Addiction & Substance Use

A small exploratory study provides a first look at the role of social relationships in maintaining sobriety.

Many have said that truth is the first casualty of war. In the war on drugs, truth died before the first shot was fired.

"He'll just have to hit bottom." That bit of outdated advice can be terrifying. How do clinicians trying to help the person with an addiction who refuses to set foot in our office render assistance?

Opioids, suicide, and Alzheimer disease all play a large role in the life expectancy drop reported by the CDC.

This slideshow provides information about the compounds, clinically relevant attributes, approximate dose, and data under study.

Dependence on alcohol and tobacco or illicit drugs is generally higher in men, but the gender gap is narrowing at an alarming rate, especially in adolescents.

Should hallucinogens such as ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD be considered as treatment options for patients with mental illness?

Symptoms of alcohol and drug intoxication and withdrawal may resemble symptoms of bipolar disorder, making it difficult to diagnose and treat.

Seven common questions about addiction clinicians regularly hear-as well as the answers.

Although these medication-assisted treatments have been approved by the FDA and have strong empiric evidence for superior outcomes, it is important to know the good and the bad.

What factors predict if a homeless person will be able to engage in supported housing to attain and retain an apartment? What supportive services facilitate permanent exits from homelessness?

Research published more than 25 years ago was already reporting problems with opioid analgesics.

The short vignettes in this quiz highlight the importance of understanding the delicate balance between risks and benefits when prescribing opioids.

A drug once seen as a widespread danger to society is now experiencing renewed interest as a treatment for medical conditions, including a number of mental health conditions. This brief review explores 5 key issues clinicians can consider when encountering the therapeutic cannabis user.

In this age of chat rooms and social media, an ever-growing number of psychiatric patients use the internet to find their treatment community online.

More than 6 out of 10 deaths involve prescribed opioids. The authors address guidelines for who should (and who should not) receive a naloxone prescription.

While opioid use disorders are more common in younger patients, prevalence among the elderly is growing.

What should prescribers of controlled substances keep in mind when working with patients with substance use disorders? Take the quiz and learn more.

Several updates to ICD-10-CM affect the diagnostic codes used by mental health practitioners. One important update involves the codes for substance use disorders. Details here.

Which sleep parameters are increased in alcohol use disorders? Take the quiz and learn more.

What's the optimal strategy toward recovery from opioid use disorder? Which treatment for nicotine addiction has the most favorable adverse-effect profile?

The authors compare the clinical features of idiopathic psychosis (eg, schizophrenia) with cannabis-induced psychosis.

It is vital that psychiatrists are able to identify and characterize cannabis use disorders; provide education; and offer effective, evidence-based treatments. This article provides a brief overview of each of these topics.

This article summarizes data on e-cigarettes, provides recommendations and resources to learn more, and emphasizes the evidence for treating tobacco (traditional cigarettes) addiction in people with mental illness.

Because comorbid substance abuse is the rule rather than the exception in individuals with ADHD, accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and management of ADHD is challenging even for the most skilled practitioners.