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substance dependence

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substance dependence

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Also known as narcomania, psychoactive substance dependence, drug dependence, drug addiction, substance addiction

need for a drug, whose discontinuation results in withdrawal symptoms

AI overview

Substance dependence is when your body becomes so accustomed to a drug that you need it to function normally, and stopping use causes uncomfortable or painful withdrawal symptoms. It matters because it can trap people in cycles of drug use even when they want to quit, making addiction a serious health challenge that often requires professional help to overcome.

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Wikidata facts

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ICD-9-CM
304.60
Commons category
Substance dependence
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Article

Substance dependence, also known as drug dependence, is a biopsychological situation whereby an individual's functionality is dependent on the necessitated re-consumption of a psychoactive substance because of an adaptive state that has developed within the individual from psychoactive substance consumption that results in the experience of withdrawal and that necessitates the re-consumption of the drug. A drug addiction, a distinct concept from substance dependence, is defined as compulsive, out-of-control drug use, despite negative consequences. An addictive drug is a drug which is both rewarding and reinforcing. ΔFosB, a gene transcription factor, which is now known to be a critical component and common factor in the development of virtually all forms of behavioral and drug addictions, but not dependence.

The International Classification of Diseases classifies substance dependence as a mental and behavioural disorder. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (released in 2013), substance abuse and substance dependence were eliminated and replaced with the single diagnosis of substance use disorders. This was done because "the tolerance and withdrawal that previously defined dependence are actually very normal responses to prescribed medications that affect the central nervous system and do not necessarily indicate the presence of an addiction."

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