ABPN Addiction Psychiatry study guide
ABPN Addiction Psychiatry · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Addiction Psychiatry is a subspecialty certification offered by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc. (ABPN), which identifies itself as a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties and as having set certification standards for psychiatrists and neurologists since 1934. The credential is intended for psychiatrists who evaluate and treat substance use disorders and related addictive conditions - typically physicians who have completed subspecialty fellowship training, plus established diplomates who maintain the credential through ABPN's Continuing Certification program. The ABPN page devoted to Addiction Psychiatry returned a "page cannot be found" error when this resource was retrieved, so no official content outline, item count, time limit, or passing standard is reproduced here. The ABPN Addiction Psychiatry study guide has 4 sections and about 1,197 words.
01Neurobiology, Etiology, and Pharmacology of Addictive Disorders
Addiction is best understood as a disorder of motivated learning, not simply of pleasure. Mesolimbic dopamine projections from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens encode incentive salience and reward prediction error; dopamine signals “worth pursuing” and “better than expected,” which is why cues acquire power.
310 words, about 2 min02Diagnosis, Screening, and Assessment
A diagnosis requires at least 2 of 11 criteria within 12 months, grouped as impaired control (using more or longer, unsuccessful cutting down, time spent, craving), social impairment (role failure, interpersonal problems, giving up activities), risky use (hazardous situations, continued use despite harm), and pharmacological criteria (tolerance, withdrawal). Severity is mild (2–3), moderate (4–5), or severe (6 or more).
320 words, about 2 min03Treatment: Pharmacologic and Psychosocial Interventions
FDA-approved medications are naltrexone (oral and long-acting injectable), acamprosate, and disulfiram. Naltrexone reduces craving and heavy drinking; check liver enzymes, and ensure 7–10 days off opioids.
282 words, about 1 min04Special Populations, Comorbidity, and Systems of Care
No amount of alcohol is known safe. Treat opioid use disorder with methadone or buprenorphine; withdrawal increases relapse and fetal risk.
285 words, about 1 min