Drug Abuse Center - Palmdale, CAPalmdale Psychiatrist Doctors for Drug AbuseType of Physician: Psychiatrist What is a Psychiatrist? A certification by the Board of Psychiatry & Neurology; practitioners are skilled in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental, addictive and emotional disorders. He or she is trained to understand the biological, psychological and social components of illness and is qualified to order diagnostic laboratory tests and to prescribe medications, as well as to evaluate and treat psychological and interpersonal problems. The psychiatrist is also prepared to intervene with individuals and families who are coping with stress, crises, and other problems in living. Specialty: Psychiatry Common Name: Psychiatrist Doctors in Palmdale * Antelope Valley MHS  Antelope Valley MHS  Antelope Valley MHS  Eugene Morong MD  Marites P Delrosario MD  Marites P Delrosario MD  Salvador Arella MD  Apurva V Shah MD  Ivan Baroya MD & John Beck MD  Richard J Atkins MD Inc  Roy Kushel MD  Gregory A Cohen MD  Gregory E Gray MD PhD  Chris Minnick MD  Merle N Stern MD  Mariel S Tourani MD  Rogelio Whyte MD  Askins and Snyder MDs  Scott Carder MD  Pasadena Psychiatric Medical Group  Robert Partovy DO  Askins and Snyder MDs  Adib H Bitar MD  Adib H Bitar MD  Edward Castner MD  David Foos MD  Haraszti & Associates  Laurance Johnson MD  Joel E Miller MD  Haraszti & Associates  Psychiatric Counseling Center  R Singh MD  Daniel M Asimus MD  Steven C Horwitz MD  Transcultural Psychology Institute  MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group  MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group  MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group  MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group  Ara Kadoyan MD  Mark Powers MD  MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group  MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group  MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group  Judith Vida MD  Sanford R Weimer MD  MCLA Psychiatric Medical Group  Alexander M Beebee MD  Laila Karme MD  Stuart Shipko, M.D.  Estelita B Calica MD APC  Comprehensive Doctors Medical Group  Comprehensive Doctors Medical Group  Comprehensive Doctors Medical Group  Southern California Neurosurgical Associates Inc  Christian B Rutland MD  Thomas C Wallace MD  Said Jacob MD & Associates  Manohar S Shinde MD  Judith Vukov MD  Glen Roberts Child Study Center  Verdugo Mental Health Center  Verdugo Mental Health Center  Pacific Clinics East  Mohamed H El-Gabalawy MD  Lilit Yegiazaryan MD  Desmond Chiong MD  San Marino Psychiatric Associates  San Marino Psychiatric Associates  San Marino Psychiatric Associates  San Marino Psychiatric Associates  San Marino Psychiatric Associates  San Marino Psychiatric Associates  San Marino Psychiatric Associates  Facey Medical Foundation Mission Hills  George M Sabounjian MD  Facey Medical Foundation Mission Hills  Engel & Sandler MDs  Astrik Davtian MD  Frank R Young MD  James A MacCuish MD  Carl E Marusak MD  Carl E Marusak MD  Northeast Mental Health Center  Ophelia Barte MD  Edward A Elliott MD  Northeast Mental Health Center  Wing-Ki Lee MD  Navin Adatia MD  Jack H Lindheimer MD  Peter Swerdlick MD  William Gillespie MD  William Gillespie MD  William Vicary MD  Noel Lustig MD  Noel Lustig MD  Thomas A Curtis MD  Pacifica Sur Medical Group  HealthCare Partners Medical Group Los Angeles  Simon Horenstein MD Palmdale, CaliforniaUpcoming Local Events2012-05-28
2012-06-10
2012-06-10
2012-06-16
2012-06-23
2012-08-25
2012-08-25
2012-09-22
2012-09-30
2012-10-07
Drug AbuseWhat is drug addiction?Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual who is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person's self control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs. It is because of these changes in the brain that it is so challenging for a person who is addicted to stop abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to counteract addiction's powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patient's drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse. Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or
heart disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And, as with other
chronic diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing
drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal
What happens to your brain when you take drugs?Drugs are chemicals that tap into the brain's communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. There are at le... Recommended Reading Related to Drug AbuseWhat is job stress?Job stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury. The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but these concepts are not the same. Challenge energizes us psychologically and physically, and it motivates us to learn new skills and master our jobs. When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied. Thus, challenge is an important ingredient for healthy and productive work. The importance of challenge in our work lives is probably what people are referring to when they say "a little bit of stress is good for you." When the challenge has turned into job demands that cannot be met, relaxation has turned to exhaustion, and a sense of satisfaction has turned into feelings of stress, the sate is set for illness, injury and job failur... Other Related Drug Abuse ArticlesEmergency Contact for Palmdale
Nearby Palmdale Hospitals *Lancaster Community Hospital Antelope Valley Hospital Olive View UCLA Medical Center Verdugo Hills Hospital Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Aurora Las Encinas Hospital Glendale Adventist Medical Center Huntington Hospital Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center Methodist Hospital Mission Community Hospital Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center City of Hope National Medical Center Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center San Gabriel Valley Medical Center Valley Presbyterian Hospital Hollywood Community Hospital of Van Nuys Foothill Presbyterian Hospital Alhambra Hospital Medical Center East Valley Hospital Medical Center Northridge Hospital Medical Center Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Sherman Oaks Hospital Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Center Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
Suggested Reading on Drug Abuse by Our Doctors
-
Related Diseases & Conditions
52 articles-
Anxiety
- Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms. Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults.
-
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
- HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus, which infects humans when it comes in contact with a break in the skin or tissues such as those that line the vagina, anal area, mouth, or eyes.
-
Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is usually spread by blood transfusion, hemodialysis, and needle sticks, especially with intravenous drug abuse. Chronic hepatitis C may be treated with interferon, usually in combination with anti-virals.
-
Alcoholism
- Alcoholism is a disease that includes alcohol craving and continued drinking despite repeated alcohol-related problems, such as losing a job or getting into trouble with the law.
-
Stress
- Stress occurs when forces from the outside world impinge on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life. However, over-stress, can be harmful. There is now speculation, as well as some evidence, that points to the abnormal stress responses as being involved in causing various diseases or conditions.
-
Hepatitis B
- The hepatitis B virus is a unique, coated DNA virus belonging to the Hepadnaviridae family of viruses. The course of the virus is determined primarily by the age at which the infection is acquired and the interaction between the virus and the body's immune system. Successful treatment is associated with a reduction in liver injury and fibrosis (scarring), a decreased likelihood of developing cirrhosis and its complications, including liver cancer, and a prolonged survival.
-
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a ballooning or widening of the main artery (the aorta) as it courses down through the abdomen. The most common cause of aortic aneurysms is "hardening of the arteries" called arteriosclerosis.
-
Depression
- Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. The principal types of depression are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disease (also called manic-depressive disease).
-
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a psychiatric condition, can develop after any catastrophic life event. Symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, sweating, rapid heart rate, detachment, amnesia, sleep problems, irritability, and exaggerated startle response. Treatment may involve psychotherapy, group support, and medication.
-
Suicide
- Suicide is the process of intentionally ending one's own life. Approximately 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, and 10 million to 20 million attempt suicide annually.
-
Schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia is a disabling brain disorder that may cause hallucinations and delusions and affect a person's ability to communicate and pay attention. Symptoms of psychosis appear in men in their late teens and early 20s and in women in their mid-20s to early 30s. With treatment involving the use of antipsychotic medications and psychosocial treatment, schizophrenia patients can lead rewarding and meaningful lives.
-
Borderline Personality Disorder
- Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term planning, and the individual's sense of self-identity. Originally thought to be at the "borderline" of psychosis, people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) suffer from a disorder of emotion regulation.
-
Bipolar Disorder
- Bipolar disorder (or manic depression) is a mental illness characterized by depression, mania, and severe mood swings. Treatment may incorporate mood stabilizer medications, antidepressants, and psychotherapy.
-
Aneurysm (Brain)
- Brain aneurysm (cerebral aneurysm) is caused by microscopic damage to artery walls, infections of the artery walls, tumors, trauma, drug abuse. Symptoms include headache, numbness of the face, dilated pupils, changes in vision, the "worst headache of your life," or a painful stiff neck. Immediate treatment for a brain aneurysm is crucial for patient survival.
-
Erectile Dysfunction (Impotence)
- Impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction, is a common problem among men characterized by the consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse or the inability to achieve ejaculation, or both. Impotence can have emotional causes but most often it is due to a physical problem.
-
Rhabdomyolysis
- Rhabdomyolysis is a rapid deterioration and destruction of skeletal muscle. Some of the causes of rhabdomyolysis include severe burns, muscle trauma, coma, seizures, electrolyte imbalance, medications (statins), viruses, bacteria. Treatment of rhabdomyolysis depends on the cause.
-
Antisocial Personality Disorder
- Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) has many symptoms, signs, and causes. Therapy is one treatment option for antisocial personality disorder. It is closely related to other personality disorders (PD), such as borderline personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder.
-
Child Abuse
- Child abuse falls into four categories: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. There are certain risk factors that predispose a child to being abused and an adult to abusing a child. Risk factors for children are age, children with learning disabilities, adopted and foster children, children with congenital abnormalities, and a past history of abuse. Parental risk factors include young or single parents, those who suffered abuse themselves, adults with substance-abuse problems or psychiatric disease, and those who didn't graduate from high school.
-
Botulism
- Botulism is an illness caused by a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. There are three types of botulism: food-borne, wound, and infant. Symptoms include muscle paralysis, dry mouth, constipation, slurred speech, and blurred vision. If food-borne and wound botulism are detected early enough, they may be treated with an antitoxin. Infant botulism is treated intravenously with BabyBIG (Botulism Immune Globulin).
-
Alcohol and Teens
- Alcohol is the most frequently used drug by American teenagers. Teens that drink are more likely to drive under the influence, have unprotected sex, and use other drugs, like marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Symptoms of alcohol abuse in teens include lying, breaking curfew, becoming verbally or physically abusive toward others, making excuses, smelling like alcohol, having mood swings, and stealing.
-
Chronic Pain
- Chronic pain is pain (an unpleasant sense of discomfort) that persists or progresses over a long period of time. In contrast to acute pain that arises suddenly in response to a specific injury and is usually treatable, chronic pain persists over time and is often resistant to medical treatments.
-
Fatigue
- Fatigue can be described in various ways. Sometimes fatigue is described as feeling a lack of energy and motivation (both mental and physical). The causes of fatigue are generally related to a variety of conditions or diseases for example, anemia, mono, medications, sleep problems, cancer, anxiety, heart disease, drug abuse, and more. Treatment of fatigue is generally directed toward the condition or disease that is causing the fatigue.
-
Learning Disabilities
- Learning disabilities can cause an individual to have trouble learning and using skills such as reading, listening, writing, reading, speaking, reasoning, and performing mathematics. There is no cure for learning disabilities. Parents and teachers working together to properly diagnose learning disabilities can properly plan a course of education. For some, medication may be appropriate as complimentary treatment.
-
Teen Drug Abuse
- Drugs commonly abused by teens include tobacco products, marijuana, cold medications, inhalants, depressants, stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, PCP, ketamine, Ecstasy, and anabolic steroids. Some of the symptoms and warning signs of teen drug abuse include reddened whites of eyes, paranoia, sleepiness, excessive happiness, seizures, memory loss, increased appetite, discolored fingertips, lips or teeth, and irritability. Treatment of drug addiction may involve a combination of medication, individual, and familial interventions.
-
Psychotic Disorders
- Psychotic disorders are a group of serious illnesses that affect the mind. Different types of psychotic disorders include schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, brief psychotic disorder, shared psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, substance-induced psychotic disorder, paraphrenia, and psychotic disorders due to medical conditions.
-
Steroid Drug Withdrawal
- Corticosteroid drugs such as prednisone and prednisolone are commonly used to treat asthma, allergic reactions, RA, and IBD. Steroids such as these do have serious drawbacks such as steroid withdrawal symptoms such as: fatigue, weakness, decreased appetite, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Speak with your healthcare provider prior to tapering off steroid medications.
-
Smoking (How to Quit Smoking)
- Smoking is an addiction. More than 430,000 deaths occur each year in the U.S. from smoking related illnesses. Secondhand smoke or "passive smoke" also harm family members, coworkers, and others around smokers. There are a number of techniques available to assist people who want to quit smoking.
-
Bronchiectasis
- Bronchiectasis is a condition in which the bronchial tubes of the lung become damaged. Inflammation from infection or other causes destroys the smooth muscles of the bronchial tubes. Bronchiectasis is a form of COPD (which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis). There are three primary types of bronchiectasis: 1) cylindrical bronchiectasis; 2) saccular bronchiectasis; and 3) cystic bronchiectasis. Bronchiectasis may also be acquired or congenital. The most common symptoms of bronchiectasis are recurrent cough and sputum production. There is no cure for bronchiectasis. Treatment is often geared toward controlling the symptoms of bronchiectasis.
-
Hypothermia
- Hypothermia is having a body core temperature of less than 35 C or 95 F. Most causes of hypothermia are preventable. Risk factors for hypothermia include age, mental status, medical conditions, and medications. Symptoms of hypothermia generally depend upon the severity of the condition. Treatment depends upon the severity of hypothermia. If not treated early, hypothermia can lead to cardiac arrest, coma, or death.
- See All Related Diseases & Conditions »
-
Anxiety
-
Medications
16 articles -
Procedures & Tests
0 articles -
Pictures, Images & Quizzes
8 articles -
Doctor's & Expert's Views
17 articles -
Health News
75 articles -
Health Features
27 articles
