Clinical Challenges

Film Guides Creation of New Narrative for Struggling Patients
"Is Your Story Making You Sick?" seeks to counteract damaging narratives that keep patients with addictions and other serious issues stuck in negative patterns of thinking.
STIM Spotlight: Concurrent Use of Stimulants, Opioids Defies Past Explanations
A focus on one drug of abuse in research or policy-making makes little sense given the widespread phenomenon of polydrug use, says Daniel Ciccarone, MD, MPH.
NCAD West: Streamlined Medication Unit Brings Treatment to Rural Communities
Community Medical Services regional operations manager Haley Horton explained to NCAD West attendees how the organization has engaged patients in remote areas through the development of medication units as a complement to its traditional opioid treatment programs.
STIM Spotlight: Methamphetamine Strains Women's Treatment, Child Welfare
State officials in Iowa are seeking interagency strategies to combat a methamphetamine problem that they say is eclipsing prior meth crises in the state.
You Can't Shut Down Trauma
Far too many addiction treatment programs continue to avoid addressing patient trauma. There is a better way.
NCAD West: Digital Therapeutics Reduce Burden on Providers, Improve Efficiency
Stigma, lack of coverage and inadequate training for physicians are creating barriers to treatment for SUD, but digital therapeutics are emerging as an effective complement to boost traditional treatment, according to Smita Das, MD, PhD, MPH, and Mario San Bartolome, MD, MBA, MRO, FASAM.
SAM Leader Highlights Flaws in Studies on Marijuana Access and Opioid Deaths
Kevin Sabet states that recent findings linking expanded access to marijuana with reductions in opioid-related deaths have been thoroughly rebutted.
To Minimize Countertransference, Clinicians Must Maintain Control in Relationship
A breakout session at NCAD East offered strategies for minimizing the effects of countertransference, which is inevitable in therapeutic work.
The Triple Threat of Substance Abuse, Chronic Pain, and Psychiatric Disorders
The lifetime prevalence of a substance use disorder (SUD) hovers around 20% in the general population. The lifetime prevalence of chronic pain is about the same. Rates of both are much higher, however, in the psychiatric patient population.
CDC Projects Decline in Drug Overdose Deaths for 2018
Policy leaders and researchers are extracting hope out of preliminary data suggesting that the nation may have seen a drop of around 5% in drug overdose deaths in 2018. The numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate…
Opioid Crisis Helps Expose Hidden Problem of Youths Becoming Caregivers
The challenges facing caregiving youths have been largely unrecognized in the U.S., and the opioid crisis likely has worsened the problem.

Videos

WestBridge Shares Their Perspective When Treating Dual Diagnosis
In this short video, WestBridge employees define the meaning of Co-occurring Disorders as when an individual is experiencing both symptoms of mental health and substance use disorders together—also…
Best Practices in the Treatment of Co-Occurring Disorders
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