Brain disease debate

Question 1

3 pro argumenten van brain disease model en tegenargumenten

Answer 1

1. pro: addiction is a fronto-striatal circuity disorder, associated with altered function and gray matter losses in PFC, insula and cingulate cortex. changes are long lasting and persistent.
   con: some brain functions do show recovery after a period of abstinence
2. pro: the brain disease model can help alleviate social stigma (by being out of ones control)
   con: there are other alternatives to the moral model (moral model might even worsen it)
3. pro: it is a chronic relapsing disease, and total abstinence is rare.
   con: there are many cases of spontaneous remission

Question 2

4 con argumenten van brain disease model

Answer 2

1. con: brain dysfunction is not sufficiently specific to support a diagnosis of substance use disorder
   pro: neuroimaging as the ultimate diagnostic tool is not realistic
2. con: neuroimaging studies just offer correlational and not causal evidence
   pro: there are experimental animal models
3. con: there are many other risk factors (social, costs, politics,etc)
   pro: the brain disease model does not ignore these factors
4. con: a genetic predisposition does not automatically result in compulsion
   pro: genetic risk is probabilistic, not deterministic