Substance Use Disorders

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Substance Use Disorders are conditions that entail a combination of biological, social, and environmental factors that lead a person to depend on a “substance” either to experience wellbeing or to avoid suffering.

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People often think that a person suffering from this condition is using a substance for “fun”. Recent research shows that there are genetic and biological factors that causes the person suffering from this condition to compulsively seek the use of the substance. This is a brain condition that can lead us to lose control over patterns of substance use.

 

These disorders can cause people to give up on their relationships to family and friends, impair occupational life, lead to academic underperformance, and even create legal problems.

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Chronic substance use disorder can have a negative impact on the brain leading to depression, anxiety, mania, psychosis, and other psychiatric conditions.

 

It is also important to mention that certain medications can also lead to substance misuse such as benzodiazepines, other hypnotics, and pain killer (opioids).

 

In the treatment of this condition, it is important to have an interdisciplinary approach: individual therapy, family involvement, 12-step program,

Psychopharmacology, and relapse prevention strategies.

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