Drug Use Disorders: Risk for

The variety of drug use disorders (DUDs) listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), constitute a unidimensional scale, indicating that they are variants of one core disorder (substance use disorder) consistent with research showing that 100% of genetic variance and 80% of phenotypic (i.e., overt biological and psychological characteristics) variance are common to all diagnostic categories. Different biochemical mechanisms between abusable drugs (e.g., stimulants, hallucinogens, depressants) notwithstanding, the vulnerability is the same for all DUDs.

Regular consumption of abusable drugs does not invariantly progress to a DUD, although the magnitude of risk for DUD is partly influenced by the particular drug. For example, 50% of high school seniors report using cannabis at least one time, although ...

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