The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change has become almost universally accepted in addiction treatment. Like all dogmas, it is rarely critically examined, leading to blind belief and unskilled use.
Chronic care management (CCM), used successfully to treat other chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is one approach being looked at to improve care and clinical outcomes for patients with addiction.
A coalition, formed to fight what it sees as an opioid epidemic, is rallying support against the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the drug Zohydro.
About 1.6 million Americans use cocaine every year, and roughly one-quarter of them meet diagnostic criteria for a cocaine use disorder (CUD) under DSM-5 criteria. Fortunately, CUD responds to many of the same psychosocial interventions as other substance use disorders.
Cocaine addiction involves a host of maddening issues related to psychiatric comorbidity. Perhaps none is more vexing than co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), whether real, misdiagnosed, or malingered.
Women and minorities are often underrepresented in addiction studies. This has lead to many unanswered questions about disease prevalence and treatment outcomes.
Relapse usually does not occur suddenly, nor do people plan their return to addictive substance use. From the client’s point of view, it just seems to happen. But there are always indictors that trouble is brewing.