PS268 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Hallucinogen, Homeostasis, Substance Abuse
Document Summary
You have to take it in some way. Changes homeostasis: food is not a drug-drugs do not include nutrients considered to be related to normal functioning, psychoactive drug- a drug that influences the functioning of the brain and hence our behaviour and experience. What are different types of drug use: psychostimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, opiates, marijuana, see table in text notes, *euphoria means different things depending on the drug class. Types of drugs: licit vs illicit: sale or possession of licit drugs is legal, not many drugs are legal all of the time (ie without prescription) What do we really mean by drug use or a drug problem. Imperative to always collect data: avoid meaningless statements like (s)he uses drugs, who, what, when, where, why, how, how much, ambiguity. Who is using drugs, how much, and why: survey questionnaires. Classroom surveys: easy to use- inexpensive, efficient, drawbacks. Bias in student population (eg, dropouts not counted)
