Biopsychosocial Model of Addiction

Biopsychosocial Model of Addiction

Emily Schrick

Principles of Effective Treatment

The National Institute on Drug abuse lists several principles for effective treatment

1. Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain functions and behavior

2. No single treatment is appropriate for everyone

3. Treatment needs to be readily available

4. Effective treatment attends to the multiple needs of the individual not just their drug

use

5. Remaining in treatment for an adequate amount of time is critical

6. Counseling is the most common form of substance abuse treatment

7. Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients

8. An individual’s treatment plan must be assessed continuously and modified to meet

their changing needs.

Treatment of Addictions

9. Many individuals suffering from addiction also have other mental disorders which

should be treated simultaneously

10. Medically assisted detoxification is the first stage of treatment on its own, this down

little to change long term drug use

11. Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective. People who are compelled to

do treatment by courts or to keep professional licenses over time often gain insight

using motivational enhancement and other techniques

12. Drug use during treatment must be monitored carefully, as relapse occurs often. This

often involves drug testing of the urine and hair, and alcohol on the breath.

13. Treatment must assess patients for the presence of infectious disease, as well as provide

targeted risk-reduction counseling to help clients modify or change behaviors that

increase their risk of infectious disease

14. Family and other support involvement can be very helpful as substance use problems

affect more than the identified client.

15. Relapse prevention is critical to help with identifying triggers to relapse and finding

alternative ways to cope with life stressors

• CBT
• Motivational Interviewing
• Group Therapy
• 12 Step Programs

Biology

• irreversible brain dysfunction
• genetic predisposition
• hijacked reward center circuitry
• weakened rational decisions

What is The Biopsychosocial model of Addiction?

DSM-V

Psychological

Why does it matter?

• difficulty managing feelings, thinking, and behaviors
• coping mechanism
• "potentially severe, usually temporary, but sometimes persisting CNS syndromes that develop in the context of the effects of substance abuse, medications, or other toxins" (DSM-V)

“The essential feature of substance use disorder is a cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms indicating that the individual continues using the substance despite significant substance-related problems.”

• George Engel
• Interplay of biological, psychological, and environmental factors
• clear distinction between substance use, abuse, and addiction

Social

• environmental stressors
• learned behaviors

What is addiction?

100,000 American Deaths per year

Overdose of illicit drugs doubled since 2016 to over 64,000

(National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder Database, 2017)

Fact or Myth?

Addiction is a choice and thus the addicted person is weak willed or just plain bad

“chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences.” (National Institue on Drug Abuse, (NIDA)).

Drug addicts are homeless, unemployed, and do not look like "me"

Drug addiction can be cured

The drug addict cannot change