Sections
Definitions of Addiction | The Study of Epidemiology | Developmental Epidemiology | Consequences of Substance Use Disorders | Future Directions | Key Points | References | Suggested Reading
Excerpt
Addiction has been defined
as "a chronic relapsing disease characterized by compulsive
drug-seeking and abuse and by long-lasting chemical changes in the
brain" (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2002).
It is generally understood as a disease with genetic, psychosocial,
and environmental underpinnings, all of which influence its development
and the way in which it expresses itself in the individual. In this chapter,
we examine both substance abuse and dependence, which together are
referred to as substance use disorders, as delineated in DSM-IV-TR
(American Psychiatric Association 2000).