Addictive personality disorder

  1. Addictive Personality: Do You Have One?
  2. The DSM
  3. Addictive personality
  4. The Relationship Between Addiction and Personality
  5. What is an addictive personality? Risk factors and myths
  6. Narcism and addiction: Is there a link?


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Addictive Personality: Do You Have One?

The phrase “addictive personality” gets tossed around a lot these days. The basic idea: While most people can have a cocktail, buy a lottery ticket, or even experiment with drugs without getting hooked, those with a specific personality type are wired to fall down the rabbit hole of addiction the moment they take their first sip, smoke, or bite. You may wonder: Do I have an addictive personality? But that may be the wrong question. “Addictive personality is not an actual psychiatric diagnosis,” says Michael Weaver, MD, medical director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. “Personalities are very complex, and while there’s not one specific type that’s more prone to addiction than others, there are several factors that can combine to make you more likely to become addicted.” Research studies are ongoing, but here’s what we know: You may have something in your genes: “It has absolutely been proven over and over again that there is a genetic component to addiction,” Weaver says. For example, by studying twins as well as children who were born to addicted parents but then adopted by families with no addictions, scientists have found that genes are responsible for about half of a person's likelihood for becoming addicted. Genes alone aren’t enough: Even if you come from a family with a long history of addiction, it doesn’t mean you’re destined to follow in their footsteps. Many other factors -- such ...

The DSM

Now for the bad news: The DSM committee has proposed ten criteria for the diagnosis of addiction - they are proposing that "tolerance" and "physical dependence" be excluded from making the diagnosis of addiction if medications are prescribed by a physician. I believe this is an attempt to exclude people who are taking medications as prescribed. My concern is that many people with addiction are getting their medications from physician (s) and are in trouble with their addictive disorder. This exclusion effectively makes it "harder" to diagnose addiction in someone who is using/abusing prescription drugs. I don't think this is logical or sensible.

Addictive personality

Set of personality traits An addictive personality refers to a hypothesized set of Etiology [ ] The following factors are believed to influence addiction susceptibility. Psychological factors [ ] • • • • • Heightened stress coupled with lack of coping skills. Some claim the existence of "addictive beliefs" in people more likely to develop addictions, such as "I cannot make an impact on my world" or "I am not good enough", which may lead to developing traits associated with addiction, such as Food addiction [ ] Overeating due to food addiction has not yet been recognized as a medical disorder under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders despite its prevalence in the general population. A study based on social cognitive theories, included a personality-targeted intervention that was shown to help treat substance addiction. It is feasible that by changing certain elements of one's personality, one can gain a step in the right direction towards changing their addictive personality. Genetic factors [ ] According to David Goldman, a prominent alcoholism researcher, Environmental factors [ ] Studies have found numerous environmental factors that correlate with addiction. Exposure to sustained stress in childhood, such as Description [ ] People that face this issue are currently defined to have a brain disease as promoted by the People with addictive personalities typically switch from one addiction to the next. People with addictive personalities find it diffic...

The Relationship Between Addiction and Personality

Key points • When alcohol or other drugs alter the brain, they exaggerate and distort a individual's basic personality. • Common effects of addiction on personality are self-centeredness, irresponsibility, and blaming people, places, and things for their suffering. • Family members and friends also commonly harden their hearts out of frustration with a loved one's self-destructive behavior. • Recovery reveals the degree to which addiction, or being in a close relationship with an addict, has altered someone's personality. However, once addiction occurs and the brain's reward circuitry is hijacked by alcohol and/or other drugs, many people's personalities are seriously altered. Common changes include increased self-centeredness, irresponsibility, and a tendency to blame external factors for one's failures and suffering. While these traits often exist prior to becoming addicted, as they do to some degree in all of us, they become greatly exaggerated during addiction. The cause of this exaggeration lies in how addictive substances change the brain. When people's A brain hijacked by addictive chemicals loses perspective. Family and friends who encourage temperance and sobriety are seen as attacking rather than caring. Many who are addicted focus on complaints about their use as efforts to take away their right to use, their right to make their own choices, and a lack of caring for their suffering. This entire drama is disturbingly illustrated in a short novel I recently read: ...

What is an addictive personality? Risk factors and myths

The term “addictive personality” refers to someone who has a natural tendency to develop addictions. It is not an official medical diagnosis, and many experts oppose the idea. It may be tempting to attribute addiction to someone’s personality as a way of understanding why they have it. However, doing this Viewing addiction as part of someone’s character may lead people to blame them personally for it or believe it is part of who they are. In reality, though, anyone That said, some traits are more associated with addiction than others. For example, a In this article, learn more about the relationship between personality and addiction, the concept of an addictive personality, and the factors that may contribute to one. Share on Pinterest Manuel Sulzer/Getty Images The concept of addictive personalities comes from the idea that some people develop addictions due to their character. According to this model of addiction, some people However, the concept is controversial, and many addiction experts argue it is harmful. No major health organization recognizes addictive personality as a medical diagnosis. Instead, most experts view addiction as an illness. This includes the The While health organizations do not endorse the idea of addictive personalities, there is some evidence that certain traits may make addiction more likely. A A However, the 2019 paper also emphasizes that most researchers oppose the idea of addictive personalities because it is deterministic. In reality, addi...

Narcism and addiction: Is there a link?

Narcissism is a personality disorder that shares many common traits with addiction. There are two types of narcissism, both of which may lead to tendencies in people that can, in turn, encourage addictive behaviors. Narcissism may leave people more prone to problematic substance use, including alcohol use disorder, as well as other forms of addiction, such as sex addiction and social media addiction. This article looks at the links between narcissism and addiction and explains why people with narcissism may be more likely than other people to engage in addictive behaviors. Share on Pinterest Peter Dazeley/Getty Images The Although there are many types of narcissistic personality disorders, they broadly fall into two groups: vulnerable narcissism and grandiose narcissism. People with vulnerable narcissism tend to show avoidant, defensive, or hypersensitive behaviors, and they often experience feelings of rage at a perceived lack of esteem or respect. People with grandiose narcissism tend to have very high self-esteem, behave in a dominant way, and overestimate their own capabilities. It is important to note, however, that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition ( DSM-5) does not distinguish between types of narcissism. Instead, it classes them as the same thing. The idea of vulnerable versus grandiose narcissism comes from the psychodynamic idea that people with narcissistic traits believe they need to be perfect to be okay. As a result, these...