Substance use disorders occur when the recurrent use of alcohol and/or drugs causes clinically significant impairment including health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school or home.
Imagine if you started eating ice cream for every meal. At first it might seem fun but soon you'd start having health issues, neglecting other foods (responsibilities), and craving ice cream even when it's clearly harming you. That's similar to how substance use disorders affect people’s lives.
Dependence: This refers to a physical state where the body has adapted to a substance and will react with withdrawal symptoms if usage is reduced or stopped abruptly.
Tolerance: This is a state where higher doses of a drug are required over time to achieve the same effect due to physiological adaptation within the body.
Withdrawal Symptoms: These are unpleasant physical reactions combined with intense drug cravings that occur when a person stops taking certain addictive substances.
How does an interdisciplinary approach aid in understanding substance use disorders?
What changes in societal view led to the recognition of substance use disorders?
How does the principle of 'do no harm' apply to psychologists treating patients with substance use disorders?
How do cultural factors contribute to the development of substance use disorders?
Study guides for the entire semester
200k practice questions
Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.