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Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
drug dependence
drug de·pend·ence
Definitions related to drug dependence:
  • (drug addiction) Chronic compulsive drug seeking and continued use despite harmful consequences.
    Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO)
    The Human Phenotype Ontology Project, 2025
  • (drug addiction) State of heavy dependence on any drug, including alcohol; sometimes defined as physical dependence but usually also including emotional dependence, i.e., compulsive or pathological drug use.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Drug dependence - replaced the term "drug addiction" and is defined as a state, psychic and sometimes also physical, resulting from the interaction between a living organism and a drug, characterized by behavioral and other responses that always include a compulsion to take the drug on a continuous or periodic basis in order to experience its psychic effects, and sometimes to avoid the discomfort of its absence. Tolerance may or may not be present. A person may be dependent on more than one drug.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person's brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medication. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs. When you're addicted, you may continue using the drug despite the...
    Mayo Clinic
    Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2025
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.

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