PSYCHEDELICS.   Term Paper ID:28221 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examaines effects on perception & cognition of LSD, Ecstasy, Peyote, Mescaline, Psilocybin, PCP.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examaines effects on perception & cognition of LSD, Ecstasy, Peyote, Mescaline, Psilocybin, PCP. Paper Introduction: Psychedelics refers to a groups of drugs (also called psychotomimetics and hallucinogens) that distort the recreational user's perception and cognition. This group includes LSD (acid), peyote, mescaline, psilocybin, and MDMA (ecstasy). Psychedelics increase awareness of sensory stimuli but decrease the user's ability to control what is experienced. The arylcyclohexylamines, or psychedelic anesthetics phencyclidine (also known as PCP or angel dust) and ketamine are veterinary anesthetics that are sometimes taken by human beings as recreational drugs. Like the psychedelics they are hallucinogenic and they "cause users to feel dissociated from themselves and their environments" (Leavitt, 1995, p. 55). Psilocybin, mescaline and LSD produce tolerance quite rapidly and are cross tolerant. There are only minimal Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Psychedelics are among the drugs commonly abused by young women ofchild-bearing age and, like any other recreational drugs, they are believedto have adverse effects on fetal development and infant health. Users of PCP"reported that positive effects occurred in 6 percent of intoxications,adverse effects in 1 percent" (p. The exception is MDMA. This group includes LSD (acid), peyote,mescaline, psilocybin, and MDMA (ecstasy). 335). Leavitt notes that the relationship between psychedelics, such asLSD, and violence is anecdotal and unconvincing. Drugs and behavior. And the adverse effectsof chronic abuse include appetite suppression and weight loss, insomnia,constipation, memory and speech problems, anxiety, depression, and auditoryhallucinations. 379). ReferenceLeavitt, F. But they often react very stronglyto sensory stimuli, tend to refer everything that happens to themselves, tothe point of paranoia, and receive high levels of psychomotor stimulationwhich compel them to action. This drug produces weaktolerance toward its depressant effects but less to its stimulant effects.Withdrawal symptoms are very mild or nonexistent. 365). Only 28 percent of men and 23 percent of womensurveyed reported an increase in desire for sexual contact. The arylcyclohexylamines, or psychedelic anestheticsphencyclidine (also known as PCP or angel dust) and ketamine are veterinaryanesthetics that are sometimes taken by human beings as recreational drugs. The exactnature of these effects is unknown but all use of these substances shouldbe terminated during pregnancy. Premeditated violence is unlikely in PCP userssince they are oriented to the immediate present and have little sense ofthe long-range consequences of any act. But researchers have also found that manyarrestees who test positive for PCP show no signs of violence, leading tothe speculation that "the behavior of emotionally stable users is notsubstantially altered by low doses" of the drug (p. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. . 157). Users of psychedelics report that LSD, for example, increases therange of sensory appreciation of sexual relations. The relationship of PCPto violence is more complex. It is a common cause ofcharges of driving under the influence of drugs. There is also the possibility, however, that even if theseeffects exist the reduction in capacity for logical thought, among othernegative effects, may have an adverse effect on creative processes. A great deal of violence appears to beassociated with this drug and, since it is inexpensive, it is unlikely thatthe violence has an economic aspect. A small percentage of PCP users also become psychotic,although the reasons for this are little understood. Suchusers may benefit most from treatment modalities developed in accordancewith the self-medication model in which therapists address the other"primary mental disorder or psychological deficit" that the individual hassought to 'medicate' with the abuse of PCP (Leavitt, 1995, p. In additionthere are incidental effects of drug abuse that affect the well-being offetus and child. 3rd ed. There are only minimal withdrawal symptoms. PCP abuse in pregnant women has, however,been shown in one study to be the likely cause of deviant neurobehavioralsymptoms in infants during the first 24 hours after birth. Women recovering from phencyclidine abuse, for example,"interact immaturely with their children" (Leavitt, 1995, p. Users who havebeen surveyed about this drug's effect on sexuality report that the drug"increases emotional closeness, enhances the sensual aspects of sex, andwould be chosen as a sexual enhancer" (Leavitt, 1995, p. AsLeavitt notes, however, there is little reliable research on the effects ofpsychedelics on sexual relations. Psychedelics increase awarenessof sensory stimuli but decrease the user's ability to control what isexperienced. Long-lasting memory difficulties are a side effect of chronic PCPabuse, but Leavitt cites no effects of psychedelics on memory. (1995). 146). unfounded" (Leavitt, 1995, p. A high percentage of PCP arrestees have beenobserved to be violent. The psychedelic anestheticphencyclidine, however, involves greater dangers. Users of psychedelicsand psychedelic anesthetics do not develop a physical dependence andwithdrawal symptoms are mild even though side effects of PCP abuse can beserious and quite disturbing. But, as Leavitt notes, the studies aremethodologically faulty and the data "are, unfortunately, less impressivethan the rationale" (p. The drugdid not, according to those surveyed, increase the users interest ininitiating sexual activity. . But Leavittcites no other effects on sleep for the drugs in the psychedelic andpsychedelic anesthetic groups. Psilocybin, mescaline and LSD produce tolerance quite rapidly and arecross tolerant. Psychedelics, more than any other drug group, are acclaimed by usersfor their supposed enhancement of creativity. There are no pharmacological treatments for PCP abuse althoughpharmacotherapy for associated disorders may occur. 146). PCP abuse produces insomnia as a side effect in abusers. Instead violence appears to beassociated with the drug because violence-prone individuals are attractedto its use and "because it engenders feelings of power and invulnerability"(Leavitt, 1995, p. A number of mechanisms bywhich these consciousness-altering drugs may influence creativity have beenproposed and they include: greater access to unconscious material;increases in the ability to manipulate hypotheses, metaphors, and paradoxesspontaneously; heightened ability to produce visual imagery and fantasy;increases in relaxation and openness; heightened empathy; and "a reducedtendency to censor creations by premature negative judgment" (Leavitt,1995, p. Psychedelics refers to a groups of drugs (also calledpsychotomimetics and hallucinogens) that distort the recreational user'sperception and cognition. Like the psychedelics they are hallucinogenic and they "cause users tofeel dissociated from themselves and their environments" (Leavitt, 1995, p.55). And psychiatrists haveclaimed that the drug is effective in treating frigidity and impotence. Users of psychedelics seem unlikely to seektreatment, but PCP users, who look to the pleasant effects of the drug as ameans of reducing negative affect and/or improving social cohesion, mayrequire psychotherapy to assist them in stopping the drug abuse. Asidefrom the testimonials of users, many aspects of the experience ofpsychedelics--such as the characteristic imagery or the altered perceptionof the world--do seem intuitively to confirm the idea that these drugscould enhance creativity. The dangersof psychedelics are largely confined to the problem of "bad trips." Andthe array of concerns related to such drugs--chromosomal damage, braindamage, prolonged psychosis--are, as "the weight of the evidence indicates,. 235). 341). 379). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.