Alcohol Use Disorder

The abuse of alcohol by patients with schizophrenia is a remarkably common phenomenon. Here: findings from a 6-month randomized trial of long-acting injectable versus oral risperidone in patients with schizophrenia and comorbid alcohol use disorder.

A reminder that success in life requires paying attention to the basics, starting with showing up and hanging in there.

Mobile health interventions are helpful to patients receiving medications that reduce cravings, but what about adherence-focused monitoring?

The articles in this Special Report provide a broad, cross-cutting perspective on the current state of addiction psychiatry, insofar as it may pertain to your own clinical practice.

The authors use a 3-step process to identify and evaluate published research with findings that are ready for-and that have a direct bearing on-clinical practice.

In clinical terms, one of the most distinguishing diagnostic features of addictive disorders is that those affected continually and repeatedly revert to their addictive behaviors, despite the devastating negative and adverse consequences.

This brief communication highlights clinically applicable information and take-home points presented at the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry Annual Meeting.

This brief communication highlights the importance of genetic predictors and moderators of treatment research in the field of substance use.

Maltreatment at an early age casts a very long shadow. Here: a look at the long-term effects of early childhood trauma.

There probably isn't anyone who is not a Robin Williams fan and admired his wonderful talent. Everybody experiences his loss and death as something personal. More in this podcast.

Severe alcohol dependence and frequent relapses in this patient prompts his son to produce a durable power of attorney for health care. He demands that the physicians declare his father to lack decision-making capacity. More in this ethics case report.

An overview of special coverage on advances in the treatment of alcohol use disorders.

Very few heavy drinkers receive treatment and fewer still are prescribed medications with demonstrated efficacy. Here, a summary of current research, key takeaways, and highlights from a study on topiramate treatment for heavy drinkers by the lead author of that study.

In addition to the approval of novel medications for alcohol use disorders, the past several years have been marked by an emphasis on development, standardization, and dissemination of new behavioral therapies, including computer-based interventions.

There is increasing evidence and support for medications for alcohol use disorders to be used in regular clinical practice, and not to be limited to specialty substance abuse settings. Here, special considerations for pharmacological management.

Clinicians will be drawn in by author Charles R. Cross's personal experience documenting, Here We Are Now: The Lasting Impact of Kurt Cobain. Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, committed suicide 20 years ago this month.

Alcohol misuse in older adults is often underdiagnosed in medical practice. This age group is rapidly moving into the treatment realm of the practicing general, geriatric, and addiction psychiatrist.

Substance abuse and addiction are commonly associated with an increased risk of suicide. Alcohol abuse plays a key role in suicide attempts and completions; prescription drugs are a close second. The causes of suicide for men and women are different but the suicide rates are equally staggering.

Why do so many die as a consequence of addiction? Sadly-and in some cases disastrously-affected individuals are never offered alternative approaches after one option fails. More in this commentary.

The frayed dignity of the patient described in this poem, his intelligence matched by the inexplicable intransigence of his alcoholism, moved this VA psychiatrist to describe the clinical encounter, apropos for April, Alcohol Awareness Month.

What medications are FDA approved for alcohol dependence? Take the quiz and learn more.

The challenges of identifying patients at risk for alcohol withdrawal have been found to be mitigated by the development of a Risk Stratification Questionnaire, now being adopted by the VA regionally throughout New England. More in this video.

For patients with hepatic disease, benzodiazepines that are conjugated and renally cleared (eg, lorazepam) should be used instead of those metabolized by the liver. Take the quiz and learn more.

As we accumulate a greater war chest of patient experiences, we can better apply our skills as physicians to fill a space once occupied with alcohol-lubricated decision-making with smooth yet sober coping strategies.

In a new study, "as needed" use of an opioid antagonist for heightened alcohol craving appeared to reduce the number of heavy drinking days and total amount of alcohol consumed.