DRUG ADDICTION: PUNISH OR TREAT?

Drug addiction or false conviction?

A 25-year-old woman with a history of multiple medical problems including a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy 6 months earlier for pancreatic mass (solid pseudopapillary tumor with negative margins), systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), Crohn disease, and a history of alcohol abuse presented to her pain management physician with weakness, decreased appetite, worsening joint pain, abdominal pa...

Should You Punish or Reward Current Customers ?

Drug addiction.

N Engl J Med 2003;349:975-86. Copyright © 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society. rug addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder in which compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior persists despite serious negative consequences. Addictive substances induce pleasant states (euphoria in the initiation phase) or relieve distress. Continued use induces adaptive changes in the central nervous syst...

Drug addiction.

Psychogenic dependence is the common denominator of all drug habits and the primary drive which leads to initiation and relapse to chronic drug use or abuse (25). Although a pharmacologic drive is necessary it does not need to be a strong one or to produce profound subjective effects in order that habituation to the use of the crude material becomes a pattern of life. Besides tobacco, the use o...

GDNF--a potential target to treat addiction.

The glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a secreted protein, best known for its role in the development of the central and peripheral nervous systems and the survival of adult dopaminergic neurons. More recently, accumulating evidence suggests that GDNF plays a unique role in negatively regulating the actions of drugs of abuse. In this article, we review these data and highligh...