Comorbidity Essay

Research findings suggest that there is comorbidity between substance abuse and anxiety disorder. In the case of Laura, her abuse of alcohol, psychotic drugs and caffeine was triggered by anxiety as well as suppressed grief related to the untimely death of her father. The early and unexpected death of her father and fear that it would impact her work performance led to

Develop health and safety and risk management policies procedures and practices in health and social care (M1)

One contemporary psychoanalytical view of substance abuse is that it is a defense against anxiety (Thombs D 2006). Addicts often abuse alcohol and other substances to guard against anxiety and other painful feelings like shame, guilt, loneliness and depression. Psychological problems including substance abuse disorders are viewed as a result of inhibited ability to make authentic, meaningful, and self directed choices about how to live.

A checklist can be used either on a regular basis or as and when difficult issues have been dealt with. This checklist can be used to monitor approach, effect the approach had. An honest assessment requires honest reflection.

Drug and Alcohol Treatment in America has been based on the Medical Model of Treatment. According to Wikipedia, the medical model of addiction is rooted in the philosophy that addiction is a disease and has biological, neurological, genetic, and environmental sources of origin. Treatment includes potential detox with a 28 day or more stay at a residential treatment facility. The continuum of care can include an additional 28 days at the partial hospitalization level, followed by another 6 weeks of Intensive Outpatient.

Research have demonstrated there is a high comorbidity between post-traumatic stress disorder with substance abuse disorder and psychological disorders (Khorry, ). However through research it’s not a single independent factor with correlation of substance abuse. There is a correlation that up to 59% of individuals that have PTSD have developed a substance abuse disorder (Khorry, ). There is a stronger relation in females that associate with alcohol and drug usage that have greater symptoms of PTSD are higher at risk. Individuals that experience traumatic experience early attempt to utilize self-medicated to decrease the PTSD symptoms that are associated with the dysregulated biological stress response.

Let’s look at what happens in each of these disorders and how common they are in the United States of America and the rest of the World.

Simple changes as everyone using the same mugs and staff having drinks at the same time as people who use the service.

Preventive care refers to lifestyle choices and visits with your health care provider that can promote health and wellness.

COPD has been considered primarily as a respiratory disease however the importance of extrapulmonary manifestations has not been acknowledged until recenty.64 Epidemiological studies and large clinical trials have helped us to understand the importance of co-morbidities.65 Pathophysiology of COPD focussed on the concept of systemic inflammation, has helped us to explain the higher frequency of major co-morbidities such as metabolic, cardiovascular, skeletal and nutritional disorders that would be seen in these patients in addition to the co-existing conditions that one would naturally expect in elderly patients.

People use substances as a way to deal with life stressors by self-medicating physical and emotional pain. Many people who suffer from anxiety, depression, trauma and other disorders, turn to drugs of alcohol for relief. Although this may provide some relief– temporarily it usually brings along with is a host of other problems.

Patients are increasingly transferred from institutionalized care to home care settings due to the substantial survival rate of patients with chronic illnesses. Most of these patients are older adults who are been cared for in their homes by both licensed and unlicensed caregivers. There are some potential complications such as risk for infection, risk for medication errors, risk for falls and risk for injury to the skin which put the safety of these patients at risk. The susceptibility of these patients calls for the need for effective education and monitoring of caregivers and family members for quality patient care.

There are a vast number of risk factors that are associated with the development of hypertension, both modifiable and non-modifiable. The majority of the modifiable risk factors are linked to an unhealthy lifestyle. Examples of these are: a diet high in sodium, a sedentary lifestyle, alcoholism, the use of tobacco, and type-2 diabetes. All of these, except the use of tobacco, can contribute directly one of the most prevalent risk factors, obesity. Excess fat on the body can damage and cause strain on blood vessels. A poor diet and little exercise contribute directly to both obesity and type-2 diabetes. There are also a number of non-modifiable risk factors, such as ethnicity, sex, age, and family history. African Americans are at an increased risk for developing hypertension compared to Hispanics and Caucasians.10 Older individuals, especially women, have a greater chance of developing the condition. Family history also plays a role and high blood pressure can be passed down from generation to generation, just like height and hair color.1 Though non-modifiable risk factors cannot be controlled, the total risk an individual has for developing hypertension stems from both the modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Lifestyle choices can either help or hurt, and each person has the ability to control his or her potential risk.

Health care reform has been a big topic since the Clinton administration when First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, took it under her belt to devise a new system. Health care is the provision taken to preserve mental and physical health using prevention and treatment. Compared to other health care systems in the world, the United States is ranked 37th in terms of care, claims Michael Moore (2007). Ironically, our health care system spends more than any other nation on its patients, averaging nearly $8,000 per person (DiNitto, 2012). With soaring costs, it is no surprise that one in every seven Americans are uninsured (Kaiser, 2011). Even with these sorry figures, statistics show that 85% of Americans are satisfied with their health care

The design of our study was a within-subjects design. We used ex post facto analysis to look for group differences between the different levels of anxiety as defined by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7) Scale and scores on the Drug, Alcohol, and Nicotine (DAN) Scale. Levels of anxiety are defined as minimal, mild, moderate, and severe. A score of between 0 and 4 on the GAD-7 is considered to be minimal anxiety. A score between 5 and 9 is mild anxiety, a score between 10 and 14 is moderate anxiety, and a score between 15 and 21 is severe anxiety. Level of anxiety is the independent variable and mean score on the DAN scale is the dependent variable.