Testing Analysis, Dopamine and Conference Notes
Recent conferences … highlight the way urine test is being analyzed … and new evidence for genetic evaluation, and the possibility that being addiction-prone may be related to a lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine in a person’s brain.
DSM-5 Stirs Controversy
The new DSM-5 could classify many more people as addicts … among the questions and criticisms being being raised in articles and blogs, including a recently in the Sunday New York Times story. The 5th edition DSM … adds addiction and related disorders as a new category, replacing substance abuse and dependence …. and behavioral addictions such as gambling.
Addiction and Personality
The rum-soaked writer … the coke-snorting money-manager … the heroin-zoned musician … stereotypes we all know. The idea that personality types correspond to certain drugs seems logical. In the 1920s the psychologist Hans Eysenck worked to move psychology beyond Freuds behavior-based theories to individualized psychology which included the science of personality. He considered this pursuit of matching personalities with drugs a pet project, believing that people are inclined to seek out things that make them feel better. And drugs are often the easiest way to change mood. But connecting different personality types to the various drugs is not at all straightforward.
Dopamine and Addictions
Dopamine is a key brain chemical involved in the reward/reinforcement response – which is so strongly tied to addictions addictions of all kinds. A new report by Dr Nora Volkow, head of NIDA, focuses on the relationship between dopamine and addiction to food. We continue with a discussion of the way that dopamine functions and why its so powerful.
Yoga as a part of Treatment – Dr Marzilli Pt. 2
In part two of our talk with Dr Lisa Marzilli, we discuss her explorations of yoga as a powerful component in recovery treatment, helping the body return to a more balanced state without drugs.
Behavioral Addictions: Is everyone addicted ?
Inspired by a recent Huffington Post article, we look at whether there is a trend to “medicalize normality out of existence” — with the inclusion of behavioral addictions in the new psychiatry handbook (DSM-5.) Gambling is the first topic in our wide-ranging discussion of addiction.