University of Padova General Psychology Department From cure to biography. Ungrounding of medical model in intervention on “drug abuse”: a research among social and health operators Battisti L., Bertinotti T., Turchi G.P.

AIM SAMPLE DATA ANALISYS: M.A.D.I.T. * SPSS (closed questions) Spad.T (opened questions) To investigate the social and health operators’ adherence to the medical model about general and specific problems in the drug addiction treatment TOTALPSYCHOLOGISTSPSYCHIATRISTSNURSESDOCTORS INSTRUMENT ad hoc protocol [M.A.D.I.T.: Methodology of Processing Data Analysis, Turchi et al. 2007] (26 closed questions and 4 opened questions )

To investigate the operator's adherence to the medical model about definition of sign and symptom % SIGNSIMPTOM AGREEUNDECIDEDDISAGREEAGREEUNDECIDEDDISAGREE DOCTORS 14,15,180,826,91,371,8 NURSES 44,94,15142,98,249 PSYCHIATRISTS 45,56,847,759,12,338,6 PSYCHOLOGISTS 42,922,234,967,74,627,7 X2X2 ** * Chi-Square statistical significance: p=0,05 SIGN DEFINITION: the "subjective" experiences that patients might report to themselves SIMPTOM DEFINITION: "objective" indication of some issues that are detected by a physician during a physical examination of a patient

“drug addiction can be defined as :” 31,319,249,6 An ego reaction that concerns some defence mechanisms to reduce unacceptable psychic contents 38,616,245,2 A personality disorder 34,220,745 A term without unambiguous definition * 40,512,646,8 A diagnostic label that involves a group of cognitive, behavioural and physiological symptoms * 19,612,468 A relational problem X2X2 DISAGREEUNDECIDEDAGREE % * Chi-Square statistical significance: p=0,05

The MEDICAL PRAXIS consists in the following phases: Medical history, Diagnosis, Cure and Therapy, Prognosis, Prevention, Evaluation. Drug addiction treatment consists in the following phases: * Chi-Square statistical significance: p=0,05 2,67,290,2 Evaluation 6,49,783,9 Prevention * 17,526,556 Prognosis 2,16,891,1 Therapy 36,890,2 Cure 0,44,295,3 Diagnosis 2,1691,9 Medical history X2X2 DISAGREEUNDECIDEDAGREE %

CONCLUSIONS Diagnosis outlines drug addiction and is based on methodologically incorrect steps drug addiction as a nosographic category is not correct The drug addiction definition given by respondents is not unambiguous, therefore it doesn’t provide knowledge elements about drug addiction. treatment aims are not univocally defined and pursued through a common methodology.

CONCLUSIONS Not univocal aims definition leads up to not efficaciuos interventions Using the medical model in the drug addiction field is done a transposition of the medical rhetorical praxes but not of the theoretical-methodological rules of medical model. making “drug addiction” diagnosis is like ascribing a linguistic label and not a clinical case explanation through signs and symptoms.

THE PROPOSAL Drug addiction Consumption of substances considered illegal Aim: Reconfiguring the biography of the consumer Strategy: interventions scientifically based make in the territory Aim: Healing the patient Strategy: Structures based on medical model PARADIGMATIC “SHIFT”

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