The post-test for this issue is available for one year after the publication date to subscribers. By successfully completing the test you will be awarded a certificate for 1 CME credit.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

We’re pleased to introduce Kirk J. Brower, MD, as the new editor-in-chief of The Carlat Addiction Treatment Report. Dr. Brower is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan (UM) Medical School. He graduated from medical school at the University of California at Irvine, and completed his residency in psychiatry at UCLA.

In this article, I’ll start by briefly outlining what the research tells us about the risks of substance use to the fetus. The more informed you are about these risks, the more persuasive and helpful you can be to patients. I’ll then move on to discussing how, as an OB/GYN, I approach the evaluation and treatment of these patients, emphasizing issues of interest to clinicians.

Typically, the most frequent problem that I’m referred is the pregnant patient who’s dependent on opioids. And this could be either someone who’s using illicit drugs, such as heroin, or is prescribed prescription opioids.

Mindfulness is a growing trend in mental health treatment, but it often requires hours of practice to become proficient. What if you could provide your patients with an introductory mindfulness lesson in less than 15 minutes and see meaningful reductions in their risky drinking?

Research has shown that heavy cannabis use is associated with new-onset psychosis, so a study exploring the drug’s use as a treatment for schizophrenia is surprising, to say the least.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

The post-test for this issue is available for one year after the publication date to subscribers only. By successfully completing the test you will be awarded a certificate for 1 CME Credit.

Detox (also known as “medically supervised withdrawal”) refers to treatment to help patients withdraw from substances that cause physical dependence, such as alcohol, sedative-hypnotics, and opioids. But detox is far more than a several-day process of ridding the body of an addictive substance. It should be considered an important component in the overall care and treatment of addiction.