Diagnosing Addiction (AQA GCSE Psychology)
Revision Note
Written by: Claire Neeson
Reviewed by: Lucy Vinson
The use of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) in diagnosing addiction
The ICD stands for the International Classification of Diseases
The ICD is a diagnostic tool used by any medical professional who is qualified to give a diagnosis pertaining to both physical and mental disorders e.g. doctors, clinicians, psychiatrists
The tenth version of the ICD states that a person can be diagnosed as having a substance abuse disorder (i.e. they are addicted to a psychoactive substance) if three or more of the following criteria have been shown or experienced by the person over the previous year:
Behaviour | Description |
Craving for the substance | The person may think about the substance continually and experience a strong desire to use it |
Difficulty in controlling the use of the substance | The person finds it almost impossible to limit or cease their use of the substance |
Continuing despite harm to the self | The person is not put off using the substance even if it is harming them physically, psychologically or emotionally |
Experiencing withdrawal | The person feels unwell, anxious, maybe even desperate when they stop using the drug, even if only for a few hours in some cases |
The substance takes priority over everything else | The person begins to neglect their hygiene, their nutrition, their job, their relationships etc. All their energy and commitment go towards sourcing the substance and taking the substance |
Becoming tolerant to the substance | The person requires increasingly high doses of the substance to experience the same ‘high’ |
Worked Example
Here is an example of a question you might be asked on this topic - for AO2.
AO2: You need to apply your knowledge and understanding, usually referring to the ‘stem’ in order to do so (the stem is the example given before the question)
Amy’s dad is worried about her. Over the past few months, she has been displaying the following behaviour:
Confusion and disorientation
Feeling ill when she hasn’t had an alcoholic drink for a few hours
Needing to drink more alcohol to get the same ‘buzz’
Experiencing hallucinations
Experiencing low mood
Finding that she has hurt herself after a night of drinking alcohol
Being afraid to leave the house
Question: According to the International Classification of Diseases, which three of the above behaviours indicate that she may have substance abuse disorder (alcohol addiction)? [3]
Model answer:
Amy feels ill when she hasn’t had an alcoholic drink for more than a few hours which indicates she is in withdrawal.
Amy needs to drink more alcohol to get the same ‘buzz’ which indicates tolerance.
Amy finds that she has hurt herself after a night of drinking alcohol which indicates continuing despite harm to herself.
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