Week 1 epidemiology and harms Flashcards
what is addiction?
Broadly speaking, addiction is a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behaviour or substance despite an awareness of the associated harms to self and others. Addiction is characterised by physiological tolerance to a substance as well as the experience of withdrawal symptoms and craving (Hart & Ksir, 2013). Tolerance to a behaviour or substance occurs when the initial response cannot be achieved without increasing the exposure. Signs of withdrawal are generally the opposite of those observed when affected by the substance or behaviour and, according to Ruiz and Strain (2014)
what is the three diagnostic criteria associated with substance withdrawal?
- Development of a substance specific syndrome as a consequence of cessation of (or reduction in) substance use that has been heavy or prolonged;
- The substance-specific syndrome causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning; and
- The symptoms are not a result of a general medical condition and are not better accounted for by another medical or mental disorder.
What is the DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorder (SUD)? And what classifies as mind, moderate and severe?
The severity of an SUD is defined as Mild when 2-3 criteria are present, Moderate when 4-5 criteria are present, and Severe when 6 or more criteria are present (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
- The substance is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than intended.
- There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use.
- A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance, or recover from its effects.
- Craving, or a strong desire or urge to use the substance.
- Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school or home.
- Continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance.
- Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of substance use.
- Recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous.
- Substance use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance.
- Tolerance, as defined by either of the following:
a. A need for markedly increased amounts of the substance to achieve intoxication or the desired effect
b. A markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of the substance. - Withdrawal, as manifested by either of the following:
a. The characteristic withdrawal syndrome for the substance
b. The same (or closely related) substance is taken to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms.
What is the DSM-5 criteria for Gambling Disorder? and what classifies as Mild, moderate and Severe.
A. Persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behaviour leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as indicated by the individual exhibiting four (or more) of the following in a 12-month period:
- Needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement.
- Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling.
- Has made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling.
- Is often preoccupied with gambling (e.g., having persistent thoughts of reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble).
- Often gambles when feeling distressed (e.g., helpless, guilty, anxious, depressed).
- After losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (“chasing” one’s losses).
- Lies to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling.
- Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling.
- Relies on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations caused by gambling.
B. The gambling behaviour is not better explained by a manic episode.
what is the diagnostic criteria for SUD using the International Classification of Disease, 10th revision (ICD-10)? what does it focus on in comparison to the DSM-5?
The focus of the ICD-10 is on harmful use or “substance use that results in actual physical or mental damage” (Lowinson et al., p561). To be diagnosed with an SUD using the ICD-10, at least three of the following criteria must be present in the previous 12 months (World Health Organization, 1992):
- A strong desire or sense of compulsion to take the substance.
- Difficulties in controlling substance-taking behaviour in terms of its onset, termination, or levels of use.
- A physiological withdrawal state when substance use has ceased or been reduced, as evidenced by: the characteristic withdrawal syndrome for the substance; or use of the same (or a closely related) substance with the intention of relieving or avoiding withdrawal symptoms.
- Evidence of tolerance, such that increased doses of the psychoactive substance are required in order to achieve effects originally produced by lower doses.
- Progressive neglect of alternative pleasures or interests because of psychoactive substance use, increased amount of time necessary to obtain or take the substance or to recover from its effects.
- Persisting with substance use despite clear evidence of overtly harmful consequences, such as harm to the liver through excessive drinking, depressive mood states consequent to heavy substance use, or substance-related impairment of cognitive functioning. Efforts should be made to determine that the user was actually, or could be expected to be, aware of the nature and extent of the harm.
what is the correct terminology for people that have addictive behaviours?
called consumers.
Not addicts anymore because it describes them as though they are just addicts.
why is alcohol different to drunks?
alcohol is apart of our history as it has had a huge impact on society and the industrial revolution It is apart our our culture, whereas drugs have not had this impact on society.
what percentage of Australians consumed alcohol in in 2016, aged 14 and over? what is the difference between men and women? what was the average age of first consumption?
In 2016, 77.5% indicated they had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months with a greater proportion of men (79.9%) than women (75.1%) consuming (AIHW, 2017). A significant proportion of young Australians aged 12-17 years (81.2%) have not used alcohol, and the average age at which alcohol is first consumed was 16.1 years in 2016, an increase from 14.4 years in 1998.
What are some of the main findings from alcohol research? in relation to average consumption and binge drinking?
on the surface it appears like those trends are moving in a positive direction but what we have also seen is that this is very different when you talk about state-by-state, by age groups and by consumption trends. So we know, for example that much of this drop in consumption is driven by the Northern Territory, which has seen massive declines in the last five years. Similarly, even though average consumption has gone down what we are finding is that levels of binge drinking particularly in youth (ages 18-25 years) has increased.
what age group is most likely to consume levels of alcohol considered high risk?
While 15.0% of all drinkers in 2016 reported drinking at very high risk levels, this pattern of drinking is most prevalent among those aged 18 to 29 years. Specifically, 29% of drinkers aged 18-24 and 27% of those aged 25-29 had engaged in very high risk drinking at least once during 2016 (AIHW, 2017).
How is alcohol used worldwide?
it is important to note that almost half the world’s population does not drink; in 2016, 55.5% of the global population aged 15 years or older had ever consumed alcohol. There is wide variability in consumption levels across countries, however, with developed countries reporting greater consumption levels (WHO, 2018a). A minority of the total population (18.2%) engaged in monthly heavy episodic drinking. Heavy episodic drinking was more prevalent among young individuals aged 15-19 years (13.6% of all young people) and among male (29.2%) compared to female (7.2%) drinkers.
What is tobacco uses trend over time?
As shown in Table 2, tobacco use in Australia has steadily declined since 1993. In 2016, 14.9% of individuals aged 14 or older were a current smoker, while 62% of individuals surveyed reported that they had never smoked, which constitutes a statistically significant increase since 2013.
what is the tobacco trend worldwide? and what trends are there between ages, sex and countries?
The global trend in tobacco use mirrors that found in Australia. Between 2000 and 2015 the worldwide prevalence of daily tobacco smoking has decreased (see Figure 4 below). Rates of tobacco use differ across age groups, sex, and countries. Tobacco use is higher among men than women, and in developing compared to developed countries. Countries with the highest prevalence of daily smoking in 2016 included Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Russia and Tunisia for men, and Montenegro and Serbia for women (WHO, 2018b).
what is Australia’s drug use trends and statistics in 2016? what are the sex differences? as what is the most commonly used illicit drug?
The proportion of Australians reporting use of illicit drugs in the past 12 months has remained fairly stable over time. Table 3 indicates that, in 2016, 43% of individuals reported they had ever used an illicit drug. During 2016, 15.6% of individuals surveyed indicated illicit drug use in the past 12 months. Past 12 month illicit drug use was more common among males compared to females and among individuals aged 20 – 29 years compared to other age groups. Marijuana/cannabis is the most frequently used illicit drug in Australia, with 10.4% of individuals reporting use in 2016. The use of methamphetamines, hallucinogens and synthetic cannabinoids decreased from 2013 to 2016.
illicit drug usage worldwide. what did the World Drug report and Global Drug Survey find in 2017?
In 2017, an estimated 4.1-6.9% of individuals aged 15-64 worldwide had used an illicit drug in the past 12 months (UN, 2019). Table 4 below shows the global estimate of use of the six most commonly used illicit drugs. As in Australia, cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide. Men are two to three times more likely than women to report use of an illicit drug.
what example in the US, shows how things can change over time? Drug usage.
For the last decade, there has been an epidemic of pharmaceutical opiate use. Recent law changes, however, have made it much harder to get these pharmaceutical opiates. Due to this law change, there has been an increase in the illicit heroin market, which has led a marked increase in heroin-related deaths in the US.
how/why might prescription medication be misused?
Some individuals may unintentionally misuse pharmaceutical drugs because they have received inappropriate advice or prescription from a health professional. Other individuals may, either intentionally or unintentionally, misuse prescription medicines by using a greater quantity of a drug or using a drug more frequently than has been prescribed. Other individuals may obtain and use pharmaceutical drugs which have not been prescribed.
what is the trend in Australia for prescription drug misuse? has it increased or decreased? what were the most commonly misused drugs? and were there sex differences?
The non-medical use of prescription medicines has increased in Australia. In 2016, 12.8% of Australians reported they had ever misused a pharmaceutical drug, and 4.8% had misused a pharmaceutical drug in the past 12 months. While these rates are relatively stable compared to the 2013 rates (increase of 1.4% and 0.1%, respectively), they represent an increase from 7.4% lifetime use and 4.2% past 12 month use in 2010. Pain killers/ analgesics and opioids were the most commonly misused pharmaceutical drug in 2016, with over-the-counter analgesics more often misused than prescription drugs. In 2016, males and females tended to report misuse of pharmaceutical drugs in the past 12 months at similar rates.
what changes were made to opioid drugs in 2018? what did the statistics show?
Prescription opioid drugs are used to manage pain associated with injury, surgery, and palliative care (National Pharmaceutical Drug Misuse Framework for Action: NPDMFA, 2011). Over the period 1991-2010 there has been an increase in the supply of prescription opioid drugs including methadone, morphine, codeine, and oxycodone in Australia. This increased supply has been associated with an increase in the number of drug poisoning events involving prescription opioids and a corresponding decrease in heroin-related drug poisonings.
On the 1st of February 2018, the Therapeutic Goods Administration decided that over-the-counter medicines containing codeine become prescription-only medicines. This indicates that at the time of the 2016 NDSHS products such as Nurofen Plus could be purchased on the counter at a pharmacy, which is reflected in the statistics presented above. In fact, in 2016, 75% of recent painkiller/opioid misusers indicated misusing an over-the-counter codeine product in the previous 12 months (AIHW, 2017).
what drugs were found to be commonly associated with injecting? and what are the risks of this?
Injecting morphine is common among illicit drug users; one study reported that heroin was the most frequently injected drug at the Sydney Medically Supervised Injection Centre up until 2006 when pharmaceutical opioids such as morphine and oxycodone took over. The injection of oral medications such as morphine and oxycodone is associated with health risks including infection and the deposit of drug materials in blood vessels (NPDMFA, 2011).
what is Benzodiazepines prescribed for? what are some found side effects of misuse?
Benzodiazepines, prescribed to manage anxiety, sleep disorders, and alcohol withdrawal, are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs (Albrecht et al., 2014). Misuse of pharmaceutical benzodiazepines is associated with problems with memory and concentration, chaotic behaviour, aggression, and disorganisation. The benzodiazepine drug alprazolam is used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. Misuse of this drug however is associated with significant harms including overdose-related death, seizures, extreme aggression, traffic accidents, and crime (NPDMFA, 2011; Oldenhof, Anderson-Wurf, Hall & Staiger, 2019). An estimated range of 1% to 20% of benzodiazepine users report experiencing increased anger or aggression as a side effect (Lader, 2011). In a recent systematic review of 46 studies (Albrecht et al., 2014), we found benzodiazepine use to have a moderate association with subsequent aggressive behaviour. Due to this, prescription monitoring programs, which centralise prescribing and dispensing data, have been implemented in Australia (Oldenhof, Anderson-Wurf, Hall & Staiger, 2019). Such programs aim to stop inappropriate prescribing, such as multiple prescribers, high-doses, and risky drug combinations, in order to decrease rising mortality rates.
does it mean by “Dependence on one drug is often associated with use and/or dependence on other drugs”
Comorbid substance use. For example, the prevalence of tobacco use among those who use alcohol and/or illicit drugs is estimated at 75% (Ruiz & Strain, 2014). Comorbid substance use is particularly common among those with a cannabis use disorder. Furthermore, cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance among those with other substance use disorders. Ruiz and Strain (2014), for example, report that up to 35% of those with a cocaine use problem, 28% of those with an alcohol use problem, and 16% of those with a heroin use problem also report cannabis dependency. Alcohol use is common among individuals who use cocaine; up to 60% of individuals with a cocaine use disorder also have an alcohol dependence issue (Ruiz & Strain, 2014).
what is the association between substance use and mental disorders?
There is a strong association between substance use and mental health disorders. According to the NDSHS, in 2016, Australians who smoked cigarettes daily were twice as likely (29%) to have a diagnosed mental health disorder than those who never smoked (12%) (AIHW, 2017). Similarly, 29% of individuals who reported using an illicit drug in the past month had a diagnosed mental health disorder compared with 13.9% of non-drug using individuals.
Comorbidity, or the co-occurrence of more than one disorder, of mental health and substance use disorders is common and is associated with complex needs and poor outcomes.
what are some unique patterns of comorbidity found?
Unique patterns of comorbidity have been found. For example, alcohol use disorder is often associated with anxiety, depressive, and antisocial disorders. Cannabis use disorder has been associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety disorder, and conduct disorder. Individuals with a history of cannabis use disorder have high rates of alcohol use disorder (> 50%) and tobacco use disorder (53%) (APA, 2013). Opioid dependence is commonly associated with other substance use disorders, such as tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, stimulants, and benzodiazepines.