Understanding Addiction: A General Liability or Unique Disorders?

Is there a single explanation that accounts for all addictive behaviors, or is the reality more complex? How can quantitative classification methods help uncover the nuances of substance dependence?
In this episode, APS's Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Ashley Watts from Vanderbilt University about her recent research article in Clinical Psychological Science. They discuss how simple explanations to addictive behavior – like the General Addiction Liability theory – may be appealing for a unified treatment approach, but a deeper, more quantitively rich dive into the data draws a more…