The role of psychologists and the psychological profession in health promotion and addiction prevention

Abstract

Addictive behavior is a group of behavioral patterns that are auto-destructive; they are on the increase, have an obsessive-compulsive quality and significant physiological or biological components, and include a lack of ability or an inability to control craving. Health promotion has emerged as a viable approach and a tool for comprehensive and equitable health development. The intention of this paper was to show parts of orientations for health promotion related to prevention and control of drug addiction and drug abuse in theory and practice in the non-health profession and to emphasize the role of psychologists and the psychological profession. Statistical analysis of patients treated for addiction at health institutions in the Republic of Croatia from 2000 to 2007 published by the Croatian National Institute of Public Health and different methods of addiction prevention are presented in this paper. Status analysis indicates an increasing number of persons treated for addiction from 2000 to 2007 in Croatia, lowering of the age limit of the first addictive substance intake, as well as an overly long average period since the first intake to the first visit for treatment or commencing therapy. The need for prevention of addiction has been determined by the extent of its incidence. Modern studies of addiction have indicated two levels of preventive interventions: general, or psychosocial, prevention and the prevention of relapse or recidivism. Recent developments are based on the importance of social context recognition and this is the approach currently referred to as the ecological model. Considering the fact that psychologists, as experts in the field of mental health protection, mostly practice in health care institutions, there is an emerging need for hiring more psychologists in primary prevention, i.e., at the level of primary health care, particularly in family and school medicine and within the entire education system. The concepts of lifelong learning and continuing professional development are a sine qua non of highly professional work of psychologists.