Over-the-Counter (OTC) substance abuse and video game addiction are two addictions that have received little attention from clinical experts. People develop persistent addiction to wither drugs or behavior, and in most cases, the person understands the negative impact this problem has on their health or behavior. Indeed, addiction has a significant impact on an individual's life, hobbies, and cognitive perfomance. The interview questions chosen in this paper were significant in developing a research topic and generate responses that provided a sequence of what would be covered within the paper. This paper describes Over-the-Counter addiction and video game addiction, highlighting their symptoms and treatment options.
A patient more often obtains over-the-Counter medication without the involvement of any physician. OTC medications offer a wide range of treatment solutions to common illnesses, such as allergies, headaches, and the common cold. However, Sansgiry et al. (2017) note that people are unaware of the harm these medications cause in the long run. The risks associated with OTC medications include unclear dosage, addiction once there is prolonged use of the drug, or inadequate self-diagnosis. Several OTC medications are frequently abused, including sleep aids, dextromethorphan, dimenhydrinate, and laxatives (Sansgiry et al., 2017).
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While OTC medications provide medical assistance to self-care, they have underlying effects when misused. When abused, some of these medications can cause hallucinations or a euphoric feeling. With time, these OTC drugs can cause a change in brain chemistry, bringing impairment to the affected individual. Eventually, the person becomes tolerant to the drug, requiring more of that drug to experience the same feeling. Once the person stops using these OTC drugs, they experience withdrawal symptoms (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017). Moreover, the person becomes anxious, confused, agitated, and experiences mood swings. Nevertheless, a patient may continue to abuse an OTC drug despite knowing the consequences of misusing it.
With no known medication to treat OTC addiction, behavioral therapies offer a more effective treatment option for patients suffering from an OTC drug addiction. Physicians can opt for individual, group, family, or psychotherapy sessions depending on the type of OTC being abused, patient gender, among other factors (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017). Behavioral therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), are also useful in assisting the patients in building upon self-care and self-medication.
On the other hand, video game addiction encompasses a behavioral addiction in which an individual loses interest in other activities apart from playing video games. Experts believe that video games play a significant role in sharpening young people's cognitive skills and improving their imagination (Watkins, 2020). However, when the same people spend much time playing video games, they slowly develop an addiction to video games. Being a relatively new clinical concept, the DMS-5 classifies video game disorder is one that requires further studies (Sarkis, 2014). Regardless, the disorder can be regarded as an impulse disorder that can lead to poor performances in school, lack of social interactions, anxiety, or anger when prevented from playing, among other signs.
With a myriad of health risks associated with the continued playing of video games, individuals addicted to video games exhibit withdrawal symptoms, either physical or psychological, including anxiety, agitation, sleeplessness, or emotional distress when denied the chance to play their games (Watkins, 2020). While video games have been an option for clinical rehabilitation in the past, those addicted to video games undergo behavioral therapies (Watkins, 2020). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), for instance, can be used to distract the patient away from video games. Modifying the behavior of video game addicts will go a long way in helping the patient limit their time and association with video games.
In conclusion, both OTC and video game addictions impact an individual ability to perform and concentrate on their normal daily activities. Patients diagnosed with either of the disorders exhibit withdrawal symptoms of anxiety, agitation, and distress, especially in situations where they are denied the drug or video game. Despite having different levels and causes of addiction, both OTC and video game addictions can be treated through a series of behavioral modification therapies. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be applied to each addiction, ultimately shifting the patient's behavior and mindset from misusing OTC drugs or video games.
References
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2017). Over-the-Counter medicines . National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) |. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/over-counter-medicines
Sansgiry, S. S., Bhansali, A. H., Bapat, S. S., & Xu, Q. (2017). Abuse of over-the-counter medicines: a pharmacist’s perspective. Integrated pharmacy research & practice , 6 , 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5774309/
Sarkis, S. A. (2014). Internet gaming disorder in DSM-5 . Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201407/internet-gaming-disorder-in-dsm-5
Watkins, M. (2020). Video game addiction symptoms and treatment . American Addiction Centers. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/video-gaming-addiction
