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When Substance Abuse become Substance Dependence

Substance dependence is usually called addiction, and we customarily use the term to describe people who seem enslaved to the substance concerned. Yet there is much disagreement among experts as to just what constituents substance dependence. A person may be physiologically dependent when greater and greater amounts of the drug are required to experience the same effect. This is referred to as tolerance. A person is addicted to a drug when the removal of the drug from the system results in physical symptoms (withdrawal). A common example of this occurs when you get to work and can’t function without your … Continue reading →

Cocaine: Tolerance, Dependence and Withdrawal

Cocaine is often taken in conjunction with other drugs to offset the negative side effects of the former. Hence tranquillizers, alcohol, marijuana, and heroin are often used to bring the user “down” and to help them sleep. This unfortunate situation means that the regular cocaine user who is dependent on the drug now finds him or herself dependent or a raft of other legal and illegal medications. Use of cocaine during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, or if the baby is carried to full term, may result in a low birth weigh baby, premature delivery, and signs of cocaine … Continue reading →

Diagnostic Criteria for Amphetamine (or Related Substance) Intoxication

In previous articles, we discussed the origins, medicinal use and side effects of the amphetamine family of drugs. The criteria for amphetamine (including speed, Ecstacy, methamphetamine, ice) intoxication as outlined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) are as follows: 1. Clinically significant maladaptive behavior or psychological changes ( e.g euphoria or emotional blunting i.e. unempathic behavior, changes in sociability, hypervigilance (nervousness, tenseness), impaired judgment or impaired social or occupational functioning, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, or anger that develops during or shortly after use of an amphetamine-type substance. 2. The presence of two (or more) of the following, … Continue reading →

Diagnostic Criteria for Substance Dependence

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When we last visited the topic of Substance Abuse we looked at the diagnostic criteria for substance abuse. Today we look at substance dependence, which differs from abuse in that the component of addiction and addictive behavior is also present. So how do we know if a person has moved from substance abuse to substance dependence? The DSM-IV-TR lists the following guidelines for a diagnosis of substance dependence: A maladaptive pattern of substance abuse leading to significant impairment or distress as manifested by at least three of the following within a 12-month period: 1. Tolerance to the substance as defined … Continue reading →

Is It Really Substance Abuse?

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In When Usage becomes Abusage (see below) we looked at the enormous emotional and financial cost of substance abuse. But how do you know when someone is really abusing rather than using a substance such as tobacco, alcohol or other recreational drugs? How do you know when the person you love is in trouble? Fortunately the American Psychiatric Association lists the criteria for substance abuse in an attempt to better distinguish those who are in control of the drugs in their life and those who have crossed the line. The guidelines are as follows: A. A maladaptive pattern of substance … Continue reading →

When Substance Abuse becomes Substance Dependence

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Substance dependence is usually called addiction, and we customarily use the term to describe people who seem enslaved to the substance concerned. Yet there is much disagreement among experts as to just what constituents substance dependence. A person may be physiologically dependent when great and greater amounts of the drug are required to experience the same effect. This is referred to as tolerance. A person is addicted to a drug when the removal of the drug from the system results in physical symptoms (withdrawal). A common example of this occurs when you get to work and can’t function without your … Continue reading →

When Usage becomes Abusage: Recreational Drugs

Substance-Related Disorders form the one group of psychiatric conditions that cause the majority of self-harm, emotional turmoil, family hardship, and financial woes: much more so than other psychiatric disorders. The ongoing and outreaching effects on the individual and the greater community of substance abuse problems causes more stress and social breakdown than any of the higher profile mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. While the latter illnesses cause extreme distress to the sufferer as well as their immediate family and friends, the issue of substance abuse and the accompanying lifestyle is implicated in street crime, homelessness, family breakdown, … Continue reading →

The Difference Between Drug Abuse and Addiction

Although the use of illegal drugs among teens is dropping in the United States, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse 50% of high-school graduates have tried illegal drugs, 23% will have used them within the thirty days before the survey, and anywhere from 0.5 to 7% are using drugs on an almost daily basis. Most teens that use drugs are not addicted, although those 0.5 to 7% who use on a daily basis most likely are. But many teens are involved in drug abuse. In fact a 2004 survey conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services … Continue reading →

Gender Differences in Mental Health

For some time it has been known that women suffer more from depression than men do, or at the very least are more likely to be diagnosed with it. It is likely that there are a variety of contributing factors to this, not the least of which is the difference in how men and women express themselves. A new study tackles the question of which diagnoses seem to impact men versus women, and why. The study came out of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida and appears in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. It discusses how … Continue reading →

The chicken or the egg?

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A classic question that is applied to a variety of situations – which came first? Sometimes the question can be answered with science, sometimes not. Some research that came out this week was able to shed some light on one of these questions – do those with anxiety self-medicate because they are substance abusers, or do those with anxiety become substance abusers because they self-medicate? At first this might seem a weird question to ask – does it really matter which came first when you are talking about people with anxiety that have substance abuse problems? The simple answer is … Continue reading →