Tenzin Tsokyi Drug addiction is characterized as a chronic, recurrent disorder in which obsessive drug seeking and use continue despite substantial negative consequences (Camí & Farré, 2003). Addiction relapse, on the other hand, is generally defined as drinking alcohol or resuming drug use after a period of abstinence. The conceptual definition of relapse is a failure to maintain desired behavior change. (Dimeff & Marlatt, 1995). Across the studies, it is shown that relapse is triggered by both biological and psychological factors such as interruptions in dopamine balance, societal pressure, and individual mental state. According to Sinha (2007), stress is considered one of the foremost reasons or paramount factors that have been linked to an increased chance of relapse with alcohol and drugs. Hence, this blog, in particular, will explore how stress-related factors can influence addiction relapse.  Both discrete and chronic stressors have a role in the development of drug ...

Sonali Garg “Addiction is like being in a house. A house that’s on fire and you are in the bathroom getting high instead of getting out” (Yadav, 2020). Drug Addiction is one of the top causes of premature deaths in the world. Substance Use Disorder is a complex, life-threatening mental disorder characterised by a compulsive intake of substances like alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs, despite being cognizant of its indelible consequences. Those who are addicted to such substances develop distorted behaviours and thoughts (What Is a Substance Use Disorder, n.d.). Cut to Punjab, the land of the five rivers, renowned for its rich culture, is mired in drugs, cartels and corruption. The 2016 Indian-crime film, Udta Punjab wades into the insurgence of drug-abuse among the youth of Punjab. A state famed for wrestlers and wheat, Punjab serves up drugs faster than parathas and lassis (Iyer, 2017). Through the poignant narration of interwoven tales of four characters, the director, Abhishek Chau...

The Netflix show 13 Reasons Why – which revolves around a high school student, Hannah Baker’s suicide – created a lot of controversy when it was released. There was a significant increase in suicide rates among boys aged 10-17 years the month following the release of the show (Bridge et al., 2020). The show was based on several social issues such as suicide, sexual assault, gun violence and drug abuse (to name a few). This article attempts to dive into and analyse the life of a character, Justin Foley, played by Brandon Flynn, and his struggle with substance abuse.  Justin Foley is one of the main characters of the show. After Hannah Baker committed suicide, she left a series of tapes wherein Justin has been mentioned. Justin was in a relationship with a woman named Jessica. His best friend, Bryce, rapes Jessica while Justin is helpless. He hides it for some time because he did not want to lose his best friend and girlfriend, but eventually comes clean to Jessica. Jessica breaks u...

Ameya Naik TW: Suicide   Across the globe, it has been noted that approximately one in every 100 deaths is caused because of suicide (Suicide, 2021). Given that suicidal behaviour can be prevented, it is essential to know what causes an individual to attempt suicide. A possible explanation of why an individual would engage in suicidal behaviour is explained by the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behaviour (Joiner, 2005). The theory posits that in order for an individual to die by committing suicide, an individual should experience a desire for committing suicide and should be capable to fulfil the desire. The desire for committing suicide stems from two interpersonal psychological states, namely, perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. However, this desire needs to be coupled with an individual's acquired ability to cause self-injury and overcome their self-preservation instinct. Therefore, this blog post aims to examine the interpersonal-psychological t...

 Mehek Kataria      The 2019 television series Modern Love is a romantic comedy anthology based on the The New York Times column of the same name. Each episode is a love story, however, they’re also very unique in terms of the characters and their situations as a result of which the series provides representation to communities that often go unnoticed in mainstream romantic comedies. The third episode of season 1, titled “Take Me as I Am, Whoever I Am” , directed by John Carney, is a self-narration of the life and struggles of a young woman with Bipolar Disorder. This article aims to analyse the depiction of the disorder in the episode and to touch upon the complexities of dating as an individual with a mood disorder.  Unlike unipolar mood disorders, in bipolar disorders, the depressive episode precedes or follows a manic or hypomanic episode. (Hooley et. al., 2021) During a manic episode, an individual may behave extremely elated, experience unrealistic exci...

Arihant Hemendra (TW: Mentions of suicide, depression, mental illness) Perhaps no modern artist has been as disruptive to the mainstream media/pop culture industry as rapper Kanye West. Known for his trademark cocky attitude and diss-like lyrics and experimental music, West has also made a name for himself in peripheral industries like record production and fashion. It is well known that Kanye also suffers from one of the world’s most common yet confounding mental illnesses - Bipolar Disorder (Murphy, 2019). While Kanye has historically shown symptoms of acute mental illness, he hadn’t been formally diagnosed until 2019. This blogpost aims to analyse West’s mental health over the years, and correlate it to the public perception of celebrity mental health. Bipolar disorder, known erstwhile as “manic depressive disorder” is characterised by periods of extreme depression and paranoia followed by random periods of super - elevated self-worth hyperactivity. Kanye was recently diagnosed with...

 Shreaya Malhotra  At a cursory glance, the Queen’s Gambit seems like a coming of age story of a girl finding her footing in the male-dominated world of chess. While that is the major theme of the limited series, this story’s foundation is laid and driven by harrowing childhood trauma and addiction.  Beth Harmon, the story’s protagonist, is just a young girl when she loses both her parents and is put up in an orphanage. Her father left Beth and her mother to start a new family due to her mother’s deteriorating mental health. Following that, her mother eventually decides to take her own life by crashing into a truck, all while Beth was still in the car with her. We see through recurrent flashbacks, Beth’s mother asking Beth to close her eyes before colliding into the oncoming vehicle.   PTSD is defined as a disorder that occurs when an individual undergoes traumatic events, like when Beth experienced a car crash that took the life of her own mother. These include...

Sonali Garg The morning of September 11, 2001 (9/11). Nearly 3,000 people died that day. Millions more watched the planes hit the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, the two symbols of American power swiftly disappearing into an enormous plume of black smoke. Many saw the attacks on live TV. And two decades later, those images remained seared in the nation's memory. It was one of the greatest memorialisations of mass trauma experienced by the United States, which was obliviously embarking upon a new era of history. The intense media coverage of the terrorist attacks and that of the rescue operations till weeks after, had a potent effect on people's psychological and physical health over time. A plethora of research was conducted on the mental health repercussions of the 9/11 terror attacks in the two decades after they took place, marking a major climacteric in the psychiatric understanding of Acute and Chronic Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and disaster psychiatry pra...