Self-Inflicted Diseases :: Free Essays

Self-Inflicted Diseases Self-inflicted diseases are those in which a person's health is damaged by their own decisions and behaviour. These can be such things like smoking, alcohol, sunbathing, eating large quantities of fatty food. Also deliberate self-harm such as attempted suicide is classed as self-inflicted as it can cause major damage to body organs. Those who start smoking at a young age are highly likely to become addicted to nicotine. Smoking leads to a risk of developing mental and physical disease. This includes lung cancer, coronary heart disease and death through a stroke. Smoking also increases the chances of blood clotting. Nicotine also increases blood pressure and heart rate and thus the body's demand for oxygen, but carbon monoxide reduces the blood's ability to carry it. [IMAGE] Obesity can be self-inflicted by the following:  · Eating too many calories  · Lack of physical exercise  · Environmental factors  · Cultural factors  · Metabolism factors Obesity can cause heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, hernias, varicose veins and gallstones. Surgical operations are more risky for a patient with obesity because the amount of fat surrounding vital organs. [IMAGE] Self-Inflicted Sunbathing Sunbathing can cause blistering of the skin and increases the risk of developing skin cancer. This is self-inflicted if people do not take the precaution of sun cream, when in a hot climate. Heroin use [IMAGE] Heroin abuse can result in collapsed veins, bacterial infections of the blood vessels and heart valves, abscesses, other soft-tissue infections, and liver or kidney disease. Heroin is a self-inflicted disease because it is impossible to judge the purity of street heroin and death is caused through an overdose. Suicide Suicide is ranked the 10th most common form of death. There are around 40,000 suicides per year. [IMAGE] [IMAGE] Suicide is committed due to depressions, family or pet bereavement, divorce, social isolation or psychiatric illnesses. Suicide is self-inflicted because the person attempts to take his/her own life.