Cortex Kryptonite: How Addiction Destroys Abstract Brain Functions

October is a huge month in the world of mental health. Mental Illness Awareness Week is October 4-10. National Depression Screening Day falls on October 6th. October 10th recognizes World Mental Health Day, and October is even heralded as National Bullying Prevention Month—a practice that has tremendous damaging effects on the mental health of anyone, but especially our youth.

Now, my intention is NOT to steal the thunder of your Mental Health Monday Blogger. In fact, as of this moment, I give mental health over to its rightful day of the week. I only needed to mention mental health as a lead-in to my topic today. But I AM going to dip back into Mental Health’s September subject to help support today’s health discussion.

Now, remember when I said that I can find humor in any life experiences?

I lied.

Someone very close to me is amazing. This someone has a great family, supportive parents, loving siblings, good friends, and a pain-in-the-butt dog that will only behave for her. Someone struggles to live up to what she thinks others expect of her, so because she can’t, someone lives way below those expectations. But someone is still loved very much and encouraged to do what she can do. Someone tries, and then fails. Someone tries again, and then fails again. Someone thinks she has to ride the try/fail rollercoaster all by herself, so she doesn’t stop to let anyone on. Sometimes the rollercoaster is fun, and sometimes it scares someone because it IS fun. But then there are those times when someone is not FUN scared but SCARED scared. But someone is already on the rollercoaster, and she is sure that there is no one that even wants to help her. Those that love someone can’t keep up with the rollercoaster, so they get help from those that understand how the rollercoaster operates to see if they can help redirect the rollercoaster, or at least slow it down. And after many attempts, those that understand slow down the rollercoaster, and someone hesitantly opens the door for those that love her to jump in and ride with her. And what a ride it is.


Then, someone takes an entire bottle of pills…


I want you all to know that through several small miracles and the grace of God, my “someone” is doing well and getting the help she needs. This experience is recent and very raw, and I have reflected daily on what I have learned from my last 2 ½ years of working as a mental health nurse.

I speak to many parents of children, ranging from teenagers to even late adult years, who express extreme frustration, and even anger, that they cannot pull their child from the grasp of addiction. Many of these addicts have unintentionally overdosed with near death experiences. And there are those who intentionally overdose with the hope of ending their own lives, thus releasing themselves from addiction’s clutches. The cycle of addiction is physiological, and it is as if a tremendous burden has been lifted from these parents when I help them understand that there comes a point when using is no longer a choice for their child. Let me explain.

The brain is SUCH a complicated organ, but I am going to try to break down this one concept as simply as I can. There is an area in the front part of your brain call the prefrontal cortex. Information from all other areas of your brain is relayed here. It is responsible for performing very abstract but important functions, like reasoning, focusing attention, complex planning, impulse control, and predicting the consequences of events or actions. Contrast this part of your brain with an area that is deeper inside, called the limbic system, also called your motivational system. This is where emotional states are established, where memories are stored and retrieved, where reward processing takes place, and where the functions of the amygdala (uh-MIG-duh-luh) are controlled. It is necessary to go one step further, in that the amygdala controls your “fight or flight” response and development of “fear” emotion, and it is commonly referred to as your pleasure center.

Wow. The limbic system sounds like a party, doesn’t it? Well, if your body is a Fortune 500 company, which area do you want running it? There is nothing wrong with having a little fun here and there. After all, once the prefrontal cortex helps you to focus, plan, predict the outcome, then execute that successful project, you will want the limbic system to help you celebrate success! Heck, good ol’ LS even motivated you to get it done! That is how this well-oiled machine works.

When someone uses substances, IMMEDIATELY, the limbic system is in the driver’s seat. Sure, there is motivation. But the motivation is to have fun and to take pleasure in the here-and-now activity. That fight or flight? That’s adrenaline. And that is a high, my friends. This is all perceived as a huge reward by the brain. Once the substance wears off, the prefrontal cortex can take control again. But the substances are like kryptonite to the prefrontal cortex, and it is weakened in the presence of those, every single time the drugs are used. And the limbic system gets stronger and stronger. Eventually, the body becomes confused, and as in true addict fashion, the limbic system completely takes over the prefrontal cortex. This individual’s body is now being controlled by his pleasure center, and he is unable to reason, control impulses, or see consequences to his actions. It will take long term therapy for this addict to ever return to “normal,” if ever. And this, my friends, is why I say that addiction may no longer be a “choice” for some.

My mind was blown when I heard this presentation during my orientation when I made my transition from med surg nursing to the crisis center where I work now. Sometimes, I feel like knowing the mechanism of action, or how a substance reacts in the body or changes the body chemistry, might help people make different choices. So, I speak up.  But with mental health, you never know what you are going to get. NEVER blame yourself for someone deciding to take their own life. Just don’t be afraid to speak about these tough subjects! You also never know when something you say might save one.

Be well!

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

 

 

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