Final answer:
Medical use of psychoactive drugs involves their use under medical supervision to treat health conditions, manage pain, or perform surgeries, as opposed to drug abuse which leads to addiction and dependence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The use of drugs to provide a patient with a substance needed to maintain health typically refers to the medical use of psychoactive drugs. These drugs are used under the supervision of healthcare professionals to treat various health conditions, including managing pain or inducing general anesthesia during surgeries. Conditions such as trauma, chronic pain from arthritis, cancer, or fibromyalgia may require the prescription of opioids like morphine and codeine. Meanwhile, general anesthetics like halothane and ketamine are used during surgical procedures.
It is important to distinguish the medical use of psychoactive drugs from drug abuse, which occurs when these drugs are used without medical advice and for non-prescribed purposes. Abuse can lead to drug addiction and drug dependence, which are characterized by compulsive use and the inability to stop despite negative consequences. Dependence can manifest as physical or psychological withdrawal symptoms when the drug use is stopped.