The disease model of addiction describes an

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

as a disease with biological, neurological, genetic, and environmental sources of origin. The traditional

medical model ''Medical model'' is the term coined by psychiatrist R. D. Laing in his ''The Politics of the Family and Other Essays'' (1971), for the "set of procedures in which all doctors are trained". It includes complaint, history, physical examinat ...

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

requires only that an abnormal condition be present that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the affected individual. The contemporary medical model attributes addiction, in part, to changes in the

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

mesolimbic pathway The mesolimbic pathway, sometimes referred to as the reward pathway, is a dopaminergic pathway in the brain. The pathway connects the ventral tegmental area in the midbrain to the ventral striatum of the basal ganglia in the forebrain. The ventral ...

. The medical model also takes into consideration that such disease may be the result of other biological, psychological or sociological entities despite an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms of these entities. The common biomolecular mechanisms underlying all forms of addiction – CREB and

ΔFosB Protein fosB, also known as FosB and G0/G1 switch regulatory protein 3 (G0S3), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (''FOSB'') gene. The FOS gene family consists of four members: FOS, F ...

– were reviewed by

Eric J. Nestler Eric J. Nestler is the Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, Director of the Friedman Brain Institute, and Dean for Academic Affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Chief Scientific Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. His ...

in a 2013 review. Genetic factors and mental disorders can contribute to the severity of drug addiction. Approximately fifty percent of the chance a person will develop an addiction can be attributed to genetic factors."Addiction as a Disease." The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 23 August 2016. Web. 23 November 2016.

Criticism

Critics of the disease model, particularly those who subscribe to the

life-process model of addiction The life-process model of addiction is the view that addiction is not a disease but rather a habitual response and a source of gratification and security that can be understood only in the context of social relationships and experiences. This model ...

argue that labeling people as ''addicts'' keeps them from developing self-control and stigmatizes them. As noted by the harm reduction specialist

Andrew Tatarsky Andrew Tatarsky (born August 11, 1955) is an American psychologist and the founder and director of the Center for Optimal Living. He teaches in New York City as the Professor of Professional Practice for the Harm Reduction Psychotherapy Certific ...

References

{{reflist Addiction psychiatry

Criticism

See also

References