Posted: November 9th, 2022

Opioid Use, Addiction, and Overdoses

Opioid Use, Addiction, and Overdoses:
Please read the Psychology Discussion Requirements fully, and then Read pages 174 – 184 in your text.

Opioid use, addiction, and overdoses have increased to alarming rates in the United States in recent years. Millions of Americans are affected by the opioid epidemic every day.
Read Volkow et al.’s (2014) article and Brown’s (2018) articles (PDF’s below) before discussing the following questions.

References
Brown, A. R. (2018). A systematic review of psychosocial interventions in treatment of opioid addiction, Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/1533256X.2018.1485574

Coon, D., Mitterer, J.O., & Martini, T. (2022). Introduction to psychology: Gateways to mind and behavior (16th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Volkow, N. D., Frieden, T. R., Hyde, P. S., & Cha, S. S. (2014). Medication-Helped therapies — tackling the opioid-overdose epidemic. New England Journal of Medicine, 370(22), 2063-2066. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1402780

For this week’s main post, answer all of the following questions. Be sure to include factual, properly cited information in your post.
What are some ways that opioid addiction is affecting the United States?
What are some forms of treatment available to those suffering from opioid addiction?
If you had a friend or family member suffering from opioid addiction, what sort of help would you recommend they seek?

PSY1012 Week 2 Discussion Brown-2018.pdf PSY1012 Week 2 Discussion Brown-2018.pdf – Alternative Formats

PSY1012 Week Two Discussion Volkow-2014.pdf PSY1012 Week Two Discussion Volkow-2014.pdf – Alternative Formats
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Opioid Use, Addiction, and Overdoses
Opioid addiction is affecting the USA in diverse ways including high mortality rates of young and vibrant people, economic burden, and imprisonment. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the USA will spend $78.5 billion annually in treatment, lost productivity, and the criminal justice system (Florence et al., 2021). A 2018 study shows that at least 128 people would die daily or approximately 47,000 people annually of opioid overdose (Florence et al., 2021). Out of the 0.5 million drug-related deaths, 70 percent are related to opioid use (Florence et al., 2021).
Medication-Helped treatment (MAT) is the first line of treatment for patients with opioid use disorder. Treatment may involve agonist, antagonist, or psychosocial treatment. For instance, medication such as methadone can address the symptoms related to opioid use, withdrawal symptoms, and cravings (Brown, 2018). Healthcare workers should ensure patients adhere to methadone since it is the gold standard of treatment of opioid use. Patient support programs are critical for the continuation of care and adherence to treatment (Volkow et al., 2014). For instance, behavioral therapy is effective for changing the thinking patterns that can prompt a person to abuse drugs. It helps in developing strong habits that will help a person in the recovery process.
A family member or friend with an opioid use problem requires pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention. The first line of treatment is to take methadone. Methadone is effective for patients since it reduces the effects of withdrawal symptoms and eliminates cravings (Volkow et al., 2014). The second form of treatment is psychotherapeutic treatment such as behavioral therapy. The psychotherapeutic intervention will help a patient to change their mindset and avoid conditions such as depression (Brown, 2018). The two major interventions have been tested and proven as effective methods of treatment for patients with opioid use disorder.

References
Brown, A. R. (2018). A systematic review of psychosocial interventions in treatment of opioid addiction, Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/1533256X.2018.1485574
Florence, C., Luo, F., & Rice, K. (2021). The economic burden of opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose in the United States, 2017. Drug and alcohol dependence, 218, 108350.
Volkow, N. D., Frieden, T. R., Hyde, P. S., & Cha, S. S. (2014). Medication-Helped therapies — tackling the opioid-overdose epidemic. New England Journal of Medicine, 370(22), 2063-2066. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1402780

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