Addictive Disorders

Catalog description

This course will integrate biological, psychological, social and cultural aspects of the use and abuse of a wide variety of psychoactive substances ranging from caffeine to alcohol to heroin. The course will focus on the nature of and criteria for diagnosi ng substance use disorders (SUDs), and predictors of SUDs. Existing and new/emerging approaches to treatment (medications, counseling, support groups) will also be discussed and explored in class, with a strong focus on reading, understanding, and critiqui ng original peer -reviewed research on SUDs and their treatment.