Addiction has many different faces. In medical terms, the word “addiction” brings to mind images of thin, disheveled individuals highly dependent on substances such as cocaine or alcohol. In regular, everyday life, however, we find the term used to loosely describe people who can’t seem to kick gaming, pornography, or even more normal things such as video games,
the internet, or text messaging (hence the term “Crackberry”).
So where does one draw the line?
Well, the two views will intertwine and become almost one, according to the newest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or the D.S.M., which is the standard reference for psychiatric illnesses. That’s because the committee behind the D.S.M. has now added a new category called “behavioral addictions.”
Currently, the only addiction in the new category is pathological gambling. However, many other behavioral disorders will soon make their way onto the list. There are several addictions that are currently being considered, such as addiction to sex or the internet; but for now these behaviors have been added to an appendix while further research is conducted.
Going Too Far?Critics argue that by allowing these so called behavioral “disorders” to fit the criteria for a medical definition of addiction, it will suppress normalcy and cause false epidemics. By making normal behaviors “bad,” many are at risk of being misdiagnosed and treated for something that might not even need treating in the first place. On the financial side, health insurance companies are worried that the new changes and subsequent excess diagnoses could end up costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
Also, they argue, if behaviors like text messaging or
overeating (which
can be dangerous for obvious reasons) have a possibility of falling under the addiction category, where do you stop? Would visiting Dunkin Donuts every day for your daily coffee constitute being diagnosed as an addict, requiring medication or therapy to wean you off of it? What about YouTube?
Or Facebook? Everyone knows someone who spends entire days watching cute cat videos or checking friends’ status updates. It’s hard to imagine a time when cocaine and heroin addicts will attend the same anonymous meetings as silly video and coffee addicts.
Cause for ConcernIt’s true . . . those types of addictions may
seem silly. But new research is showing that even the most innocent of addictions could bring out the ugly in a person, and while true addiction was previously thought to be caused only by consuming substances, more studies have proven that our bodies rely less on substances and more on the chemical reactions occurring inside our brains. As long as something makes us feel a sense of pleasure, there is a risk of developing some sort of addiction through repetition. Whether it’s from playing poker, drinking coffee, or doing drugs, the neurotransmitter
dopamine causes us to develop feelings of cravings that can eventually compel us to seek more of the same, even when we don’t need it.
If you think about it, most everything in excess can be detrimental in some way or another. If the D.S.M. is helping us take a hard look at ourselves and our behaviors, that certainly can’t be a bad thing . . . can it?
Cited SourcesMarkel, Howard. "The D.S.M. Gets Addiction Right."
NYTimes.com. The New York Times, 5 June 2012. Web. 9 July 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/opinion/the-dsm-gets-addiction-right.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss>.
