Addiction psychiatry is a branch of medicine that focuses on treating physical and psychological addiction. Addiction psychiatrists use a combination of medicine and psychotherapy to help addicts overcome their addiction. It is a relatively new area of medicine that has advanced significantly since the mid-20th century.
Addiction psychiatry is a branch of psychiatric practice concerned with overcoming many forms of physical and psychological addiction. Addiction psychiatrists undergo years of training to understand the proper treatments to help their patients, and may further specialize in a specific area of addiction, such as drug, alcohol, or psychological addiction to sex or gambling.
Addiction is a physical or psychological dependence on a substance or behavior. In medical terms, it is the result of the body’s inability to maintain a normal state without the use of an artificial substance. Psychological addiction is closely related to compulsion, in which the body or mind seeks a rewarding chemical reaction from behavior that may be harmful in some way. There are many factors that can lead to addiction, from genetics to traumatic experiences or mental disorders. Understanding and battling addictions can be an incredibly difficult practice, and the goal of addiction psychiatry is to assist addicts in their recovery process.
The practice of addiction psychiatry is a relatively new area of psychological medicine. Due to traditional codes of shaming and silence around addiction, it is only in the last 100 years that the idea of treating addicts has come to light. With an advanced understanding of the chemical reaction to addiction and the psychological factors involved in the process, addiction psychiatry has advanced tremendously since the mid-20th century. It is often recommended for recovering addicts as an adjunct to other treatment or therapy, and is sometimes court-ordered as part of the alternative sentence to prison.
Addiction psychiatrists often use a combination of medicine and psychotherapy to help addicts deal with their specific addiction. This may include using drugs to combat withdrawal symptoms consistent with denying the body or mind the drug of its choice. They also conduct extensive studies on the addiction process and how it can be prevented.
It may seem inconsistent to fight an addiction with drugs, some of which carry addiction risks of their own. The theory behind complementary medical treatment of drug addicts is that the drugs used act like a nicotine patch. Instead of completely giving up the addictive substance or practice and suffering severe withdrawal, the drugs used in addiction psychiatry deliver a gradually reduced dose of the chemical reaction the body craves.
If you or someone you know is suffering from an addiction, seeing a psychiatrist can be the first step towards recovery. Check with local mental health resources to see where treatment is available in your area. There are many ways to fight addiction, and some may be better suited to specific addictions than others. Contacting a qualified addiction psychiatrist can help you determine what is the best course of action for yourself or someone you care about.
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