Addictive Behaviours - The Characteristics Of The Behaviour

Question 1

What 3 resources are used to identify an addiction

Answer 1

• ICD11
• DSM5-TR
• Mark Griffith (2005) 6 part ‘components model’ of addiction

Question 2

What is the ICD 11

Answer 2

• A global categorisation system for physical and mental illnesses published by the World Health Organisation (WHO)
• used globally since Jan 2022 (most recently updated)
• recognises 2 types of behavioural addictions (gambling disorder and gaming disorder)

Question 3

What is the DSM5-TR

Answer 3

• An American categorisation system for only mental illnesses
• Made by the American Psychological Association (APA)
• only recognises one type of behavioural addiction (gambling disorder)

Question 4

What are the 2 types of adddiction

Answer 4

• substance (chemical) addiction —> addiction to a chemical substance
• Behavioural (non-chemical) addiction —> addiction to a behaviour

Question 5

What are the characteristics of addictive behaviour used as diagnostic criteria for both DSM5-TR and ICD11

Answer 5

• social problems
• risky use (such as putting yourself in danger)
• impaired control over behaviour
• physical dependence (including cravings, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms)

Question 6

How many of these characteristics outlined by the DSM-5TR do you have to have in order to be diagnosed with an addiction

Answer 6

• only 2/11 for a substance addiction diagnosis
• only 4/11 for a behavioural addiction diagnosis

Question 7

What are the 6 components of Griffith model

Answer 7

• Salience
• mood modification
• Tolerance
• withdrawal symptoms
• conflict
• relapse

Question 8

Describe Salience

Answer 8

The activity becomes the most important thing in their life and dominates their thinking (preoccupations and cognitive distortions), feelings (cravings) and behaviour (deterioration of socialised behaviour)

Question 9

Give an example for salience

Answer 9

Individuals with a behavioural addiction to gambling might spend spare time thinking about ways to get money to feed their habit

Question 10

Describe mood modification

Answer 10

• This is when the addict engages in the behaviour/substance they experience a change in their mood which might be a ‘buzz’ or ‘high’ or an escape/numbing feeling.
• Many addicts may also use substances and behaviours as a way of producing a reliable and consistent change in their mood state as a coping strategy to ‘self medicate’ and make themselves feel better.

Question 11

Give an example for mood modification

Answer 11

For example, a nicotine addict may use cigarettes to get a ‘rush’ in the morning to get going for the day or smoking to destress and relax in the evening.

Question 12

Describe tolerance

Answer 12

• This refers to when overtime, increasing amounts of the substance/activity are needed in order to achieve the formerr effects because their body has built up a tolerance to it.
• This happens because the brain is overstimulated by the dopamine produced by the addictive substance/activity, it reduces the receptors as a way of balancing dopamine production, meaning that more of the drug is required for the original effects to be felt. (Neuroadaption)

Question 13

Give an example of tolerance

Answer 13

For example, in a gambling addiction tolerance may involve the gambler gradually having to increase the size of the bet in order to experience a mood modifying effect that used to be obtainable with smaller bets.

Question 14

Describe withdrawal symptoms

Answer 14

• Once the addictive substance/activity is discontinued or suddenly reduced it can cause unpleasant psychological effects (e.g. extreme moodiness and irritability) as well as physical effects (e.g. nausea, sweats, headaches, insomnia, etc).

Question 15

Give an example for withdrawal symptoms

Answer 15

An example of this would be that some physical withdrawal symptoms of heroin addiction are increased blood pressure/heart rate/respiration, sweating and nausea. As well as some psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression.

Question 16

Describe conflict

Answer 16

• This can manifest itself in both conflict between the addicts and those around them (interpersonal conflict) or from within the individual themselves (intrapsychic conflict).
• may end up compromising personal relationships of working lives

Question 17

Give an example of conflict

Answer 17

For example, if a gambling addiction began to take all your money, capacity for thought and interfere with their personal life with their family/partner.

Question 18

Describe relapse

Answer 18

It’s the tendency for repeated reversions to earlier patterns of addictive behaviour, typically reverting back to behaviour similar to that of the height of the addiction that is quickly restored after many years of abstinence.

Question 19

Give an example of relapse

Answer 19

For example, individuals with a smoking addicting may find themselves reverting back to full-time smoking, despite having maintained abstinence for years.

Question 20

What are the 4 major stages of addiction

Answer 20

• Initiation
• Maintenance
• Abstinence
• Relapse

Question 21

Describe the 1st stage of addiction

Answer 21

• initiation
• Where the person takes the drug/behaviour for the first time

Question 22

Describe the 2nd stage of addiction

Answer 22

• Maintenance
• when a person becomes addicted they move to the maintenance stage where they’re not in control of the decision to take the drug/behaviour but feels a compulsion to take it

Question 23

Describe the 3rd stage of addiction

Answer 23

• Abstinence
• when an individual refrains from taking the drug (they aren’t ‘cured’ because the addiction is still present because the withdrawal symptoms/craving is still strong)

Question 24

Describe the 4th stage of addiction

Answer 24

• relapse
• when the individual restarts the drug taking/behaviour. A single instance of taking the drug/behaviour can reinstate the maintenance stage