Is Compulsive Gambling a Mental Health Issue?

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Who has not made a bet at least one time in their life? “I bet I can jump higher than you!” or “I bet you don’t know the name of this song.” Gambling comes in all shapes and sizes and so do gamblers. While one person can sit in front of a slot machine one time, win a little cash and then never give the casino another thought, the next person may use the same machine, lose a little money, win a little and then become hopelessly addicted to the thrill of it all. Why do some become addicted but not all?

Some medications actually increase the dopamine activity in the brain. Users of Pramipexole, usually prescribed for Parkinson’s disease, are noticeably affected by this. Several mental health issues seem to make people prone to compulsive gambling as well. Bipolar disease and schizophrenia are two of the most commonly seen issues among gamblers. People with anti-social personalities commonly suffer with compulsion and people who have drug and alcohol addictions seem to ease right into an addiction to gambling.

While there are many physical reasons that can cause a gambling addiction, not every compulsive gambler has a mental health issue. A gambler may simply choose to spend his free time at the casino. This does not become a problem until other areas of his life are affected by it. If his gambling causes him to lose his job, friends or family then it is time to see a counselor or check out Gamblers Anonymous.

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Filed Under: Addictions, Disorders, Mental Health Tips & Advice Tagged With: , ,

The Comorbidity Complication: Mental Health

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Every cause must have an effect. Logic dictates this, demanding that patterns establish themselves. Every action creates an aftermath. Every reason must have a source. This is the law of explanations — with no gesture left without an origin and no disease left without a symptom.

Some symptoms can instead gather together, however: tangling until they represent a new disorder entirely. And, when this occurs, individuals may find themselves suffering from far more than mental diseases. They instead can be experiencing comorbidity.

Defined simply: comorbidity is when the presence of one mental issue sparks the arrival of another. Individuals who suffer from complications — such as depression, schizophrenia and borderline personalities — may lack the ability to censor their actions. From this can arise a sudden dependence on substances or medication, with addiction being the most common problem. It is believed that over 60 percent of those with disorders have comorbidity concerns.

And this statistic is all too easy to understand.

The symptoms of mental diseases are difficult to overcome. They are experienced in prolonged forms, offering frequent feelings of guilt, exhaustion and anxiety. This can often lead individuals to seek quick treatments (such as alcohol, cocaine and opiates). These substances can provide relief — however brief.

That relief eventually spawns an addiction, however, and comorbidity is established.

It is imperative therefore that individuals recognize the arrival of mental disorders and seek professional care for them. This is to ensure that comorbidity will not begin and offers a greater hope for success — rather than shattering chances by adding the complications of substance abuse.

 

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Understanding Truth: Mental Health and Children

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It’s an assumption of youth. Age is meant to be a defender of good mental health; a lack of years is meant to offer security. Children aren’t supposed to suffer from disorders — their minds are still unformed, their moods are still being shaped. It should be impossible therefore to detect the presence of problems. Only adults should suffer from the tragedy of disease. This is the certainty that’s passed from parent to parent.

Such a certainty is incorrect, however.

Mental disorders are not discerning in their victims. They bound through generations, attaching themselves to thoughts without discrimination. Choosing to believe that no child can have an emotional disease is therefore unwise — and potentially dangerous.

It is estimated that 12 million youths under the age of 18 have a complication: with the most common problems being obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and extreme anxiety. Of these individuals only one third will receive proper medical treatment. The rest will instead suffer from misdiagnosis and misunderstandings — with their families unable (or unwilling) to recognize the signs.

And this can lead to tragic consequences. It is believed that five percent of children in juvenile detention facilities have some form of mental illness (with their diseases directly linked to their incarcerations); and suicide is the third highest cause of death among adolescents, claiming millions each year.

These numbers are all too tragic and all too avoidable — if treatment could be offered instead of misconceptions.

Children can suffer from mental diseases. Their age is not a barrier that somehow shields them. This must be understood so that professional care can be provided.

 

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Filed Under: Disorders, Mental Health Tips & Advice

Defining Mental Health

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The days are meant to be easy. All hours should be shaped to laughter; all moments should be offered grins. Life has favored you with a collection of successes and relationships — all of which are meant to fulfill your every need. They… don’t, however. Instead you find yourself underwhelmed by all that’s been offered. No accomplishment is sweet enough to tempt a smile. No friend can summon the necessary sympathy. Your emotions have been stripped to apathetic cores, and you don’t understand why.

The reason is — sadly — that you’re not as you once were. There are instead symptoms that must be defined and treated, as well as the need to gain an understanding of mental health and how it has impacted your existence.

Mental health is a term that too often baffles the common man. It’s assumed to reflect the physical state of the brain, to prove the dysfunction of veins and gray matter. The truth, however, is far more involving.

This is instead a comprehensive term that reflects an individual’s cognitive and emotional functions — with all disorders, diseases and concerns accounted for. It is meant to explain the functions of the mind, as well as the psychological strains that can occur.

Achieving good mental health therefore demands an understanding of warning signs — with extended (or at least frequent) bouts of depression, skewered self-esteem and suicidal thoughts all noted. Ignoring these problems will not somehow solve them. Instead it will simply worsen the condition and leave individuals vulnerable to other complications.

Mental health must be redefined with treatment and medication, and its symptoms must be supported.

 

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What Does it Take to Succeed in the Medical Field?

Careers in the medical field are growing rapidly and are in high demand. There are many great benefits to being in the medical field, not only now, but in the future, as well. Also, the pay is great and you are in a field where you are constantly helping other people.

There are many different areas of work in the medical field and many different opportunities in each job. For most medical jobs, you need to get a degree or some kind of certification. You can take medical classes at almost any college, and you can even take some online classes. There are different advantages to online versus on-campus training.

If you are a working adult or a single parent, taking online classes would be a great opportunity for you. Also, once you have gotten your degree, if getting a job away from home is too much, there are medical careers you can have right at home. A medical transcription job would be one of these. This is a great job for someone who needs to be at home all the time. You can work right from your home office and set all of your own hours.

If you have ambition and you really want to work in the medical field, there is no reason you cannot succeed. Since medical jobs are in demand, if you have the certification and are good at what you do, you can find a job almost anywhere; just make sure you have all the proper training first.

 

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Payday Loans: A Smart Solution to Emergency Medical Bills

Let’s face it. We often masquerade as though nothing can ever happen to us. We often don’t carry proper medical insurance that would cover expenses in the event of a medical emergency, and we get blind-sided when in fact this does happen to us. This leaves us emotionally wrecked, needing to not only heal physically, but to come up with the money that will pay for our newfound medical bills. So, how can pay day loans help?

Payday One provides cash loans to individuals based on their employment pay stubs. You can receive a portion of your income before your next paycheck. This would be a great start to paying part of your medical bills down.  This is a smart choice since medical bills accrue interest quickly with higher balances. You may try to negotiate your medical bill balances. It’s important not to ignore your emergency medical bills or they can become too large to handle.

While the medical incident itself was not planned for, the bills that are left in the aftermath can be taken care of with smart payment plans. Many collections agencies are willing to put together payment plans for you that enable you to pay back slowly the total amount of your medical bills. In conjunction with using Payday One services, this option can help get your finances adjusted and bring down the balance of your loans.

Medical bills might seem scary to you. They will not go away and the aftermath of letting them slip by the wayside is far scarier.

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Admitting Flaws to Gain Support

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You are the exception to every rule: this is the certainty that defines you, the law you crafted as a child. There are no conventions that can contain you. There are no statistics that apply. Instead you’re able to battle all expectations — creating a life that is free from the common concerns. Superiority is an easy emotion. Your ego is shaped to it.

Such an ego will suffer in the wake of mental disease, however — and your body will follow, with treatment left ignored and no support sought.

It is estimated that 22 million Americans suffer from mental disorders each year (with the symptoms and severity varying from individual to individual). Within this unfortunate group, however, is only a small percentage who will actively seek treatment: 20 percent. The rest will instead refuse — certain that they can conquer their problems without aid, frightened of the social stigmas that will be flung toward them.

This is a dangerous truth, and one that must be rectified.

The necessity of treatment cannot be denied. Individuals who are burdened with mental diseases — such as depression, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder and dysthymia — can’t overcome their symptoms alone. Medication is instead needed, as well as professional therapy. Assuming that these problems can be undone by sheer will is a mistake… and a costly one: because 90 percent of those who commit suicide have some form of disorder and the majority of these individuals did not receive care.

It’s vital therefore to admit the arrival of a disease — and then seek treatment. This is the only worthwhile defense. All egos must be ignored.

 

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