Substance Use Disorders

 

I enjoyed reading about the history of the different substances and how culture, time, and societies have changed the perspective of drug use. It reminds me of the story of the oracle in Greek mythology that would sit at the temple of Apollo in Delphi. People would travel extensively to visit her, including leaders who needed her wisdom before deciding to go to war. She was one of the most important people in ancient Greece, and her prophecies were sacred.  The course of history was actually changed by the woman's ability to predict the future and see into a different dimension. It turns out, there was methane rising from the ground where she sat and she was likely in a different dimension from smelling the gas all day. 

It's clear that despite the time period or the culture, substances have always been a part of society- for better or for worse. Though it seems to be a natural human issue, including SUD in the DSM allows people to understand the severity of these substances and behaviors. In some of my readings for my presentation, I found that American culture has been criticized for increasing the use of illicit substances because of the strong emphasis we put on medication. Our culture uses things, like prescription medication, to fix almost any issue. When it comes to mental health, we are doing the same thing as times. So, it is not a surprise that most people think they need to take something to feel better or different-rather legally or illegally. Substance abuse is an extremely difficult disorder that is often neglected in research. The research that is done usually promotes swapping one drug for another in order to find relief. More research from a psychological standpoint is needed to better understand the disorder and treatment options. As discussed in the readings as well, there is a lack of research in behavioral areas (gambling, sex, shopping). If we get away from the biomedical model a bit, it is better for us, as future clinicians, to focus on our clinicians' problems whether they meet diagnostic criteria or not. While the research tries to find a way to make it clinically significant enough, we can focus on treating people and their problems.