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Substance Dependence Essay

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Subsequently, most health care professionals utilize guidelines published by the American Psychiatric Association as an official standard for defining problems associated with drug-taking behavior. Substance-related disorders range from the ingestion of a drug of abuse to the experience of side effects that are associated with medications. Moreover, the fourth edition of the association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) which was published in 2000, categorizes two specific behavioral conditions, which are substance dependence and substance abuse. By definition, substance dependence is a diagnostic term used that identifies an individual with significant signs of a dependent relationship with a psychoactive drug. For a person to be classified dependent upon a substance three of the …show more content…

This could mean that the individual quits their job, neglects their children or family, or gives up other activities that once were important. By definition, substance abuse is a diagnostic term used that identifies a person who continues to consume drugs despite the fact that the drug-taking behavior creates definite complications for that person. According to the DSM-IV, a person must have never met the criteria for substance dependence for a particular drug to qualify as a substance abuser, and at least one of the four criteria’s listed must apply to the individual within a twelve-month period. The first criteria listed is recurrent drug use resulting in failure to achieve major obligations at work, school, or at home. For example, repeated absences from work, neglect of children or their household, and suspensions from school would be signs that recurrent drug use is going on. Next, the persistent drug use in situations that is physically hazardous to the individual using the

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