Scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, propose using an assessment tool to diagnose addictive disorders that considers addiction-related behaviors, brain imaging, and genetic data. According to a new review article, the Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment (ANA) would facilitate future understanding of the origin of addiction at a biological level, and could ultimately lead to more effective individualized treatments for addictions.
http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(15)00954-3/fulltext