The factors that increase an individual’s risk for addiction are numerous, yet they all find their place in the biopsychosocial model of addiction (Marlatt & Baer, 1988). Taken together, this model provides a holistic conceptualization of addiction that acknowledges the complexity of the disorder and provides guidance toward a solution, which must necessarily be multifaceted and holistic as well. The more we know about the biopsychosocial model, the more we can foster accurate empathy for those with addiction and work toward effective treatment and prevention efforts. When people with substance use disorders experience discrimination, they are likely to delay entering treatment and can have less positive treatment outcomes (Fortney et al. 2004; Link et al. 1997; Semple et al. 2005).
One of the most significant contributions to the assessment and treatment of addictions is the bio-psycho-social (BPS) model. This holistic concept allows us to consider a range of factors that influence the development and maintenance of addictive behavior. The objective of these trials is to investigate the benefits and risks of administering medically supervised, pharmaceutical-grade injectable heroin to chronic opiate users where other treatment options, such as methadone maintenance therapy, have failed. When neurogenetic attributions are presented in the clinic, pharmacological treatments are often believed to be a more effective option over psychotherapy (Phelan, Yang, and Cruz-Rojas 2006).
Stigma, Heroin Assisted Treatment, and the Biopsychosocial Systems Model
- It can lead to uncontrollable use of substances or behaviors despite adverse consequences.
- Many pieces, including cultural norms, social circles, situations, personality, biology, and even beliefs, fit together.
- Researchers have found that much of addiction’s power lies in its ability to hijack and even destroy key brain regions that are meant to help us survive.
- Accordingly, the matrix of a person’s socio-historical context, life narrative, genetics, and relationships with others influence intention, decision, and action, and thus shape the brain.
For example, glutamate is involved in learning and memory, and GABA is a calming neurotransmitter. Addictive substances can disrupt the balance of these chemicals, which can contribute to the symptoms of addiction. Wolfram Schultz et al., in their 2000 study titled ‘Dopamine reward prediction error signal in primate dopamine neurons, ’ show that our brains release dopamine when humans engage in pleasurable activities. Dopamine signals to the brain that something good is happening, motivating us to repeat the behavior.
What is the Biopsychosocial Model of Addiction?
The behaviours influence the extent an individual is able to mobilize and access resources to achieve goals and adapt to adverse situations (Raphael 2004). It is important not to look at the biological dimension as neurobiology alone, but to also take into consideration aspects of health functioning such as addictive behaviour, diet, exercise, self-care, nutrition, sleep and genetics. George Engel designed his biopsychosocial model to be a broad framework for medicine and psychiatry. Although the model met with great initial success, it now needs conceptual attention to make it relevant for future generations. Engel articulated the model as a version of biological systems theory, but his work is better interpreted as the beginnings of a richly nuanced philosophy of medicine. We can make this reinterpretation by connecting Engel’s work with the tradition of American pragmatism.
The degrees in which self-control is exerted, free choice is realized and desired outcomes achieved are dependent on these complex interacting biopsychosocial systems. Many post-modern theorists such as Christman (2004) have challenged the original Kantian privileging and definition of autonomy. One claim is based on the fact that decisional autonomy, or rationality, is not the most valuable human characteristic, and the individual-as-independent does not adequately characterize human beings (Russell 2009).
Whole Person Healthcare The Biopsychosocial Spiritual Model of Medicine. By Doodle Med.(
The Biopsychosocial Model of Addiction recognizes that there is not one single factor that can explain why some people are able to use substances without progressing to addiction. Instead, the Biopsychosocial Model of Addiction focuses on the environmental, biological, psychological, psychological, cultural, cognitive, social, and genetic factors that interact to produce substance misuse among individuals (Skewes & Gonzalez, 2013). Some aspects are universal (e.g., the activation of the reward system by drugs of abuse). Yet many other elements are idiosyncratic, such as the intensity of the experience of reward and the functioning of the individual’s mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway in the brain. The biopsychosocial model provides a means of considering the myriad of factors that can contribute to the risk of addiction.
Addiction is often described as a brain disease because it alters the brain’s structure and function (Koob et al., 2023). The repeated use of addictive substances or engagement in addictive behaviors hijacks the brain’s reward circuitry, primarily in regions such as the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex. Over time, the brain becomes dependent on the substance or behavior to maintain normal functioning, leading to tolerance (needing more of the substance to achieve the same effect) and withdrawal symptoms when the substance is removed. The importance of this model in addiction treatment and research cannot be overstated. By considering biological, psychological, and social factors, clinicians can develop more comprehensive and effective treatment plans.
What are the Biological Causes of Addiction?
As Searle (2004) argues, “there is a striking difference between the passive character of perceptual consciousness and the active character of what we might call ‘volitional consciousness’“ (41). The term “psychology” refers to a behavioural process that relates to motivation, emotions, mood, or the mind. Informed by science, many psychological models, govern our understanding of addiction. When we look at classical and operant conditioning to social learning theory, the transtheoretical model and the behavioural perspective we can see how the psychological dimension strongly affects addiction. All these areas contribute to the Psychological Dimension and what motivates the reward system.
- Based on this definition, we believe that HAT falls into both camps HAT seeks to promote the right to access good health care, and the basic right as an individual asserting sovereignty over his or her body to inject heroin.
- As Searle (2004) argues, “there is a striking difference between the passive character of perceptual consciousness and the active character of what we might call ‘volitional consciousness’“ (41).
- Thus deficiencies in any combination of these neurochemicals may contribute to a predisposition to addiction.
- White (1996) notes that as a person progresses from experimentation to abuse and/or dependence, he or she develops a more intense need to “seek for supports to sustain the drug relationship” (p. 9).
- Discrimination can also increase denial and step up the individual’s attempts to hide substance use (Mateu-Gelabert et al. 2005).
Trauma and Life Stressors
Neuropsychology helps us understand how addictive substances alter brain circuits, particularly the reward system and prefrontal cortex. The reward system is responsible for feelings of pleasure and motivation, while the prefrontal cortex is involved in decision-making and impulse control. Chronic drug use can disrupt these systems, leading to intense cravings and difficulty resisting them. Psychological factors in addiction development are a significant piece of the puzzle. They encompass a person’s mental health, emotional state, and thought patterns, all of which can influence their vulnerability to addiction and how they use substances.
Drug-using rituals are often an ingrained part of life for people with substance use disorders. The social burden of illicit drug addiction is estimated at billions of dollars per year (Fisher, Oviedo-Joekes, Blanken, et al. 2007). Research that involves providing drugs to individuals living with an addiction must negotiate between science, ethics, politics, law, and evidence-based medicine.
Mental Health Conditions
Individuals often identify with subcultures—such as drug cultures—because they feel excluded from or unable to participate in mainstream society. The subculture provides an alternative source of social support and cultural activities, but those activities can run counter to the best interests of the individual. Many subcultures are neither harmful nor antisocial, but their focus is on the substance(s) of abuse, not on the people who participate in the culture or their well-being. Action, subjective experience of action, and consequently responsibility for action is mediated by many factors, including psychological phenomenon such as an individual’s emotional processes. As a point of illustration, Damasio’s (1994) somatic marker hypothesis (SMH) provides a helpful perspective on integrating the neuropsychological domain of decision-making and human interaction with the social environment. The SMH proposes a mechanism where emotion guides or significantly influences behaviour, particularly decision-making.
Recent advances in neuroscience provide compelling evidence to support a medical perspective of problematic substance use and addiction (Dackis and O’Brien 2005). Despite these developments, the science is still in its early stages, and theories about how addiction emerges are neither universally accepted nor completely understood. Current ethical and legal debates in addiction draw upon new knowledge about the biological and neurological modification of the brain (Ashcroft, Campbell, and Capps 2007). It is important to note substance use disorders/addiction do not often have a one-specific cause. Using all these theories may help you understand the complexity https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ of substance use and why one theory/lens is generally not enough.
“As with heart disease or diabetes, there’s no one gene that makes you vulnerable,” Koob says. A healthy brain rewards healthy behaviors—like exercising, eating, or bonding with loved ones. It does this sober house by switching on brain circuits that make you feel wonderful, which then motivates you to repeat those behaviors.
Addiction is not a one-dimensional problem but a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors. The biopsychosocial model provides a holistic framework for understanding and addressing addiction, emphasizing the need for comprehensive and individualized treatment. By addressing the underlying causes of addiction and fostering resilience in all areas of life, individuals can achieve lasting recovery and rebuild a life of health, purpose, and connection. The Biopsychosocial Model of Addiction offers a more comprehensive approach than the traditional biomedical model by addressing the biological, psychological, and social factors contributing to addiction (Skewes & Gonzalez, 2013). While the biomedical model focuses on addiction as a brain disease driven by genetic or biochemical abnormalities, it often overlooks the significant roles of mental health, trauma, and environmental influences (Skewes & Gonzalez, 2013). Mainstream culture in the United States has historically frowned on most substance use and certainly substance abuse (Corrigan et al. 2009; White 1979, 1998).