About this item

This set contains 400 alphabetically arranged essays on a variety of topics, including substances of abuse, treatment and addiction overviews, organizations and foundations dedicated to treatment and prevention, physiological and psychological issues and behaviors, trends and statistics, and social contexts and concerns related to substance abuse and treatment such as advertising and media influence, aging, ethnicity, and children and substance abuse. The essays, written for nonspecialists by medical professionals and medical writers, are alphabetized and vary in length from one to five pages. They begin with ready-reference top matter that contains the topic category and definition. Substance abuse essays include the following sections: Causes, Risk Factors, Symptoms, Screening and Diagnosis, Treatment and Therapy, and Prevention. Essays covering associated organizations, programs, and treatment centers offer the following sections: Background, Dates established or founded, and Mission and Goals. Essays covering diagnosis, physiology, prevention, psychological issues, socials issues, treatment, and other topics related to behavioral addictions and substance abuse will include subsections chosen by the author as they suit the particular topic. Appendices at the end of volume two supplement the set: a glossary provides hundreds of definitions of commonly used terms; a bibliography offers citations for published sources for additional research; and a time line details major developments in addictions and substance abuse. Other appendices include a list of web resources, addictions support groups, organizations and treatment centers, and a list of pharmaceutical treatments, categorized by brand name.