Drug Use, Abuse and Dependence - Assignment Example

Drug use, drug abuse, and drug dependence are phrases used to describe how one is handling a particular drug or drug. Drug use can simply be defined as the act of taking a limited amount of medication to combat a disease/ ailment. This is the safe use of drugs usually accompanied by a medical prescription. However, drug use becomes a menace once it metamorphoses into drug abuse where the individual takes drugs and deliberately misuses (overdoses/ under-doses) them. Drug abuse also generally includes the consumption of illegal drugs. The abuser in this case is well aware of the detrimental effect the drugs pose on their health but opt to keep using them. Drug dependence on the other hand refers to the body’s physical need/ addiction to a given drug resulting in tolerance, withdrawal, use of drugs in larger amounts or over extended periods of time than originally intended, unsuccessful efforts to cut down, and so on (Henderson, 2005).

It is important to understand the difference between drug use, abuse, and dependence so that one can know when to seek help. Some drugs such as painkillers are beneficial but their continued use can lead to addiction and total dependence which poses serious health risks. Society has primarily promoted drug addictions through the media. Most celebrities, advertisements, movies, and music videos pose drug abuse as a ‘cool’ and the in-thing to do. In the end, most young people fall into addictions that they live and struggle with to the final years of their lives (Henderson, 2005).

Personality Disorders

Personality disorders can be defined as a group of mental anomalies featuring enduring maladaptive patterns of behavior, cognition, and experience demonstrated across many contexts and deviating markedly from those accepted by the individual’s culture. Personality disorders are clustered into groups to determine the severity of disorders and the prudent measures suitable for observed cases hence. Each cluster has characteristic symptoms and manifestations. For instance, cluster A comprises what is referred to as odd disorders. These include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder. Cluster B is the dramatic, emotional or erratic disorders such as antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder. Cluster C on the other hand the anxious and fearful personality disorders such as obsessive-compulsive personality disorders, dependent personality disorders, and avoidant personality disorders (Marcovitz, 2009).

Currently, no medication had been approved for the treatment of personality disorders with medications only available for disorder-associated problems such as anxiety, depression, or psychotic breakdowns. Treatment of most of these disorders, therefore, involves psychological therapy which lasts at least six months depending on the extent (cluster) of the disorder or other associated complications. Other therapies commonly used include psychodynamic (reflective) psychotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy, and interpersonal therapy (Maj, 2005).