PSY 438 - Substance Abuse and Dependence

• Describe the incidence and prevalence of substance abuse and dependency among diverse groups in the United States.
• Differentiate between substance use, abuse, and dependence.
• Identify behavioral symptoms associated with the use of stimulants, sedatives, hypnotics, inhalants, narcotics, hallucinogens, steroids, and psychotropic medicines.
• Identify family, sociological, and cultural factors associated with substance abuse and dependence.
• Identify various health-related consequences associated with substance abuse and dependence.
• Describe the potential strengths and limitations of different approaches to defining and assessing substance abuse and dependence.
• Explain major theories about the etiology of substance abuse and dependence.
• List and describe hypothesized effects of the chemically dependent family system on the behavior and emotional experience of individual family members.
• Describe major concepts in the family systems view of substance abuse and dependence.
• Compare and contrast current models of intervention and treatment for substance abuse and dependence.
• Identify common therapeutic techniques used in substance abuse treatment.
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of providing substance abuse treatment within the context of the family system.
• Explain the concept of relapse prevention and describe current models of relapse prevention.
• Describe criteria for evaluating the efficacy of interventions for substance abuse and dependence.
• Identify their own preconceived ideas or biases as well as current beliefs about the assessment and treatment of substance dependence.