TITLE:
Psychology of Craving
AUTHORS:
Sushil Sharma, Bal Nepal, Carolyn S. Moon, Anthony Chabenne, Azza Khogali, Comfort Ojo, Esther Hong, Rochelle Gaudet, Ali Sayed-Ahmad, Amanda Jacob, Mujtaba Murtuza, Michelle Firlit
KEYWORDS:
Craving; Drug Seeking Behavior; Limbic System; Prefrontal Cortex; Schizophrenia; Morbidity; Mortality; Drug Addiction; Psychotherapy; Physical and Nutritional Rehabilitation; Charnoly Body
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Medical Psychology,
Vol.3 No.2,
January
17,
2014
ABSTRACT: Craving is a complex psychological condition characterized by impaired dietary intake, sleep disturbance, sexual dysfunction, and drug abuse. Craving may be associated with risk-taking reckless behavior to seek pleasure including cigarette smoking, binge alcohol drinking, and illicit drug abuse (e.g. cocaine, methamphetamine, methylene deoxy meth-amphetamine (MDMA), ecstasy, morphine and heroine). Craving for food, sex and drugs involves the limbic system and prefrontal cortex. Thus, basic understanding of craving is exceedingly important for the better clinical management of major depression, hopelessness, and poor quality of life among young adolescents, as well as morbidity and early mortality among adults. Physical, psychological, nutritional, and medical rehabilitation may be helpful in the effective clinical management of patients with craving of any age, sex and race. Further studies on the psychology of craving will curb the number of hospital admissions as several victims of drug craving develop schizophrenia later in their life, if they remain untreated.