This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Drug dependence

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The WHO defines drug dependence as:

A state, psychic and sometimes physical, resulting from taking a drug, characterised by behavioural and other responses that always include a compulsion to take a drug on a continuous or periodic basis in order to experience its psychic effects, and sometimes to avoid the discomfort of its absence. Tolerance may or may not be present, and a person may be dependent on more than one drug.

Otherwise, drug dependence may be described as compulsive drug use which takes priority over considerations of personal health or social obligations.


Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.