Feelings Of Euphoria Research Articles

Pathophysiology and Management of Amphetamine-Related Psychiatric Disorders

IntroductionAmphetamines may induce symptoms of psychosis very similar to those of acute schizophrenia spectrum psychosis. This has been an argument for using amphetamine-induced psychosis as a model for primary psychotic disorders. To distinguish the two types of psychosis on the basis of acute symptoms is difficult. However, acute psychosis induced by amphetamines seems to have a faster recovery and appears to resolve more completely compared to schizophrenic psychosis.ObjectivesThe objectives of this e-poster is to identify the pathophysiology of amphetamine-related psychiatric disorders and outline the available treatment and management options for amphetamine-related psychiatric disorders.MethodsA bibliopgraphical review was performed using PubMed platform. All relevant articles were found using the keywords: psychotic episode, amphetamines, pathophysiology and menagement.Results Amphetamines inhibit monoamine (dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin) reuptake, leading to increased monoamine concentrations in the neuronal synapse. Amphetamines can also lead to increased monoamines in the cytosol by interactions with vesicular monoamine transporter 2. Dopamine and norepinephrine release in the nucleus accumbens results in a feeling of euphoria and a reward feedback loop, which may result in addiction. Studies also suggest increased dopaminergic pathways lead to glutamate excesses in the cerebral cortex, altering the function of cortical GABAergic neurons. This damage leads to dysregulation of glutamate in the cerebral cortex, a precursor to psychosis. Prior psychiatric studies have found that GABAergic cortical dysfunction seems to relate to schizophrenia. Generally, acutely agitated psychotic patients are treated with intravenous benzodiazepines (lorazepam, diazepam, or midazolam) as first-line agents. However, if a second-line agent is needed, antipsychotic medicines like risperidone, haloperidol, ziprasidone, and olanzapine have been successful in managing amphetamine-associated psychosis. Lipophilic beta-blockers, such as metoprolol and labetalol, have also been used successfully to resolve agitation and hyperadrenergic vital signs.ConclusionsCompared to schizophrenic psychosis, amphetamine-induced acute psychosis induced appears to demonstrate a more rapid recovery. It also seems to resolve with substance abstinence; however, this recovery may be incomplete.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

The presence and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms and their association with quality of life among patients with dementia

ABSTRACT Background Neuropsychiatric symptoms are common manifestations of dementia. The presence and severity of these symptoms differ depending on different personal and contextual factors. Purpose This study aimed to investigate the presence and predictors of neuropsychiatric symptoms and the association between the severity of these symptoms and the quality of life in a sample of patients with dementia in Jordan. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 112 patients with dementia residing in Jordanian nursing homes were recruited using the consecutive sampling method. Results The mean severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms was 9.58. The most prevalent neuropsychiatric symptoms among patients were depression (61.6%), followed by irritability (55.4%), and a feeling of euphoria (54.5%). The regression analysis results indicated that gender, marital status, and dementia severity significantly predicted the neuropsychiatric symptoms severity score and explained 17.70% of the variance. A significant negative correlation between the severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms and quality of life was found. Conclusion The study's results indicate that our sample reported mild neuropsychiatric symptoms. These symptoms’ high prevalence and persistence negatively impact patients’ quality of life. The study's results can help mental health nurses determine the factors impacting effective treatment strategies to combat these symptoms. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to help explain the importance of early diagnosis and management of these symptoms in preventing dementia progression.

Psilocybin containing mushrooms: a rapidly developing biotechnology industry in the psychiatry, biomedical and nutraceutical fields.

Humans have collected and used hallucinogenic mushrooms for ethnic medicinal, recreational, and religious purposes since before recorded history. Currently, the use of these mushrooms is illegal in most countries, but where their use is legal they are applied as self medication. Psilocybin and psilocin, two psychoactive alkaloids, are naturally synthesized by hallucinogenic mushrooms. The chemical structure of these compounds are similar to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Activation of this system by psilocybin and psilocin may produce temporary changes in the brain that induce hallucinations and feelings of euphoria. Adjustment of the serotonin system in this way can moderate symptoms of related mental disorders. This review summarizes relevant and current information regarding the discovery of hallucinogenic mushrooms and their contained psychoactive compounds, the events that lead to their criminalization and decriminilization, and the state of knowledge of psilocybin, psilocin, and derivatives. Last, research on the psychoactive properties of these mushrooms is placed in perspective to possible applications for human dysfunctions.

ADVENTURE AS A CATALYST IN THE FABRICATION OF MIND IN MYSTERY AT MALABAR COTTAGE BY MANJIRI PRABHU

Adventure activities have been known to accelerate an array of positive outcomes. Adventure is prominently like a state of mind that initiates with the motility of skepticism regarding the upshot of a particular voyage, but termination happens with feelings of euphoria, gratification, and amusement. Getting invested in any kind of unconventional venture or expedition can cater to the unsatiating needs of growing children, as it is conducive in building resilience. This kind of exploration has provided deep insights in the arenas of personal empowerment, cognitive enhancements, skill learning and psychological healing. This study aims to analyze how the experiences of adventurous activities like treasure hunt, finding secret tunnels and solving mysteries, play a compelling role in challenging the mind, therefore, affecting the cognitive abilities of children. The present study highlights how adventure cannot be perceived only as a physical element, it is rather immensely mental and psychological. Manjiri Prabhu illustrates the intrinsic desire of children to embark upon adventurous journeys, that climactically puts them in situations where they need to question their perceptions, examine their feelings and emotions, and teach them to embrace discomfort, eventually concocting their minds. The present paper provides a new vision of how a central characteristic of adventure in children’s literature, plays a cardinal role in contriving the minds of children.

Recreational cannabis consumption: a public health perspective

Abstract Introduction The misuse of psychoactive drugs is an important public health problem. It's estimated that there are between 120-224 million users worldwide. In 2001, Portugal started the legal process to decriminalize the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Objectives To analyze the recreational use of cannabis from a Public Health perspective, to summarize the adverse health effects, to describe the situation in countries where it's legal, and to assess the impacts of its legalization. Methods A literature review was carried out using the main databases of scientific articles. Additionally, legal documentation, institutional reports, journalistic pieces, interviews and books were also consulted. Results Individual possible effects of punctual used found were: Temporary feeling of euphoria and relaxation; Distortion of perception; Changes in short-term memory and concentration; Altered motor coordination; Paranoia and psychosis. Effects of regular consumption or products with a high THC content: Dependency; Changes in brain development; Cognitive impairment; Decreased life satisfaction and personal fulfilment; Depression. Population level effects described were: increased number of consumers, increased risk of dangerous driving and accidents; decreased suicide rate and death from opioid overdose, decline in black market and in criminality near trading posts. The legalization of consumption in certain countries has allowed us to realize that the price, the quantity of product and the definition of sales locations are relevant topics for the successful implementation of policies in this area. Conclusions As the cannabis legalization policy is changed, it is expected the consumption will increase. An investment in prevention campaigns and increase in health literacy should begin before this change focusing particularly on younger people and drivers. This way, the negative health and social effect that can arise from this change will be minimized. Key messages Campaigns to prevent cannabis use must begin before legalization. Campaigns to prevent cannabis use should target teenagers and young people and drivers.

Cocaine potentiates an inflammatory response in C6 astroglia-like cells.

Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that mediates its effect through altering dopamine metabolism in the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in a feeling of euphoria. Owing to its high lipophilicity, cocaine easily crosses the blood brain barrier of the CNS and reaches various domains of the brain, where it can trigger cellular damage. Cocaine-induced CNS damage may arise due to increased levels of free radicals and nitric oxide (NO) in immunecompetent astroglial cells. In the present study, the potential ability of cocaine to exacerbate the production of inflammatory products, primarily superoxide free radicals (O2-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and NO/nitrite (NO2-) was examined in rat C6 astroglia-like cells challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial endotoxin, and interferon gamma (IFNγ), a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Furthermore, the role of cocaine in increasing the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cells was also determined. First, the viability of the cells was assessed when treated with cocaine (0.5-7 mM) for 24 and 48 h. The results showed that cocaine toxicity was both time and dose-dependent. In subsequent studies, cells were challenged with or without LPS and IFNγ, followed by co-treatment with cocaine (1-4 mM) for 24 h. Cocaine treatment did not increase O2- or H2O2 production in the challenged or unchallenged cells. Similarly, cocaine treatment did not increase NO/NO2- production in the unchallenged cells; however, NO/NO2- levels in the challenged cells was increased 40-50-fold upon cocaine treatment compared with the corresponding unchallenged group. The HIF-1α and VEGF levels were significantly increased in the challenged cells at higher cocaine doses compared with the unchallenged cells. Since high concentrations of NO are associated with inflammation, the high levels of NO production observed in the present study suggested that cocaine may have potentiated the inflammatory response in the challenged C6 astroglia-like cells.

Autonomous sensory meridian response: Your patients already know, do you?

Public interest in autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is growing on digital media platforms. Some people can elicit the response by watching videos containing triggering sounds and images. People susceptible to ASMR's effects report tingling sensations on the head and neck, as well as feelings of euphoria, relaxation, and mood elevation. Underlying mechanisms of the phenomenon are not well understood, but physiologic evidence corroborates some of the self-reported positive effects. Healthcare professionals should be aware of this emerging topic, and the potential for therapeutic applications should be investigated.

Patterns of Neonatal Co-Exposure to Gabapentin and Common Drugs of Abuse Observed in Umbilical Cord Tissue

Abstract Background Gabapentin is a structural analogue of gamma-aminobutyric acid approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia and partial-onset seizures. Gabapentin is thought to have low abuse potential and is currently not scheduled as a controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). However, recent reports indicate that gabapentin is increasingly being abused by people with opioid use disorder in an attempt to potentiate the euphoric effects from opioids and other CNS depressants. (1) In 2018, Gabapentin was the sixth most commonly prescribed medication in the United States with 67 million prescriptions dispensed. (2) The frequency of non-prescribed gabapentin misuse reported at a reference laboratory increased by 40% between 2017 and 2018. (3) It is now recognized that combination of Gabapentin with opioids and other CNS depressants increases risk of respiratory depression. (4) Of particular concern are reports showing prolonged and more severe neonatal abstinence syndrome in infants with prenatal co-exposure to gabapentin and opioids. (5) Method This retrospective study evaluated the positivity rates of 13,609 umbilical cord tissues submitted for newborn drug testing at ARUP Laboratories. The umbilical cord drug detection assay is designed to detect 49 specific drugs and drug metabolites from commonly abused drug classes including opioids, stimulants, sedative-hypnotics and hallucinogens. Reverse phase liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was used for semi-quantitative measurement of the drug analytes and metabolites. Results A positive result for at least one of the measured drugs or drug metabolites was found in 3,891 (29%) out of the 13,609 analyzed umbilical cord tissues. Norbuprenorphine had the highest positivity rate (874, 6%) followed by Amphetamine (764, 6 %) and Morphine (683, 5%). Gabapentin had a positivity rate of 2% with 302 positive results. Of the 302 positive Gabapentin samples, 216 (72%) also had a positive result for at least one other drug or drug metabolite. Co-positivity with Gabapentin was highest for Norbuprenorphine (105, 35%) followed by Amphetamine (41, 14%). The median Gabapentin concentration in umbilical cord tissues that were co-positive for Norbuprenorphine and Amphetamine is 3,762 ng/g (range = 13 - 40,997 ng/g) and 1,045 ng/g (range = 15 - 40,997 ng/g) respectively. Discussion This retrospective data analysis show that there is high neonatal co-exposure rate to Gabapentin and Buprenorphine / Norbuprenorphine. Buprenorphine is a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist and co-medication with Gabapentin might be used as a strategy to enhance the feeling of euphoria from Buprenorphine in pregnant women undergoing opioid substitution therapy.

Dead End of the Rainbow: How Environmental and Spatial Factors Create a Necropolis for Gay Sex Workers in China

ABSTRACT In China, the correlation between environmental space and drug use by gay male sex workers remains an under-researched public health concern. Drugs are commonly used to enhance sexual performance as well as provide feelings of euphoria but they also increase the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. The spatial and environmental factors that create synergies between drug consumption and sex work are explored through qualitative data obtained from 16 HIV-positive male sex workers. Alienation and instability are markers which encourage drug use in the sale of sex. The concept of necropolitics explains how environmental and spatial factors expose them to death conditions where they survive without help from the state and subsist only through the support of their own insular communities.

SOCIOCULTURAL TRANSFORMATION PROBLEMS OF THE MIGRANTS WORLDVIEW IN THE CASE OF UKRAINIAN-GREEK RELATIONS

An attempt was made to retrospect the problem and to identify relevant factors of social adaptation. The dialectic of human acculturation through “social shock” is shown - from a feeling of euphoria in a new country to certain disappointments and an awareness of the need for fundamental personal changes. The idea of the “strategy of comfort” of an individual is proposed in combination of his own identity and the acquisition of the advantages of a foreign culture through the qualitative study of a foreign language, literary translations, and the “use” of communicative clusters of a new social space. The leading role in the sociocultural adaptation of Ukrainians of Greece to the Orthodox Church and diasporas is defined, which introduce educational work in the following areas: “diagnosing the situation”, “explaining the prolongation of the adaptation process”, “correcting anxiety or panic moods”, “cultural association” through certain social practices, performances and artistic and creative activities.

Relation of Lsd, Ecstasy and Alcohol Used by Undergraduate Students

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the individual and combined consumption of LSD – lysergic acid diethylamide, the psychedelic drug that causes visual hallucinations, a distorted sense of time and a feeling of euphoria, ecstasy and alcohol by undergraduation people in São Paulo, Brazil. Young people can mix hallucinogens with other drugs like ecstasy or alcohol to increase the effects. In fact, the average age which many people start using LSD is around 20, but the number of people who abuse LSD today is far less than in the 1960s and 1970s and one factor limiting higher LSD use is a lack of availability.METHODOLOGYThe instrument used for data collection was Google FormsTM. The instant addition of responses to the data set makes this tool appealing for research purposes. Additionally, the respondents involved in the study has been regularly using Google FormsTM, and it was therefore considered the most appropriate method for data collection. The results of the survey was statistically analyzed. Within the various areas the group of students from medical, biology, nursing, engineering, architecture, psychology, and other undergraduate areas, were chosen because their experience using these tools.RESULTSData obtained showed that in a sample of 907 students, 71 (7.82%) students have used LSD, and 42 (59.15%) of these also used ecstasy, but 40 (56.33%) in this group used alcohol with LSD or ecstasy in their experiences. The undergraduate areas that consumed the most, is health (medical students), 29 (40.84%) for LSD and 46 (64.78%) for ecstasy. The undergraduate areas that consumed less than others is biology, 4 (5,6%) for LSD and only one (1,4%) for ecstasy.CONCLUSIONSIn fact, medical students have a high incidence of LSD and ecstasy use with or without alcohol. It's surprising because they supposedly know the damages of this practice, more than the students of other areas. This work was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration. CAAE(Br)67881517.1.0000.5511. All participants had full understanding and signed informed consent document.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Jeremy Shaw's DMT

This article examines DMT by Jeremy Shaw, a Berlin-based Canadian artist whose oeuvre has investigated altered states. For this 2004 video work, Shaw administered the hallucinogen dimethyltryptamine to a group of friends and videotaped their experiences. I am interested in how Shaw curates the psychedelic session as a performance of the drug’s agency and aesthetic power. A powerful entheogen similar to psilocybin and ayahuaska, DMT induces intense feelings of euphoria and hallucinations that have been used for divinatory and healing purposes. Beyond its recreational uses, DMT has been found to be effective in the therapeutic treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance addiction and in palliative care. Since their pioneering experiments of the 1960s, Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert and Ralph Metzner’s determinant of ‘setting’ -- the context of the psychedelic session -- has remained a critical factor. In current psychopharmacological research, the aesthetics of setting are now understood to be crucial in shaping the psychedelic experience. The affective contexts of Shaw’s psychedelic sessions provide a striking contrast to the institutional approximations of domestic interiors used in clinical trials. Shaw curates the psychedelic experience in several registers. First, Shaw’s role as session guide or care-taker for participants undergoing extraordinary states sustains the etymological meaning of ‘curating’ which originally described a catalytic encounter of one tasked with the care of souls (usually a priest). Second, Shaw configures the atmosphere of the setting with the neutral atmosphere of a ‘white cube’ gallery. Framed against a white background, close headshots of the person undergoing the psychedelic enable intimate examination of their euphoric facial expressions and intoxicated comportment. While the conceptual formality and white performance field are almost clinical, subtitles flashing at the bottom of the screen, drawn from trip reports by the artist, reveal his collaborators’ struggles to verbalize their hallucinations.

On the Hunt

Abstract The aim of the present study was to examine hunters’ experiences of leisure hunting, with a focus on the human-nonhuman animal relationship aspect of the activity. Interviews with twelve Swedish hunters were conducted and analyzed with an inductive thematic approach. The analysis showed that hunting led to an experience of completeness. This experience was complex, encompassing positive ingredients such as flow, peak experience, and transcendence, but there were also negative emotions such as guilt, disgust, and shame. The study showed that the hunters seemed to be aware of these feelings and that killing an animal was thus an ambivalent experience, involving the contrasting feelings of euphoria and guilt.

ESTUDO DAS PRESCRIÇÕES DE PSICOTRÓPICOS EM UMA FARMÁCIA DA CIDADE DE SOBRAL, CEARÁ, BRASIL

O presente estudo teve como finalidade traçar o perfil das prescrições de psicotrópicos em farmácia comunitária no município de Sobral, CE. Para elaboração deste trabalho foi realizada uma pesquisa de campo quantitativa, que teve como instrumento as notificações dos receituários coletados no período de janeiro a junho de 2014, onde foram analisadas 1.637 notificações de receitas, observando os seguintes aspectos: tipo de receituário, classe terapêutica que apresentava maior dispensação, gênero do paciente, especialidade médica que mais prescreveu psicotrópicos, a tipologia mais prescrita de medicamento psicotrópico, e preenchimento correto das notificações de receitas pelos profissionais de saúde. Os principais erros observados foram: nome do medicamento em desacordo com a DCB (DenominaçãoComum Brasileira) em 79% das prescrições. O gênero que mais fez uso desse tipo de fármaco foi o feminino (65%).A notificação de receita mais numerosa foi da classe C1 (52%). A classe de medicamento mais prescrita foi de antidepressivos (32,13%). Os medicamentos de referência foram os mais prescritos (71%). A especialidade médica que mais prescreveu foi Clínica Geral (38,76%). Os resultados expõem a fragilidade no processo de prescrição e dispensação dos medicamentos psicotrópicos, além de evidenciar o despreparo dos profissionais de saúde, que prescrevem os medicamentos e os dispensam, revelando muitas vezes irresponsabilidade no exercício de sua atividade profissional.

Nitrous Oxide–Induced Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Nitrous oxide is a gas that is odorless, colorless, and has a sweet taste at room temperature. Nitrous oxide has several uses, including in surgery and dentistry (referred to as “laughing gas”), in automotive racing, and in aerosol spray propellants. The aerosol spray propellants that typically use nitrous oxide are whipped cream canisters and cooking sprays. Unfortunately, these over-the-counter household items are a source of nitrous oxide that can be used for recreational use. The most popular is the use of industrial-grade canisters having the slang term “whippets.” The nitrous oxide can be extracted by pushing the nozzle down slightly to the side and catching the released gas with a balloon. The contents of the balloon can then be directly inhaled, giving an instant feeling of euphoria. This is not a benign means to achieve a euphoric state but can cause severe nitrous oxide–induced B12 deficiency, which is presented in this case report.

Book review: The Logic of Madness: A New Theory of Mental Illness

Book review: The Logic of Madness: A New Theory of Mental Illness

Endocannabinoids mediate runner’s high

Endocannabinoids, rather than endorphins, mediate some of the feelings associated with “runner’s high.”

The Molecules Of ‘Runner’s High’

After aerobic exercise, some people experience a “runner’s high”: a feeling of euphoria and reduced anxiety along with a lessened ability to feel pain. For decades, scientists associated this with ...

The Power Ballad and the Power of Sentimentality

As is evident in their popularity and uses in television and film, power ballads have been prized for their emotional intensity. That intensity results from the ways in which the songs transform aspects of sentimentality developed in nineteenth- and twentieth-century repertoires, particularly parlor songs and torch songs. Power ballads energize sentimental topics and affects with rapturous feelings of uplift. Instead of concentrating on individual emotions like earlier sentimental songs do, power ballads create charged clouds of mixed emotions that produce feelings of euphoria. The emotional adrenaline rushes in power ballads are characteristic of larger experiences in popular culture in which emotions are to be grand, indiscriminate, and immediate.

A study of alcohol and its side effect on human physiology

From the very beginning of ancient time we are using alcohol as a part of our culture just to enhance the fun in different ceremonies, but drinking too much of alcohol or indulging it into one's habit can cause serious problems to one's health such as various cancer, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, pancreatitis and so on. Not only this much even some time may it lead to a serious accident. But of course this is very true that affects different people differently as per the tolerance level of an individual. As per Plato excessive increase of anything causes a reaction in the opposite direction the same applies here too in case of alcohol. In fact a moderate drinking has also been proved that it has some positive effects on the body. It only effects negatively to the body when the concentration of alcohol in the blood will be relatively higher say 5-10 m mol L -1 and also at concentration of alcohol there will be a feeling of euphoria. According to the book Beyond hangovers A research demonstrates low risk drinking level for men are no more than four drinks per day and fourteen in a week, at the same time three drinks in a day and seven drinks in a week for women. Even after drinking moderately one may have problems, if one drinks too quickly; this case is considered only for those who are over age 65. And for older adults, they should not take more than three drinks in a day and seven drinks in a week. When someone drinks beverage alcohol around 2 per cent to 8 per cent is lost through urine and sweat. The other 92 per cent to 98 per cent is metabolized by our body. At the same time alcohol exerted its effects on CNS by nonselectivity disrupting the lipid bilayers of neurons. Actually alcohol passes directly from the digestive tract into the blood vessels. Within minutes, the blood transports the alcohol to all parts of the body, including the brain. And it affects the brain's neurons in several ways. It also alters their membranes as well as their ion channels, enzymes and receptors. Alcohol also binds directly to the receptors for acetylcholine, serotonin, GABA and also with the NMDA receptors for glutamate. GABA's effect is to reduce neural activity by allowing chloride ions to enter the post-synaptic neuron. These ions have a negative electrical charge, which helps to make the neuron less excitable. This physiological effect is amplified when alcohol binds to the GABA receptor, because it enables the ion channel to stay open longer and thus let more Cl - ions into the cell. The neuron's activity would thus, be further diminished, thus, explaining the sedative effect of alcohol. This effect is accentuated because alcohol also reduces glutamate's excitatory effect on NMDA receptors.