27 Jan Understanding Substance Use Disorder
What is “Substance Use Disorder”? Substance use disorder is defined as the continued use of a substance despite harmful consequence and is the recognized diagnostic term applied to substance use addiction disorders according to the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) published in 2013. This terminology represents a shift from the use of terms such as “abuse” and “dependence” and recognizes addiction as a complex chronic condition that may manifest as mild, moderate, or severe. What causes substance use disorder? Long thought to be the consequence...