Behavioral Health Trends in the United States: Results from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration This national report summarizes findings from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) on trends in the behavioral health of people aged 12 years old or older in the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States. Results are provided by age subgroups. Substance use trends are presented for 2002 to 2014, while trends for most mental health issues are reported for 2008 to 2014. Data collection for nicotine continues to reflect actual tobacco products, such that alternate nicotine delivery systems (NDS), e.g., vaporizers, are not shown.
FREE Online CME/CE Tools for Motivational Interviewing
NIDA is offering 2 FREE CME opportunities for Motivational Interviewing. These online simulations guide providers of adult and adolescent patients through MI skills-building with real time testing in a clinical setting.
Prescription Medication Obtainment Methods and Misuse Journal of Addiction Medicine (free ASAM member resource) This study (n=36) finds that patients seeking prescription medications tend to utilize more than one physician and more than one pharmacy. On the basis of survey results, it seems that primary care and pain management physicians are considered the easiest venues to obtain prescription medications. It suggests that patients will go to great lengths to obtain prescription medications.
Treating your patients just got a whole lot easier with Stratus EMR. From consolidated patient histories and robust treatment notes to e-prescriptions with seamless authorizations, we don’t JUST save you time and money, we ensure the security and quality of care your patients deserve.
PUBLIC POLICY AND REGULATORY NEWS
Why Don’t We Have Mental Health Parity? WBUR The law says insurance companies must pay for mental health benefits, the same as they do everything else: addiction as much as diabetes, depression as much as cancer, bipolar disorder as much as bypass surgery. But around the country, consumers are taking their insurance companies to court saying they’re cutting corners and refusing to pay up. The insurance companies say mental health is complicated, and keeping costs down is part of their job. What does this mean for patients? From On Point: The problem of parity in health insurance.
A Jointly Sponsored Food Addiction Conference and
Toolkit for Physicians, Dietitians, Therapists and Other Health Professionals
The UMass Department of Psychiatry and the Food Addiction Institute are jointly sponsoring this important conference focusing on screening, diagnosing, and treating food addiction. Learn practical methods and leave with practical resources.
The conference will be held at the Medical School Campus in Worcester, MA on Friday, October 16
Review Your State's 2017 Essential Health Benefits (EHB) Plan National Health Law Program Help make sure patients in your state have access to robust addiction treatment benefits! Review your state's 2017 Essential Health Benefits (EHB) plan, available here, and send your comments to FFEcomments@cms.hhs.gov by Sept. 30. Need help? Check out the National Health Law Program's Step Guide to Reviewing Your State's 2017 Essential Health Benefits Benchmark Plan, available below.
ONDCP Online Event Focuses on Youth in Recovery ONDCP On September 17, 2015 from 7:00-8:00PM ET, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will host an online event at the White House in celebration of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) with a special focus on youth in recovery. You are encouraged to host a viewing party of your friends, family, and stakeholders. With your help, this event will be a significant occasion to celebrate and inspire millions of young persons in recovery, and raise awareness about critical resources and commitments needed to help other young people in their journeys.
Treatment of Young People with Antipsychotic Medications in the United States JAMA Psychiatry Despite concerns about rising treatment of young people with antipsychotic medications, little is known about trends and patterns of their use in the United States. This retrospective descriptive analysis of a broad section of pharmacy and medical claims data from 2006-2010 found that antipsychotic use increased from 2006 to 2010 for adolescents and young adults but not for children aged 12 years or younger. Peak antipsychotic use in adolescence, especially among boys, and clinical diagnosis patterns are consistent with management of developmentally limited impulsive and aggressive behaviors rather than psychotic symptoms.
Long-Term Course of Opioid Addiction Harvard Review of Psychiatry Current evidence supports that moderate to severe Opioid Use Disorders are chronic, relapse-bound disorders, and that maintenance of opioid abstinence for at least five years substantially increases the likelihood of future stable abstinence. Recent advances in pharmacological treatment options (buprenorphine and naltrexone) include depot formulations offering longer duration of medication; their impact on the long-term course of opioid addiction remains to be assessed.
Clonidine Maintenance Prolongs Opioid Abstinence and Decouples Stress from Craving in Daily Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial with Ecological Momentary Assessment The American Journal of Psychiatry Clonidine, a readily available medication, is useful in opioid dependence not just for reduction of withdrawal signs, but also as an adjunctive maintenance treatment that increases duration of abstinence. Even in the absence of physical withdrawal, daily-life stress was partly decoupled from opioid craving in the clonidine group.
Sexual Violence in the Context of Drug Use Among Young Adult Opioid Users in New York City Journal of Interpersonal Violence Drug and alcohol use have been associated with increased risk for sexual violence, but there is little research on sexual violence within the context of drug use among young adult opioid users. This web article reviews results of the mixed methods study, "Sexual Violence in the Context of Drug Use among Young Adult Opioid Users in New York City," published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, which explores young adult opioid users' experiences of sexual violence as it relates to their drug use.
Long-term Prescription of Opioids and/or Benzodiazepines and Mortality Among HIV-Infected and Uninfected Patients Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes Increased long-term prescription of opioids and/or benzodiazepines necessitates evaluating risks associated with their receipt. This prospective analysis (n = 64,602) seeks to measure the mortality risk of chronic use of these commonly prescribed sedative and potentially addictive medications. Findings showed that in both HIV infected and uninfected patient populations strategies are needed to mitigate risks associated with these medications, and specific caution when they are co-prescribed.
Hillary Clinton: How We Can Win the Fight Against Substance Abuse Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Union Leader In Iowa, from Davenport to Council Bluffs, people talked about meth and prescription drugs. In South Carolina, a lawyer spoke movingly about the holes in the community left by generations of African American men imprisoned for nonviolent drug offenses, rather than getting the treatment they needed. Twenty-three million Americans suffer from addiction, but only 1 in 10 get treatment. This position piece outlines one current presidential candidate’s strategy to confront the current drug and alcohol addiction crisis.
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Articles included are reviewed on their merit at the discretion of ASAM Weekly’s Editor-in-Chief. Any relationship that exists with products or services advertised with content is coincidental and not an endorsement, guarantee or condemnation of said products or services. Similarly, the views and positions of any content published in ASAM Weekly are not necessarily endorsed by ASAM nor a reflection of ASAM's beliefs and policies. The features are presented as a summary of the contemporary issues being represented and expressed in scientific, governmental, commercial, and media sources across the specialty field of addiction medicine. Contact ASAM Weekly with any comments or feedback.