addictive behaviours

what is addiction ?

ingestion of substance or engagement in activity that is compulsive and interferes with daily life and responsibilities

what is the difference between habituation and addiction ?

habituation involves a desire but not compulsion or dependence, does not lead to tolerance like addiction does

tolerance

over time larger doses needed for same effect

what are the physical effects of addiction ?

dependence on substance or behaviour to avoid withdrawal symptoms

what are the psychological effects of addiction ?

preoccupation and neglect of other activities, relationships etc.

continue despite harm

according to ICD-10 you need how many of the following 6 criteria for a diagnosis of addiction ?

3 or more in past year

psychodynamic explanation

addiction = form of self-regulation/medication

psychodynamic treatment

free association

what is free association ?

therapy practice - say first thing that comes to mind

establish links between thoughts and addiction

aims to override defence mechanisms

psychodynamic defence mechanisms

denial repression displacement

behavioural explanation

classical conditioning - associate person, place etc. with drugs

Wickler 1948

opioid users in group therapy displayed “conditioned withdrawal” where talking about the relapse itself produced physical withdrawal symptoms similar to those of actual pharmalogical withdrawal

what is contingency management ?

strategy used in drug abuse treatment - provides pts with positive reinforcement when meeting treatment goals

pros and cons of contingency management

highly effective and cost effective

less effective for behavioural addiction

cognitive explanation

dysfunctional thinking patterns and beliefs cause cognitive vulnerability

what are the 3 types of dysfunctional belief

anticipatory, relief-oriented, facilitative or permissive

cognitive treatment

case conceptualisation - identify beliefs about drug use and thoughts that are maintaining addiction or make them more prone to relapse and modify them

what are the 4 key components of case conceptualisation ?

childhood experiences

dysfunctional belief

conditional assumptions

compensatory strategies

conditional assumptions

implicit rules about the self

compensatory strategies

behaviours for coping with difficult core beliefs