Alcohol Abuse and Depression

Alcohol Abuse and Depression
Name:
Institution:
Alcohol Abuse and Depression
The oxford English dictionary defines depression as a state of “severe despondency and dejection,” that is mostly long lasting. As a medical term, depression refers to a psychological condition of adverse feelings of hopelessness and emotional inadequacy. Alcohol abuse or alcoholism on the other hand refers to the continued consumption of alcoholic drinks in high levels despite evident adverse negative consequences resulting from the same. Depression can be a result of alcohol abuse or it can result from it. Alcohol per se is a depressant to the nervous system and heavy intakes have negative effects on the brain and other body organs. Consequently, attempts of withdrawal from alcohol intake can result in depression symptoms, if these symptoms persist, and then the option of using antidepressants can be opted for.
To begin with, alcohol abuse has adverse effects on fetus still undergoing development in a mother's womb. Apart from affecting the mother's mental system the effects pass the placenta to the fetus where they influence cell development by causing death of neuron brain cells (Gohlke et al. 2008). Surprisingly, both heavy and moderate consumptions have notable effects on the same. A situation termed Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) arises as a result. A child in its development stages hence suffers from devastating cognitive and psychological brain function, this ultimately results in depression for parents under question. Adults also suffer from abnormal neuron networking because of heavy consumption of alcohol. Chen et al. (2003) recorded adverse states of emotional wellbeing and social cognition in adults who were alcoholic. There has also been a recorded pattern of long-term impairment of memory and learning capabilities in serious alcoholics, factors easily associated with instances of depression, considering social, physical and economic downfalls that these people encounter on a regular basis. The aspects of reduced visual spatial learning capabilities often make alcoholics exposed in competitive intellect environments feel low self-esteem for themselves and ultimately lose their self-affirmation of character. However, researchers have found associations of cognitive capability having links to genetics and consideration of the social environment that people are exposed to, still, the evidence backing adverse effects of alcohol consumption on cognitive capabilities and hence depression remains solid. Cases of chronic depression have been linked to psychiatric health with the effect of alcohol intake posing as a major contributing factor to the same. There exists an apparent association of abuse of alcohol with long-term psychiatric and psychological risk factors, as a form of mental disorder. Once people come to learn that they have become victims of such disorders, depression, almost by design, sets in. they suffer from problem solving capability deficiency in almost all areas of their lives; both emotional and social skills become at peril of their lives (Gohlke et al. 2008).
The abuse of alcohol does not just impair someone's thinking in the short-term; it ultimately affects how someone behaves as a parent, spouse, partner, worker of merely as a member of society. A worrying trend is that most affected individuals do not know when it is due for them to seek help. This paper discusses the effect of alcohol on depression; it is a fact that many have lost a lot, from their families, jobs, relationships and even income because of alcohol abuse. As such, alcohol abuse stands as a major concern and source of depression to many people in the world and the United States today. Most instances of depression arising from alcohol abuse are characterized by feelings of guilt and self-pity. The United States department of labor indicates that workers who engage in substance abuse are 25-30% less productive, they are also three times more likely to fail to attend to their duties than non-abusing workers. Additionally, such people have relatively poor relations with family members and are more likely to suffer financial liability. Violence, infidelity, separation and divorce ale more likely to happen in relationships where both or either one of the partners in an intimate relationship abuses alcohol. Such social problems make abusers more prone to depression compared to people who are not abusers. Moreove...