ipl-logo

Role Of Mental Health In Trainspotting

1004 Words5 Pages

Portrayal of Mental Health in Popular Culture

The characterization in the movie Trainspotting is one that pays attention to the use of drugs (heroin to be specific) among a group of youths. The film which is based in Edinburgh, Scotland focuses on a group of young heroin addicts who live in extreme poverty but the culturally rich area. The director uses Mark Renton to portray the abuse of drugs as well as drug addiction among the youth. Mark highlights how his addiction to heroin affects not only his friends and family but also his general life. As one watches this character, it is evident that the modern society is one that is surrounded by the mental issues of drug addiction. This paper focuses on portraying mental health in the popular culture of film. …show more content…

The main reason why drug addiction is regarded as a brain disease is due to the fact that drug abuse changes the function and structure of the brain (KRAFT, 2010). In most cases, the initial move to use drugs is voluntary. However, repeated drug abuse with time affects the brain functioning and which can impair an individual’s self-control as well as the ability to make sound decisions. It is important to note that such a health condition increases the impulse for the addict to take more drugs. The changes impacted by drugs in the human brain play an important role towards making it hard for a person stop abusing drugs. If not treated, the effects could be extreme to an extent that affects those living around the addict. The fortunate thing about the entire disorder is that like any other, there are treatments that aim at countering the disruptive effects of the addiction and regain the normal

Show More
Related
673 Words | 3 Pages

The psychosocial effects of heroin can be depression. Heroin is extremely devastating, and users often have can’t stay on a job, relationship problems, legal complications and financial

Read More
380 Words | 2 Pages

I chose to side with Sally Satel and Scott Lilienfeld, after closely reading both arguments regarding the topic: “Is Addiction a Brain Disease?” Satel and Lilienfield believe that addicts can make a conscious decision to stop substance abuse whenever they see fit. Although, it may be difficult for them to control their urges, it is humanly possible. A solid argument that Satel and Lilenfield made is the correlation between addiction and Alzheimer’s. A disease such as Alzheimer’s can not be personally controlled.

Read More
1208 Words | 5 Pages

A drug addiction occurs when someone uses substances to give themselves a feeling of pleasure even if it has negative consequences for them or others. When an addiction occurs the brain changes too making it extremely difficult to quit. This is because the brain wants more of the pleasurable substance because it’s giving dopamine. Once someone is addicted to something all they want is that thing and they will do anything to get it.

Read More
491 Words | 2 Pages

According to another article by americanaddictioncenter.org called "How do drugs and alcohol affect the brain", the authors (the editorial staff of the website), explain how your brain reacts to these products (par. 2) "Alcohol and drug use... can alter feelings, perceptions, thought processes, and behavior." Because these products become the highest source of dopamine, these changes in the brain cause addiction. One more quote strengthens the fact that substances cause addiction in the homeless (par. 2). 2) "Substance use can even change the brain in ways that contribute to addiction development. " The misuse of drugs and alcohol can ruin someone and make them poor.

Read More
2071 Words | 9 Pages

Movie Analysis The movie Its Kind of a Funny Story tells the story of a teenager going with Major Depressive Disorder who checked himself into an Adult Psychiatric Facility because of his thoughts towards suicide. The movie portrays several psychological disorders especially depressive disorder throughout the course of the film. In any movie like this one, which examines very real issues and disorders, the accuracy of such a film is called into question.

Read More
549 Words | 3 Pages

When a person falls in love or gets addicted to drugs, their bodies behave in the same way. The warm and cozy feeling of being in love floods the brain with chemicals and hormones that produce feelings of pleasure, obsession and attachment. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet did not just fall in love with Romeo. Lovers also feel a rush of exhilaration when thinking about him or her; it is a form of “intoxication.” Both love and addiction engage the same regions of the brain, the “rewards system.”

Read More
841 Words | 4 Pages

Addiction is a disorder of the brain where a person feels he has to take the drug despite its destructive effects (Volkow, Koob and McLellan). Dependence is a state normally associated when an

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

In the last few years, the representation of people suffering from mental illness in popular culture has greatly increased, showing actual teenagers that characters and idols have real problems in everyday life. One of the literary leaders in this psychological revolution is the novel, and recent film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Throughout this story, the viewer learns about different types of mental disorders from depression, to post-traumatic stress disorder, to schizophrenia. The events that occur throughout this storyline show real-life situations and struggles that teenagers go through. Stephen Chbosky expertly handles the topic of mental illness in the novel and film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Read More
1358 Words | 6 Pages

Researchers believe that the orbitofrontal cortex is affected in an addict and the neural signals do not change based on the severity of the situation. Thus they are unable to get their brain to make sound choices. Then a malfunction in the anterior cingulate cortex allows addicts to continue making bad decisions. These two major malfunctions continually allow an addict to make unhealthy choices (Nauert, 2011). Nic did not choose to steal because he wanted to hurt his family.

Read More
1294 Words | 6 Pages

Mental illnesses and disorders have long been a tool of popular media as a ways of advancing a plot, developing a character/backstory, or a making a villain unlikeable or inhuman in some way. These portrayals are often exaggerated, an absolute extreme case of the disorder, or a combination of various psychological disorders’ symptoms in a way that would create the most dramatic effect. While there is a significant amount of media (movies, television, books, video games, ect.) that portray mental illness, the film that I chose to look at is the 2010 drama/thriller Black Swan directed by Darren Aronofsky. Black Swan is about a career ballerina Nina Sayer (played by Natalie Portman) in a New York city ballet company whose entire life has revolved around dancing. The ballet company is working on opening a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and the artistic director has made the choice to replace the company’s current Prima ballerina with someone who is younger.

Read More
402 Words | 2 Pages

The biological explanation of the brain in regards to drug addiction is interesting. According to the textbook, "Studies have found convincing evidence that drugs such as alcohol, heroin, and cocaine act directly on the brain mechanisms that are responsible for reward and punishment. " When one use drugs, the drug stimulates the areas of the brain that create the sensation of pleasure and suppress the pleasure of pain, as, a result, the user receives reinforcement to engage in further drug-taking behavior. The psychological explanation of drug abuse, "Focus on either personality disorders or the effects of social learning and reinforcement on drug-taking behaviors."

Read More
1114 Words | 5 Pages

As we can see by the four different development domains, the abuse of substances has several negative outcomes and can be severely detrimental to the abuser. Although it is difficult to stop the abuse of substances, people who are dealing with this issue should seek help. Relying on drugs is

Read More
1028 Words | 5 Pages

The effects of addiction on health can be devastating. Once addiction develops, the brain changes interfere with an individual’s ability to make voluntary decisions, leading to compulsive drug craving, seeking and use. 6 Drug abuse can suppress the body’s immune system and is related to risky behaviours, involving the sharing of contaminated syringe, needle or injection paraphernalia and unprotected sex. The combination greatly increases the likelihood of acquiring HIV, hepatitis and many other infectious diseases. 6 Drugs that lead to these diseases are heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Read More
1251 Words | 6 Pages

Addiction is the reliance on a routine. There are many addictive stages. Addiction, as it comes along, becomes a way of life. The persistent use of the substance causes to the user serious physical or psychological problems and dysfunctions in major areas of his or her life. The drug user continues to use substances and the compulsive behavior despite the harmful consequences, and tries to systematically avoid responsibility and reality, while he or she tends to isolate himself/herself from others because of guilt and pain (Angres, & Bettinardi-Angres, 2008).

Read More
2078 Words | 9 Pages

Drug Addiction : Treatment or Punishment? When a person takes a drug the chemicals affect the brain by interfering with how the neurons send messages. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the structure of Marijuana and Heroin mimic a natural neurotransmitter which tricks the receptors into allowing the drug to activate neurons inside the brain which interferes with messages and leads to abnormalities of behavior. With other drugs such as cocaine there is an abnormally large amount of neurotransmitters released which disrupts communication channels.

Read More

More about Role Of Mental Health In Trainspotting

Related Topics

Open Document