Substance Related Disorders - Abnormal Psychology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Abnormal Psychology

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Substance-Related Disorders

Substance-Related Disorders

• Drug:

• Any substance other than food that affects our

bodies or minds

• Current language uses the term “substance”

rather than “drug” to include alcohol, tobacco,

and caffeine

Substance-Related Disorders

• Substance abuse: a pattern of behavior in which a person relies on a drug excessively and repeatedly, damaging their relationships, affecting work functioning, and/or putting themselves or others in danger
• Substance dependence: a more advanced pattern of use in which a person abuses a drug and centers his or her life around it - Also called “addiction” - May include tolerance (need increasing doses to get an effect) and withdrawal (unpleasant and dangerous symptoms when substance use is stopped)

Substance-Related Disorders

• About 10% of all adults in the U.S. display

substance abuse or dependence

• Only 26% receive treatment

Depressants

• Depressants slow the activity of the central

nervous system (CNS)

• Reduce tension and inhibitions
• May affect judgment, motor activity, and concentration
• Three most widely used depressants:
• Alcohol
• Sedative-hypnotic drugs
• Opioids

Depressants: Alcohol

• Short-term: alcohol blocks messages

between neurons

• Alcohol helps GABA (an inhibitory

messenger) shut down neurons and “relax”

the drinker

Depressants: Alcohol

• The prevalence of alcoholism in a given year is

about the same (7% to 10%) for white

Americans, African Americans and Hispanic

Americans

• The men in these groups show strikingly different age patterns
• Generally, Asians have lower rates of alcohol

disorders than do people from other cultures

• As many as one-half of these individuals have a deficiency of alcohol dehydrogenase; thus they have a negative reaction to even modest alcohol use

Depressants: Alcohol

• Alcohol dependence
  • Tolerance: a need to use greater amounts to feel its effect
  • They may experience withdrawal, including nausea and vomiting, when they stop drinking
  • A small percentage experience delirium tremens (“the DTs”) - Can be fatal!

Gender differences

• Men more likely to engage in binge

drinking (more than 5 drinks)

• Women’s stomachs don’t break down

alcohol as well

• Best predictor of binge drinking: Fraternity

or sorority

Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs

• Sedative-hypnotic (anxiolytic) drugs

produce feelings of relaxation and

drowsiness

• At low doses, they have a calming or sedative

effect

• At high doses, they function as sleep inducers

or hypnotics

• Sedative-hypnotic drugs include

barbiturates and benzodiazepines

Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs:

Benzodiazepines

• Benzodiazepines are often prescribed to

relieve anxiety

• Most popular sedative-hypnotics available
  • Class includes Xanax and Valium

Opioids

• This class of drug includes both natural

(opium, heroin, morphine, codeine) and

synthetic (methadone) compounds and is

known collectively as “narcotics”

• Each drug has a different strength, speed of

action, and tolerance level

Opioids

• Heroin abuse and dependence

• Heroin use exemplifies the problems posed

by opioids

• After just a few weeks, users may become caught in a pattern of abuse (and often dependence)
• Users quickly build a tolerance for the drug and experience withdrawal when they stop taking it
• Early withdrawal symptoms include anxiety and restlessness; later symptoms include twitching, aches, fever, vomiting, and weight loss from dehydration

Opioids

• What are the dangers of heroin abuse?
  • The most immediate danger is overdose
    • The drug closes down the respiratory center in the brain, paralyzing breathing and causing death - Death is particularly likely during sleep
  • Ignorance of tolerance is also a problem
    • About 2% of those dependent on heroin and other opioids die under the influence of the drug each year
  • Users run the risk of getting impure drugs
    • Opioids are often “cut” with noxious chemicals
  • Dirty needles and other equipment can spread infection