RESUMO
Background: Alcohol dependence has become a major public health problem with many implications on the lives of dependents and their families. Objectives: The objectives of this study is to ascertain the enabling factors to seek medical help and continue behavior change among alcohol dependents and to assess the perceptions of health-care providers regarding treatment-seeking behavior of alcohol dependents. Methods: The present study deployed the transtheoretical model (TTM) as a theoretical framework for analyzing the enabling factors to seek medical help and continue behavior change among alcohol dependents and to understand the perceptions of health-care providers dealing with alcohol dependents at a tertiary care psychiatry hospital in Guntur of Andhra Pradesh. In-depth interviews and desk review of hospital records were done. Respondents included treatment-seeking individuals for alcohol detoxification (action phase), patients attending follow-ups (maintenance phase), and mental health professionals at the study site. The study was conducted during August and September 2017. Qualitative analysis using thematic framework and MS EXCEL for quantitative data was used. Results: Themes and subthemes emerging out of analysis were fitted in stages of TTM of behavior change. In the process of behavior change, there were key supportive elements such as problem awareness (precontemplation), availability and accessibility of services (contemplation), appropriate treatment modality (action), and alcohol anonymous groups (maintenance), which sustained the progress of change and yielded effective outcomes. Conclusions: Alcoholism needs to be addressed holistically rather than focusing only on biological treatment.
RESUMO
O objetivo do trabalho foi compreender as recaídas de indivíduos alcoolistas no que diz respeito a sua relação com a tomada de decisão. Parece haver disfunções no córtex pré-frontal ventromedial em dependentes de álcool, o que faz com que estes indivíduos possuam prejuízos na tomada de decisão semelhantes aos apresentados por pacientes não alcoolistas que possuem lesões nesta mesma área cerebral. Ambos fazem escolhas que proporcionam recompensas imediatas e desconsideram os prejuízos negativos futuros associados a estas. Existe um forte debate no que diz respeito à relação entre o uso de álcool e a tomada de decisão. Para contemplar o objetivo, foi realizada uma revisão assistemática da literatura. Enquanto para alguns autores o prejuízo na tomada de decisão é decorrente de danos neurológicos causados por substâncias, para outros os déficits na tomada de decisão são anteriores ao uso do álcool e conduzem os indivíduos a este comportamento.(AU)
The aim of this study was to understand the relapse of alcoholics with regard to their decision making processes. There seems to be dysfunction in the ventromedial frontal cortex in alcoholic patients, which lead to deficits in decision making similar to those presented by nonalcoholic patients who have lesions in the same circuits. Both make choices that provide immediate rewards, in the context of negative future losses. There is a strong debate regarding the relationship between alcohol use and decision making. To address the objective, was performed an unsystematic review. While for some authors deficits in decision making are due to neurological damage caused by substances, for other deficits in the decision predated the use of alcohol and lead individuals to this behavior.(AU)