Procesos de aprendizaje y terapia de conducta en la adicción a la heroína

Abstract

Learning processes and behaviour therapy in heroin addiction. Multiple principles of classical conditioning and operant behaviour interact in the addiction to heroin. Among these, the presence of conditioned compensatory response stands out, in the form of conditioned abstinence syndrome. Different schedules of reinforcement determine life style, slang, effect of heroin, etc. At the level of behaviour assessment most emphasis has been placed on the subjective and psychophysiological responses associated with conditioned abstinence syndrome. The external validity of self-monitoring is achieved by urine analysis; at the level of behaviour therapy wide spectrurn programmes have been develeped which combine comunity intervention with medical support. Methodologically, the need to use multiple criteria of measurement is important, as well as the introduction of multivaried analysis, the used of statistical design, and finally, the carrying-out of long term follow-up studies