addiction
Sign in to saveAddiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces an immediate psychological reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can alter brain function in synapses similar to natural rewards like food or falling in love in ways that perpetuate craving and weakens self-control for people with pre-existing vulnerabilities. This phenomenon – drugs reshaping brain function – has led to an understanding of addiction as a brain disorder with a complex variety of psychosocia
AI overview
Addiction is a condition where someone has a persistent, intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that gives immediate psychological reward, even when it causes substantial harm and negative consequences. It matters because repeated use can alter how the brain functions in ways similar to natural rewards, making cravings stronger and self-control weaker, especially for people with certain vulnerabilities.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Medical condition.name
- Addiction
- Medical condition.image
- Brain metabolism and drug addiction.jpg
- Medical condition.caption
- Brain positron emission tomography images that compare brain metabolism in a healthy individual and an individual with a cocaine addiction
- Medical condition.alt
- PET images showing brain metabolism in drug addicts vs controls
- Medical condition.field
- Psychiatry, clinical psychology, toxicology, addiction medicine
- Medical condition.symptoms
- Recurring compulsion to engage in rewarding activity despite negative consequences
- Medical condition.complications
- Suicide, overdose (if drugs), depression, coma
- Medical condition.risks
- Family history, adverse childhood experiences, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Medical condition.treatment
- Cognitive behavioral therapy, behavior modification, medication
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
70 sectionsContents
- Signs and symptoms
- Substance use disorder
- Food addiction
- Behavioral addiction
- Causes
- Personality theories
- Neuropsychology
- Stimulus control of behavior
- Cognitive control of behavior
- Evolutionary perspectives
- Risk factors
- Genetic factors
- Stress and Addiction
- Environmental factors
- Social control theory
- Age
- Prefrontal Cortex Maturation and Addiction Risk
- Comorbid disorders
- Epigenetic
- Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance
- Mechanisms
- Reward system
- Mesocorticolimbic pathway
- Role of dopamine and glutamate
- Neuroepigenetic mechanisms
- Diagnosis
- Classification
- DSM-5
- ICD-11
- Screening and assessment
- Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment
- Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and Other Substance Use (TAPS)
- CRAFFT
- Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10)
- Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Test (ASSIST)
- Prevention
- Abuse liability
- Potential vaccines for addiction to substances
- Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Asia
- Australia
- Europe
- United States
- Canada
- South America
- Etymology
- The suffixes "-holic" and "-holism"
- History
- Addiction and art
- As therapy
- As an assessment tool
- Advocacy
- Social scientific models
- Biopsychosocial Model
- Biological Factors
- Psychological Factors
- Social and Environmental Factors
- Cultural model
- Subcultural model
- Critical medical anthropology model
- Social learning models
- Social learning theory
- Transtheoretical model (stages of change model)
- See also
- Endnotes
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces an immediate psychological reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can alter brain function in synapses similar to natural rewards like food or falling in love in ways that perpetuate craving and weakens self-control for people with pre-existing vulnerabilities. This phenomenon – drugs reshaping brain function – has led to an understanding of addiction as a brain disorder with a complex variety of psychosocial as well as neurobiological factors that are implicated in the development of addiction. While mice given cocaine showed the compulsive and involuntary nature of addiction, for humans this is more complex, related to behavior or personality traits.
Classic signs of addiction include compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, preoccupation with substances or behavior, and continued use despite negative consequences. Habits and patterns associated with addiction are typically characterized by immediate gratification (short-term reward), coupled with delayed deleterious effects (long-term costs).