An Overview of Various Uses of Psychoactive Medications
- By:spatty46 looberg
Being a curious human being, one might seem to want or experience another state of consciousness. We all know that this can
be done by children through spinning, sliding, and swinging, all as form of play. It is in a person's instinct to have the
urge to alter one's consciousness, much like quenching one's thirst, hunger, and sexual desires. Today, so many people
experiment with mind-altering substances or psychoactive medications, which are chemical substances that basically acts on a
person's central nervous system and alters the brains' functions. The use of these drugs cause short-term changes in mood,
perception, behavior, and consciousness.
These medications are divided into five types that correspond to five different uses of the drug. Psychoactive medication
includes the use of general anesthetics. Now this is a class of psychoactive medication that is used on patients who need
help in minimizing pain and other hurtful sensations. Most of these anesthetics cause the patient to become unconsciousness,
thereby allowing doctors to proceed with surgery or other medical procedures without inflicting physical pain or causing
emotional trauma. Another type of this class of medication comes in the form of painkillers. Since psychoactive medication
are often prescribed to manage pain, certain neurochemicals can be chemically influenced to manage or reduce a patient's
uncomfortable pain. This class also includes narcotics like codeine and morphine, and also aspirin and paracetamol.
Psychiatric medications are for the treatment of mental health problems, specifically mental and emotional disorders.
Medications for psychiatric treatment have six classifications, namely: antidepressants (treatment for depression, anxiety,
dysthymia, eating disorders, etc.); stimulants (used to treat ADD, narcolepsy and for suppression of appetite); anti
psychotics (for the treatment of psychosis such as schizophrenia and mania); mood stabilizers (for treating bipolar disorders
and shizoaffective disorder); anxiolytics (for anxiety disorder treatments); and depressants (used for hypnotics, sedatives,
and anesthetics).
Looking at another approach for the use of these psychoactive medication would be through the use of recreational drugs.
Since this particular kind of medication can alter a person's mood and perception, some can be abused, including those with
accepted use in medicine and psychiatry. Frequently used drugs for recreation (or more appropriately, used illegally) include
stimulants, hallucinogens, hypnotics, and analgesics. All these can elevate sensations transmitted via a person's central
nervous system. These drugs are abused for their euphoric and performance-enhancing effects. People who abuse these drugs
experience perceptual changes, cognitive distortions, and inebriation. Examples of such commonly abused mind-altering
products include caffeine, alcohol, LSD, cocaine, and heroine.
Another reason for the use of these medication involves the conduct of certain rituals and spiritual activities. Specified
psychoactives, mainly hallucinogens, have been used for religious purposes since time immemorial. Native Americans have used
peyote, a mescaline-rich cacti, as a symbolic and material object for religious ceremonies. Another substance used for ritual
purposes is the muscimol-containing amanita mushroom, which was widely used by prehistoric tribes in Europe. Various other
hallucinogens like jimsonweed, psilocybin mushrooms, and cannabis have also been used in different religious ceremonies for
ages. Within the period of 1960-1970, new religious movements have began the use of LSD and other hallucinogens as
sacraments. Of course, legality is always on the surface, and that the use of the hallucinogens for religious activities
should be strictly regulated.
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