Exploring the Correlation Between Mental Health and Substance Use

by | Oct 17, 2024 | healthcare

 

Scenario:1

Sarah is a 28-year-old woman who has been struggling with mental health issues and substance use for several years. She was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in her late teens, which has significantly impacted her ability to cope with life’s challenges. Sarah began using substances to self-medicate and alleviate her symptoms of depression and anxiety. Initially, she experimented with alcohol and marijuana, but over time, her substance use escalated to include cocaine and prescription medications obtained illicitly.

Presenting Issues:

Sarah’s mental health issues have had a profound impact on various aspects of her life. She struggles to maintain stable employment and has a history of unstable housing situations. Sarah’s relationships with family members and friends have become strained due to her erratic behavior and substance use. She frequently experiences intense mood swings, feelings of hopelessness, and intrusive thoughts related to her mental health condition. Sarah’s substance use has worsened her mental health symptoms, leading to a vicious cycle of addiction and despair.

How do Sarah’s depression and anxiety contribute to her substance use?

In what ways has substance use impacted Sarah’s mental health symptoms?

How has Sarah’s substance use affected her social functioning and relationships?

How might the stigma associated with mental illness and substance use exacerbate Sarah’s challenges?

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


This question has been answered

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Analyzing Sarah’s Case

Understanding the Relationship Between Depression, Anxiety, and Substance Use

Sarah’s depression and anxiety likely play a significant role in her substance use. Individuals with mental health disorders often turn to substances as a form of self-medication to cope with their symptoms. In Sarah’s case, substances likely provided temporary relief from her feelings of depression and anxiety, reinforcing their use.

Impact of Substance Use on Mental Health

Substance use can exacerbate mental health symptoms in several ways:

  • Direct physiological effects: Substances can directly affect brain chemistry, leading to mood swings, anxiety, and depression.

Analyzing Sarah’s Case

Understanding the Relationship Between Depression, Anxiety, and Substance Use

Sarah’s depression and anxiety likely play a significant role in her substance use. Individuals with mental health disorders often turn to substances as a form of self-medication to cope with their symptoms. In Sarah’s case, substances likely provided temporary relief from her feelings of depression and anxiety, reinforcing their use.

Impact of Substance Use on Mental Health

Substance use can exacerbate mental health symptoms in several ways:

  • Direct physiological effects: Substances can directly affect brain chemistry, leading to mood swings, anxiety, and depression.
  • Increased stress: Substance use can create additional stress and challenges in a person’s life, further exacerbating mental health symptoms.
  • Interference with treatment: Substance use can interfere with the effectiveness of mental health treatments and increase the risk of relapse.

Impact of Substance Use on Social Functioning and Relationships

Sarah’s substance use has likely had a negative impact on her social functioning and relationships. Substance abuse can lead to erratic behavior, financial difficulties, and legal problems, which can strain relationships with family and friends. Additionally, the stigma associated with substance use can further isolate individuals and make it difficult to maintain healthy relationships.

Stigma and Mental Health Challenges

The stigma associated with mental illness and substance use can exacerbate Sarah’s challenges in several ways:

  • Fear of judgment: The fear of being judged or stigmatized can prevent individuals from seeking help or disclosing their struggles.
  • Discrimination: Individuals with mental health conditions or substance use disorders may face discrimination in various aspects of their lives, including employment, housing, and education.
  • Self-esteem: The stigma associated with mental illness and substance use can damage self-esteem and contribute to feelings of hopelessness and despair.

In conclusion, Sarah’s depression and anxiety likely contribute to her substance use, while substance use, in turn, exacerbates her mental health symptoms. The stigma associated with mental illness and substance use further complicates Sarah’s situation and makes it difficult for her to seek help and recover. Addressing both Sarah’s mental health and substance use issues is crucial for her overall well-being and recovery.

 

This question has been answered.

Get Answer