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For full versions of posted research articles readers are encouraged to email requests for "electronic reprints" (text file, PDF files, FAX copies) to the corresponding or lead author, who is highlighted in the posting.

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Movies as a vehicle to teach addiction medicine
International Review of Psychiatry, Volume 21, Issue 3 June 2009 , pages 213 - 217


Dependence on a substance and the role of medical practitioners in this health problem can be perceived as an enigma.

Movies, as a tool for teaching, can be a powerful means of engaging, clarifying and educating students within the addiction medicine arena. Popular mythologies and stereotypes of drug use (including alcohol) and users in cinema can be explored within a learning environment aiding the understanding of this complex topic, thereby improving the therapeutic commitment to addiction medicine.

There is a responsibility of the teacher to use this tool with care so as not to perpetuate the mythologies of addiction as often portrayed within commercial cinema. Tried and tested use of this potent educational aid, with suggestions for further development, are outlined in this article.

Request Reprint E-Mail: gavin.cape@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
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