The article begins by providing an overview of the conceptual roots of addiction as a disorder as described in DSM-5 and ICD-11. The underlying organ-pathological perspective is then criticized and an alternative social-science perspective is presented: The “dependence syndrome” defines addiction independently of the cultural, socio-demographic and situational context. States of inebriation are reduced to the effects of substances described in pharmacological terms. Diagnoses are based on only a few abstract criteria. The biography of the person affected is not taken into account; neither are the severity of the disorder (e.g. quantity and frequency of consumption or activity), sociodemographic characteristics or defense structure. The core concept of “impaired control” is a metaphor: The individual’s hierarchically structured ability to control her addictive behavior is not clarified. Neurobiological models contain overgeneralizations and speculative connections between brain processes and addictive behavior. One aspect which remains unconsidered is that addiction is primarily social. Addiction is rooted in a continuing lack of social integration and requires a wide range of inebriation-specific incentives. Addictive behavior can be seen as a purposeful coping mechanism for excessive burdens. In order to overcome an addiction, the sufferer’s autonomy needs to be strengthened in order to ensure the regeneration of physical health, individual competences and interpersonal relationships. This requires the cooperation of the relevant professional groups.
| Published in | American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (Volume 9, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210901.12 |
| Page(s) | 7-14 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Research Domain, “Dependence Syndrome”, State of Inebriation, Clinical Phenomenology, “Impaired Control”, Condition Structure, Biomedicalization, Social Science Approach
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APA Style
Joerg Petry. (2021). A Critical Look at the Concept of Addiction in DSM-5 and ICD-11. American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 9(1), 7-14. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20210901.12
ACS Style
Joerg Petry. A Critical Look at the Concept of Addiction in DSM-5 and ICD-11. Am. J. Psychiatry Neurosci. 2021, 9(1), 7-14. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210901.12
AMA Style
Joerg Petry. A Critical Look at the Concept of Addiction in DSM-5 and ICD-11. Am J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2021;9(1):7-14. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210901.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ajpn.20210901.12,
author = {Joerg Petry},
title = {A Critical Look at the Concept of Addiction in DSM-5 and ICD-11},
journal = {American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience},
volume = {9},
number = {1},
pages = {7-14},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajpn.20210901.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20210901.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpn.20210901.12},
abstract = {The article begins by providing an overview of the conceptual roots of addiction as a disorder as described in DSM-5 and ICD-11. The underlying organ-pathological perspective is then criticized and an alternative social-science perspective is presented: The “dependence syndrome” defines addiction independently of the cultural, socio-demographic and situational context. States of inebriation are reduced to the effects of substances described in pharmacological terms. Diagnoses are based on only a few abstract criteria. The biography of the person affected is not taken into account; neither are the severity of the disorder (e.g. quantity and frequency of consumption or activity), sociodemographic characteristics or defense structure. The core concept of “impaired control” is a metaphor: The individual’s hierarchically structured ability to control her addictive behavior is not clarified. Neurobiological models contain overgeneralizations and speculative connections between brain processes and addictive behavior. One aspect which remains unconsidered is that addiction is primarily social. Addiction is rooted in a continuing lack of social integration and requires a wide range of inebriation-specific incentives. Addictive behavior can be seen as a purposeful coping mechanism for excessive burdens. In order to overcome an addiction, the sufferer’s autonomy needs to be strengthened in order to ensure the regeneration of physical health, individual competences and interpersonal relationships. This requires the cooperation of the relevant professional groups.},
year = {2021}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - A Critical Look at the Concept of Addiction in DSM-5 and ICD-11 AU - Joerg Petry Y1 - 2021/01/15 PY - 2021 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20210901.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ajpn.20210901.12 T2 - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience JF - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience JO - American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience SP - 7 EP - 14 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-426X UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20210901.12 AB - The article begins by providing an overview of the conceptual roots of addiction as a disorder as described in DSM-5 and ICD-11. The underlying organ-pathological perspective is then criticized and an alternative social-science perspective is presented: The “dependence syndrome” defines addiction independently of the cultural, socio-demographic and situational context. States of inebriation are reduced to the effects of substances described in pharmacological terms. Diagnoses are based on only a few abstract criteria. The biography of the person affected is not taken into account; neither are the severity of the disorder (e.g. quantity and frequency of consumption or activity), sociodemographic characteristics or defense structure. The core concept of “impaired control” is a metaphor: The individual’s hierarchically structured ability to control her addictive behavior is not clarified. Neurobiological models contain overgeneralizations and speculative connections between brain processes and addictive behavior. One aspect which remains unconsidered is that addiction is primarily social. Addiction is rooted in a continuing lack of social integration and requires a wide range of inebriation-specific incentives. Addictive behavior can be seen as a purposeful coping mechanism for excessive burdens. In order to overcome an addiction, the sufferer’s autonomy needs to be strengthened in order to ensure the regeneration of physical health, individual competences and interpersonal relationships. This requires the cooperation of the relevant professional groups. VL - 9 IS - 1 ER -
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