Can Laughing Gas Help Deter Suicide?
A team at Washington University is researching the effects
of nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas has on treating patients
who have been hospitalized after making an attempt of suicide. The hopes are to
reduce the risks in any further attempts as well as speed up the recovery
process. The results of the study have
yet to be posted, however, it will consist of 50 patients, half of them receiving
nitrous oxide along with antidepressants or talk therapy, with the other half receiving
just antidepressants with psychotherapy. There will be follow-up meetings that
will be made to measure any reoccurring depressive thoughts. The study hopes to
show that nitrous oxide can be used as a booster treatment to prevent suicidal
thoughts from frequenting.
Suicide is a major concern in the field of psychology and a
leading cause of death in the united states, so anything that is related to
treating depressive or other negative psychological symptoms that could prevent such a
catastrophic situation in one’s life should be utilized. In class, we discussed
the importance that emotions have on our thoughts as well as physiology. We talked about the muscles in our
faces that are used to express happy or sad emotions, which in doing so send signals
to the brain on how it should feel. The use of laughing gas more than likely
will cause a person to either smile or laugh; therefore, result in feeling much happier
at the time and allow for suicidal thoughts to subside and receive proper
treatment from there.
It can be predicted that laughing gas helps to prevent suicide. Past research has shown that posing facial expressions affect how we interpret the environment. For instance, people who've had botox report less negative moods, due to the inability to frown or imitate an angry expression. A past study measured the impact our facial expressions have on our mood and emotions. The participants were given a pencil to hold either between their lips or teeth, while watching an amusing cartoon. The cartoons were rated as more amusing by the subjects who held the pencil between their teeth, which imitated a smiling expression. It is logical to infer that the same positive results in mood would occur if laughing gas was given to a suicidal or depressive patient
ReplyDeleteWhen searching for an article I came across this one and read it, as well, and was fascinated by the thought that this idea would actually work. Tying in what we learned in class about botox and how those people generally have less negative feelings in general because of the botox could explain why the laughing gas would work in these depressed patients. In the article I remember the author talking about how even though the actual gas would leave the body within a certain period of time the effects of the laughing gas actually linger around for a lot longer. I think that since the first set of patients this worked for that this could really work for the general population. Unfortunately, I think that there needs to be more research done to show that there is no long term effect of administering the laughing gas to these patients, whether it be in the brain or any other organ in the body. But, overall in many of my classes over the years I have learned that suicide is always one of the top leading causes in teens and people of our age so we should surely pursue this method and see what the research can show us.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through this post, i recalled what Dr.McGinely stated about how an individual can essentially become a more efficient public-speaker by the consumption of beta-blockers. Beta blockers are in a class of medications that are used to manage abnormal heart rhythms. In like manner, if you are an individual who gets anxious/nervous before a presentation, the beta-blockers will ultimately trick your body into misperceiving the situation. Thus creating a less stressful environment and altering your emotions.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that the laughing gas treatment would be temporary, although it is followed by other treatments and is not the only treatment that would be used when this is actually practiced, the positive effects of the laughing gas (changing negative mood to a more positive one) will need to be practiced everyday, which brings me to the thought of how healthy would that become for the patient? Although facial feedback as it relates to positive emotion-for example, smiling stimulates muscles in your face that are stimulated when you're actually genuinely happy so you become happy for that short time, I am worried about the lasting effects of the treatment. How long will this practice be beneficial to the suicidal patient, and what would be the lasting negative effects?
ReplyDeleteMaybe...you have some?
ReplyDelete