Addiction

    Cards (63)

    • What are the Risk factors in developing addiction
      Genetic Vulnerability
      Stress
      Personality
      Family Influences
      peers
    • What are the 2 types of dependence
      Physical
      Psychological
    • Physical Dependence
      Occurs when a withdrawal symptom is produced by stopping the drug
      and only within abstinence, you can see dependancy
    • Psychological Dependence
      Person continually takes the drug until it becomes a habit, despite harmful consequences
    • Explanations for Nic addiction
      Brain Neurochemistry
      Learning Theory
    • What characterises addiction?
      Tolerance
      dependence
      Withdrawal Symptoms
    • The Desensitisation Hypothesis
      Acetylcholine (ACh) binds with receptors, activating post - synaptic neurons. Nicotonic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) bind with ACh and nicotine . Upon binding with nicotine, Dopamine is transmitted and these receptors instantly shut down thus, becoming desensitised and leading to down regulation - reduction in number of active neurons
    • Dopamine Transmission
      nAChRs are concentrated in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) and when stimulated, the dopamine is released into the nucleus accumbens (NA) within the mesolimbic pathway. The stimulation triggers dopamine to be released from the NA to the frontal cortex but also transmission along the mesocortisol pathway to frontal cortex. These pathways are involved in the Brain's reward/pleasure centre thus, their activation results in feelings of mild euphoria, increased alertness and anxiety reduction
    • Nic Regulation Model
      smoking causes the nicotonic receptors to be desensitised thus, withdrawal symptoms are held off. Abstinence for prolonged periods of time causes more nAChrs to become functional so, resensitised and more available. This is known as Upregulation
    • What are the withdrawals?
      An abundance of functioning receptors and overstimulation of ACh causes acute withdrawal syndrome of symptoms including agitation and anxiety.
    • why is the first cig of the day viewed as most enjoyable?
      nAChRs are most sensitive
    • Describe dependence within the nic regulation model
      Smoker is motivated to avoid unpleasurable physiological and psychological withdrawal states thus maintaining dependence
    • describe tolerance within nic regulation model
      Repetition of daytime downregulation and nightime upregulation creates chronic desensitisation of nAChRs. this continuous exposure permanently changes brain neurochemistry. Tolerance is developed as the smoker has to smoke more in order to feel same effects
    • Learning Theory of Nic Addiction
      Operant conditioning
      Classical Conditioning
    • Operant Conditioning - Positive Reinforcement
      If a behavioural consequence is rewarding, the behaviour is likely to be repeated. Nicotine reinforces this due to the physiological effects on the dopamine reward system.
    • Koob and Le Moal (2008)
      Positive reinforcement explains both the early stages of smoking addiction and how people take it up in the first place
    • Operant Conditioning - Negative Reinforcement
      Explains dependence. Cessation of nicotine use = acute withdrawal symptoms thus, smoking negatively reinforces as it takes away unpleasant stimulus. Smokers become skilled and anticipate when withdrawals are about to hit and have a cig to take it away
    • what are some of the acute withdrawal symptoms for nicotine addiction
      Behavioural effects:
      Disturbed Sleep Patterns
      Agitation
      Poor concentration
      Increased hunger

      Mood disturbances:
      Anxiety
      Depression
    • Classical Conditioning - Cue Reactivity
      Pleasurable effects from smoking - Primary Reinforcer, as its intrinsically rewarding. Not Learned
      Other stimuli present become associated with pleasurable effects - Secondary Reinforcers taking on the same properties as primary in their own right.
      Repeated associations with people, environment, fav lighter, smell become secondary and act as cues producing similar physiological responses to nicotine
    • What are the 3 main elements of Cue Reactivity?
      .Self reported desire or craving for a cig
      .Physiological signs of reactivity, including autonomic responses such as Heart rate and Skin Temp
      . Objective behavioural indicators - how many 'draws' are taken on a cig and how strongly
    • what are the explanations for Gambling addiction?
      Learning Theory
      Cognitive Theory
    • Classical Conditioning - Vicarious Reinforcement
      Experience of seeing others being rewarded for gambling via financial return and physical pleasure. Indirect observations such as radio, news and shows also count. These may be enough to trigger a desire for the same reinforcement in someone whos never gambled before
    • Operant Conditioning - Positive Reinforcement
      Winning Money and the 'buzz'
    • Operant Conditioing - negative Reinforcement
      Can be an escape and offers a distraction from aversive stimuli such as the anxieties of everyday life
    • Operant Conditioning - Partial Reinforcement
      Skinner's Research showed that a continuous reinforcement schedule of rewarding every desired response leads to extinction when these rewards stop coming.
      A partial schedule creates persistent behaviour whereby the unpredictability about which gamble pays off is enough to keep gambling going even when rewards are hard to come by
    • Operant Conditioning - Variable Reinforcement
      Prroduces more persistent learning and is a type of partial reinforcement where only a proportion of responses are reinforced - no fixed pattern
      The High unpredictability makes it more resistant to extinction as it takes longer for learning to be established
      Gambler learns that they won't win with every gamble but will eventually through persistence
    • Cue Reactivity
      Many secondary reinforcers are reinforced through associations with exciting arousing experience by gamblers including:
      Scratch cards
      Betting shop atmosphere
      Slots
      Sounds
      Their presence cues the arousal that the gambler craves even before they think about placing a bet
    • Cognitive theory - Expectancy theory
      Gamblers have expectations about the future and costs of their behaviour
      • If Gambling benefits > Costs, behaviour more likely to be repeated
    • What do gamblers have expectancies for?
      • Enjoyment
      • Arousal
      • Excitement
      • Escape
      • Self - Enhancement
      • Money
    • Cognitive Theory: Cognitive Biases
      Distortion of memory, attention and thinking. This occurs cuz of how info about the world is processed
      gambling Develops and is maintained as the Addict pays more attention to gambling related info and selectively remembers it
    • Rickwood et al. (2010) - The 4 categories of Cognitive Bias:
      • Skill and Judgement
      • Addicts have an illusion of control ,they overestimate ability to influence a random event
      • Personal Traits/ritual behaviours
      • Addicts believe they have a greater probability of winning as they are especially lucky/ engaged in superstitious behaviour
      • Selective Recall
      • Gamblers can remember details of their wins but forget/ignore losses ,interpretting them as mysteries
      • Faulty Perceptions
      • Addicts have distorted views about operation of chance
      • Gambler's fallacy - a losing streak will end as a win
    • Cognitive Theory: Self-Efficacy
      Expectations that we have the ability to behave in a way that achieves a desired outcome
      • can explain why relapse occurst post abstinence
      • Individual retakes gambling as they don't believe they can stop permanently
      • sets up self-fulfilling prophecy reinforcing their expectations e.g "You see, I told you I couldn't do it"
    • Griffiths et al (1994)
      1. Used thinking aloud method (form of introspection) to see if there were any differences in cognitive processes of regular slot machine gamblers compared with occasional gamblers
      2. participants verbalised thoughts as they played slots
      3. content analysis classified uterrances into rational/irrational
      4. semi-structured interview method to seek participants opinions abt degree of skill required to win slots
      5. various behavioural measures recorded via observation
    • Griffiths findings:
      • No diff between regular and occasional gamblers in objective behavioural measures - e.g didn't win more money
      • Regular Gamblers made almost 6X as many irrational verbalisations than occasional (14% compared to 2.5%)
      • Regular gamblers particularly prone to an illusion/control, both overestimated amt of skill required to win slots, considered themselves to be especially skillful at doing so (at least above average) in comparison to occasional gamblers
    • Reducing Addiction: Drug Therapy
      What are the 3 types of drug therapy?
      • Aversives
      • antagonists
      • agonists
    • Aversives
      • Produce unpleasant consequences e.g vomiting
      • Disulfiram treats alcoholism by creating hypersensitivity to alcohol causing a severe hangover 5-10 mins after drinking
    • Agonists
      • Drug subs that bind to neurone receptors and activate them, providing similar feelings to drug
      • Methadone treats heroin
      • Fewer harmful side effects as drugs are cleaner + administered medically to control withdrawal symptoms through gradual reduction in dose
    • Antagonists
      • Bind to receptor sites, block them so drug dependence can't ahve usual effect
      • Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist, treating heroin addiction however, must be used alongside other interventions e.g counselling to also tackled psychosocial causes of addiction
    • Drug Therapy for Nic Addiction:
      • Nic Replacement therapy in the form of gum, inhalers, patches which delivers psychoactive substance in tobacco but in a less harmful fashion
      • Nic binds to NaChRs in mesolimbic pathway stimulating dopamine release in nucleus accumbens
      • Amt of nic can be gradually reduced
      • wihtdrawals are handled over a period of 2-3 months
    • Drug Therapy For gambling Addiction:
      • No official drugs approved however, research into opioid antagonists e.g Naltrexone shows treatment for heroin addiction have similarities with gambling in DSM-V
      • Neurochemical explanation for gambling addiction taps into same dopamine reward system as other drugs
      • antagonists reduce release of dopamine to Nucleus accumbens
      • Enhances release of GABA (anti-anxiety ) in diff parts of mesolimbic pathway producing a calming effect
      • Kim et al(2017) Dampens cravings associated to gambling however, Naltrexone has awful side effects therefore fear to use
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