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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2012, 14, 1 (pages: 23 - 34)

Profile of an Addict or Beyond the Addiction Mask

Knežević Tasić J., Šapić R., Valkanou M.

Summary: The main purpose of this study was to examine if there is anything that could be correctly described as the “profile of an addict”, and whether certain personality disorders occur with a higher frequency in substance abuse patients in Serbia today. The other question investigated in this study is how the presence of psychopathology can be evaluated in individuals who have developed addiction compared with those who have not. In addition, factors such as emotional relationships and education have been examined. The sample selected for this inquiry included 79 participants - 42 addicts, and 37 individuals making up a control group. Personality disorders were assessed by applying the Millon Multiaxial Clinical Inventory III (MCMI III), together with a specially constructed data sheet. Canonical discriminant analysis was used to present the model best able to generate distinct personality features that strongly predict drug abuse and determine the essence of an addiction personality profile. Canonical discriminant analysis was also used to explore differences in the presence of psychopathological features between the two groups. A chi-squared analysis examined the differences in emotional status and level of education between groups. Significant differences were found between the general population and the substance abuse group in terms of the presence of personality disorders and the level of the pathology presented. Individuals who have developed an Antisocial, a Borderline, a Depressive or a Dependent personal style are those most prone to substance abuse, whereas individuals who have adopted a Histrionic or Compulsive Personality style are those least likely to develop addiction. The study found that addiction is firmly attached to the presence of major Depression, PTSD and Dysthymia. Another significant difference in the levels of pathology between the two groups was documented, in a way that showed that the addiction group had a significantly higher overall level of pathology.