Substance Use Disorder- Week 9 Flashcards
Why do many diagnostic manuals no longer use the word “addiction”?
The word “addiction” has connotations of character weakness and moral failure, so is not longer an official diagnostic term, so has therefore been replaced with “dependence”- which has more implied emphasis on the biological factors, such as tolerance and withdrawal
How has the DSM V developed the DSM IV’s definition of substance use disorder?
In the DSM IV, there was a distinction between substance abuse and substance dependence, but in the DSM V, abuse and dependence have been combined into the diagnosis of “Substance Use Disorder”
What are the 11 diagnostic criteria in the DSM V for substance use disorder? (these are for Alcohol use Disorder, but are applicable for other substances)
Alcohol taken in larger amounts or for longer periods than intended
Persistent desire for Alcohol and failure to cut down
Large amounts of time spent trying to obtain or use alcohol or recover
Craving
Affects ability to fulfil major role obligations
Continuing use despite it creating social issues
Sacrificing social, occupational or recreational activities in favour of drinking
Recurrent use in hazardous situations
Continuation despite knowledge of damage to health
Tolerance (increased amount or diminished effects of the same dose) and withdrawal
How many of the criteria for SUD do you have to meet for diagnosis?
(include a “however”)
2/11
However, there is a continuum of severity:
2-3 criteria met = mild, 4-5 met = moderate, 6 or more = severe
Describe the issue of non-specificity in the diagnostic criteria for SUD in the DSM V
. The criteria is very broad and the threshold for diagnosis is very low. In reality, symptoms tend to cluster together, but two people with moderate SUD could have no shared symptoms.
What is the consensus definition of addiction?
addictions is when someone continues to use drugs despite a sincere intention to do otherwise.
Is Alcohol Substance Use Disorder more prevalent in men or women?
men
For men, where is alcohol use disorder most prevalent?
The UK, Russia, China, South America
Is Tobacco use more common in men or women?
Men
How have levels of alcohol and tobacco use changed in recent years?
Over time, alcohol abuse in young people has reduced, especially recently.
There has also been a reduction in smoking in recent years and an increase in people who have quit
What are the most common disorder type for SUD to be comorbid with?
Mood disorders (i.e. Bipolar or MDD)
What are the 6 most common comorbidities with SUD?
Bipolar Major Depression GAD Social Anxiety Disorder PTSD Psychosis
What are the heritability rates (estimates) for SUD?
Between 30 and 70% (discovered via twin and family studies by Agrawal and Lynskey et al)
How can trauma- especially complex trauma-link to increased risk of SUD?
The way that trauma can link to a lack of emotion regulation therefore can have an implication that many cases of addiction can be primarily a disorder of emotion regulation.
What type of behaviour is using?
Operant behaviour- not a voluntary behaviour. It is then followed by a positive reinforcement, so we continue.
What are the different effects of specific drugs (getting high, increased alertness, social factors, etc)
Getting high- heroin, cocaine, MDMA, alcohol
Increase alertness and reduce fatigue- Nicotine and Caffeine
Social Facilitation- alcohol, MDMA, Cocaine
Alleviate Distress- Alcohol, Heroin, Nicotine
What does motivational interviewing do?
Motivational interviewing is intended to resolve ambivalence and increase motivation to change
What are the different process that go on in the brain in each phase of developing addiction?
How does this support the “disease model”
First stage of addiction- begin bingeing drugs, creates neuroadaptations that result in a shift from feeling euphoric to dysphoric.
We then begin tolerance and withdrawals, with focus on the limbic system and amygdala
The frontal cortex and ACC then create intense cravings.
These are some neural adaptations which suggest that the brain changes so that your behaviour is no longer voluntary.
What is the disease model to explaining SUD?
These are some neural adaptations which suggest that the brain changes so that your behaviour is no longer voluntary.
What neurological evidence is there for and against the “disease model”?
The changes in structure and function after chronic drug use do emulate the effects of brain damage. However, the factor of neuroplasticity allows some to question whether this is “brain change” or “ brain damage”
How does recovery frequency contest the “disease model”?
The evidence for widespread recovery, often without any treatment, is evidence against the disease model.
What is the model for habit formation (the changing of a normal behaviour to a habitual behaviour)
Bear in mind, this is debatably only applicable to animals, as it was mainly researched via animal studies.
Normal Behaviour
Stimulus (Cigarette)— Anticipated Outcome (effects of smoking)—– Response (smoking)
But, if this behaviour becomes habitual with repetition:
Stimulus—- Response (the Anticipated Outcome is no longer focused on and considered, hence why they still use despite the negative outcome)
what are the two types of process involved in the dual process model of explaining SUD?
Controlled and automatic processes
How can using either be assigned to automatic or controlled processes?
Consider how the different stages of addiction can affect this
If it is a controlled process, we have expectations of the outcomes and intentions to use, and therefore use. This is what we believe is the case for novice substance users. If substance using is an automatic process, using is a spontaneous reaction to memory associations, could be due to a lack of attentional biases, and is caused by cues in the environment. This occurs when someone is addicted, as the damage caused to the brain has inhibited controlled processes. Therefore, some have developed treatments to reverse the cognitive processing biases that can convert substance use from an automatic to a controlled process in addicted individuals.
