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Insomnia Linked to Substance Abuse in Adolescents

A study in the Oct. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that adolescent insomnia symptoms are associated with depression, suicide ideation and attempts, and the use of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs such as cocaine.

Findings suggest that the presence of insomnia in adolescents increases the risk of developing mental health problems and also may increase the severity of these problems. Results indicate that adolescents who had symptoms of insomnia were 2.3 times more likely to develop depression in early adulthood than adolescents without symptoms of insomnia. Specifically, at baseline, the insomnia group was more likely to use alcohol, cannabis, and non-cannabis drugs, and was more likely to suffer from depression, suicide thoughts, and suicide attempts. The insomnia group also had a greater risk of developing new incidences of depression and suicide attempts after excluding participants who suffered from these specific psychopathologies at baseline.

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More on the Optimism-Wellness Connection

Columns - Wellness

Written by John Newport, PhD

Tuesday, 07 August 2007

In follow-up from my most recent column, I would like to take a closer look at the powerful connection between an optimistic outlook and programming ourselves for optimal health. As always, please feel free to share these thoughts with any of your clients who may benefit from this message. One of the key characteristics of optimists is that they view themselves as problems solvers, and believe they have control over their destinies. Furthermore, optimists regularly engage in positive imagery — actively using their imaginations to rehearse the positive outcomes they are seeking.

Significantly, evidence suggests that an optimistic outlook concerning the ability to exercise control over matters affecting our state of health may also increase our prospects for successfully remaining clean and sober while working a 12-step program. One of the items I investigated in my doctoral dissertation, which focused on the ways in which a wellness-oriented lifestyle can contribute to sobriety maintenance, dealt with the degree to which subjects believed that they were able to exercise control over matters affecting their state of health. Significantly, a full 56 percent of subjects who successfully remained clean and sober reported a high level of control in this area, compared with only 32 percent of the subjects who subsequently relapsed.

Impact on health status and life expectancy

Your answers to the following questions speak volumes in terms of the degree to which you believe you are in the driver’s seat in regard to matters affecting your state of health:

• How long to you expect to live?
• Do you expect to fully enjoy a robust state of health, vitality and joy for life throughout all the years ahead of you?

Often we assume that we will follow the pattern set by our parents. Many people subscribe to a fatalistic view of health and subconsciously run the following type of negative programming through their heads — “My dad died of a heart attack at age 55 — what can you do? It’s all in the genes!” When we subject ourselves to such negative scripting, our bodies tend to pick up on the message and respond accordingly. Such fatalistic scripting also serves to reinforce the perpetuation of self-destructive behaviors, such as alcohol and drug addiction, cigarette smoking, overeating/lack of exercise, and compulsive workaholism — all of which play a major role in shaving years, even decades, off our life expectancies.

Fortunately, the converse is also true, and we can consciously take charge of our health and program our bodies to carry us through our 80s, 90s and beyond, while fully enjoying the many years that lie ahead. While heredity does play a role, I firmly believe that our life expectancy and the overall quality of our lives are much more heavily influenced by our expectations concerning our overall state of health. When we truly enjoy what we are doing and look forward to the future, we are naturally motivated to take care of bodies to ensure that they will carry us along the journey.

Even when we are dealing with serious health challenges, an optimistic outlook provides the surest pathway to regaining our natural state of health and harmony. This point is vividly illustrated by Norman Vincent Peale in his book, Positive Imaging, in which he recounts a story related by a woman whose father died at age 87 from a car accident. When the doctor performed an autopsy, he observed that the gentleman’s body showed signs of countless ailments and lesions that, from a medical standpoint, should have caused his death 20 years ago. Yet instead, he stayed fully alert and energetic right up to the end. When asked if she could shed any light on this apparent discrepancy, the woman reported that her father pervasively maintained a positive outlook and began each morning by proclaiming, “Today is going to be a terrific day!”

On a more personal note, a good friend of mine from high school was diagnosed with “terminal cancer” over 10 years ago. Thanks to his indomitable fighting spirit and love for life, he has long outlived his doctors’ bleak prognosis. While holding his cancer at bay for a number of years he has managed to lead an extremely full life — remaining active as a ham radio operator, traveling to China, and finishing the draft for a thriller novel. My friend’s staunch refusal to “go off quietly into the good night” has, indeed, served as a profound source of inspiration for everyone around him.

In summary, I am advocating that we consciously challenge whatever negative expectations we may be harboring in reference to our state of health, and replace these with positive life-affirming statements and beliefs. This most definitely represents a logical extension of the lifelong process of recovery. Choose the life expectancy and state of health that you want to achieve, consciously visualize yourself attaining these goals, and then get busy doing the necessary legwork to transform these expectations into reality. Until next time — to your health!

References

Hafen, Brent Q.; Keith, J. Karren; Frandsen, Kathryn J. and N. Lee Smith. (1996). Mind/Body Health: The Effects of Attitudes, Emotions and Relationships. Needham Heights, Mass.: Allyn & Bacon (Simon and Schuster), 1996.
Huard, Paul R. (2003). “Researchers are finding that a positive attitude can help you ward off disease.” Copley News Service, March 10, 2003.
McGinnis, Alan Loy. (1990). The Power of Optimism: Mastering the 12 Characteristics of Tough-Minded Optimists. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
Newport, John. (1998). Influence of a Wellness-Oriented Lifestyle on Successfulness of Recovery from Chemical Dependency. Doctoral Dissertation: California Coast University, Santa Ana, CA.
Peale, Norman Vincent. (1982). Positive Imaging: The Powerful Way to Change Your Life. Pawling, New York: Foundation for Christian Living.
Seligman, Martin E.P.(1998). Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. New York: Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster).