Alcoholism and Mental Health
When it comes to psychological disorders and the predisposition to resort to excessive drinking, expert opinion is split as far as which came first is concerned. In some cases, it’s a chicken-and-egg scenario – that is, it can be difficult to tell if the alcoholism caused the mental disorder or it’s the individual’s mental health that drove him to resort to alcohol abuse.
Everyone is in agreement, however, that alcoholism and mental health are linked together. There are cases where in both conditions overlap. Alcoholism is a risk factor for mental illness in the same way that psychological disorders can increase a person’s risk of developing alcohol dependence. In this light, there are several different scenarios where a relation between the two can be established.
For instance, mental health problems can turn out to be the cause of excessive drinking. Alcohol can be a medium for escapism. The individual finds alcohol as a way to address his current issues. He resorts to drinking because he wants to escape his problems or perceives liquor as the treatment to his mental problem.
Because alcohol is considered a psychoactive substance, it can also affect a person’s mental health. Excessive alcohol intake may alter a person’s disposition and cause behavioral changes. It can cause the individual to develop hallucinations and even baseless suspicion against the people around him.
The overlap
According to various research, the prevalence of alcohol dependence is somewhat higher in people who are suffering from psychiatric problems. In a certain survey conducted in the US, for instance, it was found that less than 20% of the general population was suffering from mental illnesses when over thirty percent of alcoholics are also diagnosed with psychiatric disorders.
Alcohol as the coping mechanism
The most common scenario is a person using alcohol as a way to address his problems. As earlier mentioned, liquor becomes a coping mechanism to either mask out the prevalent issue or to resolve it temporarily. Some of the many conditions where alcohol can figure as a coping medium include depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, manic-depressive illness and schizophrenia.
Driven by a mental predisposition
In most surveys that study why people drink alcohol, the answers are always linked to an individual’s mentality. The most common replies had something to do with sociability, fitting in and relaxation. Many turn to alcohol as a way to relax and unwind as can be manifested by the huge number of professionals who are more apt to go for a drink with friends after office hours.
Alcohol has both positive and negative effects on one’s mental health. Logically, the negative repercussions come up when the substance is already abused. These effects are not always rooted on the composition of alcohol and its mechanism on the brain. Other factors will still need to be considered. For instance, the drinker’s pre-existing mood and what he expects to get from consuming alcohol should also be counted.
Much can be said, however, over the actual long term effects of alcohol on the individual’s cognition. Learning, memory processing and the ability to comprehend complex concepts tend to get impaired due to alcoholism. Psychomotor performance can also be affected.
And the list goes on. Truth be told, alcoholism and mental health is one subject that will take years to get ultimately explored.
