Genetic Factor Model Essay

The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute (2002) states that substance abuse can occur in many clients who also have anxiety/stress disorders. The user believes that using alcohol or drugs will help lessen the feelings they have and somehow enable them to “cope” (The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, 2002). Unfortunately, most users like James are unable to realize the substances are not helping their problems. Most people with alcohol and other drug use disorders who also suffer from other mental health disorders require an integrated care plan for the best chance at recovery (Sterling, Chi, & Hinman, 2011).

It is estimated that 22 million Americans in 2005 struggled with drug or alcohol related problems. Among the 22 million, 95 percent who were involved with substance abuse problems were observed to be unaware of their problems. An estimated 273,000 individuals realized they had a problem and made an unsuccessful effort to obtain treatment. The above-mentioned estimates reflect the severity/importance of increasing prevention efforts and improving access to treatment for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders1.

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a serious, worldwide problem. SUD has physical, psychological, social and economic consequences (Papastavrou, Farmakas, Karayiannis, & Kotrotsiou, 2011, p. 108). In addition to SUD, many patients are simultaneously diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder (Papastavrou et al., 2011). When SUD and a psychiatric disorder co-exist, it is referred to as a dual diagnosis or co-morbidity (Papastavrou et al., 2011). In the case of dual diagnoses, one disorder can worsen the other disorder, leading to an increase in relapse and decreasing the chance of successful rehabilitation (Papastavrou et al., 2011). A common dual diagnosis is that of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and SUD (Papastavrou et al., 2011). SUD is a term that refers to both abuse of and dependence on drugs

Addiction to drugs and alcohol has taken epidemic scale in the recent decades, the number of people affected by this disease has been increasing steadily and the age of drug and alcohol use initiation has sadly been decreasing, children as young as 12 years old are reported as addicts. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated that 22.5 million Americans aged 12 and older self-reported needing treatment for alcohol or illicit drug use in 2014. Drug abuse and mental health disorders are commonly seen as coexisting conditions. They are among the top conditions that cause disability and carry a high burden in society.

About 24 million Americans over age 12 (or 9% of the population) have used an illegal drug (mostly marijuana) or abused a medication in the past month, (APA 2013). A drug is (1) any substance that affects the physical or mental functioning of a living organism, especially one used for the treatment or prevention of an ailment or disease or (2) a stimulant or narcotic taken otherwise than medically

There is also research, which reveals that around 75% of those in programs for substance use disorder, also require treatment for co-occurring mental health disorder. Furthermore, individuals reporting mental health problems report a higher alcohol consumption rate at higher risk levels. Not only does this show a high rate of mental health and substance use co-inhabiting in massive numbers of patients, but also indicates that there is a need for not just treating substance use disorder but also treating mental health disorders as well. The co-occurrence of mental health and substance use is known commonly as Dual Diagnosis. It is estimated that dual diagnosis effects between 30% and 90% of those in substance use treatment (Crome, etc.

From time to time we all have periods of sadness, unhappy thoughts. Among the United States population, around eight to ten percent suffer from a form of depression as unipolar depression. Depressive and bipolar disorders show to be a principal cause of disability, without cure a person can have a tough experience with relationships, work, and social activities. Substance abuse disorders are becoming an rampant. The need for instant indulgence has become more and more widespread in the world. The DSM-5 shows the symptoms checklist for diagnosis of substance abuse disorder (see table 1.3 in appendix a), and according to Comer, (2014) “the substances people misuse fall into several categories: depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and cannabis”

According to Treatment Improvement Protocol No. 43 (2005), a mental disorder is defined as a disease of the mind or a brain disorder. According to SAMHSA (2016), more than eighteen percent of US citizens age 18 and older live with a brain disorder combined with another problem. To put it another way, almost 1/5th of the US population lives with mental illness and either a substance use disorder or some other issue (SAMHSA, 2016). A co-occurring problem is defined as the coexistence of both a substance use disorder and mental health problem (SAMSHA, 2016). Other examples of co-occurring problems include pathological gambling, eating disorders and those previously stated are all treatable with proper evaluation, assessment and interventions

The comorbidity of drug addiction and other mental disorders has been a primary research topic for decades in the psychology community. This trend is evident by the plethora of studies conducted regarding a variety of combinations of substance addictions and mental disorders. I believe that being able to find so many scholarly resources is extremely encouraging to novices in the field, such as myself, because it inspires them to learn more about and conduct more research on this topic.

As an example, individuals suffering from an anxiety disorder may start using a substance (eg. alcohol or drugs) in an effort to decrease their distress. These substances produce positive, rewarding short-term effects to the individual (Stewart & Conrod, 2008). However, this has negative long-term effects and can result in alcohol dependence. Hall and colleagues (2009) found that people with comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and substance use disorder had higher rates of alcohol and drug use in order to relieve symptoms of their anxiety, compared to those with only generalized anxiety disorder. In further support of this pathway, research has shown that 75% of the time an anxiety disorder is present in an individual before a substance use disorder develops (Smith & Book, 2008). However, Kushner, Krueger, Frye, and Peterson (2008) note that this does not demonstrate the anxiety disorder caused the comorbid substance use disorder in these 75% of cases, nor that the substance use disorder caused the anxiety disorder in the remaining 25%; it is merely a

Prescott, C. A., Madden, P. A. F., & Stallings, M. C. (2006). Challenges in genetic studies of the etiology of substance use and substance use disorders: Introduction to the special issue. Behavior Genetics, 36(4), 473-482.

Individuals who suffer with mental illnesses are more likely to abuse drugs. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research there is a “Definite connection between mental illness and the use of addictive substances.” Alone people who are afflicted with some sort of mental illness, are thought to consume 38 percent of all alcohol, 44 percent of all cocaine, and 40 percent of cigarettes. There are many reasons and theory's to why this trend occurs. Depending on the case, the involvement of drugs can cause mental illness. Drugs such as meth, cocaine, and heroine, can change the way a brain works. The use of these drugs, and others can cause a multitude of different mental illness's, ranging from depression or anxiety, all the way to schizophrenia and cognitive impairment. In other circumstances, an individual may turn to drugs to help them manage their symptoms. Another reason is that mental illness, and addiction are caused

What exactly causes anti-social behavior in individuals, and how can it be prevented are questions proposed in Ty A. Ridenour‘s Genetic Epidemiology of Antisocial Behavior. Ridenour's contention is that biological factors and genes play a role in the development of anti-social "criminal" behavior in individuals. "Familial aggregation" which Ridenour explains is the "tendency for criminal and antisocial behavior to run in families", is the focus of Ridenour's debate that genetics and anti-social behavior are linked. Ridenour has also embraced environmental factors that have been found in other research to cause anti-social behavior, such as upbringing and parental

Although the collection of findings from several types of genetically informative research designs does provide compelling evidence for the influence of genetics and heritability on the risk for addiction, they do

When someone says, “You get that laugh or that smile from your father or your mother.” You don’t always believe them, but in some studies today it is said that if your parents or anyone in your family has a history of a drug addiction those traits in their genes have a decent chance of being passed down to the children causing problems for them later in life. According to the Drugs and Addiction article in the 2009 Addiction Journal, “Family, twin and adoption studies suggest that the heritability of substance use disorders is moderate to