ACNP Day 3
Rethinking Addictions
It was standing room only at today’s session chaired by
David Kupfer, MD on the updates to the DSM. The changes to three sections were discussed at length: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Schizophrenia
Spectrum, and Addictions. But I
want to focus on the addictions category.
As background, researchers developed the DSM to give one
another standard criteria for psychiatric disorders and a common language. So when you perform a research study to
examine 100 people with major depression, other researchers will know just what
you are describing. The plan
is always to update the information, stay current with new findings, and even
include reliable markers for illness in the criteria.
In keeping with these goals, the substance disorders work
group removed two of the criteria for substance dependence: tolerance and withdrawal.* Tolerance describes the need to
take more of a substance over time to achieve the same effect and withdrawal
describes symptoms that occur when a person abruptly stops a sunstance. These are normal physiologic responses.
Dr. O’Brien emphasized what doctors in the trenches have
been discussing with their patients for years. Being tolerant or experiencing withdrawal to a medication
does not make you an addict.
* They made some other interesting changes too, but those
are not described here.
Thank you for doing this for us!
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. I learned a lot.
ReplyDeleteThumbs up is about all I have to say! :)
ReplyDelete