Supportive-Expressive Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 388-403
Author(s):  
William H. Gottdiener

The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic with over 200,000 deaths per year due to opioid overdoses. There are numerous psychotherapeutic and medication-assisted approaches to treating opioid use disorder, but psychodynamic approaches remain underappreciated and underused. The self-medication hypothesis of substance use disorders is a psychodynamic model, which argues that all substance use disorders serve to defend against intolerable affects. In the case of opioid use disorders, opioids are thought to help defend against intense intolerable feelings of rage and depression associated with trauma. Supportive-expressive psychodynamic psychotherapy is an empirically supported psychodynamic treatment for a wide range of psychological problems, including opioid use disorders. Supportive-expressive psychodynamic psychotherapy focuses on transference analysis using an operationalized conceptualization of transference called the core conflictual relational theme method. This article describes supportive-expressive psychodynamic psychotherapy for opioid use disorders and provides clinical examples of its use in practice. The article describes and illustrates the three phases of supportive-expressive psychodynamic psychotherapy, the formulation of the core conflictual relationship theme, how it is applied when treating people with an opioid use disorder, and how supportive-expressive psychodynamic psychotherapy can be used with other therapies, such as medication-assisted treatments and 12-step programs. Last, this article encourages psychodynamic therapists who are not involved in treating people with an opioid use disorder to engage in treating people with one using supportive-expressive psychodynamic psychotherapy.

2021 ◽  
Vol 221 ◽  
pp. 108555
Author(s):  
Peggy O’Brien ◽  
Rachel Mosher Henke ◽  
Mary Beth Schaefer ◽  
Janice Lin ◽  
Timothy B. Creedon

2020 ◽  
pp. 267-324
Author(s):  
Arash Ansari ◽  
David N. Osser

The chapter on treatments for substance use disorders discusses and reviews the use of medication-assisted treatments with (a) methadone, buprenorphine/naloxone, and naltrexone for opioid use disorders; (b) disulfiram, acamprosate, naltrexone, and several off-label medications for alcohol use disorders; and (c) nicotine replacement therapies, bupropion, and varenicline for tobacco use disorders. The chapter reviews the mechanisms of action, clinical characteristics, potential medication interactions, and adverse effects of these medications, followed by an in-depth discussion of their clinical use in these disorders. The chapter also briefly reviews several non-Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medicines studied for cocaine, cannabis, and amphetamine use disorders. It also briefly discusses complementary and alternative pharmacotherapies, such as the use of cannabinoids. It also discusses the use of these medicines in women of childbearing age, notably for pregnancy and breastfeeding considerations. Finally, the chapter includes a table of approved substance use disorder medicines that includes each medicine’s generic and brand names, usual adult doses, pertinent clinical comments, black box warnings, and FDA indications.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Stafford ◽  
Wesley Marrero ◽  
Rebecca B. Naumann ◽  
Kristen Hassmiller Lich ◽  
Sarah Wakeman ◽  
...  

Over the last few decades, opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose have dramatically increased. Evidence shows that treatment for OUD, particularly medication for OUD, is highly effective; however, despite decreases in barriers to treatment, retention in OUD treatment remains a challenge. Therefore, understanding key risk factors for OUD treatment discontinuation remains a critical priority. We built a machine learning model using the Treatment Episode Data Set-Discharge (TEDS-D). Included were 2,446,710 treatment episodes for individuals in the U.S. discharged between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018 (the most recent available data). Exposures contain 32 potential risk factors, including treatment characteristics, substance use history, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics. Our findings show that the most influential risk factors include characteristics of treatment service setting, geographic region, primary source of payment, referral source, and health insurance status. Importantly, several factors previously reported as influential predictors, such as age, living situation, age of first substance use, race and ethnicity, and sex had far weaker predictive impacts. The influential factors identified in this study should be more closely explored to inform targeted interventions and improve future models of care.


Author(s):  
Jamie C. Osborne ◽  
L. Casey Chosewood

The United States is experiencing an evolving and worsening drug overdose epidemic. Although the rate of drug use among workers has remained relatively stable, the risk of overdose and death among drug users has not, as illicit drugs have increased in potency and lethality. The cumulative impacts of COVID-19 and the opioid crisis increase the likelihood of illness and death among workers with opioid use disorder. Workplaces represent a critical point of contact for people living in the United States who are struggling with or recovering from a substance use disorder, and employment is a vital source of recovery “capital.” The benefits of addressing substance use in the workplace, supporting treatment, and employing workers in recovery are evident. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has published research to inform policy and practice toward prevention efforts and has developed accessible resources and toolkits to support workers, employers, and workplaces in combatting the opioid overdose crisis and creating safer, healthier communities.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olapeju Simoyan ◽  
Krista Ulisse

The illicit use of opioids is the fastest growing substance use problem in the United States. There are three FDA- approved medications for maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder: methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. Stimulants include cocaine and methamphetamines. 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or “ecstasy”) is an amphetamine derivative that also has hallucinogenic properties. Treatment of stimulant withdrawal is primarily supportive. Psychosocial interventions for stimulant use disorder may improve adherence, but they have not been shown to improve abstinence at the end of treatment. Benzodiazepines have been shown to reduce the severity and duration of symptoms related to alcohol withdrawal, in addition to reducing the risk of seizures. The Food and Drug Administration has approved disulfiram, acamprosate and naltrexone for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. This review contains 3 tables, and 31 references. Keywords: Opioid use disorder, maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder, stimulant use disorder, stimulant withdrawal, benzodiazepine overdose, benzodiazepine withdrawal, alcohol use disorder, alcohol withdrawal


2021 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Edeanya Agbese ◽  
Bradley D. Stein ◽  
Benjamin G. Druss ◽  
Andrew W. Dick ◽  
Rosalie L. Pacula ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
pp. 105-108
Author(s):  

Opioid use disorder is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among US youth. Effective treatments, both medications and substance use disorder counseling, are available but underused, and access to developmentally appropriate treatment is severely restricted for adolescents and young adults. Resources to disseminate available therapies and to develop new treatments specifically for this age group are needed to save and improve lives of youth with opioid addiction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-84
Author(s):  
Katie J. Binger ◽  
Elayne D. Ansara ◽  
Talia M. Miles ◽  
Samantha L. Schulte

Abstract Introduction Opioid use disorder (OUD) can cause significant morbidity and mortality with more than 115 people dying from an opioid overdose daily in the United States. Treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP/NAL) can be effective; however, there is conflicting evidence on the utility of higher doses in preventing relapse. This study was designed to assess BUP/NAL maintenance doses and the rate of relapse in veterans with OUD. Methods Patients diagnosed with OUD who received a prescription for BUP/NAL through the substance use disorder recovery program were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were categorized into 2 treatment groups: those prescribed ≤16 mg of BUP/NAL daily and those prescribed >16 mg of BUP/NAL daily. The primary outcome was to determine rates of relapse between maintenance doses of BUP/NAL. Secondary outcomes included evaluating the difference in rates of relapse between daily versus take-home dosing, tablets versus films, time to relapse, and use of illicit substances during treatment. Results Patients prescribed >16 mg of BUP/NAL daily had statistically significantly lower rates of relapse compared to patients prescribed ≤16 mg of BUP/NAL daily (P = .0018). Regarding secondary outcomes, there was a statistically significant difference in time to relapse (P = .036) and dosage form (P = .0124). Difference in administration of dose and illicit substance use during treatment were not statistically significant. Discussion This study identified that rate of relapse can be lowered and time to relapse can be lengthened when doses >16 mg of BUP/NAL are prescribed in the veteran population for OUD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly Ann Russell ◽  
Brian Smith ◽  
Mechelle Sanders ◽  
Elizabeth Loomis

Objective: Substance use disorders remain highly stigmatized. Access to medications for opioid use disorder is poor. There are many barriers to expanding access including stigma and lack of medical education about substance use disorders. We enriched the existing, federally required, training for clinicians to prescribe buprenorphine with a biopsychosocial focus in order to decrease stigma and expand access to medications for opioid use disorder.Methods: We trained a family medicine team to deliver an enriched version of the existing buprenorphine waiver curriculum. The waiver training was integrated into the curriculum for all University of Rochester physician and nurse practitioner family medicine residents and also offered to University of Rochester residents and faculty in other disciplines and regionally. We used the Brief Substance Abuse Attitudes Survey to collect baseline and post-training data.Outcomes: 140 training participants completed attitude surveys. The overall attitude score increased significantly from pre to post-training. Additionally, significant changes were observed in non-moralism from pre-training (M = 20.07) to post-training (M = 20.98, p < 0.001); treatment optimism from pre-training (M = 21.56) to post-training (M = 22.33, p < 0.001); and treatment interventions from pre-training (M = 31.03) to post-training (M = 32.10, p < 0.001).Conclusion: Increasing medical education around Opioid Use Disorder using a Family Medicine trained team with a biopsychosocial focus can improve provider attitudes around substance use disorders. Enriching training with cases may improve treatment optimism and may help overcome the documented barriers to prescribing medications for opioid use disorder and increase access for patients to lifesaving treatments.


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