Session 5 Flashcards
What is the definition of substance misuse?
The harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, leading to behavioural, cognitive and physiological changes.
What are stimulants? Give some examples.
Substances that make you feel more alert and like you have more energy and confidence.
Such as tobacco, cocaine, amphetamine and mephedrone.
What are hallucinogens? Give some examples.
Substances that can change ones perceptions, moods and senses.
Such as LSD, magic mushrooms, and potentially ecstasy (can be classed as a stimulant).
What are depressants? Give some examples.
Substances that make you feel relaxed.
Such as alcohol, heroin, tranquillisers and cannabis.
What is dependence?
Dependence can be either, or both psychological and physical.
It is a combination of physiological, behavioural and cognitive changes that give a drug a much higher priority.
What are psychological and physical dependence?
Physical dependence = experiencing withdrawal symptoms from the substance.
Psychological dependence = having an impaired control over their life, with persistent cravings for the drug.
What can be used to screen for alcohol dependence?
Audit-C; a series of questions asked about their alcohol consumption and perceptions around it.
What are some risk factors for drug use?
Family life issues - neglect, drug misuse, and emotional/ physical abuse.
Mental health - depression and anxiety.
Employment and education status - unemployed and poor education status is associated with drug misuse.
Social groups - spending time with other drug users.
Previous drug use.
Those who report a more positive effect from drug misuse: biological.
What are policies in place to control alcohol consumption?
Taxation and price regulation.
Regulating availability.
Providing information and education about the risk of alcohol consumption.
Managing the drinking environment - banning alcohol in certain places.
Brief interventions and treatment.
Regulating marketing.
Describe the classical conditioning model for dependence.
Drug dependence arises from environmental factors and the drug effect.
Stimuli are subconsciously associated with an outcome.
This means that if they smell a drink or hear a can open, they may experience cravings for alcohol or experience withdrawal symptoms.
Describe the imitation/ social learning theory for dependence.
Learning occurs through observation and modelling of peers and role models, and self-efficacy.
This means that a person seeing their friends or role models using these drugs will increase the likelihood that they will participate.
The effect that they have will influence their drug use - if it was positive, they may use the drug, if it was negative, they may not use the drug.
Self-efficacy - the person believes that they can abstain from the use of the drug/ can deal with situations without the drug.
Explain how treatment can be used based on the social learning/ imitation theory for drug dependence.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy - reduces the expectation of the experience of using the drug and develops self-efficacy.
Positive role models can be used to promote coping mechanisms.
How can the theory of rational choice account for dependence?
Dependency involves making rational choices that favours the benefits of dependence over the cost.
People who are dependent may make changes to their life to make the cost of the drug more attainable.
They frequently do not think about the future and only their desires in that moment.
What are synthetic cannabinoid drugs and what can they cause?
They are psychoactive drugs.
They can cause mental health deterioration - self-harm, violence, and suicide.
What are some routes and complications of drugs?
Intravenous - infection, vessel damage, trauma such as pneumothorax.
Oral route - ulceration, choking, malignancy.
Intranasal - nose bleeds, septal perforation, ulceration.
Inhalation - asphyxiation.
Smoking - infection, cancer, shortness of breath, coughing.
Intramuscular - infection, scarring, pain.
Subcutaneous - infection, scarring.
