Addictions can involve numerous factors. They can be triggered by genetics, peer pressure, society’s influence or just the chemicals in your brain.
Dr Kenneth Mitchell, consultant psychiatrist at The LightHouse Arabia, a Dubai-based mental health and wellness clinic, explains that different types of addictions show a variation in the degree to which each factor plays a role.
He told Gulf News: “Mental health problems, such as obsessive tendencies, anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, can lead to addiction to substances, often as a form of self-medication. They are also fertile ground for developing addictive behaviours, such as comfort eating and retail therapy.”
A common form of addiction is that of caffeine. People may consume it to increase performance or stay awake, but either way, it is an addictive stimulant.
Dr Mitchell said: “Frequent use of caffeine causes a chemical addiction, whereby the brain physiology adapts to its presence so that it cannot function properly without it. If caffeine addicts stop, it results in unpleasant neurophysiological withdrawal symptoms, such as severe headaches, tiredness, low energy levels, lack of motivation and irritability.”
When such people wake up in the morning, their caffeine level is so low “that brain function is impaired”. This is why they immediately need their morning “fix”. Additionally, consuming large quantities of caffeine can cause insomnia and leaves the addicts sleep deprived, according to Dr Mitchell. So, the morning coffee stimulates their tired brains. The more caffeine you take, the poorer your sleep and the more tired you are.
When it comes to social media, Dr Mitchell explained how checking relevant networks and finding pleasant messages or pictures produces a sort of chemical reward in the brain.
He said: “Rewards encourage and increase the frequency of the relevant behaviour. The anticipation of a reward produces small increases of dopamine each time they check. When a new upload is found, it’s rewarded with a large surge of dopamine. Anticipating an unpleasant or worrying message is also a potent cause of anxiety. Checking reduces that anxiety.”
Kate Minosora, a clinical psychologist at The LightHouse Arabia, describes shopping addiction as something that “often develops for physical and psychological reasons”.
She said: “An individual with an addiction to shopping often experiences a physical change in their brain, such as an increase of endorphins and dopamine, at the time of shopping. This increase in brain chemicals produces a pleasant feeling. The individual becomes addicted to and possibly dependent on this feeling to experience positive emotions.”
On the other hand, individuals could also be managing psychological stress by shopping excessively, while trying to distract themselves from their emotional state. This could be a cause for concern as such individuals would thus turn to shopping every time they are upset.
Minosora said: “They will continue to engage in this behaviour even if the shopping is having a negative impact on other areas of their life, including their finances and relationships.”
So, what is the solution? In Minosora’s opinion, such addictions are treatable.
She said: “Psychological intervention for addiction includes helping the individual gain insight and understanding into the behaviours and thinking patterns. Once the client has insight, they are then able to replace their previous behaviour patterns with a more healthy and helpful approach under the guidance of a psychologist.”
