Reflection Paper: Addiction and Theories 

Ksir, C., Hart, C., Ray,O. Drugs, Society and Human Behavior, Twelfth Edition. McGraw Hill Publisher 

Read Chapter 2 of the text, note the definitions and the major theories about how drug use leads to drug abuse/addiction.

What is your favorite theory(s) of Addiction? 

Why do people become addicted to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD)? 

Write a definition of addiction/dependency:

Nature of addiction/dependency – etiology: what happens to a person who is addicted/dependent on ATOD (See also chapter 1 “Drug Dependence” and “Stages of Drug Dependence”; Chapter 2 “The vicious Cycle of Drug Addiction)

Bio-Psycho-Social Model: write your favorite explanations of why someone might become addicted to AOD, based on specific theories in each of the following categories

Biological causes/factors of addiction/dependency

Psychological causes/factors of addiction/dependency

Social causes/factors of addiction/dependency

The Biopsychosocial Approach 

The biopsychosocial approach was developed at Rochester decades ago by Drs. George Engel and John Romano. While traditional biomedical models of clinical medicine focus on pathophysiology and other biological approaches to disease, the biopsychosocial approach in our training programs emphasize the importance of understanding human health and illness in their fullest contexts. The biopsychosocial approach systematically considers biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery. 

• Biological, psychological, and social factors exist along a continuum of natural systems, as depicted in the list here. 

• Systematic consideration of psychological and social factors requires application of relevant social sciences, just as consideration of biological factors requires application of relevant natural sciences. Therefore, both the natural and social sciences are ‘basic’ to medical practice. In other words, psychological and social factors are not merely epiphenomena: they can be understood in scientific ways at their own levels as well as in regard to their biological correlates. 

• Humanistic qualities are highly valued complements to the biopsychosocial approach, which involves the application of the scientific method to diverse biological, psychological, and social phenomena as related to human health. 

• While the biomedical approach takes the reductionistic view that all phenomena are best understood at the lowest level of natural systems (e.g., cellular or molecular), the biopsychosocial approach recognizes that different clinical scenarios may be most usefully understood scientifically at several levels of the natural systems continuum. 

To apply the biopsychosocial approach to clinical practice, the clinician should: 

• Recognize that relationships are central to providing health care 

• Use self-awareness as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool 

• Elicit the patient’s history in the context of life circumstances 

• Decide which aspects of biological, psychological, and social domains are most important to understanding and promoting the patient’s health 

• Provide multidimensional treatment 

The Biopsychosocial Approach 

REFERENCES 

Engel GL: The need for a new medical model: a challenge for biomedicine. Science 1977;196:129-136. 

Engel GL: The clinical application of the biopsychosocial model. Am J Psychiatry 1980;137:535-544. 

Frankel RM, Quill TE, McDaniel SH (Eds.): The Biopsychosocial Approach: Past, Present, Future.University of Rochester Press, Rochester, NY, 2003.

Borrell-Carrió F, Suchman AL, Epstein RM: The biopsychosocial model 25 years later: principles, practice, and scientific inquiry. Ann Fam Med 2004;2:576-582. 

Cohen J, Brown Clark S: John Romano and George Engel: Their Lives and Work.University of Rochester Press, Rochester, NY, and Boydell and Brewer Limited, Suffolk UK, 2010.

 Identify a research or evidence-based article that focuses comprehensively on a specific intervention or new diagnostic tool for the treatment of diabetes in adults or children. In a paper of 750-1,000 words, summarize the main idea of the research findings for a specific patient population. Research must include clinical findings that are current, thorough, and relevant to diabetes and the nursing practice. Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment. You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Only Word documents can be submitted to Turnitin. Develop a PowerPoint presentation (a title slide, 6-12 slides, and a reference slide; no larger than 2 MB) that includes the following: A brief summary of the research conducted in the Evidence-Based Project – Paper on Diabetes. A descriptive and reflective discussion of how the new tool or intervention may be integrated into practice that is supported by sound research. Please double space.