PSYCO239 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Agonist, Pethidine, Benzodiazepine

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCO239
• Professor: Jessica Tomory

Document Summary

Substance-related disorders involve problems associated with using and abusing drugs that alter patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. In the dsm-5, substance-related and addictive disorders include problems with the use of depressants (alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines); stimulants (amphetamines, cocaine, nicotine, and caffeine); opiates (heroin, codeine, and morphine); and hallucinogens (cannabis and lsd) as well as gambling. Specific diagnoses are further categorized as substance dependence, substance abuse, substance intoxication, and substance withdrawal. Substance dependence is usually described as addiction, though there is considerable disagreement about how to define addiction. One definition considers addiction as physiological dependence on the drug or drugs, involving tolerance and withdrawal. Another view uses drug-seeking behaviours themselves as a measure of psychological dependence. Levels of involvement (in order of occurrence) Depressants primarily decrease central nervous system activity, reduce arousal, and help people to relax. Included in this group are alcohol and the sedative, hypnotic, and anxiolytic drugs and those prescribed for insomnia.