Cocaine addiction has been a problem ever since. It can affect every level of the society. It can be a key variable to broke down one’s family. Wariness should always be present. This kind of addiction usually starts from simple things leading to big and complicated problems.
The coca plant is where cocaine has originated. One can use cocaine in many different ways. It can be snorted for its effects to be felt quicker. It can also be dissolved in water and be injected intravenously. The use of cocaine gives off feelings of euphoria. Repetitions of experiencing the euphoria is what makes people to keep on utilizing this kind of substance.
One can only say a person is cocaine addicted when he or she shows certain indications. These indications can be seen via intoxication symptoms and withdrawal symptoms. Examples of withdrawal symptoms are dysphoric kinds of disposition, being restless, horrid kind of dreams, hypersomnia or insomnia, overeating, and a very high level of anxiety. On the other hand, convulsions, pains in the upper body, difficulty of breathing, muscle weakness, weight loss, and changes in the behavior are examples of intoxication symptoms.
As obviously, the thing that is being noticed the most when someone starts to get addictive to a substance is one’s very apparent change in behavior. These behavioral changes can include the following: changes in the way one interacts with people, too much in increase in being cautious, hypersensitivity, too much anxiety, and easiness to get angry. As a way to describe these symptoms in a few words, it’s really a damaged way of thinking.
Mental illness can always be a result once the behavioral changes of using drugs starts to happen. Substance addiction plus a mental illness does actually have a term, dual diagnosis. Dual diagnosis is the co-occurrence of substance abuse problem and a mental disorder. The causality theory of dual diagnosis explain that there are certain types of substances that can lead to a mental disorder. This due to the fact of the effects the substance brings. Example of this is the substance cocaine.
This co-occurrence of a substance abuse problem and mental illness leads to the problem of how to treat an individual suffering this kind of situation. When one has substance abuse dilemmas, he or she is most of the time advised to be put in a center to recover. When one also has mental illness, there are centers that cater to their special needs. However, there are actually no centers that specialize in the treatment of a co-occurrence of a mental disorder and a substance abuse problem. Experts in treating substance abuse problems have little or no idea in treating a person with mental disorder and vice versa.
Dual diagnosis is quite new in the field of psychology that treatment for this situation only exists by standards. The way in treating substance abuse problems and the way in treating the problem of mental illness should be joined together. The kind of treatment should not be taken apart from each other but like the disease, should co-exist.
Cocaine addiction and mental illness’ symptoms can overlap each other leaving it hard for dual diagnosis to treat easily. There is also the problem of denial. In most cases, a cocaine addict would not admit that he or she is into drugs. The specialist would then conclude that the individual only has a mental illness when in fact, the mental illness is due to his or her use of the drugs. The wanting of help should first start with the acceptance of substance abuse. When the affected is the one to ask for help, denial would never be a problem. Thus, recovery is on its way.
Dual diagnosis is the occurrence of cocaine addiction that can result to having a mental illness.