WHO Report Summarizes Biological Factors Related to Substance Use

The World Health
Organization (WHO) recently published Neuroscience of Psychoactive
Substance Use and Dependence, a comprehensive report summarizing
30 years of research on biological factors related to substance
use. Some of the report’s key conclusions and recommendations include
the following:

• “…Substance
  dependence is a chronic, relapsing disorder with a biological
  and genetic basis, and is not simply due to lack of will or desire
  to quit” (p. 7).
• Tobacco,
  alcohol, and illicit drugs are responsible for 9%, 3%, and 0.4%
  of deaths worldwide, respectively. Tobacco and alcohol are among
  the top 10 leading risk factors of avoidable disease burden,
  with each responsible for approximately 4% of disability worldwide.
• Effective
  treatments for substance dependence, including pharmacological
  and behavioral interventions, are available and can be integrated
  into health systems, including primary care.
• The stigma
  associated with substance use is strong, pervasive, and prevents
  people from seeking treatment; a WHO study showed that substance
  addiction, out of 18 different disabilities, ranked highest or
  nearly highest in terms of social disapproval or stigma in 14
  countries. Neuroscience-based knowledge of substance dependence
  can reduce this stigma.
• Substance
  dependence often co-occurs with other mental conditions. Proper
  treatment of either substance dependence or mental illness requires
  attention to this comorbidity.

Comments:

This report summarizes
what researchers have known for some time— there is a scientific
basis for the etiology and management of alcohol, tobacco, and other
drug use disorders. Its findings may help dispel long-standing myths
about the addictions.

Richard
Saitz, MD, MPH
Rosanne Guerriero, MPH

Reference:

World Health Organization. Neuroscience
of psychoactive substance use and dependence: summary. Geneva,
Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2004.
(view
full report)