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Post by Admin on Mar 7, 2017 10:58:28 GMT -4
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Roshni Patel AUA Guest
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Post by Roshni Patel AUA Guest on Mar 8, 2017 13:13:04 GMT -4
I found this article to be incredibly interesting because of a patient I saw last week. The patient was a 60 year old male with a PMH of Autism and Alcoholism. He was sent to PACT so we could evaluate whether or not he could live on his own because his elderly mother (his primary caretaker) was being moved to a nursing care facility. One of his biggest struggles like most Autistic people is making social connections. His lack of friends make him extremely lonely and depressed which he says drives his substance abuse.
This article is important because it reminds us that things are not always as they appear. Getting a proper history is important, especially for substance abuse cases, because finding out the cause of someones drinking allows the treatment to be specified and therefore more successful.
If it was never discovered that Mr. Stoner had autism, he would have been treated like any other substance abuse case and probably wouldn't have had a successful outcome.
Further research into the neurological and behavioral similarities between these conditions would be extremely beneficial considering how common they are. It could help current addicts who don't know they have autism get the correct treatment and help prevent those with high risk autism from becoming addicts by implementing early interventions.
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Post by Jenna Lyn on Mar 8, 2017 15:40:10 GMT -4
Before even finishing the article, to me there is a clear indication as to why someone with a disorder such as autism or ADHD would turn to drugs but generally do not. To begin with, many cases of autism are diagnosed in childhood. This leads to a sheltered and monitored lifestyle by care givers and parents. With such a close watch, how is one to obtain access to drugs like heroin or marijuana? Not possible. So they turn to the drugs that they have been told will level them out and never get the chance to experiment with drugs to become addicted. Also before completing this article, I could see the research facility created to diagnose and examine the relationship between addiction and mental health disorders. The article goes on to describe the genetic connection between Autism and addiction and how those diagnosed with autism tend to have an issue with addiction which further supports the connection and provides statistical data.
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Post by Marjorie Williams on Mar 8, 2017 16:55:24 GMT -4
This field will continue to perplex many. It is critically important to asses and re-assess medical concepts such as Autistic patients being less likely to become addicted. Research completed in New Zealand as well as Sweden prove that this concept, though globally accepted amongst medical professional is filled with fallacy and holes. Medical Researchers ought to continue studies with Autistic patients and there increased susceptibility to becoming alcoholics or drug addicts. Particularly, patients that are more high functioning but still have various characteristics of Autism must be closely monitored because these are the individuals that become addicts. Closer scrutiny and modification of regulation designed for diagnosing Autism should be consistently reviewed so that patients do not become overlooked and thus suffer from unnecessary outcomes. By completing multiple studies with Autistic patients and likelihood of addiction, we as the medical community can better serve these individuals.
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Osvaldo Friger UMHS
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Post by Osvaldo Friger UMHS on Mar 8, 2017 22:18:04 GMT -4
The article surprised me when a study in Sweden showed Autistic patients with average or above average intelligence are more likely to become addicted to drugs or alcohol. The relation of addiction and autism I believe starts with one being impulsive and compulsive. Drugs or alcohol can enhance or reduce the sensation that they are feeling, which the article appropriately pointed out. One fact that had me unsure was the majority of the patients that were diagnosed with autism were adults and most of them had a correlation with addiction. So would a risk factor of autistic children once they reach adulthood is addiction to any narcotic or alcohol? I believe more research should be implemented and if results due show a correlation then it’s a starting point for improving behavior therapy.
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Post by SKher on Mar 9, 2017 12:28:04 GMT -4
Before reading this article, I never heard about any connections with addiction and Autism, but the article didn't really seem to surprise me because Autism is a spectrum disorder and one person with Autism may have completely different symptoms, a different personality and different capabilities/incapabilities than another person with Autism. Thus patients who have a higher IQ and are able to function in similar ways to that of people without Autism, it makes sense that they'd be more inclined to take up drugs and alcohol because they still embody the qualities of having difficulty socializing, and drugs and alcohol can help with filling that void or fitting in as the article states. The article also states that addiction and Autism share a similar genetic connection, “that NLGN3, a candidate gene for Autism, is highly active in the nucleus accumbens, a region in the ventral striatum that is linked to desire and drug use”, which I thought was really interesting, and it’s great to see that there is more and more research being done to understand all aspects of Autism.
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Post by sarahs on Mar 9, 2017 18:09:45 GMT -4
This article is very interesting because the main patient I had an interaction with has autism with alcoholism and marijuana use. The same reasons stated in the article, he does it to ease his anxiety to be able to function. Recovery for people with these issues can be difficult. They tend to be more stubborn and defiant that like the article states, putting them in AA or NA can often backfire. If they don’t follow the rules, they end up breaking the law even more and could possibly end up on the deeper end or even in prison.
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Post by Sapna Gopal on Mar 10, 2017 2:19:29 GMT -4
I find it disconcerting that the man in the article was not diagnosed with autism until he was 44 years of age although he was clearly showing symptoms since the age of 3. The diagnosis may have not been as prevalent 40 years ago but not realizing for such a long time came as a shock to me while reading the article. In regards to addiction and autism most autistic people do not get the opportunity to become addicts because they do not interact much with their peers. This is of course the severe cases. The article then focuses on less severe cases and states that an autism diagnosis doubles the risk of addiction. I find this highly surprising. I guess I was also thinking of the more severe cases and their lack of access to substances to get addicted.
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Post by Stefan Gordon on Mar 10, 2017 9:25:14 GMT -4
The main takeaway from this article is that it simply demonstrates that autism spectrum disorder is a very large and complex mental disease that has similarities and connections to many different conditions and diseases such as ADHD, OCD, Rett Syndrome and Fragile X syndrome just to name a few, Now it seems addiction is added on to the list. However, despite the growing list of similarities and connections, Autism still maintains its uniqueness. In the case of its relationship with addiction it is interesting that they require completely opposite approaches in terms of treatment where one requires isolation and the other uses a “buddy system” utilizing unity and sharing to achieve the best results for the patient. The more interesting thing about the relationship is that they affect the same areas of the brain the ventral area for the pleasure seeking newcomer and dorsal striatum for the full blown addict. Both achieve similar effects on the brain but by different routes where genetic mutation in autism can produce similar effects on the brain as a dose of heroin or cocaine in addiction. It seems also that similar genetic mutations can be found that connect both the autistic individual and the addict and the good news is the more bridges we find the closer we can get to finding an effective pharmacologic treatment for Autism which is lacking today. Even though baclofen, a muscle relaxer, seems to have a therapeutic effect it doesn’t seem to be treating the underlying cause of the many types of Autism on the Spectrum which is the direction we should be heading.
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Post by Cynthia Okoro on Mar 10, 2017 14:10:50 GMT -4
Very interesting discovery,there was a good point that was made, will this discovery be different if these people were diagnosed earlier, and can we see a difference between people who were diagnosed early and are dependent on care givers and those that are independent of care givers despite knowing that they are autistic will their choices differ, will they have different or the same out come or handle their social anxiety differently, is it the fact that they were diagnosed earlier that makes the difference or the dependence on care givers that makes the difference. Hopefully better treatment plan can be made for those autistic and addicted.
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Post by Malaka on Mar 11, 2017 10:07:14 GMT -4
Honestly, there is no surprise here. Why would we think there isn’t a correlation between someone who is living with the inability to communicate and form relationships to someone that is going to eventually abuse drugs later on in life? It makes perfect sense, someone who lacks the capability to find comfort in their colleagues and/or family is going to have to turn to something else. Drug and alcohol abuse is an easy fix to their difficult situation. Although autism is a spectrum disorder, most patients are aware that they are different and if they are not, the feeling of being excluded is definitely a struggle. I am definitely going to start looking at patient charts more carefully to see how many have both of these diagnoses.
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Post by Grace Kittrell on Mar 11, 2017 19:39:01 GMT -4
I can see why it has been formerly assumed that the link between autism and addiction is not a concern, since many individuals with autism are not very connected in social circles that may introduce them to addictive substances. However, it also makes sense to me that individuals on the higher end of the spectrum (i.e.. Asperger's) should be more predisposed to addiction than their non-autistic counterparts. These individuals often have some friends and social connections, but their higher level of functioning often allows them an awareness about their social impairments. This awareness can lead to anxiety and depression, which in general are sometimes handled by turning to substance abuse. The link between ADHD and substance addiction is particularly interesting to me. I wonder if this predisposition increases in ADHD patients that have been treated with amphetamines, and if those individuals are more likely to progress to methamphetamine abuse as a result.
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iyke
New Member
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Post by iyke on Mar 11, 2017 23:20:52 GMT -4
Autistic patient are usually conformed to a pattern that is they carry out or engage in repetitive active activities which are classified as "rituals". this article states that there could be a relationship between those who have an increased IQ with addiction. some of the autistic individuals are said to be mentally retarded meaning that they have an IQ of less than 70.those with low IQs have low addiction risk. many people who get addicted say they find some form of " solace" in what ever substance of thing that they are addicted to. like in this article the autistic patients are said to be addicted to drugs like marijuana because when they are "high" they usually have the ability to bond. does this mean that the management for an autistic patient would be to induce them with forms of drugs that can enable them function properly in the society? since decreased dopamine and oxytocin plays part in the social behavior of people, does this mean that women that have induced labor with oxytocin usually have pleasure at delivery or should have pleasure in delivery?
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Post by Kennedy Uzoho (MS3) AISM on Mar 12, 2017 15:48:53 GMT -4
There are certain disadvantages associated with autism and addiction.Autism gives you a hard time with your childhood,making good friends,focusing in school and feeling frustrated all the time.Addiction on the other hand causes depression,makes you have suicidal ideations depending on the substance you are addicted to.Addiction makes one lose touch with his or her family,so basically an autistic patient will ultimately develop addiction to substances because they scare people away from them and they are usually rejected and they go into drug abuse.The only way to suppress addiction is advising autistic victims to engage in a rehabilitation program for sometime until they discover signs of recovery.the fact that having a low IQ makes it pretty obvious that you will start engaging in anti-social and life-threatening activities and therefore autism is strongly associated with addiction.
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Post by S Stephano on Mar 12, 2017 17:55:25 GMT -4
My first thought when I started to read this article was that the story of Shane Stoner and addiction was such an unusual case; however, after reading the entirety, though, it really does make sense. Typically, we don’t think of those with autism to participate in risky and self-deprecating behaviors. On the other hand, for those who have had anxieties with social interactions and trouble fitting in—drug use can be a way to cope. The statistics that highlighted the increased risk of addiction in those with autism and ADHD were not surprising either. ADHD is what we more commonly associate with impulsive or risky behaviors.
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