Psychology: Drug Impact and Use Prevention

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Contrast the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain concerning their responsibilities or tasks. What region do drugs generally affect first? Which region do drugs affect last?

The brain is a complex organ in the body and may be divided into major parts which include the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain. Each performs specific functions and any alteration may cause serious problems.

The hindbrain is found in the posterior segment of the brain where the spinal cord enters the skull and spreads. It is made up of the pons medulla and cerebellum which contains neurons that transmit information from the spinal cord to the forehead (Nevid 51). Its major functions include the collective co-ordination of motor activity, posture, balance, and sleep patterns. The hindbrain also regulates the unconscious but critical functions like respiration and the circulatory system (Nevid 51).

The midbrain lies above the hindbrain and contains pathways that link the hindbrain to the forehead (Nevid 51). The major functions of the midbrain include the regulation of automatic movements of muscles of the eye. This allows a person to remain focused on an object even as the head rotates relative to the object. It connects the reticular formation which a web-like network of neurons from the hindbrain to the thalamus in the forebrain. The reticular formation ensures a proper state of attention, alertness, and arousal by regulating what information is taken and what is rejected (Nevid 52).

The forebrain is located on the front part of the brain and it forms the largest part of the brain. It consists of the thalamus, hypothalamus, and the limbic system as well as the cerebral cortex (Nevid 52). The thalamus routes information from the sense receptors for touch, vision, hearing, and taste to the appropriate processing locations in the brain. The hypothalamus, on the other hand, regulates such functions of the body as hunger, thirst, sleep patterns, body temperature, and the response of the body to stress, reproductive processes, and emotional dynamics (Nevid 53). The limbic system plays a critical role in both memory and emotional processing.

Drugs affect the functionality of the neurotransmitters directly. The most widely used drugs include alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. They may increase the rate of release of a neurotransmitter, activates receptors, affecting reuptake, and also inhibits enzymes in or near the neurons. It starts first with the hindbrain then moves to the midbrain and finally the forebrain (Brick and Erickson 53).

Contrast the official governmental attitude toward supply-reduction versus demand-reduction in the 1940s and 1950s with the attitude of the 1990s.

The American government’s attitude towards supply-reduction versus demand-reduction in the 1940s and 1950s was mainly geared towards supply-reduction strategies. Efforts were made by the Federal government to combat drug use but they were only scuffled by the failure of the drug policies (Hanson 99). During this period there was intense pressure on the government to tighten the federal Drug Policy.

One of the most abused drugs and which was in high supply was marihuana. To disrupt the supply of these drugs, the strategy was to ban the importation of any prohibited drugs into the United States (Hanson 101). In 1942, Congress passed into law the Opium Poppy Control Act, which banned the unauthorized production of the poppy.

In the 1990s, the Federal government shifted its focusing on new strategies for combating drug abuse in the nation. It was during this period that the concept of drug supply-demand has been understood. This has led to the need to develop programs that seek to reduce demand even if supply remains relatively high. Most states have ensured that they have strict policies on drug trafficking and the general abuse of drugs.

Define behavioral tolerance and explain how this phenomenon might account for a drug-related overdose fatality, even though the dose might have fallen short of the lethal range

Behavioral tolerance refers to the tendency of an individual to develop resistance to the effects of a given drug like alcohol over a given period (Vigil-Sprott 161). Apart from repeated exposure to a drug, behavioral tolerance involves more factors. The effects of a drug that has been tolerated cannot be felt when taken in smaller quantities forcing a person to demand more have the effects. Studies have shown that physiological processes are responsible for drug tolerance since the body is forced to produce opposite reactions to compensate and restore the internal state.

Tolerance in drugs depends on the potency of the particular drug. The potency of a drug refers to the amount of the drug needed to produce given effects in an individual (Goldberg 108). This is the major cause of drug-related overdose fatality among many drug abusers. This may occur even when the dose might have fallen short of the lethal range. The type of drug and frequency of use also contribute to the development of tolerance.

“The nineteenth-century was the drug addict’s paradise,” a historian has said. Discuss the status of psychoactive drugs in that period in light of that statement

The nineteenth century was characterized by uncontrolled businesses that engaged in drug deals. In the United States, there was no clear policy regulating the buying and selling of psychoactive drugs (Zieger 231). The use of psychoactive drugs extends back several centuries before the formation of the international drug control system. Before the turn of the twentieth century, the world had faced one of the worst crises: the Chinese opium epidemic, where tens of millions of people in China had developed an addiction to the drug (Zieger 237). The impacts of this drug were far-reaching because it was traded freely across boarders during that particular period.

The most abused drugs at the time included opium, cocaine, heroin, and cannabis. The expanding trade and commerce on a global scale ensured that these psychoactive drugs moved to all parts of the world; Europe, Asia, and the Americas (Zieger 242). The coming into effect of the International Drug Control System ensured that drug abuse was kept under watch throughout the world.

Is there a relationship between psychiatry (medicine) and our law enforcement policies concerning drug and alcohol abuse, in the United State and around the world?

There is a close relationship between psychiatry and law enforcement policies concerning drug and alcohol abuse in America and all over the world. Studies have shown that there is an increase in the abuse of prescription drugs in the United States (White 340). This is characterized by either under-dose or overdose leading to serious accidents in most cities of America. Of much concern is the emerging fact that there are as many teenage prescription abusers as there are abusers of marijuana. With this in mind, there is a need for cooperation between the law enforcement policies and psychiatrists to minimize alcohol and drug abuse (White 346). Medicine return strategies would help solve the problem.

Works cited

Goldberg, Ray. Drugs across the spectrum (5^th ed.). Cengage Learning, 2005: 108.

Hanson, Glen, Venturelli, Peter and Fleckenstein, Annete. Drugs and society (5^th ed.). Jones & Barlett Publishers, 2008: 99-102.

Nevid, Jeffery S. Essentials of psychology: concepts and applications. Cengage Learning, 2011: 51-53.

Vigil-Sprott, Muriel. Is behavioral tolerance learnt? McGraw-Hill Publishers, 2010: 161-162.

White, James E. Contemporary moral problems (8^th ed.). Cengage Learning, 2005: 340-347.

Zieger, Susan M. Inventing the addict: drugs, race, and sexuality in nineteenth-century. University of Massachusetts, 2008: 231-242.

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