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Tag: Mental Health

Substance Abuse & Addiction Among Health Care Professionals

Substance Abuse & Addiction Among Health Care Professionals

New York Health Care Professionals and Substance Abuse Disorders Despite societal perceptions of healthcare professionals and preconceived ideologies, these professionals are just as susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse as in other professions. Society holds healthcare workers to a higher standard than the rest and holds them in high regard for their contribution to the community. Healthcare professionals are here to take care of us. Healthcare professionals know what to do and what not to do to be healthy. Healthcare professionals prevent us from hurting ourselves and sometimes others. We often assume that healthcare professionals will do everything possible to protect their health and well-being, but that is not always the case. Unfortunately, many contributing factors can be a catalyst

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3 Signs a Person is Self-Medicating: Substance Use and Mental Illness

3 Signs a Person is Self-Medicating: Substance Use and Mental Illness

Substance Use and Mental Health: Why People Self-Medicate Self-medication refers to the use of drugs or alcohol as an attempt to manage issues related to mental health. According to the 2018 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 20.3 million Americans aged 12 or over have a substance use disorder. There is no doubt that that number has skyrocketed over the last five years due to ease of gain and the pandemic. Most individuals who use substances to self-medicate use them to cope with or alleviate the symptoms of their mental health struggles. Some use drugs to reduce symptoms, while others use alcohol, food, or even exercise. 3 Signs of Self-Medication If you notice changes in behaviors or

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Neuropsychological Testing and Substance Use Disorders

Written by Ronnit Nazarian, Psy.D. Most of us are aware of the long-standing emotional and behavioral effects of substance abuse. However, the more subtle and detrimental effects that are harder to assess are the negative impacts substance abuse has on a person’s cognitive abilities (e.g., short-term memory, fluid reasoning, processing speed). For example, we see that opioid addiction increases depressive emotions and behaviors. More subtle impacts of opioid addiction, according to research, are the effects on a person’s prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe.2 Consequently, these areas of impact, in turn, affect a person’s cognitive abilities, which our Manhattan psychiatrists can identify with a neuropsychological evaluation. Specifically, with an impact on the prefrontal cortex (e.g., influences emotion, memory, and executive function) and

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The Difference in ADD vs. ADHD and How to Treat It in Adults

ADD and ADHD are two terms often used interchangeably when non-professionals discuss these mental issues. Generally, people focus on teens and adolescents who suffer from ADD and ADHD, but adults struggle with these two conditions as well, though treatment methods aren’t the same for adults compared to adolescents.

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