Harmful Substances Causing Social Issues Toxicity and Diseases

DAWN Toxicity Data • drug-related emergency room visits or ER visits - alcohol in combination - Cocaine - prescription opiods - marijuana - benzodiazepines - heroin - methamphetamine - antidepressants - PCP - antipsychotics Blood Borne Diseases • Specific toxicity for users who inject drugs - it is not due to the action of the drug itself -Sharing needies passes infectious agents directly into bloodstream and causes diseases such as AIDS, HIV infection, hepatitis B &C •Syringe exchange program. follows the harm-reduction approach - lowers the rate of HIV infection Substance Dependence • the scientific definition of an "alcoholic" or an "addict" is hard to pin down • does it matter? - what drug is ingested? - what is the frequency of the drug intake? - how much drug is ingested? • when does a drug user developed s a drug usere go from "recreational" to someone who has 3 basic processes that may occur that may drug use Occur with repeated - tolerance - Physical dependence - psychological dependence • these processes can be defined and studied by researchers interested in understanding drug dependence Tolerance •a phenomenon in which repeated exposure to the same dose of a drug results in a lesser effect it can be overcome by increasing the dose of the drug Our body develops ways to compensate for the Chemical Imbalance caused by a drug Physical Dependence" • Physical dependence is defined by the occurrence of a withdrawal syndrome "if drug use is stopped Suddenly, withdrawal Symptoms occur, ranging from mild to severe • tolerance typically preceds physical dependence Physical dependence means the body has adapted to the presence of the drug Psychological Dependence • also called behavioral dependence - Can be defined in terms of observouble behawior Often indicated by: - frequency of using a drug or the amount of time and effort spent in drug-seeking benavior - reports of craving the drug or its effects • behavioral psychology contextualizes psychological or behavioral dependence "administration of certain drugs can reinforce the behaviors - that led to the drugs administration research evidence laboratory animals press levers when the only Consequence of lever pressing is a small intravenous injection of heroin, Cocaine, or another drug Changing Views of Addiction. • early medical models - true addiction involves physical dependence treatment of withdrawal symptoms but what about drugs with no clear withdrawal symptoms? • positive reinforcement model, 1960S - drugs can reinforce behavior without physical dependence - psychological dependence, based on reinforcement, is increasingly viewed as the driving force behind repeated drug use DSM-5 diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders, DSM-5 - developed by the American Psychiatric Association - provides definitions of substance use disorder - focuses on complex behavioral definitions psychiatric diagnosis of substance use disorders. a problematic pattern of substance use leading to clinically Significant impairment or distress, as manifested by at least two of eleven possible symptoms, occuring within a 12-montu period diagnosis is complex - 9 of the possible symptoms are behavioral 2 of the possible symptoms are physiological - note: physiological symptoms do not need to be present to receive the diagnosis Severity of the disorder - mild equous 2 to 3 symptoms - moderate equals 4 to 5 symptoms - Severe equois le or more symptoms Is Addiction Caused by the Substance?. • Some drugs are more likely than others to result in dependence. - heroin and cocaine are both likely to lead to compulsive use Some Substances are more "addictive" than others •Many other factors influence dependence, and thus, the substance itself cannot be seen as the entire cause of the problem