Which of the following are criteria used to define Substance Use Disorder severity?

• A. Craving, unsuccessful attempts to cut down, continued use despite harm, tolerance, withdrawal, time spent seeking, and social/interpersonal impairment.
• B. Family history of substance use only.
• C. Only the amount used weekly.
• D. Mood changes alone define severity.

Answer: (C)

Severity is defined by how many DSM-5 criteria a person meets, not by how much they drink. There are 11 criteria organized into four areas: impaired control (craving, unsuccessful attempts to cut down, spending a lot of time obtaining, using, or recovering from use), social impairment (failure to fulfill major obligations or problems with relationships, continued use despite these problems), risky use (use in situations where it’s physically dangerous and continued use despite physical or psychological problems), and pharmacological effects (tolerance and withdrawal). The option that lists craving, unsuccessful attempts to cut down, continued use despite harm, tolerance, withdrawal, time spent seeking, and social/interpersonal impairment matches these DSM-5 criteria and thus defines severity correctly. By contrast, family history alone, the mere amount used weekly, or mood changes alone do not define Substance Use Disorder severity. Remember, meeting 2–3 criteria is mild, 4–5 is moderate, and 6 or more is severe.