Substance Use Disorders in Later Life: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature of an Emerging Public Health Concern

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Yarnell ◽  
Luming Li ◽  
Brian MacGrory ◽  
Louis Trevisan ◽  
Paul Kirwin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern

scholarly journals The role movies play in alcohol consumption by youths

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susannah R. Stern
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Real People ◽  
The Media

Alcohol use and misuse among young people continue to be a major public health concern, despite decades of initiatives aimed at educating young people about the hazards of alcohol. Yet where do young people learn about alcohol use? How do they form attitudes about the effects and risks of drinking? Increasing evidence suggests that young people learn not only from real people (e.g. peers and parents) in their everyday lives but also from characters whose lives they witness through the media. In fact, the mass media have been recognised as significant sources of information about substance use that can influence young people's beliefs and expectations (Bahk, 2001; Sargent et al, 2002).

scholarly journals Medications against drugs: Development of medications to prevent and treat substance use disorders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Dario Montoya
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Significant Public Health Concern ◽  
Scientific Approach ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
New Compounds

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a significant public health concern. Unfortunately, there are few safe and effective medications to treat SUD and efficacy is suboptimal. There are important financial and scientific obstacles to develop new compounds, but recent advances in the discovery of new brain receptors and neurocircuits are offering opportunities to develop new pharmacotherapies. A systematic scientific approach to develop medications is required to demonstrate their safety and efficacy, bring it to market, and prescribe it to patients. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a general overview of the challenges and opportunities in medications development for SUD, describe the phased approach of this development, the medications approved, and those that appear most promising.

scholarly journals Physician Impairment: Is Recovery Feasible?

2009 ◽  
Vol 3;12 (3;5) ◽  
pp. 487-491
Author(s):  
Paul J. Christo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Relapse Prevention ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Professional Judgment ◽  
Prevention Strategies ◽  
Physician Impairment

Background: Physician impairment is a serious public health issue affecting not only physicians, but also their families, colleagues, and patients. Physician impairment is used most often to refer to substance use disorders, which involve both substance abuse and substance dependence and/or addiction. Objective: This article aims to describe the problem of physician impairment within the context of substance use disorders. The concept of recovery and several strategies for effective recovery are explored. Discussion: Experts now define impairment as an enduring condition that if left untreated is not amenable to remission and cure. In terms of functional capacity, impairment renders the physician unable to provide competent medical services, with serious flaws in professional judgment. Herein, we define the scope of the problem, consider several theories to explain the reason physicians may be prone to develop substance use disorders, discuss diagnosis and reporting, as well as treatment and prognosis, and identify several relapse prevention strategies. Conclusion: Physician impairment is a real and significant public health concern; however, recovery is feasible and the data support favorable odds of recovery and a return to clinical practice among those seeking appropriate treatment, counseling, and relapse prevention strategies. Key words: Physician impairment, substance use disorder, prevention, relapse, recovery, dependence, substance abuse, Physician Health Programs (PHPs).

scholarly journals Therapeutic options and challenges for substances of abuse

2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-445 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Pharmacological Treatments ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Significant Public Health Concern ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
Substances Of Abuse

Addiction to substances continues to be a significant public health concern in the United States. The following review of current pharmacological treatments discusses a range of substances: nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, and opioids. The goal is to provide an overview of currently available and new pharmacological treatments for substance use disorders, while also addressing the pharmacotherapeutic challenges remaining. The significant advances in pharmacotherapy have had limited utilization, however. For example, naltrexone for alcoholism is infrequently prescribed, buprenorphine for opiates still has relatively few qualified prescribers, and stimulants have no Food and Drug Administration-approved pharmacotherapy. These pharmacotherapies are needed, with the rate of even the relatively uncommon abuse of opiates now rising sharply.

scholarly journals Emerging Opportunities to Improve Treatment Access for Substance Use Disorders and Other Comorbid Health Issues Among Women Enrolled in WIC

2022 ◽  
pp. 152483992110690
Author(s):  
Yukiko Washio ◽  
Bradley N. Collins ◽  
Linda M. Kilby
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Routine Practice ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Underserved Communities ◽  
Increased Risk

Women living in underserved communities are at an increased risk for substance use disorders and other comorbid health issues, a public health concern that was exacerbated as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. In response to the challenges the pandemic presented, services delivered by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) adapted nimbly, including WIC nutrition managers’ and counselors’ efforts to provide reactive referrals of clients raising concern about substance misuse and related consequences. This adaptation signaled an opportunity to consider integrating more proactive, evidence-based strategies for substance use disorders such as standardized brief assessments, advice, and referral procedures (i.e., Screening, Brief Interventions, and Referral to Treatment [SBIRT]), as part of routine WIC operations. Integration of such routine practice would improve the quality of care WIC provides to their clients and families, while addressing a major gap in public health by connecting clients at high risk for substance use disorders and substance-related problems to much needed services. Given the adaptability of WIC to reactively manage the wide array of psychosocial and mental health problems that increased during the pandemic, opportunities exist for future research to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of proactive implementation of brief screening, advice, and treatment referral to reduce substance-related harm among women living in underserved communities.

Child abuse

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 180-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrick Babakhanlou ◽  
Tom Beattie
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Current Advice

Child abuse is a global public health concern. Not only is it appalling that children should suffer unnecessarily, but also children who have been abused are at increased risk of recurrent abuse and may proceed to be abusers in later life. Early and prompt recognition of signs and features of abuse is crucial to alleviate the presenting condition and to prevent future harms. The aim of this article is to present the current advice and recommendations for the recognition and management of child abuse from a primary care perspective.

scholarly journals Substance use disorders and sexually transmitted infections: a public health perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijaya Murali ◽  
Sabitha Jayaraman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Tertiary Prevention ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
List Type ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Sexually Transmitted

SummaryIt has long been recognised that substance use disorders and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common comorbid conditions. It is clear that treating one condition while leaving the other leads to increased morbidity and mortality in this patient population. However, engaging patients in treatment is extremely challenging, which is a huge public health concern. This article focuses on various sexually transmitted infections seen in the substance misuse population and means of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention.Declaration of interestNone.Learning objectives•Be aware of the current extent of comorbidity between substance use disorders and STIs•Learn about primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of STIs in people with substance use disorders•Understand the links between high-risk sexual behaviour and illicit drug use, as shown by current evidence

Adolescent Risk and Protective Factors for the Use of Electronic Cigarettes

2021 ◽  
pp. 263207702098073
Author(s):  
Jason J. Burrow-Sánchez ◽  
Benjamin R. Ratcliff
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Electronic Cigarettes ◽  
Risk And Protective Factors ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
The Past ◽  
Adolescent Risk

The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) by adolescents is a serious public health concern. The major aim of the current study is to conduct a comprehensive examination of adolescent e-cigarette use in relation to risk and protective factors for a school-based sample. The present study is based on a secondary data analysis of the 2017 Prevention Needs Assessment (PNA) Survey that is administered every 2 years in the state of Utah to a large sample of students ( n = 54,853) in Grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 from more than 400 schools. The PNA Survey measures substance use, mental health symptoms, and antisocial behavior as well as their associated risk and protective factors. Almost 9% of adolescents in this study reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. Adolescents who reported infrequent (1–5 days) and frequent (6+ days) use of e-cigarettes also indicated lower levels of protection (e.g., perceived harm) and higher levels of risk (e.g., favorable attitudes) compared with students who did not report using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. The frequency of adolescent e-cigarette use can distinguish between risk and protective factors. Findings suggest that the risk and protective factors relevant for adolescent alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use extend to the use of the e-cigarettes. Certain risk factors (e.g., favorable attitudes toward substance use) and protective factors (e.g., perceived risk for use of e-cigarettes) hold promise for preventive interventions in addressing this public health concern.

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