Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Personal Fight

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is categorized as a mood disorder that occurs around the same time every year. It is extremely common, as there are more than three million cases in the United States yearly. Typically, there is no specific age range that suffers from SAD. However, it is rare for children younger than thirteen to be affected.

SAD has generally been treated the same way as the standard case of depression - with medication. Drugs like Zoloft, Prozac or other prescriptions are often thrown at people with hopes that they will aid them and alleviate the depression they are feeling.

BUT.

Instead of numbing people with medication, we ought to consider more natural modes of defense. There are three simple ways that the sufferer of SAD can fight back against the disorder.

Let there be light.

• ·        Light therapy boxes have become increasingly popular over the last few years. They are illuminated boxes that mimic sunlight but are brighter than regular bulbs. The boxes have different wavelengths and can be adjusted accordingly. The user is recommended to sit in front of the light for thirty minutes a day. Doing so causes a chemical change in the brain and is said to lift the mood of the user as well as suppress the body’s natural release of melatonin.
• ·        A dawn simulation alarm may also be used to help. Dawn simulations act as alarm clocks, except instead of a loud noise or song it sends out light and gradually increases to simulate a sunrise. The increase in light over time has been shown to help sufferers of SAD wake up easier.
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Get out and exercise.

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•       Most people who suffer from SAD report weight gain as a result of oversleeping, overeating, and lack of exercise. Exercising releases hormones from the pituitary gland at the base of the brain and makes people feel exhilarated and happy. It can also block feelings of pain, which is often what allows people to continue to exercise even though they are tired or hurting. Releasing these endorphins can directly help fight SAD.

3.     Stick to a schedule.

•       The biggest issue with SAD is that those affected have trouble sleeping. They typically have a hard time falling asleep and an even harder time getting up from sleeping. Sticking to a schedule helps promote normal sleeping patterns and will ease that process.
• ·         Sticking to a schedule also helps with diet. Eating at, or near, the same time everyday helps the body digest and makes it easier to monitor food intake. Doing this will help the affected with not overeating and thus gaining weight.

Can Marijuana Be Addictive?

There has been a lot of back and fourth relating to the topic of marijuana use and the question of if this drug is addictive of not. Based on my own personal experience, I can attest to the notion that, for me, prolonged and frequent ingestion of marijuana eventually led me to deal with some aspects of addiction.

Once I began smoking marijuana, it became something that went from a weekend activity to an almost daily activity within a very short period of time. I would buy the product in bulk so I would have multiple opportunities throughout the week to enjoy it. Constant stimulation of THC and the added levels of dopamine put me in a lighter and more enjoyable mood. I enjoyed the effects that the drug had on my body and tried to maintain the feeling of being high for as long as possible.

The issues, along with some of the aspects of addiction, came to me when I eventually ran out of marijuana and could not find anymore to smoke. I became a very agitated person. I would snap at people for no good reason and become irritable over the most miniscule of situations. After a week of not being able to smoke, I found myself losing sleep more and more with each passing night I had relied on marijuana to assist my drowsiness, and the absence of that resulted in me staring at the clock at an hourly rate.

I also had problems with severe boredom in completing those every day tasks and to-do lists. I found myself constantly thinking about how much better going to the grocery store or stopping at the clothing store would be if I was under the influence.

Eventually, those cravings eventually wore off and I was able to not think about being stimulated. However, there were moments when I halted my marijuana use that the effects of small-scale addiction took place.

For Me, Marijuana Was A Gateway Drug

It started in my sophomore year of high school. I was introduced to marijuana because I situated myself with groups of friends who had already tried the drug and had positive reviews of it. This automatically made me think that only positive outcomes could come out of smoking and it made me more interested in trying the drug. Another main contributor that eventually caused me to start smoking marijuana was my openness to try new things that could make me feel different. When I had tried alcohol in the previous year, the effects of drinking temporarily changed my personality from a shy introvert to a talkative outgoing speaker. These effects made me wonder about what different personality traits would emit from smoking – and therefore furthered my interest.

After the first few times of smoking marijuana, I began to feel the potency and the effects that this drug had on my body. It did make me feel different in a way from being completely sober. I liked the feeling of being high, as it temporarily opened my mind to more critical thinking of the world around me that I would not have otherwise known. Boring, mundane activities became more interesting and enjoyable to me. it seemed as though it was more desirable to live a stoned life than to live a completely sober one.

After a year or two of constant ingestion of marijuana, I began to build up a tolerance to the potency and the effects of this drug. It would take me smoking greater amounts of marijuana to achieve the same highs that I experienced when I first started. I got to the point in my life where I began to situate myself with groups of friends who were trying harder drugs and, again, giving me positive reviews. I began to wonder what effect that these harder drugs would have on my body. My way of open-mindedness to try new things and the interest to experiment with my body turned me to try harder drugs.

Top 5 Alternative Drug Rehabilitation Treatments

Other than traditional psychotherapy for treating addiction, there are many new alternative forms of treatment that can be even more effective.

1. Cognitive- Behavioral Therapy: This is a kind of psychotherapy that is used most commonly to treat anxiety disorders and depression. This kind of therapy works by establishing the connection between thoughts and actions and then changing one to affect the other. Basically, doctors work with patients to either change the way they think which will then change the behavior or work is done to change the behavior which will then change the thought process. This can really strengthen a patients mind, so they are less likely to relapse after they leave treatment.

2. Medication: It may seem strange to give a drug addict medication to help cure them, but medication can help a lot, if it is administered correctly. Medication is mainly used early in treatment to help ease withdrawal symptoms. It can also help to correct the chemical changes abused substances can produce in the brain.

3. Animal- Assisted Therapy: This is a form of therapy that uses service animals to help provide addicts with an animal companion. The benefits of this therapy are presenting addicts with a non- judgmental companion and helping to give them something enjoyable to do. This form of treatment is also often used in the treatment of anxiety and depression.

4. Art- Based Therapy: This form of treatment give patients the opportunity to express themselves through art or music. This is often useful, because it allows a patient to create something that is personal and something that they can display and be proud of. Art forms can also often help individuals come to conclusions about themselves that they would not have otherwise discovered.

5. Hallucinogenic Substances: This treatment is different than a typical medication treatment, and is currently rather controversial. Obviously, you would not administer this treatment to a patient with an addiction to hallucinogenic substances, but for other addicts this can be very helpful. Hallucinogenic substances work similarly to art- based therapy, because they can help things become clear to a patient and therapist by allowing the patient to safely explore their subconscious. The chemicals in these substances also work on parts of the brain that affect a persons addiction. When administered correctly and by a doctor, these substances can actually help to eliminate cravings.

Many of these treatments are still experimental and rather controversial. They also are not usually used alone. By combing these treatments with traditional psychotherapy this can help doctors individualize treatment and lessen the risk of relapse after completing treatment.

Why Dogs Treat Addiction better than Doctors

Animal assistance has become a very common and increasingly used form of treatment for many mental and physical illnesses. Service animals can be used in treatment for PTSD, anxiety and depression. Even some colleges will bring in service animals during stressful periods during the year and just let students sit there and pet the animals. As someone who has done this during finals week I can honestly say it is one of the best relaxation techniques. With all of the ways service animals can help, it is no wonder Animal- Assisted Therapy is becoming more popular in the treatment of drug addicts.

In many ways, Animal- Assisted Therapy is even more useful than traditional rehabilitation with a doctor. In this form of treatment, the animal, usually a dog, becomes a constant companion for the addict. This can help in two major ways. The first, is that the dog is not judgmental towards the patient, and will remain loyal once a bond has formed between them. The second is that the dog relies on the patient just as much as the patient relies on the dog. In many Animal- Assisted Therapy treatments, the patient is charged with caring for the dog. This gives a patient a responsibility to care for something, which can help keep their mind of the pains of withdrawal. 

Based on all that Animal- Assisted Therapy can do for addiction patients, it seems that this form of therapy is even better than traditional therapy with a doctor. Animals who participate in Animal- Assisted Therapy are trained, so they are not aggressive and can easily be assimilated into a patients life. The animals can also stay with the patient after they are released from a rehabilitation program. Keeping a support system is one of the biggest challenges faced by patients after they are released from care, and an animal would help this problem. The bottom line is that Animal- Assisted Therapy is one of the most successful forms of treatment for addicts.

New Doctors Are Legally Allowed to Enable Opioid Addiction, But Legally Denied the Ability to Prevent It

If a newly graduated medical student during his or her residency can write prescriptions for drugs that are universally known to be habit forming (opioids), then shouldn’t they have access to any programs that would help to lessen potential addiction issues?  Shouldn’t they care enough to take as much time as needed to ensure that they are not enabling and or creating opioid addiction?

According to Felice J. Freyer of the Boston Globe, “Medical residents don’t have access [to the Prescription Monitoring Program, a state-run database of every prescription for controlled substances] — even though they’re allowed to prescribe controlled substances”.  This is a problem that has been going on for some time now, because most doctors, let alone new doctors completing their residencies, don’t have the time, nor do they care to make sure that their patients aren’t abusing the drugs that they are being prescribed.

Even Dr. Sara Schlotterbeck, the first year medical resident that prompted the Globe’s article, confirms that there is truly a lack of time and care when dealing with opioid prescriptions and patients.  She refers to what is needed to gain access to the Prescription Monitoring Program as a resident doctor when she says, “If we really try hard, if we take that extra 15 or 20 minutes — which is actually a lot of time . . .”, but her statement is clearly acknowledging that she and her colleagues, fellow doctors and resident doctors alike, are not trying hard enough, are not taking enough time, and even feel as if 15 or 20 minutes is too much time to help a patient.  Dr. Schlotterbeck makes it more than apparent that she, the state of MA, and other doctors are not doing enough to prevent patients from becoming addicted to opioids.

Can you believe that “15 to 20 minutes is actually lot of time” when it comes to helping patients; human beings?  I don’t know about the whole of the patient world, but I’m normally in the waiting room to see any doctor, for any reason, for longer than 15 to 20 minutes.  I think it’s safe to say that 15 to 20 minutes should not be considered a lot of time when it comes to helping any patient/human being, and especially when it comes to preventing opioid addiction.

If newly graduated medical students, during their residencies, are legally allowed to prescribe opioids, then they should also be allowed to access the database that could give them the ability to prevent opioid addiction.  I say give these new doctors access to the Prescription Monitoring Program, or take away their ability to prescribe opioids until they gain access to it.

Child Homicide: Inevitable When Addiction Is Involved

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine homicide is one of the top 3 causes of death in children between the ages of 1 and 4.  It would seem that 3 out of 4 of these child homicides are at the hands of addicts.

Though addiction is not clearly defined as the murder of one human being by another human being (homicide), I assure you that the outcome of deliberately continuing to use/act in obsessively compulsive ways (addiction) ultimately leads to and causes the murder of a child. An addict will murder his or her own child, and even someone else’s child, and it is horrific and beyond tragic that we continue to sit back and watch this happen over and over again.  You would think that the frequency of our news channels and newspapers plastering on their front pages the tragedy of yet another infant, toddler, child being killed at the hands of an addict would be enough for us all to realize that child homicide is inevitable when addiction is involved.

Take for example the infant in Korea murdered by his gaming addicted parents, left to starve to death, wailing and screaming for nothing more than to be fed and loved, while they played video games.  Then there is the ever present in the news, in our minds, and in our hearts, Baby Bella of Massachusetts.  She was brutally abused, beaten and murdered, then discarded by a heroin addicted mother and her heroin addicted boyfriend.  The heroin supposedly convinced the boyfriend that he was ridding the world of demons disguised as a beautiful 2 ½ year-old angel.  And before Bella there was the beautiful baby Avalena, also of Massachusetts, whose heroin addicted mother, drug abusing father, and foster mother’s drug abusing boyfriend are all to blame for her death.

When will we tire of seeing the lives of innocent and precious children stolen at the hands of an addict?  When we will mandate that there be an irrefutable nexus between addiction and child abuse and neglect?  And when will we as people, parents, brothers, and sisters admit to ourselves that maybe we should no longer be in absolute awe and disgust when we hear of the horrendous murder of a child, because we knew it was bound to happen at the hands of an addict. . .