Diagnosis Of Addiction

Your easy to read guide to causes, prevention and treatment of conditions such as:

• Clinical Assessment
• Addiction Severity Index
• Withdrawal And Tolerance
• Conditions For Dependence

Addiction has historically been viewed as a physical dependency to a substance that resulted in withdrawal symptoms in its absence.

Recently, a more diagnostic means of determining such conditions as dependency, rather than addiction are being used.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine recommends treatment for people with chemical dependency based on 'patient placement criteria', which attempt to match levels of care according to clinical assessments in six areas.

Clinical Assessments Of Addiction

The six areas of clinical assessment for addiction include:

1. Acute intoxication and/or withdrawal potential
2. Biomedical conditions or complications
3. Emotional/behavioral conditions or complications
4. Treatment acceptance/resistance
5. Relapse potential
6. Recovery environment

Addiction Severity Index

Some medical systems refer to an Addiction Severity Index to assess the severity of problems related to substance use. The index also assesses problems in six areas:

1. medical
2. employment/support
3. alcohol and other drug use
4. legal
5. family/social
6. psychiatric.

Withdrawl And Tolerance

A patients reaction to withdrawl or tolerance of the use of alcohol, drugs, smoking, sex or gambling, is an early indicator of physical or mental dependence on this use or behaviour.

Once suspicion of addiction is determined, certain conditions determined by the World Health Organisation [WHO] help to confirm diagnosis.

Conditions for Dependence

If you comply with more than 3 of the following, you are considered dependent:

1. Tolerance - need more to still feel the effects
2. Psychological dependence - desire, varying from very little to very severe
3. Withdrawal symptoms  - physical reactions after you stop
4. Use the substance or carry out certain behavior to reduce the withdrawal symptoms.
5. Failed attempts to control the use or the behaviour.
6. Spend a great deal of time on the use or the behavior or on recovery of the use or the behaviour.
7. Damaging effects due to the use on the addicts themselves and people in their environment (problems at work or school, arguments with people around the person, illnesses, dedicate less time to hobbies).
8. Use more frequently and in higher doses than planned.
9. Continue to use even if you know it is damaging for you.

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