V. MANNA, M.T. DANIELE, M. PINTO - Vol. 9, March 2003, Issue 1
Testo Bibliografia Summary Indice
Disedonia. Ruolo della disregolazione omeostatica
edonica nelle dipendenze patologiche da sostanze
ed in altri disturbi psico-patologici
Dyshedonia. Role of hedonic homeostatic dysregulation in drug addictions
and in other psychopathological disorders
"Anhedonia" is the term used to describe the pathological inability to experience pleasure that is evident in many psychiatric disorders. It is evident that "hedonic homeostatic dysregulation" can be evaluated not simply in terms of presence or absence of pleasure ability but also in terms of qualitative and quantitative differences from the normal conditions. The development of drug addiction and vulnerability in relapse following withdrawal is proposed to be the result of neuro-adaptive processes within the central nervous system. The long-lasting actions of drugs of abuse lead to impairment in the mechanisms that mediate positive reinforcement but also the emergence of affective changes as anxiety, dysphoria and depression during withdrawal. A growing body of evidence implicates a dysregulation of the homeostatic hedonic control system as a common factor in the development of drug addiction and vulnerability in relapse following withdrawal. This paper discusses the attempt to conceptualize drug addictions and other mental disorders as different psycho-pathological entities (nosographic categories) with common pathogenetical factors as craving, stress and hedonic homeostatic dysregulation (dyshedonia), from a trans-nosographic and dimensional diagnostic point of view.