Quitting drugs without treatment can trigger a decline in mental health, according to a new study from the Georgetown University Medical Center.
Through an animal study regarding morphine addiction, researchers found that managing morphine withdrawal could promote a healthier mental state in people.
"Over time, drug-abusing individuals often develop mental disorders," Italo Mocchetti, a professor of neuroscience, said in a statement. "It's been thought that drug abuse itself contributes to mental decline, but our findings suggest that 'quitting cold turkey' can also lead to damage."
The study, which was published in the November issue of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Mochetti and his colleagues treated the animals with morphine, or allowed them to undergo withdrawal by stopping the treatment, according to a press release.
Afterwards, they measured the pro-inflammatory cytokines, which can promote damage and cell death, and the protein CCL5, which has various protective effects in the brain.
The researchers found that treating the addicted animals with morphine both increased the protective protein while decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. They found that the animals who quit the drug cold turkey had the opposite results - decreased CCL5 and increased levels of pr0-inflammartoy cytokines.
The results suggest that quitting drugs with treatment can have a beneficial effect.
"From these findings, it appears that morphine withdrawal may be a causative factor that leads to mental decline, presenting an important avenue for research in how we can better help people who are trying to quit using drugs," Mocchetti said.
Typically, the first phase in drug treatment is medically supervised detoxification. Treatment plans are developed based on a comprehensive analysis of the patient's individual needs.
According to Addictions and Recovery's website, some drugs such as alcohol, opiates and tranquilizers, produce significant produce significant physical withdrawals. While other's produce little physical withdrawal, but more emotional withdrawal like cocaine, marijuana, and ecstasy.
