Learning to differentiate psychiatric disorders that initiate from alcohol addiction and something that was there from before is difficult. So, the clinicians have to question if patients have a condition pre-existed with the AUD or a new thing caused by alcohol. As a result, looking at the history of the family, the gender of the patient will provide faster accuracy. The clinician should be open to change when the patient grows abstinent from alcohol.
What Does Alcohol Addiction Do To Your Mental State?
Heavy alcohol abuse can cause psychiatric problems. The clinician’s role is to collect information from the patient. Then he deciphers if they are suffering from alcohol-related disease or one from the forehand. Therefore, sifting through alcohol-related problems is vital for the proper treatment of the disease. Also, understanding if these conditions are alcohol-related symptoms or alcohol-related syndromes will give the analysis. From this, you will know whether it’s a syndrome or a disease.
Heavy drinking can lead to psychological disorders. In more extreme situations, it can cause longer-lasting psychological syndromes. If abstinence occurs, it is more likely that these symptoms may improve.
What Does Alcohol Addiction Do To The Brain?
Drinking alcohol is a common practice for Americans. Just over half of the population in America, 12 years of age and older, have said they are drinking alcohol. In 2014, 139.7 million consistent consumers of alcohol were in that group. 23 percent of them were called binge drinkers. And 6.2 percent were considered heavy drinkers. In total, 17 million people have had alcohol use disorder in the past year.
Alcohol disrupts brain chemicals that interfere with the hormone system associated with developing mental disorders. These include anxiety or mood disorders. Alcohol addiction can suddenly show similar signs of psychiatric symptoms. Some of these signs are the reason that an alcoholic patient reaches out for help. Psychiatric symptoms depend on dependency. How much alcohol was involved, and how vulnerable the patient was when he ingested it.
Were The Alcohol Addiction and Mental Disorders Already There?
In certain individuals, small doses of alcohol may produce a feeling of euphoria. But when they drink more, it can lead to changes in mood, aggression, or nervousness. Psychiatric signs can occur but are conditional on the attachment factors. These include when the patient last drinks, withdrawals, or other such symptoms. Suppose the patient starts complaining about psychiatric problems during such periods. Then it’s much different than if the patient had these signs before their alcohol addiction.
When drinking excessively, brain stress may lead to the continuation of alcohol-related issues. So, these include despair, anxiety, or sorrow. Furthermore, it is difficult to decipher an independently occurring mental condition from an alcohol-induced disorder. It is because they mimic one another so closely. But, there is one saving factor. That is after the patient deals with alcohol abuse, the psychiatric disorders that the patient was facing improves.
Alcohol Addiction and Psychiatric Disorders: Likely Conditions
Certain psychiatric disorders are also associated with alcohol and drug dependence. So, they shall include:
Depression. In certain cases, persons may begin to use a drug to mask symptoms of depression. Female drug abusers are particularly likely to have anxiety. But male substance abusers are often likely to have depression.
Bipolar disorders. It is a disease that causes alternating cycles of depression and abnormally high mood. Those with this disorder may try to smooth out mood swings with alcohol.
Anxiety. Alcohol Addiction is more common both in men and women with anxiety disorders.
Schizophrenia. Psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and visions, may lead to Alcohol Addiction. Moreover, it may be a way of alleviating the distress that these symptoms may cause.
Mental disorders may also be less inhibited. As a result, they are more likely to exhibit risk-taking behavior. So, this includes buying and using illegal drugs or drinking too much. As a result, it may easily lead to alcohol or drug addiction. People with a mental disorder may have impaired judgment and drink higher amounts of alcohol.
Alcohol Addiction and Psychiatric Disorders: Root causes
Other causes may explain the frequent simultaneous occurrence of Alcohol Addiction and mental disorders. Including:
Genetics. Genetic conditions appear to account for the comorbidity of alcohol addiction and mental disorders. Studies comparing identical have shown that there are more cases of two disorders among identical twins. This indicates that genetics are likely to play a role.
Chemical deficiency. Neurochemical causes have also been a common thread. It is because psychiatric disorders and addiction occur together. A reduction in the amount of serotonin may be the reason why alcoholism and anxiety disorders coincide. There is also evidence that depression and psychiatric illness are linked with the dysfunction of a group of brain chemicals called monoamine oxidase
Shared environment. Studies with twins showed that the environment plays a role in drug addiction and mental disorders.
Risk of Alcohol Addiction and Psychiatric Disorders
At happens to the brain and body from alcohol addiction and mental disorders?
Alcohol consumption and addiction can cause damage to the brain and body of an individual. Here are few things that are going to happen.
Disorders In The Use Of Alcohol:
- Interfere with the absorption of vitamin B1 (thiamine), an essential brain nutrient
- It changes metabolism, heart function, and blood supply. It may be linked with poor nutrition.
- Have a toxic impact on the central nervous system (CNS). That can lead to falls and accidents that affect the brain
Drinking in a binge-like or chronic fashion for several years can cause brain damage. A dip in cognitive-related behavior is a slow process. And all of this depends on the intake and length of the drinking process. ARBI can also happen over a short period, especially when the drink binds.
What Other Mental Disorders Can Occur?
Cerebellar atrophy. The cerebellum is the part of the brain responsible for the coordination of muscles. Damage here results in walking and balancing problems, which is called ataxia.
Hepatic encephalopathy. Many people with alcohol-related liver disease experience unique psychological signs. These include mood changes, confusion, and hallucinations.
Peripheral neuropathy. The extremities of the body are affected by pain, numbness, and feelings of pins and needles.
Frontal lobe dysfunction. The frontal lobes of the brain are involved in abstract thinking, planning, and emotion. Damage causes cognitive (thought) difficulties.
Encephalopathy of Wernicke. This is a disorder caused by a serious vitamin B1 deficiency. Some of the signs include confusion, ataxia, and vision difficulties.
Korsakoff’s amnesic syndrome. This includes short-term memory loss, an inability to access new knowledge. And confabulation (the individual fills the memory gaps with the fabrications they consider to be real). In combination with the above, these disorders are referring to as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.
The Bottom Line
Having a correct diagnosis of Alcohol Addiction and Psychiatric Disorders is vital to the patient’s success. When this occurs, his chances of recovery increase. However, we need increased awareness for Alcohol Addiction and mental Disorders. Too many times, one of the diseases is undiagnosed and untreated. As recognition and treatment with coexisting conditions improve, this will reduce the social stigma that makes people reluctant to pursue the treatment they require.
