Diagnosing Nicotine Dependence and Addiction
Nicotine addiction is classified as a nicotine use disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV ñ TR, 2000). The criteria for the diagnosis of 305.1 – Nicotine Dependence – include any 3 of the following within a 1-year time span: o Tolerance to nicotine with decreased effect and increasing dose to obtain same effect o Withdrawal symptoms after cessation o Smoking more than usual o Persistent desire to smoke despite efforts to decrease intake o Extensive time spent smoking or purchasing tobacco o Postponing work, social, or recreational events in order to smoke o Continuing to smoke despite health hazards Screening for Nicotine and Drug Addiction Screening tools are available to assist counselors and therapists with diagnosing this condition – such as the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (FTQ). Two items in the FTQ that are considered the key questions are as follows: 1. Do you smoke within 5 minutes of awakening? 2. Do you smoke greater than 25 cigarettes per day? Individuals that answer ñ Yes to both questions are highly dependent on nicotine (Prochazka, 2000). Note: If after reading the above, you started rationalizing to yourself, ìWell it usually takes me 6-minutes to light-up after I get out of bed or I never smoke more than 20 ñ cigarettes per day, (As my old graduate professor use to say) STOP BULL-SH#%ting yourself and go see a therapist. Co-morbidity & Nicotine Dependence Drug addiction such as nicotine dependence and other addictions as a rule do not develop in isolation. Individuals can shift from one addiction to another or sustain multiple addictions at different times. The National Co-morbidity Survey (NCS) that sampled the entire U.S. population in 1994, found that among non-institutionalized American male and female adolescents and adults (ages 15-54), roughly 50% had a diagnosable Axis I mental disorder at some time in their lives. This surveyÃs results indicated that 35% of males will at some time in their lives have abused substances to the point of qualifying for a mental disorder diagnosis, and nearly 25% of women will have qualified for a serious mood disorder (mostly major depression). A significant finding of note from the NCS study was the widespread occurrence of co-morbidity among diagnosed disorders. It specifically found that 56% of the respondents with a history of at least one disorder also had two or more additional disorders. These persons with a history of three or more co-morbid disorders were estimated to be one-sixth of the U.S. population, or some 43 million people (Kessler, 1994). Psychiatric disorders are more common among tobacco users than in the general population. Among patients seeking tobacco cessation services, as many as 30% of them may have a history of depression (Anda, et al, 1990) and 20% or more may have a history of dependence (Brandon, 1994). Most descriptive studies of alcohol abusers published in the past 20 years have reported tobacco use rates of at least 90%. (Bobo, 2000). More research and information is needed on the co-morbidity of nicotine dependence and behavioral addictions such as pathological gambling, eating disorders, and sexual addictions. Poor Prognosis We have come to realize today more than any other time in history that the treatment of lifestyle diseases and addictions are often a difficult and frustrating task for all concerned. As already noted, less than 25% of smokers who try to quit succeed as long as a year (Stolerman, I.P. & Jarvis, M.J., 1995). Repeated failures abound with all of the addictions, even with utilizing the most effective treatment strategies. But why do 47% of patients treated in private treatment programs (for example) relapse within the first year following treatment (Gorski,T., 2001)? Have addiction specialists become conditioned to accept failure as the norm? There are many reasons for this poor prognosis. Some would proclaim that addictions are psychosomatically- induced and maintained in a semi-balanced force field of driving and restraining multidimensional forces. Others would say that failures are due simply to a lack of self-motivation or will power. Most would agree that lifestyle behavioral addictions are serious health risks that deserve our attention, but could it possibly be that patients with multiple addictions are being under diagnosed (with a single dependence) simply due to a lack of diagnostic tools and resources that are incapable of resolving the complexity of assessing and treating a patient with multiple addictions? www.addictioncounselingguide.com