living a fulfilled life. 

Hypochondriasis is the obsession with sickness, which makes an individual feel like they are unwell due to a medical condition that has never been diagnosed. The individuals rarely suffer from any other ailment, but they live with the fear that they could be having a medical condition that they could not even be suffering from. The main difference between the two conditions is that individuals with somatic disorders become well after roughly six months before diagnosis. Those with hypochondriasis could connect their symptoms with an underlying ailment, and this feeling could last for years even though such people could not be suffering from a medical disorder that worries them. 

Question three 

Substance abuse changes to substance dependence when the people who use the drug can no longer function in the usual manner when they stay away from it. The initial impairment symptoms that manifest before an individual gets diagnosed from substance abuse to substance dependence include such people getting unwell when they do not use the drug, they could experience hallucinations when they get prevented from using the drug. Moreover, the individuals have a poor memory, imperfect speech, and they could exhibit violent behavior at the moment that they are not using the drug. Some of the significant impairments that could happen in the lives of the individuals who have a high dependency on drugs include factors such as the person becomes sickly and feels powerless when they get kept away from the drug. The users become too dependent on the drug; hence it renders them impossible to function in the usual manner (Maddux & Winstead, 2015) . 

The drug affects the individual so much to the extent that they no longer get in touch with reality. The situation can enhance memory problems as the brains become unable to store new memories because of the impairment of the brain cells by the drugs. The damaged brain cells fail to carry out their function of sending signals to other parts of the body. Dependent people have poor sentence structure as they do not seem to have an understanding of what they pronounce. Impaired speech is a result of the failure of the brain to process words in the usual way as it used to. The users exhibit violent behaviors when they can no longer access the drugs. They develop the feeling that a part of their life got snatched away, and they feel entitled to abuse drugs as a right. This addiction prevents them from thinking straight, and they become aggressive, even when it is uncalled. 

Question four 

Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective, and mood disorder are three different disorders with different diagnoses and treatment methods. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that exhibits severe psychotic symptoms that interferes with an individual’s ability to relate with other people. Such individuals find it challenging to think. They fail to take care of themselves or even mingle with other people. This challenge is a result of the psychotic symptoms associated with the disorder, such as hallucination and delusion. People with the condition have incoherent speech behaviors that are not normal. In general, such individuals fail to show emotions and mostly speak much less than other people. They have challenges with being attentive, maintaining good memory, they cannot process new information, and they do not have the problem-solving skills ( Maddux & Winstead, 2015) . 

Schizoaffective disorder is a mental condition that exhibits itself through a person’s indication of psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. It is also possible for an individual to exhibit symptoms that are related to a bipolar disorder such as mood swings, which include mania and depression. Other symptoms that are related to Schizoaffective disease include an individual’s lack of interest in activities that they formally enjoyed, slow movement, low energy levels, and developing feelings of worthlessness and guilt, which enhance suicidal thoughts. Such individuals, on some occasions, experience depressive episodes and schizophrenia symptoms. 

The ailment is gets treated with medication, therapy, and the help of support from members of the community. Such people, however, are at a high risk of developing other disorders such as substance use disorder. Mood Disorder with Psychotic Features is a state whereby an individual’s emotional state gets distorted and inconsistent with their current circumstances. It makes an individual extremely sad, which might alternate with them becoming extremely happy. The condition is treated by medication and talk therapy. 

Question five 

Applied Behavioral Analysis is a form of therapy that aims at promoting specific behaviors, which include communication, reading, and social skills, among others. It is a kind of treatment that is suitable for individuals who have psychological disorders. Continuous Applied Behavioral Analysis prevents the need for specialized therapy services. Most people who seek this kind of therapy are individuals with autism because it helps such patients to improve on different skills that they lacked before. Moreover, it helps in the transfer of skills and behavior in different situations, helps in the control of conditions that enhance the occurrence of negative behavior, and it assists in minimizing if not to eradicate negative behavior. Applied Behavioral analysis is useful in people with autism if it gets applies for 20 hours a week for children below four years of age ( Maddux & Winstead, 2015) . 

Therapists target a variety of symptoms in people who have autism. The symptoms include social skills, communication, and pattern behaviors. An autistic child finds it hard to interact with other people. They exhibit problems in their social skills, and they could need to have a close relationship with others, but they do not know how to go about it. Roughly half of the children with autism have communication problems, and most of them do not talk completely. However, some children could develop language skills but lose them later. Therapists as well look for unusual behaviors in children that could give a clue on whether or not they have autism. The children could act uniquely or develop an interest in things that are not practical. 

There are a variety of treatment options for people with autism, which include behavioral intervention and techniques. This mode of treatment includes discrete trial training which involves an instructor being one on one with the autistic person who teaches the person and monitors their response. Communication training is another form of treatment whereby the individual gets an assessment of their behavior, and their instructor tries to eliminate bad behavior. 

Question six 

Dissociative amnesia is a medical condition that makes it possible for an individual to remember essential information that concerns their lives. The loss of memory might be limited to specific areas or might involve most of the patient’s history and identity. Dissociative fugue is a rare case of dissociative amnesia. An individual may fail to remember their personal information, including their names, history, and even friends. The condition may force such people to relocate to a different environment for them to adopt a new identity. Individuals in this state have a great memory loss compared to normal forgetting. The condition involves patterns of memory loss in a specific part of an individual’s life, and the memory loss affects a significant portion of the individual’s life, such as name, job, or family (Maddux & Winstead, 2015) . 

Dissociative fugue is a severe condition of dissociative amnesia. People with this disorder completely lose awareness of themselves. Such people may find themselves in places but cannot even remember that they traveled. There is complete memory loss, and they get saddened by the things that they do as they cannot remember. Dissociative amnesia is more common than dissociative fugue. The condition is associated with severe stress and traumatic events such as war, abuse, or disasters. Individuals with this kind of disorder most probably have suffered trauma or experiences the same. 

People with dissociative fugue have general amnesia and change their identity altogether. For instance, such people could get reported as missing by close relatives, and after a week, they could get said to have settled somewhere else living with a different name. They fail to recognize the people close to them, and they never remember who they used to be. Dissociative amnesia is more common than dissociative fugue. This fact is because the disorder results from stress and traumatic events. Dissociative fugue, on the other hand, is a severe form of dissociative amnesia. The disorder results in a complete loss of memory. 

Reference  

Maddux, J. E., & Winstead, B. A. (Eds.). (2015).  Psychopathology: Foundations for a contemporary understanding . Routledge. understanding. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com