Addiction Medicine

Catalog description

One out of every seven patients that a physician sees will have a lifetime history of an addictive disorder. The treatment and diagnosis of addiction is critically important for medical students to learn. This elective will be based on the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s textbook, “Principles of Addiction Medicine”, as well as the ASAM 2000 review course in Addiction Medicine. Clinical case lectures will relate to the assessment and treatment of addictive disorders with an emphasis on drug types. Course Objectives: Student to understand the genetic predisposition for addictive disorders and be able to identify them based on family history. Understand the underlying neurochemistry, neurocircuitry and neuroadaptation as a basis for understanding the clinical presentations of active addiction, withdrawal states and psychiatric illnesses associated with addictive behaviors. Be able to diagnose addictive disorders based on DMS-IV criteria and distinguish dependence from abuse. Understand the basic principles of pain treatment with an emphasis on the regulatory issues surrounding the use of controlled substances. Understand the acute intoxication, acute withdrawal and post-acute withdrawal states associated with alcohol, sedative-hypnotics, opioids and stimulants as based upon the pharmacology and neurocircuitry that is affected by these substances.