Addiction symptoms Assessment Questionnaire

Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques to assess the symptom: Addiction symptoms. These will include a physical examination and possibly diagnostic tests. (Note: A physical exam is always done, diagnostic tests may or may not be performed depending on the suspected condition) Your doctor will ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to openly share any pertinent information to help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

It is also very important to bring an up-to-date list of all of your all medical conditions, medications including dosages, and names of numbers of any specialist you see.

Create your printable checklist by answering questions that your doctor may ask below:

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Cigarette smoking history
Alcohol history
Hard addictive street drug history
Marijuana use history
Prescription drug use history
Gambling history
Sexual addiction history
Have you ever shared Intravenous needles?
Why: To determine risk of hepatitis or HIV.
Do you always use condoms during sexual intercourse?
Why: to determine risk of STDs.
Effect of addiction on family life, occupation, friendships, finances
Absenteeism history
Forensic history
What is it that you might have an addiction to,or dependence on?
Why: It is important for you Health Professional to know from the very beginning what the substance/s that you are having problems with are.
Are you taking any other substances?
Why: Whilst you may be primarily concerned with your usage of one or two substances, your Health Professional needs to know what other substances you are taking as well.
How often are you taking the substance? Do you feel a strong and irresistible desire to take it?
Why: How often you are taking the substance you are concerned about, and how strongly you feel you "need" to take are important in assessing whether or not you are exhibiting signs of dependence/addiction.
Do you find it difficult to control how much of the substance you are taking, both in terms of individual doses and cumulatively over a day?
Why: Dependence and addiction behaviors can include a subjective feeling of being unable to control either the amount of substance you are taking, or to control your substance taking behavior.
Have you ever tried to not take the substance, and if so what happens when you do?
Why: One sign of dependence/addiction is that you experience "withdrawal" symptoms when you try to stop taking the substance. These withdrawal symptoms can include "shakes", sweating, nausea, changes in your mood, agitation, disturbed sleep, increased sensitivity to sounds ($hyperacusis), high blood pressure (hypertension), high pulse rate (tachycardia),seizures$, and experiencing illusions/hallucinations.
Has the amount of the substance changed over time?
Why: A sign of substance dependence/addiction is having to take increasing amounts of the substance in order to continue to get the same effect taken on earlier/smaller amounts. This is called tolerance.
What were your interests, hobbies and activities before you started to use this substance? Have they changed?
Why: With deepening substance dependence/addiction the activities that you may have been interested or taken part in previously, may change.
Do you know if the substance you are taking can be harmful to you?
Why: Continued use of a substance despite the knowledge of the harm it can cause (mental and physical) can be a sign of dependence/addiction.
How have you been doing at work/school? -Decreased performance and not going to work/school can be signs of substance dependence/addiction
Have you ever had any fines, charges or legal problems?
Why: With substance dependence/addiction comes an increased risk of violence, crime, traffic offences and disorderly conduct.
Can you tell me a bit about your friends, family and how you get along with them?
Why: Unfortunately substance dependence/addiction can result in strained relationships and problems with both family and friends.
Can you tell me about your finances at the moment?
Why: As substance dependence/addiction worsens there can be financial consequences from loss of income and increase expenses.
Where are you living at the moment?
Why: Substance dependence/addiction can result in homelessness and other dangerous living arrangements. It is important for you health professional to know about this as they have a duty of care for your safety.
Have you ever considered harming yourself?
Why: Those with substance dependence/addiction have an increased risk of depression and suicide.
Have you ever thought of harming someone else?
Why: Those suffering from dependence/addiction may seriously consider and plan to harm other people.
Symptoms of depression (see Depressive symptoms)
Symptoms of Anxiety (see Anxiety)
Symptoms of any of the adverse effects of cigarette smoking
Why: e.g. bronchitis , emphysema , coronary heart disease , stroke , peptic ulcers, reduced fertility , peripheral vascular disease , cancer of the mouth and throat , larynx , trachea , lungs , esophagus , stomach , pancreas or bladder.
Symptoms of any of the adverse symptoms of alcohol abuse (see alcohol abuse)
Symptoms of any sexually transmitted diseases

Conditions listing medical symptoms: Addiction symptoms:

The following list of conditions have 'Addiction symptoms' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

Select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of Addiction symptoms or choose View All.

View All A B C D G H I L M N O P S Y

Conditions listing medical complications: Addiction symptoms:

The following list of medical conditions have 'Addiction symptoms' or similar listed as a medical complication in our database.

» Next page: Types of Addiction symptoms

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