PMID: 9547757Apr 21, 1998Paper

Biology of addiction

Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America
F S Coleman, J Kay

Abstract

It is unknown why an individual becomes addicted to drugs. Substance abuse is typified by a wide variety of use patterns and variation in individual responses. Behavioral psychology teaches that if something either increases the individual's sense of pleasure or decreases his or her discomfort, then the individual is likely to repeat the behavior. Evidence has suggested that abusers report a sense of pleasure when they use substances because of the ability of the substance to stimulate the release of neurotransmitters known to be used by the brain's pleasure system. This article provides an overview of the substance-related disorders, including their definition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).

References

Feb 1, 1990·Scientific American·R Melzack
Jan 1, 1986·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·G L Brown, F K Goodwin
Jan 1, 1986·The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse·K L Marsh, D D Simpson
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Sep 1, 1994·The New England Journal of Medicine·J A Frederick
May 1, 1994·Harvard Review of Psychiatry·S B Blume

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Citations

Nov 7, 2000·The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics : a Journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics·K A De Ville, L M Kopelman
Jan 11, 2002·Psychological Reports·J AhmadiA Malekpour
Nov 25, 2003·The International Journal of Social Psychiatry·Jamshid AhmadiMohammad Radmehr
Oct 9, 2003·Reviews on Environmental Health·Itziar AlkortaCarlos Garbisu

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